The King's Lover Chapter 544: New Rules

Caius was doing his best to simmer down his anger. The first thing he had noticed as she walked to him was the cut on her face. It was healing, and it truly was just a scratch as she said, but it angered him to no end, and it also reminded him that he could do nothing about the situation as of now.

Rose seemed to have recovered from the attack, as she was in a better mood this morning, but a part of him was worried she was putting up a front, and he wanted to help in some way, though he was unsure how.

He was going to put new rules in place and put better guards around the castle. Caius intended to make sure that this would not repeat itself. He didn’t care what he would upset with his plans.

The walk to the dining hall was pretty quiet, but she clung to him, and he could tell she trusted him. It felt nice, and it further enforced the fact that he couldn’t dare fail her.

They were the last to arrive in the dining room, and Caius quickly led her to her seat. His mother greeted him more cheerfully than she usually would, and there was a smug look on her face when she glanced at Rose.

If he weren’t already certain that she couldn’t get her hands on such skilled archers without alerting anyone, he would have every reason to suspect her right now.

Rose, on the other hand, acted oblivious to his mother’s jabs. She ate breakfast with her head high and a relaxed look on her face.

Caius found himself glancing at her more times than he needed to, and the few times she met his gaze, she would smile at him.

Rose kept her face void of any negative emotion as she sat at the dinner table. She didn’t miss Violeta’s sneer nor the smug look the old hag sent her way, and she paid them no mind. They weren’t even hard to ignore.

A small part of her was terrified that she might be killed, but it was so small it was easy to squash. Perhaps if Caius wasn’t as comforting, things would have been a little difficult but she had no doubt he was on her side.

Rose felt him stare in her direction and she turned her head to offer him a little smile. He looked relieved and returned to eating. It was clear that he was more bothered by her mood than even she was.

Rose smiled to herself as she caught the old Queen staring. The latter had noticed their exchange and wasn’t shy to show her displeasure. Rose didn’t care what she did, as long as Violeta didn’t address her directly or try to harm her maids in any way.

As usual, Caira left the table as soon as she could without saying a single word the entire time. Rylen, however, didn’t glance at her nor did he try to follow her.

Rose was unsure how to react in this situation. Had Rylen given up, and was this the new norm? Rose didn’t like it, and she was biding her time before she could do something about it. She only just got here, she wasn’t about to start a fight and Caira made it particularly hard for that to happen by being detached.

The old Queen, on the other hand, couldn’t stay away from her, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they butted heads in a more public manner. She doubted Violeta would be able to resist the urge.

"This is Delan," Caius was saying as they stepped out of the dining room hand in hand. "He will be your personal guard. He is required to follow you wherever you go during the day."

Delan was a young lad who looked around the same age as Thomas. He didn’t look like much of a fighter, but she knew that wasn’t his role. Caius simply wanted someone under his command who could go everywhere with her.

Maximus was a better option, but she was sure the lord had better things to do than follow her around the castle. She also wouldn’t be attacked in the castle, especially with guards everywhere, but she didn’t refuse the King’s offer.

The only attack she was likely to receive was from the old Queen and Rose was pretty familiar with the old hag’s tactics.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she simply said as she pulled her hand away from him.

Caius was reluctant to let her go, but Rose didn’t give him a chance to refuse as she started to walk away with the guard trailing behind her.

She could feel his eyes on her back, but Rose didn’t turn around. The King had a lot to do today; he was determined to find out who had attacked her, and she didn’t want to keep him away from his work.

"Delan, right?" Rose asked as she got to the front of her bedchambers.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty." The young man looked shocked that she was talking to him.

"I will be right out. I only need to head to the library."

He nodded enthusiastically. "I won’t leave this spot."

Rose smiled at him and went into her bedchambers. She walked to the desk and picked up some parchment paper, ink, and a quill. She might find some in the library, but Rose didn’t want to take any chances.

After taking everything she needed, Rose looked in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place before she exited the room.

Delan bowed as she stepped out and shut the door to her room. She nodded her approval and started for the stairs.

She knew not a lot of the King’s men approved of her, but there was no question that Delan did. Or perhaps he was so loyal to the King that it didn’t matter to him and he was willing to follow any orders.

Rose didn’t think about it too much as she made her way to the library. She needed to write a letter to Lady Delphine, and she wanted it sent out today.

She was a little sad, as she didn’t know how long she would have to camp inside the castle before she could see her father again.