CHAPTER 337: DRESSED TO DINNER (2)

Rose didn’t wake up until almost noon the next day. After the maids helped her into night clothes—a fresh pair of silk nightdresses that smelled like lavender the night before—Rose lay on her bed and fell asleep immediately.

At first, she was worried the crown prince would ask to see her at the sight of the familiar clothes she often wore to go to his chambers, but the maids simply left her alone after changing her out of the dress.

Rose slept so deeply that she didn’t even stir once until she woke up at noon. The bed and pillows were so soft that it felt like she was sleeping on feathers. It was the best sleep she had had in a while.

She woke up with a yawn on her lips, lifting her arms to stretch as she loosened her body. She blinked as she stared around, a little discombobulated.

Her room was dark as the bed hangings of the four-poster bed were drawn, and at first, she wondered if it wasn’t bright out yet. But she quickly saw the slips of light through the gaps in the bed hangings.

She stretched out her hand to flip the bed curtains and winced as she got a flash of reflected sunlight from her dresser mirror. Rose let go of the bed hangings and fell onto the bed, realizing she had gravely overslept.

She looked up at the wooden ceiling of the poster bed before rolling on her side and getting out of bed from the opposite side. Rose let out another yawn as she stood up to summon the servants.

The two maids were quick to answer her call. "We are sorry," they said as soon as they stepped into the room. "We were ordered not to wake you."

"Who ordered it?" Rose asked.

She was not annoyed that the maids had let her sleep this long—she was just curious. She was actually grateful there were no interruptions. It had been a while since she had slept for this long, and she was sure her exhaustion and the bed being so comfortable had a lot to do with it.

"Master Fabian," they said in unison.

Rose narrowed her eyes. It didn’t say who the order came from exactly, but she was not that curious to go about asking Fabian, especially when she could take a guess. Rose rubbed her right temple; she didn’t like that though she was adamant about sparing no thoughts in his direction, she often found herself straying there.

"We will help you get ready," one of them quickly said. "Would you prefer to have lunch here or in the dining room? Since you missed the main meal, you can eat wherever you want."

"Here, please," Rose said immediately.

If she had known it was a choice, she should have remained in her room the night before. However, the way the maid phrased it made it seem like it was okay for her to eat in her room since this was lunch. Rose doubted she would have this option for dinner.

The maids settled for something comfortable. Rose would have been happy to remain in her night clothes, but she knew that was not possible.

After they helped her dress up, lunch was served almost immediately, and her room filled with different aromas. Rose felt her mouth water, even though her appetite wasn’t back to what it was.

As she sat by the table to eat, Rose remembered her father and wondered if he was eating well. She wanted to send a letter to him right this moment to inform him that she was fine and to tell him to take care but she might not be able to do that for a while.

Rose said a simple prayer as she prepared to eat, praying for her father too, and that the goddess would keep him safe. After praying she began to eat.

Rose did try her best, but she could only eat a small amount of her lunch before she called on the maids to come clear the dishes. She could see the disappointment on their faces as they took most of the food away, but neither of them voiced their concerns.

"Lady Rose," one of them called just as they were about to leave the room.

Rose turned her face away from the windows to look at them. "Yes," she said softly.

"Would you like a tour?" she asked. "It would help with digestion, and I could show you anywhere in the castle you’d like to see."

Rose’s eyes brightened for only a moment, but she quickly crushed the idea. She could run into the crown prince in the process, and Rose was not sure she was ready to face him just yet.

She was grateful he didn’t call her the night before, and she hoped it would remain the same. Walking around the castle was certainly one way to draw his attention—and she wanted to avoid that for as long as she could.

"No, thank you," she whispered.

The maids bowed. "If you need anything, please let us know."

Rose nodded and watched the maids leave. She turned her gaze to the window, this time walking towards it. The drapes were looped around the braided silk cord and secured on the bronze hook to keep them from closing.

Rose placed her hand on the windowpane and looked outside. She was greeted with a blanket of snow and someone walking across the yard. It was clearly a guard, with the way they paraded on the frozen grass.

Rose didn’t stare for too long. There was nothing to see outside. She quickly withdrew from the window and moved around the room. She made her way to the wardrobe and pulled it open, half-expecting the clothes she had seen last night and this afternoon to have vanished.

However, that was not the case, and the many dresses she had seen were still hung up in the wardrobe. Rose immediately started to count. It was a silly thing to do and she let her curiosity get the best of her. By the time she got to twenty-five, a loud knock rang out.

Rose yelped in fright, nearly falling on her bum, and quickly shut the wardrobe, embarrassed that someone might guess she was counting the dresses. She didn’t even get to have the dresses. Just how many were in there?

She found it very hard to believe that all the dresses were made for her, and this castle was just as unbelievable—all the servants were nice and respectful. It made the main castle seem like a very terrible nightmare.

Rose walked to the door as her mind churned and opened it to see Fabian with a smile on his face. He bowed and said, "Lady Rose."

"Fabian." Rose tried to smile and hoped it at least looked like one. "What is the matter?" His expression looked serious.

"Well, I wanted to inform you that tonight His Highness would be at dinner..." Fabian paused lightly as he studied her expression.

Rose did her best to keep her expression neutral, but her eyes betrayed her, widening ever so slightly. "T-thank you for the information." And so did her voice.

Fabian smiled again. "Is there any special request you’d like to make about dinner? Just let me know, and I will make sure it is available."

"No," Rose replied. "I am fine with anything."

Fabian nodded and withdrew. Rose shut the door immediately and rested her back on it. There was still quite some time before dinner, but it didn’t feel like enough time to prepare herself.

Why did she feel so anxious?

She already knew she would have to face him when she came on the trip, but Rose didn’t know how to explain what she felt except to describe it as an uneasy feeling crawling up her neck.

The rest of the day passed too quickly, and soon enough, the sun had set and all she could see was the dark, cloudy sky. The maids moved quickly as they got her dressed for dinner.

She wore a different dress this time—a pale blue dress with white lace accents, a corseted bodice with crisscross ribbons lacing at the back. Puff sleeves reached just below the elbows, ending in flared lace cuffs. Matching lace gloves stretched past her elbows, covering her exposed arms to keep her warm.

The skirt was floor-length, adorned with tiers of ruffled blue satin and white lace trim. Her red hair was tied away from her face, and her neck was adorned with a simple pearl necklace that matched her earrings. Her fiery red hair complemented the pale blue color greatly, and the maids wouldn’t stop talking about it.

When the maids were done, Rose could scarcely recognize herself in the reflection. She also noticed the ladies had chosen a dress that easily hid the weight she had lost.

Rose did a little spin in front of the full mirror, and she couldn’t help the smile on her face. It had been a while since she felt this good in her skin.

"You look so beautiful," one of the maids commented.

The other nodded. "Your freckles are glowing tonight."

Rose couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips. She lightly touched her cheeks with her gloved hand as she noticed how flushed her face looked. The maids hadn’t even put any color on her face.

There was no way she was excited to see—Rose didn’t dare complete the thought. She quickly turned away from the mirror and headed for the door.