Chapter 175: Welma
Rose hesitated. Should she respond to the crown prince’s parting words? It felt rude not to. With a soft breath, she gathered the hem of her dress, dipped into a polite curtsy, and said, "Goodnight, Your Majesty." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she went to the door without looking back.
Caius watched Rose go, silently cursing himself. What was he doing? She was supposed to serve one purpose in the castle, and yet—again—he was letting her walk away. His desire remained unsatisfied, gnawing at him each time she slipped through his fingers.
The ache in his groin was maddening—enough to drive even the most disciplined man to the brink. There was a point to this, he told himself, but right now, he couldn’t see it.
———
The morning came sooner than Rose would like, but thankfully, she got a good enough sleep. The first part of her morning didn’t change; the maids brought her breakfast on time. There was no sign of either Lily or Edna, just Welma and one other maid.
Rose was dressed when she opened the door to let them in. She had been ready for some time before they showed up, especially since she knew she might have to deal with Thomas right after.
Welma didn’t waste any time before making a comment about Rose. "It is a good thing," Welma said as soon as she walked through the door, "that you’re not dead to the world this time. Didn’t think you’d answer on the first knock."
Rose was a little caught off guard by her sudden words, but she ignored her. Welma was not worth the trouble, and she didn’t really care what the maids said or thought of her.
Welma frowned as she noticed Rose was not going to take the bait. She didn’t like this, but she knew better than to say anything that would get her in trouble. The rumors were that Rose told the crown prince everything, and it was best not to get on her bad side.
Besides, even if she didn’t, the crown prince had spies placed to keep an eye on Rose, and anything said to Rose would surely reach his ears. As much as she didn’t believe this, two maids had been punished because of the pretty redhead.
Welma originally didn’t do chores that brought her in contact with the royals until recently, and it had a lot to do with Martha being sent out of the castle and Edna’s demotion. She was promoted and was currently one of the Queen’s personal maids, along with Lily.
The Queen had recently put her as one of the maids who would keep track of Rose’s meals and report to her about her daily activities. She didn’t know why, but she was supposed to report even the littlest things.