II. The Impact of Her

~ Twenty-Three ~

It was late in the afternoon.

With everything that has happened, my mind struggled to sort everything. It was exhausting. I already walked around the garden numerous times. I was trying to avoid thinking about everything. I wanted to rest my mind, even just for a little while.

I wanted to speak to Laura about this. But it seemed as if she didn't want to be found.

"Robert," a faint voice came from my left, interrupting my moment of peace. As I turned around, James walked towards me.

'Couldn't anyone in this kingdom give me some time alone?' I asked myself.

Standing in front of me, he asked, "Can I have a word with you?"

"Can't you see that I want to be alone?" I responded, trying to be as polite as possible.

"I can join you on your walk. I just need to speak with you," James insisted.

I let out a sigh and nodded, walking once more with James beside me.

He started, "I didn't appreciate the manner of how you and Elizabeth spoke to your aunt. That was very disrespectful of you."

"As I recall, you said that respect is given to those who are worthy of it," I said, with my hands behind my back. "She didn't respect our boundaries. She gave us reasons not to respect her. Why are you defending her? Shouldn't you be on our side? Your children's perspective?" I continued.

"I want to be on your side. However, you and your sister made the wrong decision in handling the situation," James replied.

I asked, "Did you talk to Bethilda about this?"

After a brief moment of silence, he replied, "No, I haven't."

"You didn't scold her for her mistake," I snapped at him, coming to a halt. We faced each other as I continued, "Just because she is a guest in this castle, just because she's a relative, that doesn't exempt her from our rules. The household rules - your rules - must apply to everyone."

"I understand that what she did is unacceptable. But you should still treat her with respect. She is your relative," he replied.

"I want to make one thing clear between us, James," I moved closer to him, "I pay respect to everyone that crosses my path. But when someone gives me a reason not to, then may the gods forgive me for my actions. Whoever that person is won't receive an ounce of respect from me. The same applies with Elizabeth."

"Robert, please," he said, calmly stopping me from walking away.

I groaned.

"I'm trying my best to have a decent conversation with you. Both as a king and a father," he continued. "Let us not treat each other with hostility, all because of your aunt's actions."

"You're making me act this way. And please, I don't want to discuss anything right now. I just want to be alone, in silence," I replied.

James sighed as he nodded. "I understand. I expect to see you at dinner." He lightly tapped on my arm and walked away, not saying a word.

I sighed as I sat on a nearby bench, burying my head in my hands. Grasping tightly on my hair, I pulled ever so slightly as I sighed once more. This time was out of frustration.

A lot has happened and I didn't know how to process everything in such a short amount of time.

"Your Highness?" Gonzalo walked up to me.

I looked up and said, "Yes, Gonzalo?"

He then handed me a letter that was folded into a small square. "The messenger just arrived from Middle Earth. He said that this is from Princess Lorain."