Chapter 95: Chapter 95"Rose, you can come in now."

    Rose hesitated to turn around though Zayne gave her the okay to return inside the tent. She did a quick look inside and found him dressed. "How will you get rid of the water?"

    "Someone will come to lift it out. Have you washed up yet?" Zayne asked.

    Rose shook her head. "No, I don’t know where I am going to get washed up. I was waiting to go with Mary but then she had to put up her tent. Is there somewhere nearby?"

    "There should be as they had to get my water from somewhere. I can have warm water-"

    "No," Rose waved her hands to stop him. "I don’t need warm water. They only brought it for you."

    Rose didn’t want to trouble anyone to bring warm water when she was an outsider. It would not help to get the others to like her. She would be even more of a bother.

    "If you could just point the way, I will go there to wash up quickly," said Rose.

    Zayne picked up a fresh towel. "Come with me," he said and then headed out the entrance of the tent. "Quickly before the night grows too cold."

    "W-wait. You are the one going with me?" Rose asked, running after Zayne so she wouldn’t lose him. "I am not going with Mary?"

    "She has not taken you to wash up somewhere and I would rather you do it before it gets too dark. It is either this or I have warm water brought in for you. The water where we are going will be cold. I can lift in water for you," Zayne offered.

    Rose stopped running when she reached Zayne’s side. "That is kind of you but how would it look to your soldiers that you are bringing in water and warming it for me, your maid? I think many of them still misunderstand what I am to you. I don’t want the misunderstanding to continue."

    "Let them think about what they want. Will you spend the rest of your life trying to convince everyone that what they think of you is wrong?" Zayne asked, looking down to his left at Rose. "Many will always assume something wrong about you and believe it rather than the truth. Don’t waste your time." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Still," Rose replied, not wanting to stay quiet when it affected Zayne. "I don’t want you to be tied to me. I do not understand why they take one look and assume there is something between us. You are a general."

    "And what is wrong with you, Rose? Why wouldn’t you be suited for me?" Zayne asked.

    Rose couldn’t tell if he was toying with her or simply forgot where he had found her. She didn’t want to answer at first but she had to know why he asked an obvious question. "I am from a brothel. What man would want to be with a woman from there? No matter the status, I can only assume no one would want to be with a woman from there."

    "Well, now I know for certain that you are not good at reading someone. You speak confidently like being with you is something that I would not do. What if I would consider it? What would you say about that?" Zayne asked, stopping to hear her answer.

    Rose didn’t see the need to answer since he had already considered it too much trouble for him to be with her. Rose laughed instead and walked ahead of Zayne.

    "Rose," Zayne touched her hand. "You did not give me an answer."

    Rose took a deep breath. "Very well. You must come from a good family and you hold the position of general. The only memories I have are of my time in a brothel, I cannot read, and I have nothing to my name. It is not hard to put together why a man like you and someone like me would never be together. And it is fine," she said, removing Zayne’s hand.

    "I do not want to be with anyone. I have seen the way we are treated as women from the brothel are seen as less than animals. Though I am free now, that brothel will haunt me for the rest of my life. I would rather be alone than let it haunt someone else," she explained.

    Luckily, no one ever had to worry about Zayne being with her since he had made it clear that he did not like her that way.

    ’Maybe he should tell the others that,’ Rose thought.

    Rose walked ahead of Zayne to where she heard moving water.

    Zayne was left with much to say but could not right now. Not when Rose didn’t think much of herself as she would be confused and try to leave his side. His feelings for her were at the starting stage so there was no need to bring it up to her right now.

    How comfortable would she be with having another man around who liked her when she had only gotten Graham out of her life recently?

    Zayne followed Rose further into the dark area. He found her looking down at a rough stream of water. "It is not too late to accept my offer."

    "I can do this but..." Rose trailed off, not having the courage to ask Zayne to turn around. She wasn’t that confident to have him look so they would be equal.

    Zayne folded his arms and turned around to look back where they came from. "I won’t look. You have my word," he promised.

    Rose didn’t doubt that he wouldn’t look. She couldn’t think of him being so childish that he would get revenge for her walking in on him now.

    Rose stepped away from Zayne and carefully went down to the water. She looked back at Zayne and was pleased to see that he had not turned around. She bent down to touch the water and immediately pulled away when she did. "It is cold," she whispered.

    The warm water Zayne spoke of seemed lovely at this point but they were not of the same status for her to enjoy that luxury. It was only for one night that she would need to wash up outside as there should be taverns on their way to get rooms and warm water.

    Rose stood up to discard her clothes. The dress she wanted to wear to bed was left in her bag so she would have to wear this one again.

    "Rose," she heard Zayne call to her and when she looked up, he was holding the towel for her. His back was still turned to her.

    Rose held the top of her dress that was already open and went back up to Zayne to take the towel from him. "Thank you," she said, accepting the soft towel. It was one meant for Zayne but she couldn’t say no to it now as it would help warm up from her bath. "I will be quick."

    Zayne listened to Rose going back down to the water. It was small moments like this that reminded him why he could not share why she was very wrong about him not wanting to be with a woman like her.

    The trust she slowly built up for him could quickly crumble.