IV. The Impact of Her

~ Seven ~

My eyes widened. My body stiffened and my mouth was unable to speak.

"James, would you please keep your voice down?" Mother intervened as she stood beside me. She turned to Gonzalo and continued, "Kindly leave us and close the door."

Gonzalo agreed and left the four of us in the room.

"Now, can we have a conversation where not one of us is shouting?" Mother continued as she looked at all of us. "We are not in our home. It isn't right to argue here."

"Then, can you please explain to me why your son made a scene back at the Crystal Hall?" James answered as he turned to Mother and then, back to me.

"James, if I may, Robert didn't do anything wrong. He remained polite all throughout his conversation with the warriors," Elizabeth also entered the conversation.

James slowly turned to Elizabeth. "And you, Elizabeth, I expected more from you. You know better than to barge into a private meeting, especially here in this palace. Instead of stopping your brother, you tolerated his actions and even defended him from me," he scolded her. "You are such a disappointment."

Those words stung Elizabeth. Her eyes widened and started to water. Elizabeth did everything to keep James satisfied, impressed with her actions as a future queen in her own right. But because she took my side, Elizabeth was suddenly a disappointment, a disgrace to James.

Elizabeth kept her composure and lowered her head. "Forgive me for being inadequate, Your Majesty," she spoke in a low voice as she tried to conceal her heartbreak.

I walked over to Elizabeth and stopped her from bowing. I stood in front of her as I turned to James. "Leave my sister out of this, James. She has no fault in it. Your problem is with me and with me alone."

"My problem is indeed with you, Robert. How can you act so distasteful? Did you know that we can hear you from inside the hall?" said James.

"And since you said you can hear us from the inside, I am almost certain that you are aware that I was never disrespectful towards anyone," I replied as I folded my arms. "I talked to them in a polite manner and I never overstepped. So, how can you tell me that I was being rude?"

"Trying to persuade others for your own personal gain is selfish and arrogant. Just because you and Elizabeth can speak to us during our meetings back at home, that does not mean that the rule reflects in every place or in any kind of situation," James continued.

"You never never made that other part of that rule, James. So, stop acting as if I am supposed to take the blame here," I snapped. I continued, "I came here to ask for your permission and that is it. If you do not want me here, I can simply leave and do whatever it is that I want."

"What is this matter that you want to talk about? And why couldn't this wait?" James asked, completely irritated.

"I need your permission in using our guards for a rescue mission."

James' brows knitted together, baffled. He turned to Mother for an explanation. She, however, could only shake her head as she had no knowledge of what I just said. "Who is in need of rescuing?" he asked.

"A friend."

James' brow arched. "Why will you go through all this trouble for a friend? Almost all of the friends that you have are Immortals. They do not need your help."

"You don't understand, James," I continued as I stepped forward, "My friends need my help."

James stared at me for a long time, as if he was trying to read my mind. I couldn't tell James the truth about Laura. She could be accused of seduction using witchcraft. That could give her the sentence of death.

"I do not believe that you are doing this for a friend, Robert," James shook his head as he squinted. He continued, "If you want me to consider your request for permission, you have to tell me the truth."

My jaw clenched. My heart raced as I heard what I feared to hear.

"Allow me to ask a different question, then." James moved closer to me, our faces only inches away from each other. Finally, he asked the question, "Who is Laura?"

I kept my silence and so did James. We stood there and stared at each other. Not one of us made a sound or moved. We merely waited for the other to break.

"Laura is His Highness' beloved," a voice from the door broke the tension.

Our heads turned to its direction and Gonzalo was fast-approaching. I turned to Elizabeth, horrified. She returned the same sentiments.

"Gonzalo, are you aware of this?" James asked as Gonzalo got closer.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Gonzalo bowed briefly as he reached us. He explained, "For quite some time now, the young prince has been visiting the Mortal Realm. At first, it was nothing but a stroll to refresh his mind. But soon, he met a mortal that captured his heart."

"A mortal?!" James exclaimed as he looked back at me.

Gonzalo added, "His Highness did not explain the entire reason as to why the mortal needs to be saved. But, if I understand correctly, he is very taken by this woman."

"You are stepping into my affairs, Gonzalo," I gritted my teeth.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Gonzalo bowed to me, "But I cannot allow you to risk your life for some mortal."

"What have I said about you, calling her in such a lowly manner?!" I shouted and Elizabeth swiftly held me back.

"Gonzalo did the right thing," James intervened. "And as for the mortal, let her die in the hands of her captors."

"What?!" I returned to James.

"Let that be her punishment for seducing an Immortal," said James.

"Laura did not do anything to seduce me! She is not what you think she is!" I protested.

"That, I can agree to, Your Majesty," Gonzalo entered the conversation once again. "I have seen the mortal myself. She was also a former friend of Mallory. That was until His Highness chose Laura over Mallory's affections," he continued.

"And do you really think that reason alone is enough to make me agree to rescue a low-life mortal?" James answered as he looked at me in disbelief. "A mortal has nothing to do with us. Let them take care of their own problems."

"She was abducted because of me," I said as I carefully shook off Elizabeth's hold on me. "I do not know who it is. But, an enemy of mine has taken her to extract revenge on me."

"An enemy?" Mother asked as she stepped forward. "Who would be your enemy?"

"I am still unsure if my hunch is correct. But, once James approves of my request, I will hold an investigation before I plan the rescue," I explained.

"You are planning to use all of our resources, just for the sake of some girl?" James snarled.

"Laura is not just a girl or a mortal, James," I approached James, our chests almost touched with our nearness. I continued, "She happens to be the woman that I love and I will do anything for her. The very same thing that you would do for Mother."

"Your mother and I are a different case. We are both Immortals and were arranged to be wed," James answered as he walked past me. He continued, "Those were vital to the growth of our affections to one another. Your love for that mortal will never compare to what we have."

I turned around and faced James. He and Gonzalo had a smug look on their faces, as if they won over me.

I felt cheated. I was only fighting for what needed to be done. That was the same lesson that they taught us endlessly. That lesson, however, was used against me.

As I was about to admit defeat, Mother spoke, "I approve of your request."