The King's Lover-Chapter 521: Midnight Tryst

Rose didn’t like the way anxiety clogged her throat. She had spent most of the day by herself, reading and writing. The maids had brought her dinner and prepared her for the night. That was some time ago, and there was still no sign of the King.

Rose stood up from behind her desk and paced the room. She was certain he would come back tonight, but midnight was fast approaching, and there was still no sign of him.

Her stomach knotted, and she couldn’t help the uneasy thoughts that poured through her mind. The only time that Caius hadn’t come to her room, he had ended up drugged by his cousin.

Rose wondered if Rylen had gotten wind of the plans and done something, but this was the King—not just anyone could go against him.

She forced herself to sit down and flipped through the pages, but that didn’t make any difference. She could see the words, but it felt as though she didn’t know how to read.

Rose jumped when her wardrobe moved to the side, her face breaking into a smile—but the smile quickly froze on her face when she saw it wasn’t Caius. Rather, the two sisters were back.

"Move," Isla said as she pushed her sister forward so she could come out.

"Isla," Chelsy scolded.

"I’m scared," she explained as she jumped out. "It is very creepy at night, and something kept touching me." Isla sounded on the verge of tears.

"You’re imagining things."

"What? What are you girls doing here?" Rose finally snapped out of her shock of seeing them in her room at such an odd hour. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Rose," they both blurted out, turning in the direction of her voice.

"We thought you would be asleep," Isla explained.

Rose shook her head. If she had been asleep, all that ruckus would have terrified her. "Doesn’t explain why you are here, Chelsy, Isla. It is late. What’s going on?"

"The King sent us," Chelsy replied and walked towards Rose.

"He won’t be coming?" Rose asked.

Rose didn’t like how strained her voice sounded. Even if he wasn’t coming tonight, it wasn’t enough reason to send the girls to tell her so late. He could have sent a message earlier.

Chelsy shook her head. "Yes and no. We are to take you to him. Well, not us—someone—we don’t know who—should be here soon, and we are here to help you get ready."

Rose frowned. "Why?" Rose asked. "I can just go by myself." His room was only a room away. Besides, it would be more discreet and safer for her to use the secret passageway. She didn’t need an escort.

"I don’t know," Chelsy said with a straight face.

Isla, on the other hand, turned away from Rose as she opened the wardrobe. There was a wide smile plastered on her face, and she had turned away so Rose wouldn’t see that she couldn’t stop smiling.

"Rose, we have to start now. The King’s orders. Someone will be here very soon."

Chelsy didn’t know who the King would send, but they would knock on the front door, and that would be the signal.

Rose would leave her bedchambers, and a guard would lead the sisters back to their quarters. It was the only way they would be able to make it back, as the King had given strict orders that no servant should be seen walking around the castle by midnight.

Chelsy knew why, as the King had spoken to them directly. She shivered. She had been in his presence multiple times now, but each time felt worse than the last. She couldn’t understand how Rose was comfortable in his presence.

Chelsy always felt a constant pressure on her neck when he was in the room, and it felt worse when he spoke. That was why she was terrified of making a mistake.

The King had also warned her not to tell Rose anything or even give a hint about what was about to happen. She couldn’t wait to be able to properly discuss this with her sister when they had some privacy.

Isla, on the other hand, was doing a terrible job of keeping herself together, and she looked like she would burst into a giggle at any moment.

Rose sighed loudly and stood to her feet. She couldn’t disagree, and she could see the worry on Chelsy’s face. This was serious. She wished she had some kind of idea, but she could tell Caius wanted to keep this secret from her.

She wondered if it would be like the private dinner they had a few days ago, but it was too late to eat. Or the secret wedding? Rose shook her head. They had only spoken about it this morning; Caius would need some time to prepare.

He had mentioned that it would hold as much weight as though it were a proper wedding. She was sure that would take time to prepare for. So what was this about?

"Isn’t that a little too much for a midnight tryst?" Rose asked, barely containing her surprise as Isla pulled out a cream-colored dress from her wardrobe.

Isla giggled at Rose’s words, and her sister glared at her. Isla used the dress to cover her face as she held it up.

"I don’t think so," Chelsy said and walked towards her sister.

She pulled the dress from Isla’s hand while the latter turned around to compose herself. When she turned back, her face and the tips of her ears were red, but at least she didn’t look as though she would burst into another giggle.

"I think so," Rose replied as Chelsy brought the dress closer. She would be spotted a mile away in that dress.

"You will wear a dark cloak over it," she explained.

Rose looked suspicious, but it didn’t look as though she had much choice in the matter, and Chelsy’s expression was too serious for her to argue, so she reluctantly nodded.

If this ruined her plans to stay hidden, Rose planned not to forgive Caius for a long time.