The King's Lover-Chapter 502: She Is Leaving!

It wasn’t until she heard the secret passageway open and close again that Rose dared to peek. She was alone in the room, no sign of Caius, but she was pretty certain he had been here.

She couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Why did he come to her room? She was glad he left without doing anything, but she could not think of the purpose.

Did he just come to see me?

Rose shut her eyes. She didn’t mind, as long as he didn’t stop her from leaving. It didn’t matter what he came to do. Rose tried to empty her mind so she could fall asleep, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t get even a wink of sleep, and soon enough morning came.

When she answered the door, Chelsy and Isla looked at her in horror. "Are you unwell?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked and wiped at her face.

"Your eyes are red and your cheeks are puffy," Chelsy explained, her voice filled with concern.

Rose frowned. She was certain she didn’t cry the night before, and even if she did, it was only a few tears in the confines of her room. That wasn’t enough to make her look as Chelsy described.

"I couldn’t really sleep much," she simply said. She didn’t sleep for a single moment.

"May I check your temperature?" Chelsy asked.

She still looked very worried and Rose couldn’t imagine just how badly she must look. She nodded, and Chelsy reached out her hand to touch her forehead. The maid pulled her hand away and shook her head.

"I told you I am fine. I just need some sleep."

Chelsy and Isla nodded, but they didn’t look as though they believed her. "We will help you get ready for the day."

"I need you both to do one more thing for me."

Chelsy furrowed her brows. Rose’s tone told her something was up. She highly doubted Rose’s appearance this morning was simply from a lack of sleep.

"What do you need?" Isla asked.

"I need you to pack a bag for me." Rose didn’t want to take too many things. The things in the castle were never really hers to begin with.

"Are you going somewhere?" Isla asked.

"I am leaving the castle."

The sisters stared at Rose with wide eyes before they both screamed out, "Why?"

Rose just smiled tightly at them. "I have to."

"Where are you going?" Chelsy asked.

"Will you come back?" Isla asked.

"Yes, Isla. As for where I am going, I do not know yet. I need you to also get Lord Thomas. He will take me to Lady Delphine’s residence, and I can decide from there."

"Do you really have to leave?" Isla asked.

Chelsy pulled her sister’s hand to stop her from querying too much, it was clear Rose was distressed. "As you wish, Rose. If there is anything you need us to do, I will be more than happy to help."

"Thank you. I truly am grateful."

---

Caius was pacing in his study when Rylen walked through the doors. The King had been absent from breakfast, and in his worry, Rylen had decided to check on him.

He had asked Henry, the butler, who had quickly informed him that Caius left his bedchambers before sunrise but somehow was not at breakfast and the butler didn’t know why.

Caira also wasn’t at breakfast, and according to her maid, she didn’t feel very well when she woke up this morning. She didn’t give more details before leaving.

Rylen had been worried, and Queen Violeta had requested that a physician check on her. Rylen had agreed with her, and he told her he would inform Caius. She had been satisfied by this and had dropped the subject.

Rylen, however, wasn’t sure if she was really ill or if she was avoiding him. He wasn’t trying to force his way back into her life; he was just doing things he usually would. He could see her discomfort, but he hoped that it wasn’t his presence.

If she really wanted nothing to do with him, Rylen wasn’t quite sure he could step away. He hadn’t even considered that, but perhaps he would have to. It wasn’t just about what he wanted; it was about what they both wanted.

He wasn’t giving up yet, though. Not until Caira explicitly told him she wanted him to leave her alone. But she hadn’t done that yet. Rather, she greeted him with a smile, and even though she still couldn’t meet his eyes, she didn’t dismiss him.

"Your Majesty," Rylen called out with a frown. Caius didn’t seem to notice he was in his study as he kept pacing. "What is the matter?"

Caius stopped walking and turned to see his cousin looking at him with concern. "Rylen," it came out a little rough as though his throat was closed up.

"Your Majesty wasn’t at breakfast," he explained his presence. "I wanted to check to see if everything was well."

Caius took a step towards his cousin, stopped, then turned around and walked to his desk, where he sat down and placed his head in his hands while resting his elbows on the desk.

Rylen tried not to show any expression as he walked towards the King. He had seen Caius’s face; he was pale and didn’t look as though he had slept in a few days. Something was terribly wrong.

"What happened?"

"I shouldn’t have listened to you," Caius’s voice was shaky as he spoke.

Rylen could tell this was about Rose immediately. Did she decline his offer? He knew about the private dinner but not much in detail, as Rylen didn’t want to involve himself any more than he needed to. He had his own relationship issues to deal with.

He had actually completely forgotten about the dinner until right now. He was really worried about Caira and what was wrong with her.

"Did she say no?" Rylen asked, a little surprised.

"No, it is much worse."

Rylen looked confused. He couldn’t begin to imagine what could possibly be worse than Rose declining his offer of marriage.

"I am sure there is some way to fix whatever the problem is."

"That’s the problem. She said this is the only way to fix it. She is leaving!"