At Your Service

Chapter 14- Beware the Relatives

I'm with Felix right now, we're getting prepared for tea. He's letting me borrow some of his clothes because, "if you're accompanying me you must look as good as me".

"When you say I'm accompanying you, do you mean like as your retainer? Or like as a date?" I asked him. He didn't answer immediately, it was like he was searching for the words to say.

"If you'd like to think of it as a date you can," he blushed, avoiding eye contact. I planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "I've got to warn you," he started, "my family can get pretty... intense."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well my Aunt Kiyoshi and my mother don't really get along," he imparted. I mean I understand why; Monette is a total bitch. But why would Aunt Kiyoshi have a reason to dislike her? I mean, being in the royal family they'd have to get along right? "My mother and my aunt have very different viewpoints on certain things," he sighed. I could see that it was a sour subject in Felix's life, I didn't know how to respond.

"Well they should try to get along for you at least," I mused. 

"I'm not even sure they can. Kiyoshi never really liked my mother. She thought that her and my father weren't right for each other. That they were too different," he stated. "I can't blame her, I don't care much for mother myself." 

We walked into the garden, where the tea ceremony was being held. Everything looked fresh in bloom, Florent did an amazing job on the flowers. Butterflies of all different colors, shapes, and sizes swirled all around us. I don't know if they were there before but they were lovely. They seemed to swarm around Felix, he reached out a finger, a butterfly landed on it. He smiled and looked at me, he had a certain glow which was only something you'd find in a fairytale.

A pink butterfly with light blue accents on its wings fluttered down onto my hand. A morpho rosé, a butterfly only native to Elodia and one of the rarest in the world. It flew off of my hand and fluttered around me. Then it fluttered around Felix, and then around both of us. I blushed. I've never seen Felix look so gentle, so delicate.

"Felix!" I heard a shrill voice call from behind me. I flinched at the sound of it. I turned around and saw three people standing in front of me. On the right, a short, wrinkly man who had a large bald spot on the top of his head. He looked tired. Not in a just woke up kinda way; more like burned out. On the left, a middle aged looking woman with glasses. She was skinny, like slender man. Her arms were long and awkward. She had extremely pale skin, which seemed to burn with every second passing by in the sun. Lastly, standing in the middle, there was a tall, chubby woman with extremely tight curls like Bonnie Tyler. Her lips were painted bright red and very loud pink blush was applied to her cheeks. Her eyelids were painted with a neon blue eyeshadow, which totally threw off her whole look. "Felix! It's so nice to see you! We've been all over the palace searching," she shrieked in her shrill voice, smothering him in a hug that he tried to avoid.

"Hello Aunt Ursula," he greeted uncomfortably, forcing a smile on his face. She released him, as he caught his breath. He turned to the lady on her left.

"Hello Aunt Glenda," he forced out.

"Hey sweetie! It's so nice to see you again. You're getting so big," Aunt Glenda responded.

"He's starting to look a lot like dad," the man on the right spoke in a roughneck kind of voice.

"Thank you Uncle Lance," Felix laughed stiffly.

"You look just like your grandpa," he said.

"He looks more like his grandmother to me," Aunt Ursula argued. Ugh, I'm gonna vomit. All three of them look a mess, I don't think he got any genes from that side of the family. And thank god for that.

"Felix, do you have a parasol? I feel like I'm baking out here," Aunt Glenda pestered. Probably because she was, her skin was definitely more red than I remembered. Did she not put on sun screen?

"Ursula, Glenda, Lance? Is that you?" I heard Monette's voice. Monette entered with Mila, and Aria with her. She approached us, hugging all three of them.

"Sis, it's good to see you again," Ursula greeted. She looks at Mila, and then Aria. "And who are these two lovely little women with you?"

"I'm Mila, the queen's retainer," she said extending a hand. Ursula shook it vigorously, then immediately goes to Aria.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm Aria Regal, princess of Po'fei. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said stoically, extending a hand. Even through her emotionless facade, Aria seemed over it already.

"Is she the one who's gonna be marrying Felix?" Lance asked. Monette nodded her head impressed. "She's a looker that's for sure. Can she be a good wife though? And how about the kids, she looks delicate? And is she good at se-."

"UNCLE LANCE! That's enough," Felix exclaimed, seeming irritated.

"What? I was just asking."

"Aria will make an excellent bride for Felix," Monette assured them.

"She's quite beautiful," Glenda gushed. She looked at me. "Who's he?" she asked, causing all three of them to look at me. Have they all just now noticed that I'm here? Jeez, talk about unobservant.

"Oh uh, I'm Baker. I'm the prince's retainer," I replied.

"Are you a good one?" Lance asked. "We don't need another useless one who can't do their damn job right. That last one couldn't even protect the king, and now both of em' are six feet under," he scoffed. What the fuck did he just say? I'm about to beat his his. I could feel my fists balling up, heat rushing to my face. How dare he talk about my dad that way. I started to lose control, everything was turning red.

"Hey, calm down," Felix whispers. I felt my entire body exhale, as I calmed down. "Baker is an amazing retainer and hasn't failed to disappoint me at all. I wouldn't ask for anyone else to do his job," he assured. A bashful smile crept onto my face, as I scratched the back of my head. Felix looked toward Monette. "Mother, when is Aunt Kiyoshi arriving?" he asked.

"Are you sure we should wait?" she asked, suspiciously. Like she was trying not to deflect the question. It was giving a "We Don't Talk About Bruno" moment. "Your aunts and uncle are tired so perhaps we should just start without her," she suggested.

"Mother, that would be rude. We're waiting," he insisted.

"The wait's over!" a voice from behind me shrieked.