The King’s Lover

"Him? Shouldn't you address me properly? That is no way to speak to your elder," a familiar voice replied.

Rose blinked as she stared at the figure approaching, and for a moment, she was too stunned to speak. The physician smiled at her as their eyes met, snapping her out of her speechlessness.

"L-Lord Paul," she stuttered, bowing her head and bending her knees.

"Good to see you are well enough to travel, Rose. I suppose we didn't have the chance for much of a conversation earl—"

"Enough chatter," Thomas interrupted. "We must leave now if we plan to make it to Stonegate before nightfall."

They were heading for Stonegate. Rose knew the journey from Stonegate to Edenville was about a day even with lots of breaks. As long as they got to Stonegate, she was certain she would get home tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will see my mother.

"So rude," Paul said with a scoff and walked towards the horse Rose had been told not to ride. "Do you need help getting on your horse?" he asked when he noticed Rose had not moved a step forward.

Rose blinked as Paul stood next to the brown horse. The older man was dressed in traveling clothes. His outfits weren't as ceremonial as the knight's. He wore simple pants, a thick woolen tunic, a coat, leather gloves, and a hat. He also had a bag similar to the one Rose wore across her shoulders.

"Are you coming with us?" Rose heard herself ask, though she didn't believe her mouth was working with how shocked she was.

"Yes," he said and squinted his eyes, then turned to look at Thomas. "Did she not know?"

Thomas didn't answer. Rather, he pulled on the reins, causing his horse to lift its front hooves. "Get on your horse, or get left behind," Thomas replied coldly.

Paul shook his head again, disappointed with Thomas. "Do you need help getting on your horse?" he asked again. "And to answer your question, yes. I will be embarking on the journey with you."

Embarking? Did that mean he wouldn't get to Edenville? He was just journeying with them.

Rose didn't want to have any wishful thoughts, so she simply nodded and rushed towards her horse. She had at least a hundred questions but there was no time to ask them, and she was truly worried that Thomas would leave her behind. Besides, if Lord Paul was coming with them, there would be plenty of opportunities to ask him.

Her stallion was a chestnut color, with a huge white patch where the saddle lay. It also had a small patch of white on its forehead. It seemed wary as she approached at first, but when Rose gripped the reins with clear experience, it relaxed.

She slipped one foot into the stirrup, lifted herself, and threw the other foot over the horse, straddling it. She steadied herself as she gripped the reins and almost immediately had to gesture for the horse to go, as Thomas was already setting off.

Paul gave her a sympathetic look as he rode beside her. She nodded at him and did her best to keep her lips sealed. Right now, focusing on the journey was more important.

The hooves of the horses echoed as they hit the hard ground, speeding towards the gates of the estate. Any moment now, the ground would be completely covered in snow, not at all conducive to traveling.

Rose realized as the gates shrank behind them that she was actually leaving the crown prince, even if it was just briefly, and this time around she didn't have to sneak out.

She took a deep breath as she urged on the horse, the cold air in her face, but Rose could barely feel it. She was so happy she could cry.

It didn't take long for them to get to the main gates of Furtherfield. Thomas didn't slow down as he led the way, only glancing back occasionally to look at her. He didn't say anything if he was satisfied with the distance between them; otherwise, he would yell out, "Faster!"

They rode all through the morning and it wasn't until noon that Thomas eventually let them get some rest. Rose was exhausted by the time they could stop, and the cold was catching up to her.

They had stopped in an open field covered in snow, not too far off the main path. There was a freezing lake on the other side, and Rose suddenly had a memory from childhood. They didn't have a lot of bodies of water in Edenville and had to rely on wells. However, there was a lake outside the town.

Rose had several memories of her, Ander, Emma, and a few other children making their way there to play on the frozen body of water, and more often than not accidents had happened. Thankfully, nothing detrimental. She chuckled at the memories. She hadn't seen the lake in a few years now, she wondered if it had dried up.

Rose recognized the road they were on as Stonefield Pass, which had gotten her excited, as she knew if they stayed on this path they would reach Stonegate. She rubbed her arms as she stood in the field away from the road. There was a mat to sit on, but Rose had spent the entire morning sitting on a horse—she wanted to give her rear a break.

"Here," Thomas said as he walked towards her, handing her bread.

Rose accepted it simply because his expression didn't give room for refusing. She smiled stiffly from the cold, and he handed her a waterskin.

Rose also accepted it, and he stared her up and down before he walked away. She shook her head as he left, trying not to laugh out loud. He was still as stubborn as ever, but she could tell he cared in his own awkward way.

"I am surprised he is nice to you," Lord Paul said.

Rose gasped a little, shocked at the intrusion—she had not heard him come closer.

"Lord Paul," she called, unable to hide the shock from her voice. "I wouldn't exactly call that nice."

"You are right," he said as he stood next to her.

Rose swallowed as she realized this was the opportunity she had to ask. "Lord Paul, would it be rude of me to ask why you're embarking on this journey with us?"