Chapter 104: The Melody
Caius knew what room she had been put in; it was two rooms away from his. Henry didn’t follow after him, which he thought was good reasoning on Henry’s part. He didn’t think he could control his reaction right now.
The hall was quiet as he walked, but as he got closer, he could hear the sounds of a flute. It was low, but it was a pretty clear tune. Caius was puzzled, he knew no one in the castle could play the flute.
There were a few bards, but they mostly used the lute and harp. Flutes interfered with singing. However, it didn’t mean there weren’t any flutists, but Caius was certain they weren’t as good.
He found himself listening a little too deeply as he ventured towards the bedchamber Rose was in, and he noticed the tune increase. The tune was melancholic, and it made him remember some dark nights, but somehow it wasn’t so depressing. It almost felt like if he had this tune to listen to, it would have been a little easier to bear.
His footsteps picked up, and the guards who walked with him had to increase their pace to keep up. Caius soon got in front of the door and stopped abruptly. He didn’t hesitate as his hand reached for the handle and he opened the door.
Rose immediately stopped playing, and Edna rose to her feet; the chair she had been comfortably sitting in fell backward. Fear had them frozen—Rose because she was being loud, and Edna because she was sitting down when the chair was clearly only meant for nobles.
Edna snapped out of it first, because regardless of the offense, failing to greet the crown prince was an even bigger offense. She bent her head low enough to touch the bed, and her hand gripped the side of her dress a little too tightly as she curtsied.
Caius stepped in, and Rose started to move out of the bed. "Don’t move!"
"Yer Majesty," Rose called. She was petrified. She wanted nothing more than to flee the space.
Caius narrowed his eyes. "Leave us," he said to Edna.
Edna looked at Rose, and Rose tried to keep a straight face, but she failed, and her lower lip quivered a little. Edna nodded and quickly left the room, keeping her head bent as she walked out.
The door closed, and she jerked, realizing that she was left alone with him. Caius watched Rose’s every move. He could clearly remember the scene he had walked into—she had smile lines around her eyes as she blew the flute while Edna nodded enthusiastically. But as soon as he appeared, all traces of that disappeared.