The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Chapter 215

Rose shared her story with Willow and Willow did the same. They found that they were both continuing to learn to read and write but Willow was ahead of Rose as she had been taught over years. It was just enough if James or Lilian wanted to marry her off.

"I am happy it is you that he loves. I was happy for the woman he spoke about but I am happier it is you. The others will be happy to know there is another one of us. We’ve lost so many over the years and now it is only us," said Willow.

Rose was curious about how many siblings there were but did not want to bring up awful memories for Willow. "I have another sister named Anna. She wouldn’t like to be sitting on the grass here but she knows how to have fun and will care for you."

Rose continued, "Anna has always been interested in the palace so in the future, if you need someone to speak to, you can call upon her. She is quite popular among her peers so with Anna by your side, you should make more friends."

"Good. I was worrying about who would want to come into the palace to see me. I am not a legitimate heir so who would send their daughters to be my ladies-in-waiting or just to sit with me? Truthfully, I am scared," Willow confessed.

Willow didn’t have anyone on her side from this kingdom other than her siblings. It was a sweet thought but her siblings didn’t hold the power to help her in the future.

"I have been thinking about the future. Many will not accept me. A woman sitting on a throne alone will cause many to be upset and then I will have to marry a man from that kingdom. I am used to not being afraid to help my siblings but for the first time, I am scared," Willow said, the unknown future worrying her.

Rose touched Willow’s hand to calm her. "You have Zayne on your side as well as the Ambroses. I may not be here for long but my family will be. Lord Ambrose was once in the palace beside the king so he will know what to do to help you. If I hear about trouble while I am away, I will drag Zayne back here to help you."

Willow chuckled, enjoying how determined Rose was to keep her safe. They just met but Rose spoke like they had known each other for years. "I am glad that you are nothing like the others. The children from the queen I mean. I heard they were going to kill each other. How could siblings do that?"

Willow wondered if it was done because they were fighting for the king’s attention but still, their father wasn’t so wonderful to go to such lengths to get his attention.

"We will never know why they became that way. I am glad to not have to see Princess Kiara again. She was cruel with her jealousy and had we crossed paths, there is no telling what she would have done," said Rose.

Willow shared Rose’s sentiments. "I cannot leave the palace so easily since I have to be protected as the future queen. When the queen is found and the palace is finished cleaning up, would you come there for dinner to meet the others? I will introduce you as the daughter of Lord Ambrose."

"I will think about it. My mother is still anxious about me going near the palace. The king’s death doesn’t feel real to her yet but I will convince her. She will most likely choose to stay behind and it is fine," Rose said, not wanting to push her mother to do something uncomfortable.

Willow hoped the lady would come if Rose asked. Rose was lucky to still have her mother around.

Away from where Rose sat with Willow, Mathias sat watching the two women speak.

He thought it was his lucky day when he witnessed Rose leaving the mansion alone with Zayne. It had been a hard task to follow the two since there were still foreign soldiers roaming the land. He had been lucky to have left his uniform behind when the princess sent him to find Rose.

Mathias sat at a distance out of sight from the group. "Who did he bring her to meet?"

It was strange she would leave the safety of her home to meet with a random woman. Was Rose confident that Zayne would protect her so she left her home at a time when others were inside fearing their lives since there were so many soldiers around?

Mathias searched for where Zayne and the soldiers had wandered off to, leaving the two women alone.

While the trees and bushes around provided him with cover, Mathias couldn’t see where Zayne went. All he could see was the chance right before him to go for Rose.

"I should have brought them,’ Mathias muttered, regretting he had not come with the men he hired.

It was already hard to avoid being spotted by Zayne so travelling with a group would have made it much harder. There wasn’t any time for him to go to those men and bring them here to take Rose. She was right within his reach and another moment like this wouldn’t come.

The sound of his horse neighing too much was the only thing which could offset his plans. He left it to graze on the grass around so it wouldn’t make much noise but something startled it.

"That fucking horse," Mathias muttered, turning around to silence the horse first and then go to Rose. "You!"

"You’re an idiot," Zayne said, looking down at the fool he spotted during the ride here. He caught a glimpse of someone poking their head out slightly when he stood beside Rose. "You’re a fellow soldier. Did it not cross your mind I would be aware of my surroundings? What made you think you could hide a horse when you were following us?"

Again, Zayne placed Mathias to be an idiot.

While Zayne was searching for Mathias, he had better things to do than to keep searching the entire kingdom for Mathias. Mathias could have run far away from this town and lived but for some foolish reason, he had Rose on his mind to be stalking her.

Mathias reached for his sword. This wasn’t the ideal situation to be in with Zayne standing with his soldiers. He was outnumbered but this wasn’t the first time this happened for him to be afraid.

Mathias was confident he could take Zayne. His only concern was having to fight the soldiers behind Zayne. "You always need someone around to back you up. Is that how you got all your victories? I knew the rumours about you had been lies."

"I am the general of an army, you idiot. We fight together but I don’t need them to help take you down. Lucky for you," Zayne said, unsheathing his sword. "I am not going to kill you today. I have a point to prove to your friend. So, be a good idiot and come quietly while I am being nice."