Chapter 26: Delphine
Rose realized as Martha spoke that it wasn’t just her and Edna in the room. Standing in the corner, close to the exit, was Martha with her arms folded and her nose in the air as she looked down at Rose lying in the hay bed with contempt.
"Martha!" Edna scolded. "Don’t say things like that."
"Why not?" Martha replied, rolling her eyes. "I only speak the truth. What did she think was going to happen? The crown prince was being very nice. He didn’t even throw her in the dungeons after."
"I wasn’t tryin’ to escape," Rose said as she accepted Edna’s assistance. "I fell." The maid gently helped her to her feet, and Rose murmured her thanks.
Martha scoffed. "If you want to lie, you best find a better one. Nobody is going to believe that. Besides, weren’t you the one who said if I find a way for you to escape, I should let you know?"
Rose didn’t reply to this. Clearly, no one would believe her, but she couldn’t help but say it. She had spent the entire day preparing for tonight. She knew the crown prince wasn’t the least bit patient. She was angry, in severe pain, and tired, but it was a little sad that all she could think about was that she was happy he had directed his anger at her and not her father.
"I can stand by mi’self," she said to Edna, who didn’t seem to want to let go of her. She stood next to Rose, holding her arm.
Edna nodded and slowly pulled her hand away. Rose took a step forward and another, wincing with each step, but she had to at least act strong. Edna wasn’t lying when she said they cleaned her up. Not only that, but they had also changed her clothes. They had to, the last one had been ripped by the whip.
She tightened the robe around her body as she walked out of the room, not even glancing in Martha’s direction as she marched out. She made her way to the crown prince’s wing. At this point, she could find it in her sleep. The path felt longer than usual, and all she could think about was if the crown prince was expecting her to lay with him while she was in such a state. Her back hurt, and her legs were still sore from all the walking she had to do to find her way out.
Rose grabbed the wall as she took a breather. The balm was taking a little too long to work, and the dress rubbing against the open skin with every step was enough to have her rolling in pain. But Rose pushed through it, and soon enough, she got in front of his chambers.
As though they were waiting for her, as soon as she appeared, the guards opened the door. Rose took a step inside, and the door was immediately shut behind her. The loud unexpected sound was a shock to hear but it was nothing compared to what was going on in the room. Rose had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop from screaming out at the sight in front of her.