II. The Impact of Her

~ Twenty-Nine ~

After she entered the room, I cleared my throat and continued reading.

"Robert!" she called out to me, almost screaming. Her voice echoed throughout the room. "Robert, dear!" she continued, her shoes patted loudly onto the floor as she quickly approached me.

I sighed as I put the book down. With hesitation, I turned in her direction.

"Oh, jolly! I never thought I'd find you here. I haven't seen you anywhere in the castle, either," she remarked as she stood in front of me. "I didn't know you loved to read. James mentioned that you never liked the library."

"As a fellow monarch, I don't doubt that you know the most common room in a library. And that silence must be observed inside. Even an uneducated person knows that through common sense. You, of all people, should know better," I said, crossing my arms.

I added, "I should be the one asking why are you here? Elizabeth said you were taking care of Mother."

"Oh, forgive me for disturbing the peaceful atmosphere," she replied as she moved her face closer to her fan, lowering her voice. She explained, "I have forgotten about that. I'm here because I have nothing else to do. I may die of boredom if I'm left with nothing to do." Bethilda then sat on the chair right across from me.

My brows furrowed and my eyes widened. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm just taking a seat, dear child," she replied with a smile.

"It's pretty obvious what you're doing specifically. And I'm not a child," I replied. "What I meant is why are you sitting down?"

"I thought we could have a chat," she crossed her legs as she leaned back onto her chair. "By the way I see it, we are both here because we have nothing better to do. Why not spend this time talking with each other?"

"I came here to be alone and to have some peace. I want to rest my mind from everything that has happened today. I didn't come here to talk to someone," I snapped.

"Well, son, if you must know, there are times where conversing with someone is better than reading." Suddenly, she grabbed the book I was reading and waved it in the air, "I don't understand what you can learn from these old things," she scoffed, "All they do is fill your head with nonsense, making you hope in unrealistic matters, forcing you to believe in your own imagination. There's no realism in that aspect."

With no empathy and disgusted, Bethilda dropped the book on the table beside her. She added, "Talking can help you learn more about the world. You can get better wisdom from the experiences of others rather than words from compiled pieces of paper."

My ears couldn't believe what I just heard. A fellow monarch didn't appreciate or believed in the magical aspect of books.

As a member of a royal family, we were obligated to read and dissect books. Examining almost every word on each page was the reason why I loathed reading. However, as I tried it again, I appreciated the different worlds that it brought me. But for someone such as Bethilda to perceive reading as useless, I wasn't sure if I should hate her or pity her for her opinion.

All I could do was stare at her, blankly as I tried to process what she just told me.

"Would you rather fill your mind with nonsensical hope? Daydreaming? Or do you prefer to learn something that you can use in reality through personal communication?" she asked with a smirk.

"First of all, it is my sister who suggested that I read. And she is one of the wisest people here in our kingdom. Frankly, I don't want to do it because I never liked books. The manner of how my tutor used it for my younger education is to blame," I said as I pulled the book back.

I proceeded, "Elizabeth said that books can offer something, and it is different to each and every reader. Now that I've read something, I agree with her. A book can remind you of something that you believed to have lost in time. It gives you back that hope, the imagination, the lost child inside of you. Which is why I have to disagree with your belief that reading destroys someone's knowledge."

She looked at me, stunned by my response.

She was about to say something when I added, "And second, I don't appreciate it when other people try too hard to shove themselves onto me when clearly, I have no interest in what they're about to say. I prefer to daydream rather than to listen to someone who thinks she's above everything that indicates learning."

She stayed silent as she stared at me. She absolutely didn't expect that response from me. Slowly, she grew nervous as she moved her fan closer to her face. She also cleared her throat.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," I stood from my chair, the book behind my back, "I will return to my room and continue my reading there. Have a good evening, Duchess." I smiled at her in contempt before I walked away. And I couldn't be more thankful to have escaped her once more.