After her words left her lips, the tension levels in the room increased. So she is finally showing what she was really feeling. The resentment in her voice and piercing eyes was evident as Lady Primrose looked at the senior royals who looked at her with different emotions.
Finally, Lady Primrose was the first to take a step back. She sat up straighter and took a deep breath. The last thing she did before speaking again was that she relaxed her gaze.
"Forgive me. That is not what I meant, nor did I wish it to come out that way," began Lady Primrose as she sat elegantly in her chair while she raised her hand to her head. "I have been suffering from slight headaches since my Lysander's passing. I tend to say things I do not mean when I do. I am normally able to calm down after I rest."
The senior royals calmly looked at her, but they could see that their eyes were weary if one looked closer.
"It is fine, Royal Sister-in-law. Perhaps you should also retreat and rest in your room. We can always talk later when you are feeling better," said the King as he smiled politely at her before dismissing her.
Lady Primrose sneered under her breath and curtsied elegantly before taking her leave, leaving the three senior royals in the room. The Queen elegantly drank her tea with the Dowager Queen, while the King sighed as soon as the door was closed behind Lady Primrose.
"Has she really suffered all this time? Have We, as the Royal Brother and King, neglected her and Prince Zander to the point of resentment?" asked the King to no one in particular, making the Queen feel upset that he was letting Lady Primrose get into his head.
"Dear, all this time, she has lived well off. We have heard that she lived in a large villa near the picturesque coast of Summercourt, Edalelia. Prince Zander received a good education from childhood. Just look at how he has grown up. They never suffered from food, home, or wealth, when even Lady Primrose never worked a day in her life. What resentment is she talking about?" said the Queen boldly, hoping that the King would not fall for Lady Primrose's tricks again.
"Dear Heart, remember that people need more than just material possessions to live a happy life. Family and close friends also help. She is right to feel resentful. When was the last time that We had the chance to check up on her and Prince Zander? No, dear Heart. She should not have left when her husband, Our Brother, passed away. How could we expect someone so young and with a child to live off on her own like that? We should have done much more from the beginning," said the King as the Queen felt all her blood drain from her face as she noticed that the Dowager Queen seemed to agree with him.
"In the end, she won," thought the Queen as she did not know how else she should plead her case without sounding heartless in front of her husband and mother-in-law.
"It is fine for her to stay here to try to resolve her resentment. We must be patient with her as she has been alone all this time without her family's help. Now that she has returned, We must understand her circumstances and remember that she lost a husband and father to her son so early in her life. We must show her that she is still cared for by the family. Let us not make her life any more miserable than what she already had," said the King as he looked at the Queen, who seemed as if she was very rigid.
"We understand; We shall follow what you say," said the Queen as she lightly bowed her head to the King while she felt like she had swallowed something bitter.
The Queen bitterly thought to herself, "it seems that Lady Primrose is smarter than We gave her credit. Now, who can stand toe-to-toe with her?"
**********
Elizabella had been escorted to her room alongside Prince Maxen. During their walk, Prince Maxen kept trying to see if he could see her mood. She kept a pleasant smile on her face the whole way, making it hard for him to understand her feelings.
"Is she upset with my aunt and hiding her feelings, or is she really alright?" he thought as they got closer to their rooms.
Once they reached their rooms, Prince Maxen turned to look at her.
"Ginny, is it alright if we talked alone?" she turned to look at him with her polite smile.
"Of course we can. Come inside," said Elizabella as they both walked inside her room, leaving the servants outside.
The servants seemed to smile at each other as they assumed that the young couple was really sweet with each other when they interacted. They soon left for their other duties while the younger maids giggled under their breath.
Prince Maxen and Elizabella went to her sitting area, where they sat down. A maid that Elizabella had brought from her home came and served them her favorite tea. As she poured, Prince Maxen looked up at Elizabella and spoke.
"I am sorry about what my Aunt said to you. She has not been well since my late Royal Uncle passed away. I hope her words did not offend you."
"Do not worry about that. I do not offend easily. Besides that, everyone would know if I were to get upset," said Elizabella as the maid nearly dropped the teapot when she heard her words. "Even my maid would know if I was upset."
"Forgive me, Your Highness," said the maid as she had gently placed the teapot back and curtsied to the couple with a pale face. "I meant no disrespect."
"Just be careful you do not hurt yourself," said Elizabella with a gentle smile, making the maid calm down as she curtsied again.
"Yes, Your Highness," said the maid as she left to the side, away from their sight.
Prince Maxen watched their interaction and knew that something was strange. The servants in the palace are all taught never to lose their cool. This maid seemed fine until she overheard their conversation as he noticed that her eyes had widened before she nearly dropped the teapot, and her face turned pale.
Seeing her calm down again as nothing had happened made him know that she was well trained. How could she have slipped before? He saw that Elizabella casually sipped her tea like what the maid did was nothing. He then remembered what she said last and thought deeply while he took a sip from his tea.
"You are saying that you would show your feelings if you were actually feeling that way?" asked Prince Maxen as he kept calm.
"I may be a fabulous actress, but even I find it hard to hide any anger without looking upset. I have been told that getting angry is bad for everyone," said Elizabella, believing that Prince Maxen was asking for a previous matter. "I find anger hard to control so I try to live a zen life, and when that is not an option, I keep my mind occupied with things. Being an artist has become a health reason as well as a pastime. If I were agitated, I would make sure to disappear from everyone's sight and drown myself in work. Otherwise, there could be consequences."
Prince Maxen looked at her to see if what she said was true. He slightly frowned as he wondered if she was upset with him and Margarette. He wondered if he should even bring it up.
He had had a chance to look through the social media and saw many positive posts over the charity. In none of the posts did he find anything about Margarette and her family. He had secretly sighed when he saw that Princess Aphra would not be reminded of what had happened that night with him and Margarette.
Eventually, he decided not to say anything. He hoped that it would be forgotten as he could not explain it to Princess Aphra. Prince Maxen hoped that if it really were an issue, she would say something to him. So, he bid her farewell before leaving to go to his room.
Elizabella had stayed behind and continued to sip her tea while she looked at nothing in particular. Walliams, who had been curious over their relationship since he found out that something was going on between them, had been vigilant all day. He had been fuming mad when Lady Primrose seemed to attack his Lady.
At first, he did not care as his Lady was laid back when it came to formalities, and the only reason she cared was to appease the Royal Families she interacted with since childhood. It would sound like the highest insult to any Royal Families' ears if proper decorum were not kept. As Elizabella's servants, they always made sure to keep the appropriate etiquette since they were used to having the Royal Family of Edalelia coming and going from their household.
Some servants were even first trained in the Palace of Edalelia. Take, for example, Walliams. Both his parents were Shadow Guards of the Queen of Edalelia. He was five before going to live with Elizabella. He had been trained in those five years as best they could teach a small child before entering a noble household. His baby brother would more than likely be the same.
So Walliams hearing what Lady Primrose implied to his Lady was deafening to him. He understood almost instantly that Lady Primrose seemed not to like his Lady. Anyone who had problems with his Lady would mean trouble for him. He could not understand what his Lady had done to get on Lady Primrose's nerves. How could he protect his Lady if he was not aware of what was happening? He silently came out of her shadow and materialized in front of her.
"My Lady, what do you think is her problem? I am sure that we have never seen this Lady Primrose in the past, yet she seems to hold a grudge against you. Could you think of a reason she would feel this way?" asked Walliams as his silver eyes shined under the lighting.
"I am not sure. She is Prince Zander's mother. If anything, I felt her resentment towards Prince Maxen and me. I wonder if it has to do with what Prince Maxen had told me last night," said Elizabella as she seemed lost in thought, making Walliams perk up at her words.
"What did he say? I was not next to you to know what he had said," said Walliams as he got comfortable on the chair that Prince Maxen had sat on with both legs underneath him.
"If everything had gone according to plan, Prince Zander should have been the Crown Prince, and quite possibly, I should have married him as well, if that is true. Or at least, I would be betrothed to him until we were both of age," said Elizabella as Walliams sat frozen.
"What do you mean? Is there some sort of secret that the people do not know? How could you almost have been the wife of another?" asked Walliams, confused.
"It seems that the Royal Family does not want others to know that the current King was not supposed to be the rightful heir to the throne as his older brother was the Crown Prince since birth. That would be Prince Zander's late father. The agreement between our grandfathers was that their descendants would reign Glear together. But, Crown Prince Lysander's death has been covered up by the Royal Family," said Elizabella as she lightly frowned. "I wonder why they would hide a Crown Prince's death and even cover up his family. What really happened ten years ago?"