Daiyana was walking back to her chamber with teary eyes and angry, she was looking for Iris but to her surprise, her mother was was there. She looked at her with a cold gaze. "Mother? What brings you here now?" She asked sounding angry. 'Why won't she just let me cry in peace?' 'She probably is just here to remind me that I am getting married to the most powerful prince in the world.'
'uuuuuuuuugh I hate this I hate this I hate this I just want to fly away to somewhere far far away!'
"I came to speak with you about something. I have been dying to you about this, but I just can't hold it anymore. It hurts me day and night." Hazel spoke with a sad tone.
'huh?' she thought to herself. As if all these surprises weren't enough these weeks, there's now her mother adding more. But she still wanted to listen. After all, she still still her mother and she still lover her.
"What is it mother?" Daiyana asked.
Hazel looked at her with a frown. This was worrying Daiyana. What the hell is going on these days"
Daiyana knew she was a little nervous so she tried to calm herself and her mother down so that she could speak comfortably. So she grabbed her hand. "Come, sit on the sofa, mother." she gently sat her on the sofa and tried to sooth her mother so she would stop worrying.
How could this girl be so sweet? Hazel thought to herself. She truly gave birth to an angel.
"You know, when I was a princess, I was extremely close with my mother and father. They would do anything to see a smile on my face. My mother used to brush my hair every morning and would braid it. We used to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together almost everyday. She would read me bed time stories every night and would kiss my forehead when I slept."
Daiyana was staring at her with confusion and so many questions were roaming around her head but the biggest one was 'why?' But she kept silent and let her mother finish.
Hazel took a deep breath stop herself from having a meltdown, she looked down avoiding eye contact and continued.. "My father loved me truly but he too, was very focused on his kingdom and would to anything to strengthen it. When your father, who was a prince at the time, had asked my father for my hand. He married me off to him without my knowledge and I felt betrayed by him. I used to ask how could he do this to me and he just told me that I was going to eventually get married some day so why not marry a powerful prince. I had my mother there for me all times and she would hug me and hold me close during those days and she was my only comfort. So, when the wedding day came, I was crying all day and longing for my mother and that was our last goodbye. Being so distant from her for so long I would cry all morning and night and even in bed. Your father understood my pain which was why he did not force anything on me and gave me time to heal, and during those days I ended up falling in Love with him. Then, I had your brother and I was so happy that I had gave birth to a son so that in the future, I wouldn't have to endure the same pain again with my own child." Hazel looked up with teary and a very pained look and she held her daughters face.
"Then I had you, I was so happy and you looked so beautiful and your father could not stop staring at your beautiful angel face. We used to put you between us every night in bed when you were just a baby and kiss you all night. But then I remembered the pain me and my mother endured the night on my wedding and your father also knew, and he had just became king at that time. So I made a decision and I decided to keep my love for you distant so we wouldn't be so attached. Just know my little angel that all those days you had cried as to why I had been treating you so different from your brother, I promise it was only to protect you. All these years, all I wanted was to hold you in my arms and kiss your head again."
Hazel broke down and burst into tears. She knew her daughter could just hate her from here. Daiyana had all the right to yell at her, kick her out of her chamber and yell at her. Hazel thought she had deserved all the hate.
----
Daiyana was dumbstrucked. She did not know what to feel. She felt every single emotion fill up her heart. Anger, sadness, guilt, irritation. She stayed just staring at the bed across from her and blanked out with tears in her eyes. She stayed silent.
"Daiyana, I know you hate me right now, but please say something. Please!"
Daiyana's eyes fluttered. She turned to her mother, but did not know what to respond. Daiyana rose from her seat quick and snapped back into the real world. She looked away from her mother and took a deep breath, she quickly ran out of her room and ran to the garden.
"Daiyana please wai-" Hazel was going to protest, but she stopped. She knew she should let her daughter go and let her grieve. She knew best to let her daughter process everything.