CHAPTER 365: CASTLE BOY

Rose settled into bed where the maids had laid her after dressing her for sleep. She looked up at the wooden top of the four-poster bed, and it looked as though it was spinning; then she realized she had just tilted her head wrong. But when she adjusted, it felt as though she was spinning.

It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, just a woozy, lightheaded sensation. Rose particularly felt weightless, and it felt nice to just look around the room.

She looked ahead to where Caius still sat at the table, long after the servants had cleared the dishes. He seemed a little absorbed in his thoughts, and Rose couldn’t help but wonder when he would leave.

"When will you leave?" she asked.

It wasn’t until she saw Caius’s slightly shocked expression that she realized she had actually asked this out loud. He leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table.

"I have no such plans," he replied, he sounded very pleased with himself.

"But you have your chambers," she stated. She groaned and rolled around on the bed before settling into a comfortable position.

"Yes," Caius replied. "If you will accompany me to my chambers, perhaps I might reconsider."

Rose scoffed. "It defeats the purpose."

"And what would that purpose be?" he asked.

"I like to sleep alone," Rose simply said.

"And I like some company. Can’t we reach an agreement?"

Rose stared at him for a bit; the distance between them made his face a little obscure, and it was a little hard to follow all the little expressions he made. Or perhaps the wine was the cause? Rose didn’t know, nor did she care.

"You can have any company you want. It doesn’t have to be me," Rose responded.

"Maybe, but I want it to be you," Caius didn’t look away as he said this.

"No," Rose shook her head and adjusted on the pillow. She suddenly felt tired and no longer wanted to talk. Besides, she didn’t like talking to the crown prince, he always argued with her.

"You don’t believe me?" Caius asked.

Rose didn’t respond. She shut her eyes, and it suddenly felt like she was on a swing. This brought memories of Edna, as that was the last time she was on a swing, and she couldn’t help but wonder how the new bride was. But thoughts about marriage reminded her of Ander and Emma. She quickly pushed these thoughts away.

She felt herself start to drift when she heard noises. Someone had entered the room, or maybe there was more than one. Caius was speaking to them, from the way they spoke back to him, she could tell they were servants. Rose buried her ears into the pillows, trying to shut out the noise, but that didn’t help.

Eventually, it went quiet, and Rose opened her eyes to see Caius staring at her from the foot of her bed. The servants bowed and started towards the door while he stood before her in nothing but his usual nighttime attire.

"Go to your room," she said and closed her eyes again.

"Too late," he said and rounded the bed, sliding into the covers from the other side. His silk robe made a soft swish sound as he moved over the sheets.

She groaned loudly. "You have been here all day."

"Exactly, the night shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, it won’t be the first time we have spent the night together," Caius answered smugly.

"You smell like wine," Rose said as Caius moved close, putting his arm over her. She was lying on her back, her hands at her side.

"So judgmental. You smell like wine too."

"You smell stronger."

"Yet, you’re the one who is intoxicated," Caius replied, moving closer so his face was only an inch away from hers. His legs entangled with hers underneath the covers.

"You’re too close," Rose stated and tried to move away.

"You’re cold," Caius’s arm held her in place. His elbow held his head up as he looked down at her face.

"The covers will keep me warm," Rose said, looking everywhere but at him.

"Why? Do you hate the feel of my skin?" Caius asked, his tone filled with amusement as he watched her.

"Not particularly. You just can’t keep your hands to yourself. A questionable character trait." As she spoke, she looked at his hand over her chest.

Caius burst out laughing.

"I’m not trying to be funny," Rose said with a serious expression as she looked up at him.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. You don’t seem like you can tell your left from your right, and neither do I find a drunk woman appealing."

"I’m not drunk."

"That’s exactly what a drunk woman would say."

"You had more wine than I did."

"I know how to handle my wine, little lady," he said and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

Rose wiped it off. "I can’t chase you away because you’re the Crown Prince, but I just want to sleep."

"And so do I," Caius started.

Rose turned to look at his face again. Her expression showed she didn’t believe him.

"Besides, you’re also sick. You’re supposed to get some rest," Caius said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You don’t have to use that anymore. You know I was faking."

"I do?" Caius asked with a smile.

She sneered at him and rolled on her side. "Goodnight."

"Are you sleepy?" he asked and traced his fingers through her hair.

"You promised not to be a bother," Rose complained.

"Thought this might help you sleep," Caius said and didn’t take his hand away.

"No," Rose said and pulled her hair away from his hand, facing him so that he would have to reach over her face to touch her hair.

She glared at him, and he just smiled. Rose’s expression softened as she noticed the scar on his chin. "One of the bandits said your father gave this to you."

Caius’s eyes darkened slightly, but his smug expression remained. "You just blurt the first thing that comes to your mind."

"Sorry," she whispered. "I don’t like talking about painful incidents either."

Caius raised a brow. "I never said it was. Perhaps when I was younger, but now, it’s simply a memory."

"Does it hurt?" she asked and poked at it.

"It’s a scar, Rose."

He didn’t seem to mind her touching it and she traced it with a finger before pulling her hand away.

"Still doesn’t stop it from hurting. I fell from a tree once when I was a child and ended up with a deep cut on my knee. It doesn’t hurt now, and there is barely any scar, but when I think back, I can remember how painful it was, and that still hurts in a way."

"Perhaps," Caius said, his expression turning serious. "But if you didn’t climb the tree in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened."

Rose frowned, as though this wasn’t something she had thought about. "Yes," she finally agreed. "But I wouldn’t know how to climb trees, and now I could never fall," she announced with pride.

Caius laughed. "Is that so?"

"Of course," Rose announced.

"And if I put you to the test?" he questioned.

"Against you?" Rose asked with a scoff.

Caius blinked. "You think you can climb a tree better than me?"

Rose laughed. Really laughed. It was as though the Crown Prince had said the funniest thing ever. She laughed so hard that water spilled out of the corners of her eyes, and she had to hold her stomach because it was hurting so much. Eventually, she stopped laughing, her chest heaving as she tried to compose herself.

"It wasn’t that funny," Caius stated with a pretend annoyance.

"It is," Rose replied, her eyes wrinkling. It was pretty clear she was trying her best not to burst out laughing again. "No castle boy could climb a tree better than me."

Caius looked genuinely offended. "Castle boy?" he asked in horror. "Is that what you think of me?"

"Didn’t you grow up in the castle?" Rose asked innocently.

"There were trees within the castle walls," he stated.

"Can’t be compared to the trees in the forest. I am sure you were pampered most of..." Rose paused as she remembered the scars she had glimpsed on him.

Rose wanted to blurt out questions about them, but even in her drunk state, she could recall Caius not wanting to talk about painful moments. She let out a yawn, suddenly feeling sleepy.

"Still doesn’t mean I don’t know how to climb a tree," he stated defensively, pulling Rose out of her thoughts.

Rose yawned again. "Very well, castle boy."

"Castle boy?" Caius called in horror.

Rose let out another yawn, and it was pretty obvious she was sleepy. "I feel sleepy," she whispered.

Caius’s expression softened, and he smiled lightly as he watched her struggle to stay awake. "Goodnight, Rose."

She closed her eyes and moved closer. "Goodnight, castle boy." Her breathing echoed softly as she fell asleep.

Caius didn’t fall asleep immediately; he scratched at his stubble as he watched her. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear before he finally laid his head on his pillow.