The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Chapter 148

"Trick?" Madeline repeated. "You think I would pull a trick with my daughter’s return? She isn’t comfortable speaking about where she has been and if you cared for her, you would respect it. I am not pulling any tricks, I am merely protecting my daughter."

"Protecting her from what? We are all family here besides the outsider. The two of you think I am cruel and harsh on you but you never think of how it hurts for you to always leave me in the dark. That is the only reason why I am angry with you," said Valerie.

Valerie felt like she was last to know or had to hear something from outsiders when it came to her family. She wasn’t informed by Victor when it came to him leaving the palace. He just left, taking a woman carrying another man’s child with him.

"I am sorry for lashing out," Valerie apologised, sensing she could be kicked out. "I don’t like the secrets but I can wait."

Madeline looked at Victor. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Valerie caused the good mood in the room to change again. It was always like this. The only issue was how would it look for Rose if they forced Valerie out. That was not the family Madeline wanted to show to Rose.

"I won’t keep it a secret forever. It is just hard to speak of it sometimes because I don’t want to be judged. If it’s going to cause this much conflict, I should just do it," Rose decided, feeling guilty as she was the reason the others were arguing. "I lived in a brothel. I didn’t have any customers. It is up to you to believe me or not. I won’t try convincing anyone."

Rose no longer cared to convince anyone what she did in the brothel. She knew what she did and didn’t do.

"Zayne won’t harm you. He helped me when I didn’t have anyone. I found my way here with Zayne’s help. There wasn’t any trick with my mother as I don’t have any memories of my time here. Again, it is for you to believe me. That is all for now," Rose concluded.

Madeline smiled, proud of Rose for having the courage to speak. "Well done, Rose. I just need you to know that we are not arguing because of you. It was a little disagreement that had nothing to do with you. I promise."

The jabs from Valerie started from the start of her marriage. Valerie was angry with Madeline, not Rose.

"You may want to sit close to Zayne to save him from your aunts. Excuse me for a moment," Madeline said, getting away from Valerie to calm down. Should they speak too much, Rose’s time with family might be ruined.

"I have apologised," Valerie said to Victor after he shook his head, his disappointment evident. "He is always following," she commented on Victor going after Madeline.

Valerie turned her attention to Rose. A lady living in a brothel was absurd. Should the town learn of this it would give those looking to see this family ruined something to talk about.

"Never speak about living in the brothel. Not unless you want this family to be ruined. Anna has to wed this season," said Valerie.

Valerie could not let Anna miss out on the chance to marry a good man. Anna was at the top when it came to young ladies to wed this season. It was not to be ruined by the news of Rose’s return.

"I will not," Rose promised.

"Good. You’ve grown up quite well. You would have had this town hanging on to every word of who you would marry if not for being taken," Valerie said as she walked to her seat.

Anna frowned, puzzled by her grandmother not hugging Rose like her aunts did. "Grandmother, you should hug her. She tenses up a little when you touch her but then she enjoys them. At least that is what I think. Does it bother you when I touch you? I pulled your hand before," Anna realised.

"It does not. It was fun to run with you," Rose said, returning to her seat. It didn’t seem like she would get a hug from Valerie yet.

Rose didn’t think much of it since she was once not fond of hugs. Valerie might be the one relative to understand her disinterest in too much touching.

"Aunts, why did you come alone? Rose should get to see her cousins. We have much to talk about," said Anna, trying to bring back the good mood that was here before.

"They are being seen by a tutor now. They are not like you, Anna. They get distracted so easily so we feared if we disrupted their lesson, they would go back to being careless. I don’t know if I will get that girl to marry," Andrea sighed.

"They will come near the hour for dinner. Then you can talk about the young men you have your eyes on and gossip. That is all you want to do these days. You make me miss being so young," Karen said, envying the youth. It was fun when you were first falling in love and picking husbands.

While Anna kept the aunts busy, Zayne poked Rose’s hand to get her attention. She came to sit beside him instead of going back to Anna but she did not look at him.

"How long do you plan to avoid me?" Zayne questioned.

"I am not avoiding you," Rose replied, her gaze fixed on her sister and aunts. She couldn’t look at Zayne when he was being weird to her. If he stopped being as he was now then she could face him.

"Then look at me."

Rose gulped, folding her lips to resist answering as she did not trust how her voice would sound now. She felt odd like she would hiccup if she opened her mouth now.

She jumped when she felt his finger brush against her side and when she took the risk to sneak a glance at what he was doing, Rose noticed her hair wrapped around his finger.

Rose did something riskier as she looked up from Zayne’s finger to his face. His devious smile gave away that he was enjoying this.

"Why are you so flustered when I have not done anything to you? I have not properly courted you other than the necklaces. I wonder, would it be too much that you faint if I do much more? I bet your cheeks are warm," Zayne said, tempted to touch them but they had an audience.

"Please stop talking," Rose requested.

"Make me. Cover this with something," Zayne pointed to his mouth. "With your hands. Oh dear, what were you thinking to have such a reaction?"

"Nothing," Rose looked away from Zayne. She was only making it worse for herself if she looked at him. Listening to his voice was already hard enough.

Valerie watched the pair acting like lovers. She couldn’t believe that Rose had never taken a customer. She was a young beauty that noblemen would chase after. Why wouldn’t men far below nobles take the chance to lay with her?

Then there was the outsider. Valerie imagined the first place men who came from out at sea would go was a brothel. Rose would bring shame to the family if it came out she was nothing more than a filthy whore. The Ambrose name wouldn’t shield Rose well if she wasn’t a pure woman while not married.

’I must do something,’ Valerie decided.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.