Rose was drying off when she heard a knock. She froze, holding the dry cloth. She had spent a considerable amount of time at the foot of the door before forcing herself to clean up. The dress she wore when the crown prince arrived was definitely ruined, and she had done her best to clean it while she washed up.
She wasn't expecting any interruption until noon. Noon was still some time away. She slowly set aside the dry cloth and got into a new dress. This time, another knock rang out, louder than before.
Suddenly, she heard a voice say, "Just open it. Last I heard, she doesn't lock her door."
Rose felt a chill run down her spine. It was true that she didn't, but that was the last thing she expected to hear from someone else's lips. Rose dressed faster, almost ripping a nail as she forced the dress down her legs. She didn't care if she wore it properly as she hopped to the door, hoping to reach it before they opened it.
