CHAPTER 287: SAVING BOTH OF US

Rose rolled Caius onto his side, which took a lot of effort, and grabbed his arm in an attempt to lift him, but it was like trying to lift a stone stuck to the ground—he wouldn’t budge. Not even digging her foot into the ground helped. How was she going to get him on the horse?

Rose tried again, lifting his torso off the ground, which was very hard to do as the crown prince didn’t have any strength to move on his own, making him even heavier. She stood behind his bent back as he sat on the ground and tried to lift him from under the armpits. He didn’t budge, and when she let go of him, he fell, his head dropping low to his legs—as far as the armor would allow.

She tried again but quickly lost her footing and scratched her knees lightly against the floor.

"Blast it!" Rose swore as her grip slipped.

However, she wasn’t giving up. She couldn’t.

She placed the crown prince on his back and immediately started to undo his armor. It would most likely make him lighter, but she was still worried about how she’d get him on the horse.

"Leave me," Caius said as she started to take off his breastplate.

Rose glanced up at him but didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to undo the armor and anything else that was likely making him heavier.

"Rose!" he called.

For someone who couldn’t even lift a finger, his voice was as clear as day. She raised her head to look at him again.

"I am letting you go," he whispered. "You should leave me and go."

Rose was certain it was the blood loss that made him say that. Letting her go in this situation—it was too ridiculous. Rose was fully convinced Caius was out of touch with reality.

She wasn’t trying to help him out of the goodness of her heart. He was the crown prince. If he died on her watch, she’d best kiss goodbye to her life and the lives of everyone she loved. Rose wasn’t about to let that happen.

"Rose!" he called again when she didn’t answer. "Leave me and get your—"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Rose said as she finished taking off the armor and any other heavy gear, "shut up."

Caius smirked. "That’s not how you speak to—"

But Rose stood up and started walking away before he could finish talking.

She walked toward the dead Ryder, taking the dagger out of his body. The sound of the dagger exiting his flesh made her wince. Caius tried to see what she was doing, but he couldn’t even move his head.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Saving both of us," Rose muttered as she gripped the dagger, staring at the blood on it.

She proceeded to use the dagger to cut the sides of Ryder’s pants, from waist to boots, for easier removal. Her dress didn’t have any more fabric to spare, and at this point, she risked revealing more than her stockings.

She dropped the dagger and took the pants. She walked to the horse and moved it as close as possible to the crown prince. Then she pushed down on the horse’s back.

"Please go down," Rose whispered. "Please."

She didn’t even know if the horse understood her, but this was the only chance she had of getting Caius onto it.

It took a while and a few stomps from the horse, but eventually, it bent its knees and dropped to the rocky ground.

"Thank you," Rose cried with joy, almost hugging the poor animal.

She wiped her nose and noticed some blood. She quickly wiped it on her dress. She was hurting all over, and the pain in her shoulder was worsening, but Rose ignored all of it and walked back to the crown prince.

She grabbed him by the shoulders again, putting her hands under his armpits and dragging him backward toward the horse with all her might. This time, he moved, and Rose almost did a little dance—but she still had to get him on the horse.

It was a struggle, and with every pull, Rose felt like her shoulders might dislocate. But eventually, after much struggle, she got him onto the back of the horse. At least he was quiet through this but that was when she realized she was unconscious.

"By the heavens!" Rose swore.

Still holding onto him, she tapped the horse. At first, the horse didn’t move.

"Please, please," Rose cried.

She tapped again and the horse reluctantly started to lift itself and finally, it stood to its full height, lifting the crown prince completely off the ground. Rose immediately secured him with Ryder’s pants, tying him up as tightly as she could.

She shook him several times to make sure he wouldn’t fall off. It was going to be a bumpy ride, and she couldn’t let him fall—at least not until they got out of the woods. Rose still couldn’t believe he had really come after her alone.

When she was certain he wouldn’t fall off after shaking him a few more times, she placed her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself onto the saddle. She had to move quickly.

The horse shuffled as though the weight was too much, but it quickly balanced.

Rose lightly scratched the horse’s coat as she whispered, "Thank you." Then she said, "Hiyah," which immediately got the horse moving.

Caius shook with every movement, his hands and legs flailing in the air. She was apologetic that the crown prince was in such a state, but this was the only way she could think to save his life.

She was gravely worried about the poison in his body. She had clearly heard Ryder mention it. She couldn’t let the crown prince die—not only because she and her family would likely die with him, but because it was a little sad that he had come to her rescue and ended up like this.

Rose pushed the horse, riding through the woods as fast as she could without risking hitting a rock or tree. She easily remembered the path, as the bandits hadn’t taken her far from where they’d found her.

She took the path that had led her onto the rocky trail and, riding as fast as she could, she got out of the woods.