The King's Lover-Chapter 288: To The Estate

Rose rode the horse through the field, and after some riding, she came back into the residential part of the town. She could see houses again and pressed on, urging the horse to go as fast as it could.

She still had quite a while to go before she could get Caius to the estate, and she was deeply worried they wouldn’t make it in time. The crown prince was tied to the back of the horse, flailing with every movement while also still bleeding. Rose was sure this position was uncomfortable, but right now, his discomfort was the least thing to worry about.

Rose was incredibly worried about the poison, and she knew him being unconscious wasn’t a good thing. She had to get him to the estate as fast as she could and hopefully, they would be able to save him.

She heard gasps as she rode through the streets. People pointed, and more people stepped out as she passed in front of their houses. Rose didn’t slow down, didn’t glance at them—just headed straight on, glad that the road was mostly empty enough for her to maneuver the horse through.

"Get out of the way!" she yelled as she turned around the corner to see a rider who had stopped right in the middle of the road. He was speaking to a man who stood beside the horse and was pointing in the direction she came from.

He lifted his head, looking offended, and Rose realized he wasn’t alone—but that wasn’t the problem. She was forced to stop her horse when they wouldn’t get out of the way.

"Blast it!" Rose screamed, wincing at the pain in her shoulder as she pulled on the reins too hard.

"Rose," she heard an agitated voice in the midst of the men on horses, and that was when she realized she might have run into the crown prince’s men.

"Thomas!" she cried, and he rode his horse towards her, the men moving out of the way to let him through.

"What happened? We have been trying to find you and the—" He tilted his head, noticing what was behind Rose.

"The crown prince, poisoned..." Rose frowned as she realized her vision was blurry, and she couldn’t speak more even if she tried.

Her grip on the reins loosened, and she felt herself start to slip off the horse. Rose internally swore—she was going to fall, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. At least, she got the prince to safety.

"Rose!" Thomas yelled and grabbed her arm to try to keep her on the horse while he struggled with his own. Her head slacked, and her weight pulled her to the opposite side.

"Quick!" he yelled at the men. "Get her off."

This was the last thing Rose heard before she went under.

Thomas swore as the men moved too slowly for him. They safely got Rose off the horse, and she rested on the guard’s shoulder. Her face was badly bruised; her dress was also in a terrible state, as though she had been attacked by some animal.

Thomas couldn’t even begin to comprehend what could have possibly happened. The crown prince was unconscious and tied to the back of her horse, and Thomas was worried he might be dead. He moved his horse closer and put a finger right under the crown prince’s nose—and he was breathing.

Thomas sighed in relief, but they weren’t out of danger yet. He had heard Rose say something about the crown prince being poisoned. Thomas had too many questions.

He wished Prince Rylen was here, but he was simply here by chance. They were returning to the estate, and Prince Rylen had gone ahead while Thomas had been told to stay back.

They hadn’t heard any news from the crown prince, and where they had been sent to was another dead end. Prince Rylen had immediately set off to the estate, as he had been quite uncomfortable about letting the crown prince go alone.

They had been a little slow to return to the castle, as Thomas suspected he might get sent a messenger soon. The last thing he had expected was to run into Rose and the crown prince.

"Lord Thomas," the man holding Rose called. "What do we do?"

"Put her on my horse," Thomas said instantly.

The guard nodded and placed Rose in front of him, sitting sideways, her head on his chest, and he held her with one hand to keep her steady.

"Secure His Highness. Make sure nothing is amiss. Both of you are with me!" Thomas pointed to the two men that held Rose down and the man that handed her to him. "Let’s get them to the estate. The rest of you head out the way she came and see what this is about."

The men raised their hands in salute, and they separated. Thomas rode fast with Rose in his arms while the men rode with the crown prince—one making sure he wasn’t falling off while the other rode the horse.

Thomas rode as fast as he could with one hand, making his way to the estate. Approaching the gate, he noticed that it was opening, and Prince Rylen and the few men he had ridden out with were stepping out. As soon as Prince Rylen saw him, he rode up to him, but Thomas didn’t stop.

"We have to get them inside now! Get a physician. His Highness is gravely injured!"

Prince Rylen’s face went pale immediately, and he moved out of the way while signaling for the gates to remain open, while two of the men accompanying him rushed back in carrying the message.

"What happened?" he asked as he rode side by side with Thomas.

"I do not know, Prince Rylen. I found Rose riding with the crown prince, and they were both bloodied. She fell unconscious before she could tell us anything other than His Highness was poisoned."

"Poisoned!" Prince Rylen yelled out in horror. "Are you certain about this?"

"She said it before she went unconscious."

Prince Rylen swore. "They had a few cases of the men being poisoned, and only a few survive depending on how heavy the dose was."

Rylen glanced at Rose, whom Thomas held as tightly as he could to his chest. He couldn’t see much of her face from this angle, but he could see the damage done and the rips in her clothes.

"Were they attacked?" Prince Rylen asked—more for himself than anything else.

"I think so," Thomas replied. "I sent the rest of the men in the direction she had come from, but unfortunately, that’s all the information I have." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

They were through the gates now and close to the main house. The front door had been thrown open, and Lady Deana and Lord Leopold rushed out.

Thomas pulled on the reins, and a guard walked to him. He carefully handed Rose to them and jumped off the horse. He wanted to take her back, but Lady Deana was already leading the guard away.

"Rose!" she cried. "I should have stopped her from going. I am sorry."

"Is the physician here?" Rylen asked as they got the crown prince off the horse.

"Yes," a voice said, and an older man moved closer.

"Just one?" Prince Rylen spat out. "Get more! Take him—and get someone to look at Rose."

***

Rose’s head hurt—that was the first thing that registered—and then the pain in her shoulder crept in. It was more intense, and she couldn’t help but let out a groan of pain.

It caused her to open her eyes. At the pain, she grabbed her shoulder and was startled when she noticed there was someone staring straight at her. She jumped back, startled.

"It’s just the physician," a voice said, and Rose turned to see Thomas sitting in a corner.

"How do you feel?" the physician asked and moved even closer, checking her eyes.

Rose winced. "My shoulder hurts, my head too... and my stomach."

The physician nodded. "I noted a lot of swelling and bruising," he said and stepped back.

Rose didn’t recognize the room they were in. It was smaller than the one she shared with the crown prince, but it was still a decent room. The windows were open, and light poured in, illuminating everything.

"I don’t think you wil—"

"I hate to interrupt when you’ve only just woken up and you’re in so much pain, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened," a voice said from the door.

Rose was startled as she looked up to see Prince Rylen walk through the open door. His hair was a mess, and there was blood on his clothes. His face was etched with more worry, and Rose felt her heart tighten.

"Prince Rylen," Rose called, trying to push herself to a more upright position so she could properly address him, but he stopped her with his hand.

"Just speak as you are—and don’t leave a single detail out."