The King's Lover-Chapter 539: Much Worse

"Do you really have to go?" Esme asked.

"I have been here all day, Esme. Any longer and darkness will fall. I have to get back to the castle, or a certain person might pay us a visit, and that is a threat."

Lady Delphine chuckled as she stood by the door. Her fur coat rested slightly off her shoulder while she smoked her pipe. Her other hand rested on her waist, emphasizing the outline of her hips even through the coat.

She sauntered towards Rose and hugged her, nearly suffocating Rose with her ample bosom. She pulled away and curtsied.

"Your Majesty."

"You don’t have to do that," Rose said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I do," she replied with a smile, lifting her head to meet Rose’s eyes. "I am required by law."

Lady Delphine grinned and waved as Rose walked towards the carriage, taking the giant with her. Rose sat in the carriage, poking her head out of the window. She waved as the carriage rode out of the manor.

Rose leaned back in her seat, relaxing her shoulders. She was glad she was able to see her family today, as she wasn’t sure when next she would be able to. And her family included Lady Delphine and the girls too. They really felt like home.

She was smiling as she leaned back in the seat. Everyone had been so kind and wouldn’t stop congratulating her. However, Rose knew this was as good as it could get. It was about to get much worse.

The conversation with Lady Delphine had been insightful and comforting. Rose was still worried about her father, but she knew Lady Delphine wouldn’t sound so sure if she thought otherwise.

Rose shook as the carriage went down the unsteady road. They were getting closer to the marketplace, and she could see traders preparing to close for the day.

She was careful not to let anyone see her in the carriage. It wasn’t just for safety reasons; it was more or less a habit at this point.

The carriage rode through the even road that passed right through the marketplace, with traders on each side of the road. Something caught her attention as they rode through. It wasn’t outside the carriage.

It was Maximus.

He suddenly seemed tense, and Rose wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the cramped space. It was hard for anything to go unnoticed in the small box.

He sat upright just as Rose heard a loud noise, like a sharp metal piercing through wood. Simultaneously, Maximus stretched a hand towards the side of her head as something came bursting through the window, piercing the curtain.

Rose felt something graze her cheek, and she turned her head to see an arrow sticking out of Maximus’s forearm. Rose’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, she felt faint. It took a moment to believe what she was seeing.

Maximus slammed a palm hard against the carriage just as screams from the people in the market echoed all around her. "Faster!" he urged the coachman.

He stopped slamming against the carriage and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him so they would both be seated on the same side of the carriage and he could use his body as a shield if needed.

He didn’t look out to see who was shooting at the carriage, and Rose tried not to scream as arrows pierced the wood. Another made it into the carriage through the same window, piercing the exact place she had been seated.

Maximus leaned back against his seat, pulling Rose with him as his eyes darted around. They hadn’t struck the coachman yet; it would be so easy to do so, and that would stop the carriage from moving.

Rose didn’t want to think about it, but it was pretty obvious this was an assassination attempt on her, and the job would have been completed if it weren’t for Maximus’s quick thinking.

As soon as they were out of the marketplace, the shooting stopped, but the coachman didn’t slow down. He knew better than to do so, and Maximus didn’t let go of her.

He seemed completely oblivious to the arrow sticking out of his arm. Blood dripped continuously from it, onto his clothes and the floor of the carriage.

Arrows were poking out of the wood; Rose could count ten. She shivered and did her best to stay as still as possible. They were all from one direction.

"I think we are safe," Maximus eventually said.

Rose nodded as she sat next to the huge man. There was barely any space, but she would rather be a little uncomfortable than have an arrow through her skull.

Maximus finally glanced at the arrow in his arm. The metal head had completely broken through his skin and went through his arm. He made a fist to make sure there wasn’t any broken bone, then he snapped off the metal head and pulled the rest of the wood out.

Simultaneously, a loud ripping sound echoed through the box. Rose was ripping her dress.

With the arrow in, he had been bleeding less; now blood poured out freely, and she knew she had to stop it. Thankfully, she had more than enough material in her dress.

"Your Majesty," Maximus called, and he pulled his arm away.

"Shut up!" she yelled out immediately.

Her yelling stunned him for a moment, and she was able to grab his arm without him pulling away. The scene before her was familiar, but she was still shaken from almost dying. She knew she wouldn’t be able to convince him without stuttering.

The yelling was needed both for her and for him.

"Pardon me," she mumbled as she tried to concentrate on the task before her.

Rose tried her best to stop the bleeding, but it needed a lot of fabric. She had to stuff the hole from both sides, then wrap it. The castle wasn’t far off, but no matter how big Maximus was, he was going to bleed out before they arrived.

She couldn’t believe he had easily stopped the arrow. It wasn’t the fact that he had stopped the arrow that she couldn’t stop thinking about; rather, it was how easily he stretched out his hand.

The fabric was still staining with blood, but with it wrapped, the blood flow lessened. Maximus didn’t interrupt; he just stared at her as she ripped her dress to stop his wound from bleeding.

Eventually, she was able to wrap it enough to stop the bleeding. Rose tied it, still seeing red staining the fabric, but it wasn’t enough to cause concern. Then she leaned back in her seat and let out a loud breath.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he whispered.

Rose turned her head to look at him. She doubted she could move the rest of her body as freely. It was hard to explain the expression on Maximus’s face, but some might say it was an attempt at a smile.

"Save it. I owe you my life."

She closed her eyes as her head rang. They weren’t getting attacked again, and they were getting closer to the castle, but Rose could still feel her entire body on edge.

The only good news was that Maximus was no longer bleeding all over the carriage.