The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Chapter 153

Rose laughed, thinking Valerie was telling her a joke. For as long as she had been working for Zayne, there wasn’t a moment she heard anyone refer to him as a prince. They always referred to him as the general.

When Zayne spoke of his siblings he never told her of his brother being a king. Zayne couldn’t be a prince all this time. For a prince to have liked her before they knew she was a lady from a good family was confusing.

Rose’s laughter slowly died as she thought more about Zayne’s feelings and him being a prince.

"So, you finally realise it. It is good that you didn’t get so caught up in having feelings for him. You have other things to worry about than a man just trying to bed you. It is all they think women from a brothel are good for. You should focus on me trying to make something of you," said Valerie.

"Mother," Karen said, putting a finger over her lip to get her mother to be silent. Rose’s smile had vanished and the room no longer felt filled with love.

Karen knew she would be embarrassed if she thought she had a chance with a man and someone ruined the little hope she had.

"I am saying this because I care for her. Men make foolish mistakes like this all the time but they don’t marry women like her. This name isn’t enough to help her. Have you ever heard of a royal marrying a woman from a brothel? They are normally the mistresses," Valerie continued to prove her point.

Valerie turned to Rose and asked, "Had you believed he truly felt something for you."

"I did," Rose answered, trying to put on her best smile. She believed Zayne when he spoke of liking her but she could not understand why. Now that she knew he was a prince, Rose couldn’t understand his earlier actions anymore. "I will retire to my room."

Rose stood up, no longer in the mood to put on a smile and look at gifts. She didn’t enjoy the feeling of having the brothel constantly thrown back at her when she was trying to forget her time there.

She had hoped they would believe her that she never had a customer but they didn’t. If she did have a customer, it was evident that they wouldn’t have accepted her. Valerie was already unwilling to touch her hand.

It was hard to fit in as a lady of this family when a line was being drawn between them. Rose was forgetting about the brothel but everyone around her was remembering it, judging her for being somewhere she never asked to be.

Anna stood up to stop Rose from leaving. "Don’t go, Rose. We are just getting started. They have brought shoes which would be good for dancing at the ball tomorrow. You can practice dancing with me."

"Thank you but I am not in the mood for it. Excuse me," Rose said, opening the door to step out of the room.

After she closed the door, Rose leaned on it as she needed a moment to think.

Why hadn’t Zayne told her that he was a prince? What did he get out of hiding it from her? Zayne didn’t have any interest in her at the start and she didn’t have any interest in his title so why? Why wouldn’t he have just said it?

"He is a prince," Rose whispered.

Rose thought about what Valerie said about a prince being with a woman like her. She was now Rose Ambrose, daughter of a lord but was that enough to wipe away her past? Zayne had not judged her but what of the people around him? Should her past get out it would greatly affect him.

"You fool, it does not matter," Rose realised. "You don’t have feelings for him."

She was bothered and feeling down over nothing. Zayne’s feelings would go away then he would find someone more suited for him. It made sense now why there was talk of Zayne and the princess. He had the title to marry the princess. Would the daughter of a lord be enough for a foreign prince? Would her chance be better if not for the brothel?

Rose shook her head as these were all useful thoughts since she wasn’t going to accept Zayne’s feelings. They had grown close but she was not ready for what Zayne was looking for.

"Rose, I have been searching for you all of you. Why are you standing there in deep thought?" Madeline questioned, puzzled by the others still missing. "Did something happen?"

Rose put on her best smile to not worry her mother. "No. I was just thinking. Did you know that Zayne is a prince?"

"Yes. Your father told me. Zayne told you?" Madeline asked.

Rose shook her head. "No. I had to hear it from someone else. Why would he keep it a secret?"

"There are many reasons why he would. Maybe he is used to others treating him differently if they knew. Maybe he just wants to be seen as the general when he travels. You will need to get the answer from him. Does it upset you that he didn’t tell you?" Madeline questioned, going to the door to lean on it with Rose.

"He is a prince," Rose said, still shocked by this news.

"Does that change a lot between the two of you? To me, this title doesn’t make him any different from what you knew of him. He seems to treat you well. Do you think there is another side to him?" Madeline asked.

"I don’t know. It is not that I have feelings for him but I don’t think I am-"

"Stop," Madeline interjected. "I don’t ever want to hear you say you are not good for anyone. You mustn’t think so low of yourself. I have watched you two closely to know that he does not think the same."

"You have a prince eagerly awaiting the moment you would look at him. There isn’t any reason why you can’t be with him. You must think more of yourself, not just to think yourself a match for him but you need to love yourself, Rose. Many will be hard on you. Don’t make one of the people judging you be you," Madeline said, touching Rose’s face as tears formed.

"It might not seem that way but many did not think I was suited for Victor. Even though I have proved my worth now, I am still judged but I do my best to ignore it. I have a husband who loves me and children I adore. We must love ourselves more," Madeline said, wiping away Rose’s tears.

"I’m sorry," Rose replied, looking away from her mother. "I don’t like to cry."

"Why? Because you think it makes you look weak? I don’t think it’s good for you to be holding in so many emotions. I feel wonderful after I cry. I let everything out and then I can start moving on," said Madeline.

"Talk to Zayne. He is the only one you can get the truth from. It won’t do you any good to overthink before speaking to him. Give him the chance to explain and share your feelings with him."

"Okay," Rose decided. She had some secrets as well so it was fair to give Zayne a chance.

"Pretty," Madeline commented on the necklace Zayne placed on Rose. "Do I need to be harder on him since he’s courting my little girl?"

"No," Rose laughed.