The King's Lover-Chapter 508: Every Fiber

Rose knew better than to struggle; he recovered too quickly, and she worried she might be punished for what she had done. "I am sorry, Your Majesty."

"I am not angry," he said, his voice soft. "I am beyond relieved. I was worried I would never see you again. Seeing you in my arms feels like a dream that I might soon wake up from."

"It’s not a dream," Rose replied, pulling her hands from her face now that she knew he wasn’t mad at her.

Rose had been caught off guard by his presence. She had expected him earlier, right after dinner, and when he didn’t arrive, she concluded he wouldn’t be coming to her room. She didn’t expect to see him by midnight.

She was glad she hadn’t fallen asleep yet. His reaction would probably be worse if he had walked in and found her sleeping in bed.

She was glad she had noticed the door handle tilt as though someone was trying to get in but was hesitant. That gave her enough time to flee the desk and hide behind the curtains.

While she was there, Rose could see him, and it had hurt to see just how sad he was. She wasn’t sure when to reveal herself, and she didn’t want to drag it out until it felt awkward, so she just did it.

Caius’s reaction to her arrival wasn’t something she would forget easily, just like the way he was looking down at her right now.

"I missed you," Caius said, looking down at her. "It was only a day, but it was excruciating knowing you weren’t going to be here with me. I need you every single moment."

"I am right here, Your Majesty."

"Are you?"

Rose nodded and lifted her hand to caress his face. He looked tired, exhausted. He placed his hand over her hand on his face and just kept it there.

"Will you marry me now?" Caius asked with wide eyes.

Rose chuckled. "Your Majesty is persistent."

"I am, and I will ask you as many times as it takes. However, it doesn’t matter. I really am willing to do whatever you want. I love you, Rose, and I mean that with every fiber of my being."

Rose couldn’t help the color that appeared on her cheeks, because she knew Caius meant every word. Not only could she feel it, but she could see it in his eyes that stared at her with so much love.

Rose pulled her hand from his face and rested the side of her face on his chest. Through the doublet, she could hear the loud beating of his heart that mirrored hers.

It was hard to do this, and even harder to walk away from him last night knowing he didn’t know that she wasn’t going to leave. She couldn’t imagine how hurt he felt, and her heart tore at the thought.

Caius didn’t care that Rose didn’t reply to his confession. She didn’t need to; just the fact that she was by his side right now was proof enough. She could have left him never to be seen again, but here she was.

He kissed the top of her head as she lay her head on his chest. He had asked her to marry him again, and even though she didn’t say yes, he wasn’t worried that she would decline his offer.

However, Caius didn’t want her to say yes. Not yet. He had to tell her everything she was getting into. She deserved the truth. If she had been willing to test him, it meant she had hope that he would pass, and he did. He had to trust that she would stand by his side even in the toughest times.

"Rose," he slowly called and, taking one of her hands, entangled his fingers with hers.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Are you going to stay with me this time?" he asked.

Rose nodded her head. "Yes, I will."

"I want to ask you to marry me again, but I can’t do that if I keep things from you."

Rose frowned at his words. From the moment she didn’t leave the castle, she already knew her answer would be yes, and the only reason she didn’t say so now was because she was overwhelmed.

"What things?" she whispered worriedly. Caius sounded so serious.

"Before that," he whispered, bringing her palm that was entangled with his to his lips. It felt warm where he kissed the back of her hand. "Tell me all about this and when you changed your mind. I am certain you left the castle. I confirmed it twice."

Rose sighed; she already knew this was unavoidable. "Firstly, Your Majesty, you have to promise me you won’t punish Lord Thomas directly or indirectly."

Caius frowned. Thomas had lied to him. That was the only way this was possible. Did he purposely work together with Rose, or did she trick Thomas as she had tricked him?

"It depends on what I hear," Caius said stubbornly.

"Your Majesty!"

"Fine, I promise, my love."

Rose blushed. It was hard not to. It was how easily he called her his love, and it felt just right.

"I may have asked Thomas to lie to you," she mumbled, peeking up at him.

"Go on," he urged.

"I never left the castle, and the person Maximus saw was my maid Chelsy. She dressed up in my clothes and left in the carriage with Thomas, but they never went to Lady Delphine’s manor. Rather, Thomas rounded back to the castle and used the side entrance to let her back in."

The only way any part of her plan had been possible was because the King truly let her go. If he had so much as watched her past the castle, he would have seen right through their plans immediately.

It was easy to convince Chelsy to dress up as her, but they had to find a way to hide her hair, as they had completely different colors. Rose had opted that they leave when it was exactly time for breakfast so they would run into fewer people.

Thomas, however, was a little harder to convince. He saw it as betraying the King, and Rose had to assure him multiple times that she would make sure he didn’t get punished for it.