Chapter 73: Chapter 73The next day, Rose waited until after breakfast to bring up the news of her trip to Janice.

    "If you want to go, you should. My only concern is you are travelling with that group. Tension is still high between our kingdom and theirs. I don’t think it is safe for you to travel with so many soldiers from another land and I worry about what the people here will speak of you," said Janice.

    Rose would stick out among the foreigners so people from this land would speak about her since they would be afraid to speak about Zayne.

    "I have considered all that last night and still want to go. If I worry about what others think, I will be stuck doing nothing and not exploring. Zayne says he will escort me back here and by that time, the two kingdoms should be united right?" Rose asked.

    "It is hard to say. I overheard in the market that the king might go back on his word for peace. War is quite unpredictable. I would like peace since I don’t want to be running around trying to hide. Since you are eager to do it, I won’t hold you back," Janice replied.

    Janice had done her fair share of travelling and enjoyed every bit of it. Rose should have her chance to do it.

    "I will be sure to bring you back a gift. Perhaps a fine dress for you to change around to your liking?" asked Rose.

    "I would like that but first we must start putting together what you will need for the trip. You will need more garments and dresses. You will need something to snack on so you don’t need to wait for when they have to eat. You should have a cloak as well for when it rains-"

    "Janice," Rose touched Janice’s shoulders to calm her. "He said he needs to leave soon but I think we have enough time to get what I need. I have money from what he has paid me to get what I need the next time we must go to the market."

    "We? Will you join me next time?" Janice asked, surprised. "I thought you didn’t like leaving? I might be getting ahead of myself but I thought you were hiding from someone. Why else would you avoid going to the market when there is no danger there?"

    "I was hiding from something but not anymore. I can go with you from now on. Now you won’t have to lift everything yourself. Oh, one of the guards is coming this way," Rose noticed from the window in the kitchen. "I will see what he needs."

    Rose moved away before Janice could question her about why she could suddenly leave.

    When Rose opened the front door, Soren was standing before her with the blanket she had been placing for them to use and a few berries.

    Soren pushed the blanket into her arms and turned around to leave.

    "Your berries are here," Rose said, stepping forward to catch up to him.

    "They belong to you," Soren replied. Sear?h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Me? Why?" Rose wondered. She had not asked them for berries and if she ever did, Rose thought the two would just ignore her.

    "They are finally acting right. The berries are their poor way of thanking you for giving them the blankets at night. It’s a start," Janice said, going to Rose to look at the berries. "Hopefully they start to make use of the words thank and you."

    Janice picked up one of the berries and said, "It’s enough to make you a nice dessert if you don’t eat too many of them now. Should we eat these?" Janice asked, suddenly suspicious.

    "I think they are fine," Rose answered. She saw them growing out back but she would have to go over the wall to pick them. "If only there was enough to send some dessert outside to them as well."

    "They would need to bring more fruit," said Janice. "I have been meaning to ask but I heard someone speaking last night. Were you up late?"

    "I was. I like watching the sky before I go to bed," Rose answered, leaving out that Zayne was here. She didn’t want Janice to worry again that there was something between her and Zayne.

    "I see. Then I must have been mistaken when I sat by the window and saw Zayne leaving with a bowl in his hands. Did you not stumble across him, Rose? Or were one of you talking to yourself?" Janice asked, teasingly. "I trust you when you say there is nothing between you but if you are so secretive for something so small, I will doubt you."

    "There isn’t anything between us. His return was a surprise and I didn’t want you to worry about it. He left not long after he came and I made sure to send him off with a bowl of the fresh fruit you bought," said Rose.

    "There is no need to panic, Rose. I have already understood that there are some things about you that only he knows and I am fine with it. Surely he did not just come here to have fruit and then you can suddenly leave to go to the market. Whatever it is, I just hope that you are safe. Let me," Janice said, taking the blanket and berries from Rose. "I can wash them for you."

    "I am safe. One day I will share my story with you but I cannot right now. I just need a little more time," Rose requested. She knew that Janice would accept where she had been living the last eight years but there was still that fear of being judged.

    "I understand, Rose. We all have our secrets. I shall wait until you are ready to tell me. Now, since I don’t need to start cooking for the next few hours, why don’t I help you with cleaning? You still have so much to put away," Janice said, looking down at the crates Rose already pulled out.

    "Thank you for understanding. I wonder if I should put these things away when he has to return home after he comes back from the palace. Janice, do you think Zayne comes from a good family or do generals make plenty?" Rose asked.

    "It can be both. I do not know what generals are rewarded but they all seem to be living well, don’t they? The young heirs from the families I worked for would join the army sometimes. Maybe Zayne is from a good family who wanted him to prove himself in the army. But that is mostly from families without good titles. They use war to gain titles," Janice explained.

    "I see. I didn’t want to pry and ask him about his family. I will put away his things," Rose said, following Janice back to the kitchen.