Chapter 296: She’d Never See Again
Rose winced as the cold air hit her face. She instinctively pulled the scarf up to her chin to protect some of her face from the cold. Her cheeks were still exposed, but at least it was bearable.
The first thing Rose noticed as she walked towards the open doors leading outside the mansion was men sitting on horses. There weren’t many of them. She counted fewer than ten as she followed behind Thomas. The men bowed as Thomas approached.
Snowflakes fell lightly as she stepped out of the mansion. The already fallen snow littered the front yard, covering every exposed surface—the leaves, the men standing outside, the horses, and of course the ground—but it wasn’t falling hard enough for the ground to be completely covered.
Rose doubted it would take much longer before the roads would become impassable due to the snow. She could tell from the weather that it would only get colder.
As she walked towards the horses, Rose wondered if she should have requested a hat. It was a long journey, and her face was bound to take the full brunt of the cold.
However, since she couldn’t head back in, she improvised by pulling the scarf around her neck upwards so it partially covered her head too.
"Safe travels," a voice said behind her, and Rose nearly jumped out of her skin.
She turned around to see Prince Rylen. She hadn’t heard him approach, and if he hadn’t spoken, she would have remained oblivious to his presence.
"Prince Rylen," Rose said, bending her knees and bowing a little as she paid her respects.
Prince Rylen lightly lifted his hand. He had a stiff smile on his face, almost as though it was frozen. "Rose," he whispered.