Chapter 223: Punish Accordingly
Rose sat still as the maids, Chelsy and Isla, helped her prepare. The air around her was so tense that the girls didn’t even try to converse with her. Rose preferred that—she was too anxious to indulge in any form of conversation. The girls seemed to think she was still upset about what had happened during the day, and Rose didn’t try to correct them.
She had casually told Welma she was speaking to the crown prince, but truth be told, it wasn’t as easy as she made it sound. The crown prince wasn’t someone she wanted to owe any more favors to, because at this point, she might never get home. But if she didn’t try to find a solution against the Queen, she would indeed never get home.
She slowly stood up after they were done with her hair, and Isla helped her wear the robe. The young girl tied a sturdy rope, and Rose smiled at her as she pulled away. She wondered if Isla had explained the situation to her younger sister, or perhaps the child had figured it out herself.
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Rose glanced at the table which held the dahlias. She had asked the maids to help her put them in a vase. The flowers were looking better and less droopy. She knew they wouldn’t last, but at least she could keep them for a few more days.
Rose headed for the door while Chelsy and Isla waited behind, watching her leave. They still had some cleaning up to do—she had finally told them to get rid of the dress.
Welma had told her concerning news. She already had her suspicions, but for them to be proved right was worrisome. Rose didn’t like what it meant—that the crown prince didn’t care about her. If he had deliberately put her in this situation, then speaking with him was simply a hopeless endeavor.
However, she couldn’t just wait until the Queen had her way this time. She was lucky the Queen chose someone like Welma this time. Who knows what might have happened to her already? She wrinkled her forehead as she recalled just how much trouble Martha had put her through.
The crown prince’s bedchambers were only a room away, but the walk to his room always felt either too long or too short—but tonight, Rose was unsure which it was. She got to the front of the door, and the guards opened it—no questions asked.
She stepped into the room and was immediately hit with the familiar fragrance. She walked right to the seats clustered around the lit fireplace. If the fireplace was already set, it meant the crown prince was going to be here soon.
Rose dropped onto one of the seats, choosing the one the crown prince rarely used. She got comfortable and looked around, noticing that she couldn’t see the chessboard. It had been a while—she almost missed it. Well, she couldn’t pretend the crown had called her here for anything else.
Rose didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing the steward, Henry, who walked in with his head low as he spoke to the crown prince behind him. Rose thought the older man seemed to have more white hair, but it might be the lighting. She had seen him that morning—he hadn’t seemed different.
She lifted her gaze and was not surprised when she met eyes with the crown prince. She didn’t look away, nor did she acknowledge his presence—she just stared at him.