The King's Lover-Chapter 296: She’d Never See Again

Rose winced as the cold air hit her face. She instinctively pulled the scarf up to her chin to protect some of her face from the cold. Her cheeks were still exposed, but at least it was bearable.

The first thing Rose noticed as she walked towards the open doors leading outside the mansion was men sitting on horses. There weren’t many of them. She counted fewer than ten as she followed behind Thomas. The men bowed as Thomas approached.

Snowflakes fell lightly as she stepped out of the mansion. The already fallen snow littered the front yard, covering every exposed surface—the leaves, the men standing outside, the horses, and of course the ground—but it wasn’t falling hard enough for the ground to be completely covered.

Rose doubted it would take much longer before the roads would become impassable due to the snow. She could tell from the weather that it would only get colder.

As she walked towards the horses, Rose wondered if she should have requested a hat. It was a long journey, and her face was bound to take the full brunt of the cold.

However, since she couldn’t head back in, she improvised by pulling the scarf around her neck upwards so it partially covered her head too.

"Safe travels," a voice said behind her, and Rose nearly jumped out of her skin.

She turned around to see Prince Rylen. She hadn’t heard him approach, and if he hadn’t spoken, she would have remained oblivious to his presence.

"Prince Rylen," Rose said, bending her knees and bowing a little as she paid her respects.

Prince Rylen lightly lifted his hand. He had a stiff smile on his face, almost as though it was frozen. "Rose," he whispered.

Rose stood to her full height but didn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, she kept her gaze on the ground.

"Fear not," he started to say. "Thomas will do everything in his power to keep you safe, and as soon as I can leave here, I will head to the castle immediately."

Rose nodded. "Thank you," she mumbled. "How is His Majesty?" she asked.

Prince Rylen was quite aware that Rose addressed the crown prince incorrectly. However, Caius had never corrected her, and he didn’t see the need to do so now.

"Still unconscious, but Lord Paul says he isn’t getting worse, so I’ll take that as a good sign."

Rose nodded and turned to look at the horses. The men were already mounted, and Thomas rode his horse closer to them.

"Shouldn’t we wait for a little while? Perhaps until noon?" Thomas asked, his grip on the reins tight as he towered over them.

"I don’t think it’s advisable to travel at night—not with the bandits that we couldn’t capture at large. If you leave now, there will still be sunlight when you arrive in Hearthgale."

Thomas narrowed his eyes. "As you wish, Prince Rylen," he said coldly and turned his horse toward the gate.

"I should let you go," Prince Rylen said, turning his attention back to Rose.

She curtsied again, then stepped toward the only empty horse. Slipping her foot into the stirrup, she straddled the horse. She balanced quickly and pulled on the reins just as Thomas set off.

Rose rode after him without looking back. She hadn’t taken more than the clothes on her back. They wanted to get to Hearthgale as soon as possible, which meant she left a lot of things behind. Things she would never see again.

The gates were thrown open, and they rushed into the streets. It was pretty early, just a little past dawn, but the streets were already busy as people went about their business.

This was different from when she first arrived. Perhaps, news of the bandits being captured must have reached the public—at least some of the bandits.

Rose rode with a troubled mind. She knew they would be out of Futherfield soon, and if they took the same path that brought them from the castle, they were likely to reach Hearthgale, as Prince Rylen had said, long before dusk. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

However, Rose didn’t have to worry about that. Her plan would start as soon as they were out of the gates of Futherfield. It was a terrible gamble, but one she was willing to take.

It would be a little hard to lose the men in the nearby forest, but Rose was determined to do it. She didn’t mind losing the horse in the process. She wondered if she should have spoken to either Prince Rylen or Lord Thomas about her idea, but they were both loyal to the crown, and she didn’t want to drag anyone into her own problem.

"Rose," Thomas called to her, riding closer, but Rose was too lost in thought to notice.

"Rose," he called again.

This time his words reached her ears, and she snapped her head upward to look at him. "Lord Thomas," she said, a little frightened as she realized he was closer than she had expected.

It was ridiculous, but for a moment, she was worried her plans might be revealed by her expression.

"Are you okay with riding? It’s a long journey." He asked with a frown on his face.

His voice sounded harsh, and even his expression could cause a small child to cry, but it still didn’t hide the concern on his face.

Rose smiled a little. She thought it was too late for the question, but at least he asked. Caius hadn’t cared the first time they embarked on a journey—she had ridden until she was unconscious.

"Yes," Rose replied.

Thomas’s eyes narrowed. "We are almost at the gate." Rose didn’t think there was a need for any explanation; she could see the gates up ahead.

She simply nodded, and Thomas rode away from her. Rose felt her stomach knot. The moment was here. After they went out the gates, she would ride toward the opposite path—leading away from the capital. Rose expected pursuit, and frankly, she was prepared for it.

She looked toward the huge gates. It was nowhere near as big as the capital’s and as they drew closer, the huge gates started to open. Rose closed her eyes briefly, then urged her horse to go on—outside the town.