The King's Lover-Chapter 503: A Paradox

Caius knew it wasn’t his cousin’s fault and that he had no one to blame but himself. However, it was too unbearable to just wallow in his misery, and he was seeking some kind of outlet just so he could feel slightly better.

Every moment he was conscious felt like breathing in nails. Every time he remembered that she was leaving him drove him mad, and it was even more devastating that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

"What did she say exactly?" Rylen softly asked as he tried to understand the situation.

"Exactly what I just said. She is leaving..." Caius paused as he realized he couldn’t really put it into words. "She said that’s the only way to fix this."

Rylen sighed. Rose clearly thought it was best to put some distance between them, and he could see that being logical. They had too many inconsistencies to just jump into marriage. His cousin, however, didn’t seem to understand that.

He didn’t expect Rose to flee, it came as a surprise that she was running away from the castle. Well, it wasn’t really running away; she probably just wanted more time to make sure marrying Caius was what she wanted. But the King was too self-absorbed to see that.

"Why didn’t you stop her?"

"I couldn’t," Caius said with exasperation.

Rylen was so shocked at Caius’s response that it took him a moment to recollect his thoughts. "What do you mean you couldn’t?"

This was the man who had threatened the life of her father just so he could have her. He was certain Caius could think of multiple ways to stop her.

Caius lifted his head to look at his cousin. "She asked me to let her go if I wanted us to be together forever."

She didn’t say those exact words, but she didn’t have to for him to understand that if he didn’t let her go, he was going to lose her forever. It was a paradox, and maybe that wasn’t going to happen, but Caius didn’t want to take the chance.

That was why he was willing to go through this torture if it meant she would marry him of her own free will. No matter how long it took, he was willing to wait.

Unfortunately, just because he knew it would be worth it in the end didn’t make him less miserable, nor did it keep doubts at bay. The loudest one echoed in his head every single moment.

What if she never comes back?

"And you let her go?" Rylen asked in shock.

He couldn’t hide how surprised he was. Perhaps his cousin wasn’t as self-absorbed as he thought, and when it came to Rose, he was willing to put in the work.

Caius glared at his cousin. "Isn’t that the advice you gave me? To give her a choice and hope that she would pick me?"

Rylen would have laughed if they weren’t both in the same wretched situation. "I suppose you’re right. And the only thing you have left to do is to trust her."

"I hate it!" He grabbed a handful of hair and pulled.

All he had known was complete, unrestricted access to her. Even when she was away from him because of her ill mother and he was still recovering, he knew he could demand her presence whenever he wanted. But now, it wasn’t that way anymore.

But that wasn’t what he missed nor did he hate that he didn’t have access to her. It was the uncertainty of it. Would she be there when he needed her? He didn’t know anymore.

"You will have to deal with it, Your Majesty." Rylen understood his cousin’s misery as if it were his own. He also hated every moment of it.

"Has she left the castle?" Rylen changed the subject to give his cousin something else to think about. It didn’t get better, and he had no advice to give him in that regard. He would have to just keep moving forward, no matter how excruciating that was.

"I don’t know, but I don’t think so."

Caius promised he wouldn’t stop her from leaving, and he wouldn’t ask her where she was going. But it didn’t mean that he couldn’t find out from other sources.

At first, he wanted to keep an eye on her for her safety, but he knew the only reason she was unsafe was because of him. If she no longer had any ties to him, no one would go out of their way to harm her.

He was also pretty confident about Rose. She could protect herself. He had seen that firsthand. And so, he would have to wait, as doing otherwise would defeat the purpose.

But, for as long as she was in the castle, it wasn’t going against their agreement if he kept an eye on her—for his own sanity.

"Is she going back to her hometown?"

"I don’t know. She won’t tell me, and she has forbidden me from asking. She also won’t tell me how long this would take."

Rylen could understand why his cousin was so distraught, but he had no sympathy for him. He was proud of Rose for not being terrified of him any longer and her willingness to give him a taste of his own medicine. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

She will make a wonderful Queen.

A knock echoed in the space, and Caius eagerly looked toward the door as though he was expecting someone. They only knocked once before they walked into the study.

Maximus bowed to both Caius and Rylen, greeting them appropriately while Rylen watched his cousin slowly run out of patience.

"Get right to it, Maximus!"

"My apologies, Your Majesty. Lord Thomas just rode away with Lady Rose in a carriage and according to what I sourced out, they are headed for Lady Delphine’s manor, and she will decide where to go from there."

Maximus had asked one of her personal maids for this information, as Rose was very careful. She didn’t dress as though she was leaving the castle and only carried a small bag that would not arouse any suspicion.

He had only managed to see a small glimpse of her before she got into the carriage and they rode off.