Chapter 290: The King’s Decree
Prince Rylen gripped the letter in his hands until his knuckles turned white and the edges of the letter crinkled. He had foreseen this, but he hadn’t expected action to be taken so quickly.
He had thought the crown prince’s health would take precedence—perhaps after His Highness was out of danger, this would be addressed: the appropriate punishment for Rose’s supposed involvement in the crown prince’s current state.
Unfortunately, that was clearly not the case, not with the letter he held and certainly not with the words on it.
Rylen had tried his best to keep Rose out of the account he sent to the castle, but it was nearly impossible. He was required to give as accurate a report as possible, especially in such a critical situation.
He had tried to mention her only in passing, stating that the crown prince had gone off alone, refusing to be accompanied by any of the guards. However, that didn’t work. Rylen had expected that he and the men who had accompanied His Highness to Futherfield and had let him go off alone would be the ones punished, but there was no mention of that.
"Prince Rylen," Thomas called after some time, noticing Rylen’s grave expression. "What does the letter say?"
Rylen slowly lifted his head and looked at Thomas, dumbfounded for a few moments. Then his lips finally moved. "Rose is to be sent to the castle on charges of crimes against the kingdom and the royal family. It says here she led His Highness to the bandits. They’re charging her with high treason."
"What?" Thomas asked in horror.
Rylen was not shocked at Thomas’ reaction even saying it out loud told him just how insane it sounded. Nothing about this made sense.
They were in Rylen’s bedchambers. Rylen was seated at his desk with a lamp nearby to light the letter for him to read, while Thomas stood next to him, keeping a respectful distance as he patiently waited for Rylen to finish reading.
They couldn’t be with the crown prince—he was being treated by the physicians sent from the castle, who insisted they work without anyone else present. Paul, the crown prince’s official physician, had arrived, so Rylen hadn’t objected and had stepped outside to read the letter Paul handed him.
The physicians had arrived just after midnight. Rylen had been surprised they made it so quickly—the journey through darkness and snow must have been harrowing—but the crown prince’s life was at stake.