Chapter 142: More To Lose
Rose was not surprised when she was skipped for lunch—at least they brought her breakfast. The day before, she had only had lunch and dinner, but the two meals were mostly enough to make up for the rest of the day.
Dinner was especially better and Rose knew without a doubt that Edna was behind her last night’s dinner. The difference between that and the breakfast was enough for her to know.
In her bid to pass the time, she had played some flute, hoping that since it was daytime, the sound might not carry too far. She played softly at first, but soon enough she got lost in the melody. Rose played until she was tired, taking advantage of the fact that no one came to stop her. It was only when her throat started to hurt that she stopped playing.
The next time she saw another person after breakfast was when it was time for dinner. Rose half expected not to get dinner, but when she heard a knock, she jumped to her feet and rushed toward the door. She pulled it open to see Lily standing outside with a tray.
This tray was much better, and it didn’t look like the serving was meant to feed a dog. As soon as the door opened, Lily immediately stretched out the tray for Rose to take, but Rose pretended not to see her gesture because she knew as soon as she took the tray, the maid would be gone before she could ask any questions.
"Lily," she called, her face expressionless. She didn’t even have the energy to pretend she was happy to see her. "’Ow’s Edna?" she asked.
Lily narrowed her eyes and stretched the tray to her. "Here, better take it. I have to go now."
Rose glanced down at the tray but didn’t take it. "If I take this, you’ll leave, and I don’t know when next I’ll see you. You’re the only one I can ask about Edna."
Lily glared at Rose. She was still angry about the incident and even more so because Edna was currently overwhelmed with work. The maids were also forbidden from helping her, but Lily made sure to sneak in help whenever she could.
If only Edna had listened to her, she wouldn’t have to deal with the Queen’s wrath. But try as she might, Edna never listened. Edna had also forbidden Lily from telling Rose that she had been given more chores instead.
Edna said it wasn’t a big deal, and considering she had slacked off for almost a full week, it wasn’t such a bad deal. Lily couldn’t comprehend why Edna would walk through fire because of a stranger. Unlike her, neither of them had the favor of the crown prince and would get burned if they weren’t careful.
However, despite all this, she couldn’t completely be angry at Rose. Rose had tried to help Edna as soon as Lily told her. Rose was the only reason Edna didn’t get whipped, and Lily knew this. Though she still blamed Rose—as it was her fault in the first place—at least she got Edna out of the dungeons. She wasn’t all bad.