III. The Impact of Her

~ Twenty-Three ~

"This shows exactly my point," Bethilda remarked as she pointed at me.

She turned back to Mother and James and asked, "Is this what you call exemplary manners?"

I instantly stepped right in front of her, face to face. My distance caught her by surprise and Bethilda stepped back right away. I put my hands behind my back and lowered my voice as I said, "And who are you to call us animals? Who are you to say that my parents failed to raise us properly? And who are you to disrespect them in their own castle and kingdom?"

Her eyes widened as she grew terrified with my tone and close distance towards her. She tried to avoid my glare but she knew she couldn't.

"Robert, please," James cautiously called me as he tried to calm me down.

"You have no right to stop me now, James," I replied without removing my stare from Bethilda. "This hog is a relative but she is also a mere guest. She does not have the right to scream and demean the both of you in your own household," I continued.

Bethilda gulped. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, which she was quick to wipe away.

"You may be a relative of ours. But as a royal visitor, your actions are unacceptable. Must I remind you that you insulted the ruling monarchs of this kingdom?" I scolded her, forgetting the fact that she was my maternal aunt and elder. I gritted my teeth and continued, "You dare to call us animals because of how you were treated? As the children of the Crown, we did our part to respect you. However, you overstepped your boundaries, both as a guest and an aunt."

I counted on my fingers and added, "You are given a beautiful and luxurious room. You are served and pampered by some of our best handmaidens. But I received that you treated them - like how you called us - animals."

She opened her fan and fluttered it heavily onto herself. She took a few steps back, only for me to move even closer to her.

"Our parents taught us to stand for what is right. You are in our home. We did our part but did you do yours?" I continued. "You were welcomed with a fancy fanfare and the warmest welcome. And you dare to treat us this way? If you weren't a relative - if you weren't a woman - you would have been removed from this castle from your very first offence."

The main hall grew quiet as I reached my limit. The servants came to a halt as they did not want to be reached by my anger.

I stepped back and said, "Now, if you would be so kind as to leave our peaceful home, that will be greatly appreciated. And if you continue to act this way, I suggest that you don't come back until you learn your lesson."

Bethilda looked at my parents for one last time before she walked away. The servants rushed to get the rest of her things and followed her out. As the doors slammed shut, her carriage left instantly. And a wave of relief washed over me as I knew that my family would be left in peace.

I turned around to face Mother and James. But instead of gratitude, James scowled at me.

"How could you do that to her? She is your aunt. No matter how disrespected and ridiculous she is, she is your relative and should be respected," he scolded me right away.

I rolled my eyes as I chuckled. "Thank you for showing your appreciation," I remarked as I walked past them, bumping into James' shoulder.

"Son, please," Mother intervened as I went up the grand staircase. I didn't bother to turn around as I didn't want to have an argument with James.

I stood up for them and this was how he thanked me? Was this his method of expressing his gratitude? If so, that said a lot about the motive behind his actions.