Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 42: That’s Not Helping

“Forty-seven,” I said, doing my best to avoid the thorns on this long-stemmed rose as I clipped the stem with a pair of

shears.

I had gotten them from the garden shed. I’d actually found several pairs and was trying each of them out to see which worked best. So far, that one was my favorite pair. It cut fairly cleanly, but it was still taking forever to harvest all of these roses. The stems were covered with thorns.

And I hadn’t found any gardening gloves.

Theo was standing off to the side, and I had to assume he was looking around, trying to figure out if there were any tunnels or secret doorways out there, but I was a little. annoyed that he wasn’t helping me. He was standing in the shade of a large flowering tree, while I was sweating

beneath the hot sun.

“We heard from other servants that you’re forced to work. What’s going on, my lady?” Brook asked worriedly. I turned to see her approaching along with Jake. It was clear from the way that she addressed me that she still hadn’t remembered who we really were or what we were doing here. Jake looked the same as before as well, so he also

didn’t know.

“I am picking roses for the king’s wedding,” I replied, snipping another stem and removing the thorns before I nestled this one on top of the others-number forty-eight.

“How many do you have to pick?” Jake asked, eyeing the basket that was already very full. I had seen a couple more in the shed, so I had a feeling I’d make them all fit, but it would be close.

“Uhm, four hundred,” I said, rounding up.

“Get out of town!” Brook said, and I almost laughed. She

was too sweet to swear.

“That’s right,” I told her. “I’m about an eighth of the way

there.”

“This is not your job, my lady!” Brook grabbed the shears from my hand. “I’ll call our guards and we’ll take care of this for you.”

Jake also agreed, “Brook is right, my lady.”

I shook my head and sighed. “She… I mean, the king’s fiancée, wants to humiliate me; that’s why she gave me this task. So if she finds out that I’m not working, I might be in more trouble.”

And I needed her to lower her guard with me, thinking I wouldn’t fight back, so that it would be easier for us to execute our plan.

“But you’ll be out here forever, working by yourself,” Brook noted. She turned and gave Theo a hard look, but he wasn’t even paying any attention to us from what I could tell. “Do you have any extra shears? Please, at least let us help you

then.”

“Okay, thank you!” I nodded at the shears sitting on the ground. “You don’t have to, but it would be nice.”

“Of course!” Brook said, practically skipping over to me to pick up the shears off of the ground. “What about gloves?”

“Sadly, no. I can’t find any. Just be careful. Some of these thorns are very long,” I warned them.

see that,”

and began to cut the roses, making a pile

working so hard. Brook continuously wiped her brow with the back of her hand because she was beginning to perspire. Jake looked like

looked over at Theo and noted that

bored. “I have another pair of shears, you know,” I called to him, stretching my

asked. “In

practically growled at him. “You know, you could help,

head. “No. I don’t do such

myself that eventually we would get out of here, and he’d be the prince again. I needed to be nice to him. “What sort of things is it

or helping your

“Picking flowers.”

him get away with being a prima donna at the moment. “I’m sorry, remind me again. Who is it that

No, I

but at least he came over and picked up the shears. Dropping to a knee, he began to cut through the stems, and I had to turn my face away to

Tears formed in her eyes, and I

I could say anything, Jake

look at it for you.” He gently took her hand and began to examine the wound, and I saw Brook’s cheeks turning pink as she glanced up at him through

they flirting with

wound, and then wrapped it

even acknowledge that I was speaking. But knowing how observant he was, I was sure he had to have seen it-even though he pretended

and cutting it deeply. “Ouch!” I shouted, shaking my hand and immediately shoving the wound into my mouth. I

looked over at Theo, and he hadn’t even

on a thorn!” I explained to

painful.” He went about

his gaze.

bleeding profusely!”

your clothes. It’ll stain.”

in the hem of my dress. I didn’t have anything else.

work.

his head at me, like

to work.

I actually had sex with him? I must not have fully arrived here mentally when

happened.

gloves, maybe I’d be less likely to poke myself

your life,” he said, shaking

think about it.”

I didn’t understand why

gloves. He’d

up while we were in his room that night when I’d first become his

attendant.

we first arrived in this world and we were both

but I was so frustrated that he hadn’t helped for so long, and then he hadn’t even cared when I’d ripped my thumb open. “Why can’t I borrow them? Lend them to

His tone was sharp. “Now,

no way in the world I was going to be strong enough to overpower him and take those gloves off of his hands, but