The King's Lover-Chapter 479: Make Her His Queen

"So I plead that you give me time to get the princess to my side." Rylen bowed low enough that the top of his head nearly touched the table with his hand on his chest.

Caius scratched his stubble as he thought about Rylen’s request. There was no time period to it; it was almost indefinite. He would have to hinge his entire plan on the possibility that the princess had affection for Rylen.

He wasn’t so sure about that, especially after what she did. If it were true as Rylen said, then things wouldn’t be as complicated as they were. But Caius trusted his cousin; they had been through too much, and Rylen was not the sort of man to say what he could not do.

"Do you think you can convince the princess?" Caius asked softly.

Rylen slowly straightened to his full height. "I have done it before. I am almost certain I can do it again."

Besides, he had more armor on his side. She didn’t have to do anything to keep the alliance. It wasn’t resting on her shoulders. Rylen couldn’t help but think it was a little cruel for her to be raised in this manner. He wanted to take her away from it all.

"Take however long you may need, but I shan’t wait around for you."

"What do you mean?" Rylen asked with a puzzled expression.

He was worried that the crown prince would send Caira away if he ran out of patience. With the fake marriage, he could easily do that. It wouldn’t matter to Caius if he angered a few people; Rose was that important to him.

"I want to marry her as soon as I am King," before she carries my child.

Rose had told him not to do things behind her back and to consult her. He was worried that his tampering with her medicine would come to light soon. Perhaps, like Rylen, he wanted to give her a choice before then.

He knew it wasn’t really a choice, because if she declined, she would have to marry him when the baby was on the way. Caius wanted to avoid more friction between them.

"A wedding?" Rylen asked with a shocked look.

"Yes, but not in the manner you think. You and Thomas should serve as enough witnesses, and when the time is right we will have an elaborate wedding. But I do not have the patience to wait however long you want before I can make her my wife."

Rylen looked at his cousin with a dumbfounded expression. How was he still uncertain about what his feelings were for Rose when he wanted to marry her as soon as possible?

"Do you not approve?" Caius asked at his cousin’s odd stare.

"No, no, Your Grace. It was simply a little unexpected how soon you want to get married."

Caius shrugged. He didn’t think it was soon enough. "The sooner the better."

"It would be my honor to stand as a witness to your wedding, Your Grace. How soon will it commence?"

Caius looked away. He didn’t know; the wedding depended on Rose’s response to his question. How was he going to bring it up? Could he just blurt out that she should marry him? Would she agree? Should he get a ring? He was almost certain this was necessary and the easiest part.

The hard part was filled with uncertainty. What if she said no? She promised she wouldn’t leave, but that didn’t mean she would marry him.

"Your Grace," Rylen softly called.

"I do not know," Caius mumbled, refusing to meet his cousin’s eye. "As soon as she says yes."

Rylen didn’t miss the demeanor around his cousin. It was no surprise; their relationship had a very rocky start. Rylen knew all about it, and he knew how strong and confident Rose was. She had boldly declined Caius without fear or hesitation.

But that wasn’t all. Despite that, she had been willing to throw herself at his feet to save the life of her father and had done everything he wanted just to keep her father safe.

He understood Caius’s hesitation to ask for her hand. Rylen, however, couldn’t say if she would agree. But he was certain that Rose was most likely the only woman who would ever say no to Caius’s request for marriage, and the thought amused him.

"Well, I wish Your Grace all the good luck in the world."

"As do I," Caius mumbled, staring at his cousin.

It was a mess, but still, Rylen was willing to work through it with the princess. And Caius thought about it, wondering what he would do if he were in the same position. He wasn’t sure about doing the exact same thing, but he was certain he would betray Rylen if that was what Rose wanted. So perhaps, in some weird way, he understood.

But he was lucky, because he knew Rose would never make such a request. She wanted him to be on good terms with everyone, even his father who didn’t deserve it. She was willing to sacrifice herself if it meant someone else not getting hurt.

A memory surfaced of her hitting Ryder as hard as she could just to save him from getting killed, and instead of escaping, she had taken him to the Furtherfield residence so he wouldn’t die of poisoning.

Caius felt his heart swell. He wanted to bury his head in her hair—the vibrant red color he could never get tired of seeing. When they had a child, he wanted the child to have the same color hair as she did.

"Shall we go see my father, then?" Rylen asked.

Caius nodded and said, "Send for Thomas."

Rylen nodded and walked towards the door. He opened it and gave orders to the nearest guard to send for Thomas.

Caius leaned back in his seat. This conversation went better than he could have imagined, and the outcome was even much better. He not only reconciled with Rylen, but his cousin was also willing to make sure he could make Rose his Queen.