It couldn't be that the crown prince wanted her to spend the entire day with him. Rose didn't think she would survive it. Her body wasn't her only major worry—constantly being in his presence was dangerous to her mind.
"In addition," Rose tried again. "I am sure Your Majesty has very important things that need to be done. I do not want to interrupt."
"You're not interrupting anything, Rose," he drawled out her name. "I want you to stay. We still haven't played a game of chess."
At the mention of chess, Rose turned her gaze to the fireplace, partly because she remembered where it lay last night and partly because she needed to look away from him for a bit. The way he spoke was disconcerting and the direct way he said she should stay annoyed Rose at the effect it had.
As she turned, she saw the chessboard had been set upright and the pieces placed on the board. Rose slowly turned her head back to look at Caius, hoping her smile didn't look too stiff on her face.
