Chapter 40: Chapter 40The next day, Rose woke up early to get started on her work. She failed to ask Zayne when exactly he would be returning so in case there would ever be a surprise pop-up, she wanted to get started on cleaning right away.

    Her first night alone went as good as it could though there were a few strange noises that kept her awake because she couldn’t make out what they were. Her back ached because of the uncomfortable position she slept in but she would bear with it.

    Rose braided her hair as she looked at the big crates she was to go through. Many of them looked heavy and would require her to get help but she knew not to go to the guards outside for help. She had not forgotten their stares and did not want to see it again.

    "I can do this by myself," Rose said, determined to be independent. "One step at a time."

    Rose moved around the crates one by one, organising them as she went along. She took a break to pull open the curtains to let the sun fill the house with light.

    She worked tirelessly to organise all of Zayne’s things, careful not to drop them. Hours went by without Rose noticing them as she became distracted by what was inside the crates. Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I am sweating," Rose said, noticing how wet her hand was after wiping her forehead.

    She turned to the window now noticing how outside changed. She needed a break and needed to find something to snack on for now instead of using the rabbit stew that was left back already.

    Luckily, she had noticed a few trees that seemed to bear fruit. If she took a few, Zayne shouldn’t notice or at least thought she had taken too many.

    Rose headed to the back door and walked through the garden behind the house. There were a lot of trees to hide her as she walked and luckily, there wasn’t a road this side for anyone to see her.

    "It is a beautiful day," Rose said, looking up at the sky where the birds freely flew around. She envied how the birds could just flap their wings and go wherever they wanted. "Oh, there are small birds," she noticed.

    Young birds seemed to be now learning how to fly.

    "Watch where you are going. Who walks around with their head looking up at the sky?"

    Rose looked away from the birds to find one of the guards standing before her. "Sorry," she apologised. "I was enjoying seeing the birds fly around. The young ones look to be learning."

    "That is not enough for you to be walking around with your head in the sky. You could bump into someone or knock something over. Is it not taught here to be mindful of where you walk?" Brian asked, annoyed just by the sight of her.

    "I’m sorry," Rose apologised once more.

    Brian sighed as she was making him out to be the bad guy. "I do not understand why he keeps you and should we question you, we’ll find ourselves in trouble. Are you his woman?" He took the risk to ask.

    "I am not," Rose replied. "I am here to clean."

    Brian didn’t believe that was all because of the way Zayne acted. Zayne acted like they were troubling his woman. "You shouldn’t sell yourself so easily."

    Rose’s eyes widened at the mention of selling herself. Why did such a thing have to follow her? She apologised for walking with her gaze fixed on the sky. What more did he want her to do?

    "Never mind. I don’t want to get in trouble for speaking to his woman," Brian said, deciding to save himself from Zayne punishing him for speaking to her.

    "I am not his woman. I am here to work," Rose said, not wanting a misunderstanding to continue. She was not here to be in Zayne’s bed. "We are from different lands but must you treat me this way?"

    Brian stared at Rose for a moment. He had much to say for why he should treat her this way but again he had to think about what Zayne would do should she run and cry to him. "Just watch where you are going."

    Rose watched as Brian walked away from her. Was it safe for her to eat the food they cooked from now on? "I should avoid them as much as I can," Rose muttered.

    She had not done anything to them but they had already made up her mind that they did not like her because they were from different lands. If only the guards knew that she didn’t have a clue about the war.

    Even if she knew about the war, Rose had too many of her problems to hate a man she did not know.

    Despite his comment about walking with her face pointed to the sky, Rose looked up once more to see the birds flying around. If he looked up, he would see the fascinating sight of birds flying around. Again, Rose was jealous of the freedom the birds had to go where they wished. If she could fly, she would go to all the places Zayne showed her.

    Rose continued to search for the trees she could see from her room after having seen enough of the birds. This peace she felt now reminded her of the dream she had about a field.

    ’Where is that?’ Rose wondered.

    There was always something that felt missing whenever she thought about the field she was running through in her dreams.

    Rose shook her head, not wanting to think about it too much as she always blacked out once that memory or maybe just a dream started to replay in her head. Should she faint outside, there wasn’t anyone to help her.

    "Oh. You’ve hurt yourself," Rose said, stooping down to look at a baby bird she heard crying out. "I almost stepped on you. You must be careful because there is a man who is like a snake here. He has been kind but I must find a bad animal for him."

    Rose carefully picked up the bird and looked around for the nest it fell out of. "There it is," she said, happy to place the bird back where it belonged. It was only a baby bird but Rose was excited to be able to help someone for once. "I hope you learn how to fly soon and go explore."

    Despite the tension with the guards, Rose found herself happy since there was much for her to see and do.