Chapter 330: The Other Way Around
Rose didn’t tell her father what transpired in the baron’s house until after she had made lunch. Her father was already at the house; he might as well eat before he left for work again.
She had assured him it was nothing serious before he let her cook. He wanted to know what had happened immediately, but Rose was worried he might not be able to enjoy lunch if she told him the details beforehand. Her father didn’t seem to believe her when she said it was nothing serious, but he didn’t press.
After they were done eating, Rose told him what had transpired as best as she could, as well as the contents of the letter the crown prince had sent. Her father couldn’t hide his displeasure when he heard the crown prince’s orders.
"In a few days, I would have to leave Edenville," Rose whispered, trying to read her father’s expression as she ended her explanation.
For the longest time, Vallyn didn’t say anything. Rose had told him that the crown prince might ask her to come back to him, so this shouldn’t come as a complete shock. However, it was obvious her father wasn’t taking it well.
After a few moments of silence, he took her hands and gently squeezed them. His own palms wrapped around her smaller ones, hiding them in his. His grey-hazel eyes turned serious as he stared right at Rose’s face.
Rose blinked at her father’s serious expression. She didn’t know what this meant. She had wanted to tell him not to worry about her and that she would be fine, but his reaction took away her chance to say that.
"Ye don’t ’ave to go," her father said, his eyes never straying from her face.
Rose wanted to tell him there was no way she couldn’t go. She knew better than to refuse Caius’s order. She wouldn’t give him a reason to hurt her only family member. However, Rose didn’t get to say this as her father was speaking again.
"I mean ye don’t ’ave to do wha ye don’t want to do—"
"Fat’er..." Rose started to say.
"Let me finis’," her father stated. "I can’t stay in Edenville for muc’ longer. Tis ’as always been yer mot’er’s ’ometown and now tha yer mot’er is..." Vallyn paused briefly, the words heavy in his mouth.
He took a deep breath before he began speaking again, rephrasing his words. "I mig’t not be able to take ye to mi ’ometown, but we can go to anot’er town. Or another kingdom, or someplace else?" His eyes brightened a little, then dimmed.
Rose smiled tightly. Her father was willing to risk everything to be a runaway with her. Rose entertained the idea for a moment, even though she knew it was not ideal.
They could start afresh in some new town. With her father’s skills and her own, she was certain they could survive anywhere. She would miss Edenville and the fact that she might never be able to visit her mother’s grave again, and she would also miss this house—she had grown up here; all her memories were tied to this building, especially the ones about her mother. But she would be free of the crown prince. They both would be.
Rose tried to consider it, but that wasn’t the sort of life she wanted for her father. He wasn’t getting any younger. She couldn’t ask him to live on the run for the rest of his life. As she had found out, the crown prince was quite vindictive. It was best to wait until he was ready to let her go.
Besides, Rose was certain the crown prince couldn’t play this game forever. Who would want a peasant lover when he could get any woman he wanted? Rose frowned at the memory of his fiancée.
The crown prince might sound dismissive about it, but as the heir to the throne, he was expected to get married. She would be free then—Rose just had to wait, to exercise a little patience, and this was the one thing she was good at.
Rose slowly shook her head, a smile on her face. "I can’t ask you to do that, Fat’er. I don’t want to put you in danger, and I want you to do whatever you want without having to look over your shoulder," Rose replied.
"I want tha same for ye," her father stated. He sounded agitated. It was unlike him.
"I promise, I am fine," Rose tried her best to reassure him. "It isn’t common knowledge yet, but the crown prince has a fiancée. Once he is married, he will be sure to let me go."
Vallyn’s jaw tightened, and he slowly let go of her hands. "If ye change yer mind, let me know, and I’ll do everythin’ in mi power to get ye away from him."
Rose nodded. "It’s not as bad as it seems, I promise. The crown prince can be nice and... and..." Rose paused as she realized she was running out of lies.
However, she was very aware of their helplessness, and she knew her father was too. It must be eating him inside to let this happen again, but that was the situation. Besides, Rose had promised she would be back if he let her see her mother—and he had.
It didn’t mean she was obligated, and she certainly didn’t feel so, but Rose didn’t have the energy to put up a fight. She wanted to protect the only parent she had left. Her only family.
"As long as yer ’appy," her father whispered.
Happy was a long shot. Rose hadn’t been happy in a very long time. "As you have said, Fat’er, I won’t do anything I don’t want to. I promise," she replied.
Vallyn was in a very tight situation. He wanted nothing more than to protect his only daughter; he didn’t want her to be someone’s slave. How could he face her mother if he still couldn’t keep her safe?
But Rose was stubborn, and he knew one of the reasons she was going back was because of him. He was supposed to be her protector, yet it was the other way around. Vallyn hated how tied his hands were. He had already lost his wife, and now he was once again about to lose his daughter—and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
His palms formed fists, but Vallyn didn’t punch the wall even though he felt an incredible urge to do so. Rather, he slowly stood up, picked up his tools, and headed back to work.
The house was silent after her father left, as it usually was, and Rose just sat on the bench for a long time, staring at her mother’s bed. She wanted to visit her grave, but Rose wasn’t sure she had the courage just yet. Still, she couldn’t leave Edenville without saying goodbye.
She knew it was hard for her father to accept that she had to go. If she had agreed with his plan, she would have gotten to spend time with him, but it would have come at a great cost that she couldn’t risk.
Rose stood to her feet. She had to start getting ready—not that there was much to pack, but she felt she might go crazy if she sat still. She hadn’t brought a lot of things from the capital; she had needed to pack light for the trip. Rose doubted the journey back would be any different.
She didn’t know how she felt about seeing the crown prince. She was glad he was still alive, but that was it. Rose had known he had survived the poisoning when guards hadn’t come after her. She was certain that if the crown prince had died, the Queen would have wanted her head on a platter.
Rose winced. Going back meant she had to deal with her. She didn’t want to do that. She had a deep-seated fear and hatred for the Queen—but it was more hatred than fear.
If only the Queen didn’t see her as nothing more than a peasant, perhaps she might have been able to help her out of the crown prince’s clutches. But Her Majesty would rather see Rose as the problem. Rose frowned—her thoughts were straying, but what else could she do? All she had were her thoughts.
She stared at the dress she wore when she arrived in Edenville. She had kept it folded and clean, as it was too good to be seen around in, and it certainly didn’t suit her—at least, not around here.
She would wear it on the journey back. It was the only dress she had brought back. Rose would pack some other clothes—it wasn’t as though she had much, but she would need at least one spare. With the coat thrown over her shoulders, any dress would look decent. At least this time, she didn’t have to worry about freezing on the journey back.
Rose winced and dropped the dress. She was an anxious wreck. She didn’t know what she was so afraid of, but she was. She really was.