The Ordinance

Chapter 17 - Maxon

Maxon was sitting at the head of their dining table, eating breakfast when he got word of Isabelle's arrival. Natalia and Dorian were chattering across the table as he opened the envelope that had been given to him by one of his servants. As he opened the letter eagerly, Gregor hushed the other two.

"He's opening a letter, idiots, and I'd like some quiet," he clutched his forehead and nearly fell face-first into his plate of eggs.

"You look like hell," Natalia pointed out.

"He's hungover," Dorian responded, shoving more eggs down his throat.

"Isn't that illegal? You're not eighteen," she questioned Gregor.

"Like you've never done anything illegal," he said, clutching his forehead and moving his plate out of the way so he could lay his head on the table. Natalia blushed and rolled her eyes at him, daintily eating a piece of egg off her fork. "That's what I thought," Gregor finished.

Maxon rolled his eyes at them as he finished the letter. "Princess Isabelle should be at the palace by the end of the day. She's coming to help with planning for the next two weeks." He braced himself for sarcastic remarks from his siblings about her intentions for visiting, but he was merely met with an unamused shrug from Dorian and a confused, dark stare from Natalia. Gregor offered no response except the weak wave of his hand in Maxon's general direction.

"Gregor and I don't need much help," Dorian said.

"Nor do I, but she's welcome to oversee my plans," Natalia added. Funny, she doesn't seem to be loathing Isabelle as much as usual, he noted.

He folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. He and his siblings finished the rest of their breakfast in silence. Afterward, he saw Natalia walk toward the courtyard entrance and followed her.

He walked out after her, and was nearly stunned by the bitter cold. Natalia continued to walk through it, seemingly unfazed.

"Why are you following me, Maxon?" She said, turning around.

"Can't I take a walk in the courtyard?" He asked innocently.

"You hate the cold," She shot back.

"Maybe I'm warming up to it," he retorted.
She glared at him slightly before saying, "If that's some sort of pun, it's terrible."

He chuckled. "It's not," he reassured her. "Just, you're usually so annoyed whenever Isabelle visits, and you weren't, just now."

She shrugged half-heartedly and stared at the ground, continuing her walk forward. "I don't know. I guess I had to get over it at some point."

"Get over what?" He urged her.

"Nothing," she replied automatically. He hated that she kept secrets from him, and he guessed he hated it because they had been so close when they were younger. They'd told each other everything, and now she acted like she had to keep a part of herself hidden from him. As to what she could be hiding, he had no idea. Probably just girl drama, he surmised.

"Enjoy your walk," he said dismissively, walking away. He saw the shocked look on her face for a split second before walking away. He could feel that she was stuck in place, maybe considering following him, but he had entered the palace before she even had a chance to catch up.

Later that night, he was walking into the kitchen for a glass of water and a break from his work when a young servant boy, about 16 like Natalia, scurried up to him. He had dirty blonde hair and the young, brown eyes of a boy that's been treated kindly by the world.
"Your Highness," he said, stooping into a low bow, "Princess Isabelle Moonhollow has arrived."