The King's Lover-Chapter 270: Betrothed

Rose made sure to observe proper dining etiquette, just as Lady Delphine had taught her. She had the older lady to thank for more than a few things. At least, she could feel less out of place.

There wasn’t really much of a conversation at first. They simply exchanged pleasantries, and no one spoke to her directly. Rose didn’t mind being excluded; she was sure it was already awkward for the lord and lady to have her at the table. They were most likely being cordial because of the crown prince.

Rylen was a pretty good conversationalist and Rose couldn’t help but understand why the crown prince trusted him so much. Caius barely spoke while Rylen handled most of the conversation.

Lord Leopold and Lady Deana seemed to have only two children—boys. The boys both looked older than fifteen, and Rose was almost envious of how easily they joined in the conversation.

Lord Leopold made a comment about them joining the crown prince to hunt the bandits, and they laughed about it. Lady Deana didn’t find the joke very funny and she scolded her husband about which only made him laugh more.

After that, Lord Leopold asked the crown prince about his parents, the King and Queen, and Rose didn’t miss how Caius left Rylen to answer this. Rylen gave a decent answer, but Lord Leopold didn’t seem satisfied by it.

Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on his face, and Rose felt a chill. She didn’t pay much attention to it and tried to enjoy her meal as best as she could.

"Your Highness, you’re at that age now. Shouldn’t you be getting married to your betrothed?" Lord Leopold blurted.

Lady Deana jerked her head in her husband’s direction, while Rylen looked at Caius with utter disbelief. Rose had not been paying full attention to the conversation, but this was enough to make her lift her head again. There was silence for more than two breaths, and in that moment, one could hear a pin drop.

"You’re betrothed?" Rylen asked in horror, finally breaking the silence. He looked from Caius to Leopold as though expecting one of them to deny it.

"Of course His Highness is. He is the heir to the throne, the crown prince of Velmount. Wouldn’t it make sense that he’s betrothed?" Lord Leopold replied, enjoying the look of shock on Rylen’s face.

Lord Leopold lifted the goblet and took a sip of wine, but even the cup didn’t hide the smug look on his face. He placed it back on the table after a healthy gulp.

"My lord," Lady Deana called, trying to defuse the situation, but Lord Leopold didn’t look like he had any intention of letting the matter go.

"I’ve never heard anything about this," Rylen said, still visibly mortified. "Who are you betrothed to?"

Caius glared at the lord, then turned his attention to his food. "That was a long time ago."

"Pardon me, Your Grace, but a betrothal wouldn’t simply end just because it happened a long time ago. You’re still betrothed."

Rylen glanced at Rose. He wasn’t trying to be rude or attack her—he just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that the crown prince was engaged to be married but acted completely otherwise.

"It’s not as important as you make it seem. I was only five," Caius casually explained, annoyed that Rylen was making a big deal out of it. He glanced at Rose, but she chose that exact moment to look away.

"Oh, it was a great ceremony," Lord Leopold added, thoroughly enjoying the commotion. "She could barely walk, and His Highness held her hand with a crown on his head that hardly fit," Lord Leopold laughed as though it was the funniest thing ever.

"My lord," Lady Deana tried again, even though she knew it was hopeless. Once her husband got into this mood, he would keep fanning the flames until he set everything ablaze.

"Grandfather was alive then?" Rylen asked, his expression softening.

"Yes. If I recall correctly, he is the reason it was even possible in the first place," Lord Leopold explained.

"Who is she?" Rylen asked.

The more information Rylen got about this, the more baffled he became. He was also very curious as to who would want to marry Caius—however, he doubted the lady in question had much choice in the matter. If Caius was only five, she was probably much younger.

"The third princess of Ly—"

"That’s enough about a betrothal that happened nearly two decades ago when I was a child," Caius stated, cutting off the lord.

"It doesn’t matter when it happened. You’re still—" Rylen immediately stopped speaking at Caius’s death stare.

Rylen looked down at his food, but it was clear from his expression that he was still thinking about the situation. Rose couldn’t blame him—she was just as shocked.

Conversation quickly dwindled, and there was a tension that never really broke. Rose concentrated on eating her meal, pushing the conversation she had just heard to the back of her mind.

She didn’t miss the glances that Caius sent her way—and it wasn’t just Caius who looked at her. She almost wished she were not at the table.

When dinner was finally over, Rose was quick to get on her feet. She curtsied to both Lord and Lady while mumbling her thanks. It felt rude not to speak about how nice the meal was, but at the same time, she didn’t think she was supposed to speak so she kept her voice low.

"I’m glad you liked it," Lady Deana replied in response to her thanks.

Rose lifted her head in disbelief but that didn’t seem to be the only surprise, Lady Deana was also walking toward her. "Yes," she said and stood to her full height. "It was a delicious meal."

Lady Deana nodded and said, "Walk with me. The men are going to be here for a while. I’ll show you to your room."

Rose nodded. As much as she wanted to decline, it felt very rude to refuse the offer of the lady of the house. "Thank you," she replied.

Lady Deana smiled at her and led her out of the dining room. Rose made sure not to look back at the crown prince.