The King's Lover Chapter 547: Possibility

A few weeks had passed since she was attacked, and as much as Rose was no longer bothered by the incident, she still couldn’t freely leave the castle to go see her father.

In the meantime, she had exchanged a couple of letters with Lady Delphine as they both informed each other of the situation in their respective locations.

Rose was grateful Lady Delphine spared no details in her letters, as she knew Rose was worried. She even made her father write some words to make her feel better.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any progress in finding the men who attacked her, and even though Caius tried not to appear so, she could tell the lack of answers bothered him. It also meant she couldn’t leave the castle until further notice.

However, these weren’t the thoughts that occupied her mind as she got ready for bed. A completely different thought churned in her head.

Rose was seated in front of her vanity table while Chelsy brushed out her hair. It was wet from her bath, and the ladies were doing their best to dry it.

Rose shuffled in her seat. It had been a few weeks now, and with each day she was more certain. At first, she had chalked it up to being stressed from the attack, but that was almost a month ago; she had to consider the possibility.

She was going for more signs as she didn’t feel any different, nor did she have any other symptoms, unlike Caira, who no longer joined them during meals.

According to what she heard, a midwife had been called and it was confirmed that the princess was indeed pregnant. Neither she nor Caius has spoken about the confirmation but they were both aware.

The only good news was that the old Queen was preoccupied with the pregnancy and had almost left Rose alone except to sneer at her any chance she got.

Rose was also surprised she hadn’t gotten any confrontation since the changes she made. She wasn’t complaining, as long as the old hag left her alone, she didn’t particularly care what she did.

"Your Majesty," Isla softly called.

"Hmm," Rose replied, looking at her in the mirror.

"Do you think you’re pregnant?"

Rose nearly jumped out of her skin. However, it was no surprise that Isla would ask that. Her ladies-in-waiting were aware that her monthly flow was late. It came with the job. They had also discussed it prior, and Rose had been dismissive about it.

"Isla," Chelsy scolded. "I told you not to speak to Her Majesty so casually. You can’t ask her such questions."

"I am sorry," Isla apologized. "I just wanted to know, and perhaps we should call a physician. Maybe something is wrong?"

Rose knew Isla just wanted confirmation that she was pregnant. The young lady had been especially ecstatic about the idea, but Rose had shut it down.

"Nothing is wrong, Isla," Rose replied. "Besides, we can’t say I am pregnant. It’s not unusual for one to be a little late," she explained.

Isla nodded. "But it would be wonderful if you are," she squealed, looking down at Rose with wide eyes. "Everyone knows the princess is pregnant, and they keep saying—"

"Isla!" Chelsy scolded. "Stop bothering Her Majesty."

"I apologize, Your Majesty," she said with a curtsey, but she was smiling as she spoke.

Rose had a smile on her face at Isla’s behavior. In more ways than one, she saw her as the younger sister she didn’t have and Isla did behave in that manner which made it particularly hard for Rose to be vexed at her actions. Besides, Isla did ask questions maliciously and more often than not, she just let her curiosity get the best of her.

Though Rose was pretty much convinced she was pregnant, she intended to keep the news to herself until she couldn’t hide it. But she knew it was about time she brought up the possibility with Caius.

She planned to tell him tonight. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction, but more importantly, she wanted him to reassure her. As happy as she was about the baby, Rose couldn’t help but think of the numerous reasons why now was not a good time.

"Goodnight, Your Majesty," Chelsy and Isla both curtsied before exiting her room.

Rose waved them goodnight just as the door closed, and she made her way to the desk. Lessons had been going on as usual, and since the incident in his study, Caius had been particularly generous with his compliments.

She couldn’t help but reminisce about it as she picked up a book, waiting for him to walk through the doors. Rose wasn’t exactly sure when to bring up the topic, but she figured it was best when they were in bed.

There was a weird feeling in her stomach. Perhaps now that she was ready to acknowledge the presence of a child, she couldn’t help but feel excited.

What if she really was pregnant? What would that be like? Who was the child likely to bear a close resemblance to? How was this going to alter things for them?

Rose had a thousand questions, but unfortunately, every question was one where she would have to wait and see. She would have to hope that it would turn out just right.

Caius walked right into her room, and Rose’s expression brightened at the sight of him. She had seen him only moments before, yet his presence was enough to make her feel lighter.

Caius walked to her without hesitation, and before taking his seat, he took her hand and kissed the back of her palm. She shook her head but didn’t stop him.

"Shall we begin?" he finally asked as he took his seat.

"Yes, please," Rose replied with a smile.

Caius leaned forward, his arm lightly brushing against her. This was comforting. The steady rhythm of his voice, the familiar weight of his presence beside her, the quiet scratch of parchment as he corrected her work.

It settled something restless within her. Rose found herself watching him more than the page, her earlier thoughts returning, softer now, less overwhelming.