The King's Lover-Chapter 520: Thorn In Her Flesh

By the time lunch was over, Queen Violeta was fuming. The servants around flinched every time she glanced in their direction. Caius noticed, but no matter what she said or did, he didn’t look in her direction.

He knew his mother wouldn’t dare speak about Rose again, but she did make several other attempts to get his attention. He ignored her for the rest of the meal, and as soon as he was done with lunch, he exited the dining hall, leaving her to wallow in embarrassment.

Violeta was seething with rage. Not only had her son changed her seat, but he had also looked at her so disrespectfully that everyone had noticed.

Caius had never looked at her like that, but for a whore that wasn’t even in the castle anymore, he dared glare at his own mother.

The worst part of everything was that her seat was completely empty. He had moved her for no reason. Violeta couldn’t bear the thought that her son had moved her just so the seat next to him would be empty.

Violeta didn’t care what the reason was, if there was one. She just wanted her seat back. But Caius had not looked as though he wanted to discuss it with her, and that had further annoyed her.

Her footsteps were loud as she marched to her chambers after lunch was over. She was brimming with anger, and servants jumped out of the way by avoiding her lashing out at them while her ladies-in-waiting frantically rushed after her.

"That whore!" Queen Violeta yelled as soon as she was in the privacy of her bedchambers. Rose was gone but somehow still a thorn in her flesh.

"Your Majesty, please calm down," one of her ladies-in-waiting said, hoping to calm her.

"Don’t let such vermin ruin your mood, my Queen," another added.

"She has left the castle. She can no longer hex your son as she used to. It is only a matter of time, and things will return to what they once were. Her hold is gone, and the best part is Princess Caira is pregnant."

Violeta allowed herself a little smile as the ladies buzzed around her, trying to ease her mood, which mostly included speaking ill of Rose and praising the Queen.

After some time, Queen Violeta seemed to have calmed down. Her face was no longer red, and she didn’t look as though she could have a fit at any moment.

She sat in her high chair while one of her ladies stood close, a feathered fan in hand. She moved it back and forth to create a gentle breeze.

"Bring me Welma," Violeta suddenly blurted. "We must make sure she never comes back."

Despite her ladies’ efforts, Violeta still couldn’t put Rose away from her thoughts, and she blamed her for her problems especially how Caius treated her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," one of them replied and almost immediately left the room.

She returned moments later with Welma on her heel. The servant kept her head bowed as she walked into the Queen’s chambers.

She stopped in front of the Queen and dropped to the floor, her knees on the carpet. She didn’t speak immediately; she wasn’t supposed to, not until she was asked a question.

"Do you know where the whore might have gone?" It was one of her ladies-in-waiting who asked.

Queen Violeta held her nose in the air and refused to even glance at Welma even though she was the one who had called her.

Welma didn’t care, nor was she bothered by the Queen’s actions. As long as she wouldn’t be punished, that was all that mattered to her.

Besides, it was preferable if the Queen didn’t speak to her directly. That way, if she didn’t like what she was saying, it would not have the same direct effect.

The whore in question was Rose. Welma knew she had left the castle; it was the only thing the sisters talked about. A few people had seen her leave with Lord Thomas and had also seen him return with an empty carriage, so Welma was certain she was gone.

What she didn’t expect was that the Queen would call for her to make more inquiries about Rose, as she had already relayed Rose’s departure to the Queen the night before.

She couldn’t tell Violeta beforehand, as the Queen had refused her presence for a bit now since the King was in Caira’s room. Perhaps she found no more use for her; Welma didn’t particularly care.

The less use she had for the Queen, the easier she could fade into the background. Welma hoped that was what she would get, not that she would be easier to get rid of.

"I do not know, Your Majesty. Her maids don’t have the information. They only told me she left for Lady Delphine’s residence and would most likely leave the capital from there."

Welma wasn’t sure about this last part, but if she knew anything about Rose, she would leave the capital. That would be the best option. Staying here would be dangerous for her, especially since she was no longer in the castle where the King could protect her.

"Whores frolicking together," one of her ladies mumbled, and they all laughed, the Queen particularly laughing hard.

Welma tried not to show anything on her face as the women laughed. She knew how much they didn’t like Rose and how pleased they must be that she was gone.

Welma was more surprised than anything else. She was almost certain the King would never let Rose go, even though she wanted nothing more, but suddenly he did. Welma didn’t want to think too deeply about this. She was just glad Rose was finally away from all this.

"Where is her hometown?" one of the ladies asked after the laughter had died down.

"Edenville," she replied.

The Queen glanced at one of her maids, and she started to speak. "That’s one of the towns on the very outskirts of the kingdom. It takes about three days to get there on a fast horse and anywhere between four to five days on a carriage."

"She can’t come back," another maid added.

"And Your Majesty can give strict orders to the guards by the gate to stop—"

"There is no need for Your Majesty to bother herself with such trivial matters. Your son himself chased her away; she cannot hex him any longer."

"And Caira is pregnant," another added.

A smile tugged on her lips, and she waved her hand as though flicking dirt off herself as she rudely dismissed Welma.