CHAPTER 297: A VOICE

Thomas led the way, speeding through the open gates. She was right behind and also urged her horse on. However, as she was about to pass through the gates suddenly stopped.

She heard it before anyone else—loud yelling from behind. She stopped her horse before she even thought about it, halting right in the middle of the open gates, blocking the path of the rest of the men.

Loud grunts and complaints could be heard as the men tried hard not to bump into her at her abrupt stop. She heard a few curses but Rose didn’t care, she had heard something.

Thomas noticed she stopped and turned his head toward her. At first, he only slowed his horse, but when he noticed she was indeed not moving, he turned his horse around; he had rode some distance away from them.

"What are you doing?" he asked, but he didn’t sound angry—rather, he sounded worried.

"I heard a voice," she said, turning back, but all she could see were the men she was stopping from going through the gates and the impatient guards who wanted to close the gates after they had gone through.

"A voice?" Thomas asked, his voice even softer.

"Yes," Rose said and tried to stare behind the men, but she couldn’t see a thing. It didn’t help that they weren’t even stepping backwards so she could confirm.

She turned to see Thomas looking at her with a sympathetic expression. "If you’ve changed your mind, I understand," he said.

Rose frowned, annoyed that he didn’t seem to believe her, but even as she felt herself get angry, the feeling dissipated.

Did she really hear a voice, or was it her mind playing tricks on her?

Outside these gates, she would have to make the ultimate decision. Since she hadn’t passed through them yet, she still had time to change her plan. Had she subconsciously stopped to reconsider, or did she really hear a voice?

"I haven’t," Rose said, her voice dejected. She really did hear a voice but by everyone’s reaction and the whispers, it seemed she had been the only one to hear.

If she had indeed heard a voice, she should have heard it again—and even if she couldn’t see behind her, the men should be able to tell if someone was approaching.

I must have lost my mind—Rose thought.

Suddenly, a loud trumpet echoed through the space. It wasn’t deafening, but Rose could tell that wherever it was coming from, it was urgent.

Without another word, the gates started to close. Rose was mostly out of it, but she instinctively moved backward—and so did the rest of the men.

"What are you doing?" Thomas yelled upward towards the man turning on the lever to close the gates.

"I’m sorry, Your Lordship, but that’s the signal to close the gates and keep them closed until we hear a different signal. So, Your Lordship, please either step outside the gates or inside," a guard yelled toward Thomas over the loud noise of the gates closing.

The guard was dressed in full armor. He had a helmet, and he held a spear. However, he bent his head as he spoke to Thomas and kept his spear pointed to the ground.

Rose looked at Thomas, worried he might speak in anger, but he did none of that. He didn’t even ask the guard what this was about. Rather, he quietly stepped back through the gates, just as they slammed shut.

"How long until we can leave?" Thomas asked the guard.

"Usually, not long," the guard responded immediately. "Someone should be coming up the path with a message. Aha—there they are!" The guard said in relief, pointing past them, and everyone turned their attention to the path.

Rose frowned. The person the guard had pointed to was just a speck in the distance, so far away they barely looked like anything—but it was clear they were riding toward them as fast as they could.

Rose’s stomach tightened, but somewhere in the recesses of her mind, a flicker of hope began to grow. Perhaps it was the news they wanted to hear—that the crown prince was awake—but Rose didn’t want to believe that just yet. She feared she might jinx it.

The rider in question was still far off, and Rose could see Thomas growing impatient. He grunted and rode his horse toward the lone rider.

Rose’s first thought was to go after him, but she decided against it and just waited by the gates. For some reason, she felt like it was bad news and if she stalled it could change to good news.

They were drawing attention as they gathered around the gates and people who wanted to go out through the gates had to stop awkwardly to the side.

She also noticed a carriage stopped nearby, and the owner stepped out of it. Rose thought he looked more like a merchant than a lord. He called out to a nearby guard, who quickly acknowledged him, and Rose could only guess he was explaining the situation to him.

It was suddenly colder, and when she lifted her head, she saw that Thomas had reached the rider. They exchanged words, and then suddenly Thomas turned toward her, gesturing for her to come.

When Rose didn’t understand immediately, he started riding back toward her. She urged her horse to move, meeting him halfway.

"What news did you receive, Lord Thomas?" Rose asked, her eyes bright.

"The crown prince woke up!" he said excitedly, then his voice dropped. "Only briefly, but Lord Paul said if His Highness woke up once, he’s very likely to wake up again. And Prince Rylen said that’s enough. We don’t have to leave anymore."

"Are you sure about that?" Rose asked, still afraid to believe it. Things never went right. She couldn’t help but doubt.

"Yes," Thomas replied. "I would expect you to be happier."

"I am," Rose said. She truly was—but she feared expressing how relieved and happy she was would somehow ruin it.

Thomas studied her expression as though he didn’t quite believe her. "Shall we return to the estate then?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Rose replied. "I would like that very much."