For The Crown

Chapter 2

I was greeted the same as I always had been once I got home from school. Actually I was greeted the same as I always was after I left the house and came back.

"Welcome home, Olivette. I have your next lesson all laid out for you," Weston came into the hallway to greet me from the kitchen. It was probably safe to assume that he was polishing dishes or reading the paper, something sophisticated most likely. "I'll give you about fifteen minutes to get ready, after that I fully expect to see you at the kitchen table."

I just sighed. There was nothing I would prefer more than to not need to do these little extra lessons. However, I have found through trial and error that it is easier just to go along with what Weston wants, instead of making waves. 

When I was younger I had tried to just not attend these little after school sit-downs. It was more of my rebellious stage. A rather pathetic stage really, as I am apparently not good at rebellion. I would just ignore him and go play outside, or try to watch TV. Which just resulted in Weston throwing out the TV, and locking the door once I got home so I wasn't able to leave.

God forbid I try and run away or not come home.

He always found me, and the lesson would still be just as long as usual, no matter how late we ended up going into the night or, worst case situation, the morning.

I just learned very quickly just to deal with it and get it over with. There were plenty worse things that could be happening to me, but thankfully the only one I had to worry about was extra learning after school. The lessons weren't all that bad either, just felt rather pointless to be learning about royal hierarchy in this day in age in a country that made very sure that its citizens wouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing when it was founded.

Nevertheless, Weston insisted that this kind of information would be necessary for me in the future. I'm still not sure what exactly he is expecting for me to do with my life, but I can say with certainty that I did not plan on needing a medieval history degree to achieve it.

Actually I was more fond of my science classes. Physics so far had been my favorite since so many things could be attributed to some kind of aspect of physics. It was all so much more practical and interesting that learning the different customs and manners of different royal families throughout history.

I made my way to my room to drop off my backpack and change into my sweatpants, which were far more comfortable to be sitting at the dinner table for a while than the clothes I had gone to school in. My sweatpants were also the only bottoms I had that actually covered my ankles when I sat down. The curse of being tall.

On my way back to the kitchen I nabbed myself one of the blueberry muffins Weston had made two days earlier. Brain food is always necessary to get through a lesson. Only the power of sugar can keep me awake most of the time.

Weston was standing in the kitchen, the usual learning materials sitting on the table layer out, a notebook, a history of etiquette book, and some other random materials that would be explained some time throughout the lesson. He was just standing and waiting patiently, even though he hated my sweatpants. I'm pretty sure that if he had his way, I would be wearing old traditional gowns or something, just to practice more ridiculousness. Thank goodness those kinds of clothing are ridiculously expensive and he hasn't really been able to afford to get his hands on any.

"Alright, Weston, hit me with that you've got. I still have a bit of normal homework to do, so let's get going," I said, sitting down at the table.

"Oh, Olivette, this lesson will only go as fast as you are willing to learn. It isn't up to me," Weston chuckled a little bit. He always was a firm believer that a lesson can be learned as fast as any student wants as long as they pay attention.

"Well let's get going then!" I said leaning back into my chair.

"That is not sitting like a lady, Olivette," he said sternly.

I just sighed and sat back up. It was always expected that I sit like what would be considered a proper lady during these lessons, as much as I hated it. The kitchen chairs were not very comfortable to sit in for very long periods of time.

"Now that you're in a proper learning position, can you recap for me what we all covered during our lesson yesterday," Weston tapped a pencil to my open notebook of notes.

"See, now it's painless when you cooperate right away, isn't it?" Weston said.

I just sighed and tried to shake myself back to maximum alertness in order to work on my actual homework. The lesson somehow had gotten finished, but I would be lying if I said that I could actually remember the things we had gone over. At this point all the things were just kind of like autopilot. Though I bet that if it came down to it for a million dollar trivia question, somehow my brain would recall the correct answer.

"Sure, Weston, whatever you say," I said, "Now if you will excuse me, I have some physics homework to attend to."

After my lessons my manner of speaking was usually altered in a slight way, no matter how much I hated it. Usually it only took one or two hours and I would go back to normal. Obviously Weston preferred my altered more polite way of speaking, but it always made me feel silly.

I made my way back into my room and to my desk, and unzipped my backpack. The physics book that I had to use to do my homework, was probably easily the thickest textbook I've ever had to carry. Filled with all of my favorite things. Practical knowledge that could actually be applied to real life.

"Only a few more days...," I mumbled to myself.

Soon I would be eighteen and then I wouldn't have to sit through those silly lessons anymore. I would be leaving for college, and I would get a job, and would never have to deal with Weston unless it was on my own terms.

However only in hindsight would I know that wishing so hard for my eighteenth birthday would actually cause more stress and a huge amount more of stress than I would have ever thought I would have to deal with.