"What is the matter with you two?" asked Tessa as she looked up from her food, she had woken up from her nap, and she was now enjoying dinner, but enjoying was a far word to explain the atmosphere in the dining room at this moment.
"You both look like you want to kill each other" she said as she observed the faces of her husband and niece.
"It is nothing serious Aunt" replied Wura as she could not help but glare at Richard, but he did nothing but observed her.
"I do not believe you Wura" said Tessa
"You say it is nothing serious, and yet you glare at my Richie like that" said Tessa
"Richie what is the matter??" asked Tessa as she turned to looked at Richard.
"As Wura said there is nothing wrong my dear" said Richard as he looked down at his wife, who looked like she was going to become upset at any given moment in time.
As Tessa was pregnant her moods changed as quickly as the waves of the ocean, which was how she normally was, but it was way worse when she was in this state.
"You both are taking me for a fool" said Tessa as she frowned.
"No Aunt, be it far from it" said Wura as she quickly cut in, Tessa was getting upset, and she was not nice when she was upset.
"Right Uncle?" asked Wura as she turned to look at Richard.
"Of course" replied Richard.
"It was just a friendly banter between Uncle and Niece" said Wura as she smiled to reassure her Aunt that nothing was going on.
"Oh I see now" said Tessa.
"You both are tying to get closer without me" said Tessa as she pointed an accusing finger at both Wura and Richard.
"Richie, are you trying to steal my niece away from me??" asked Tessa as she pointed at him.
Wura could not help but try to hold back her laughter, she let out a small snicker as she covered her mouth with her hand, her Aunt came up with the most absurd ideas sometimes.
"Richie how could you dare try to replace me" said Tessa as she looked at Richard accusingly.
"Wura in my niece, she loves me and you can never replace me" said Tessa
Richard looked uncertain, how did this whole matter turn into this conversation?? His wife truly was imaginative.
"Yes Aunt is right Uncle, why are you trying to replace her?" asked Wura as she was not helping at all.
Richard looked at Wura, and she shot him a look that read "What?? I did nothing at all" as she tried to contain her laughter.
"Richie do not even dare try to replace me" said Tessa
Richard sighed, today had not been his day at all, and to top it off, his wife and his niece were busy banding against him.
"Wildvine, you are right, I can never replace you" he said as he decided to play along, at least he still had to maintain his sanity in this house.
"Because you are one of a kind, a rare gem" he said.
"Awww Richie" said Tessa as all the accusation in her eyes melted and they were replaced with warmth.
"How could I have accused you of such, you are too cute to do that to me my Richie" said Tessa as she played with his beard, it had became a habit that she had developed over the years.
Wura sighed, all her fun of getting back at her uncle was ruined, now she knew the secret of how he stayed with Aunt Tessa for so long, it was because he was a quick thinker, and he used his words wisely, he knew exactly what to say and when to say it.
"Oh well" said Wura as she smiled, she was truly happy that her Aunt had someone who truly loved her unconditionally all in all.
She wished that she could be happy like this in the future, with a man that truly loved her, and not like a certain little, scoundrel prince that she did not want to remind herself of, not to ruin her dinner.
"Aunt you do not want your food getting cold now, do we?" asked Wura as she smiled.
"Yes of course not my dear" said Tessa as she smiled and she began to eat.
They all ate in silence for a while, but that was until Richard cleared his throat to say something that he deemed important.
"Tessa, I will be going on a trip, I will be back in three days" said Richard.
"What??" asked Tessa as she could not believe what she just heard.
"Uncle is so unfair, he did not even waste anytime" said Wura to herself as she frowned.
You see, Wura had lost the little wager that she wagered with Richard, and hence now she had to spend three days all alone with her Aunt, while her uncle went to who knows where??
Wura took it back, it seemed that he was tired of Tessa and he just wanted to escape so quickly, he did not even wait for a while, he decided to announce his departure on the same day, and because of the fact that she lost, Wura was angry with Richard.
"Please tell me that you are jesting Richie" said Tessa
"You cannot surely be leaving" said Tessa
"I am sorry my dear, but I have somewhere very important that I need to be" said Richard, and Tessa looked sad and she bowed her head.
"Wildvine, do not be like that" said Richard as he raised her head.
"The space of three days will pass like nothing" he said as an attempt to cheer her up.
"Are you sure?" asked Tessa as if she needed to be assured.
"Of course Wildvine I am, I will return before you know it" said Richard as he smiled at her.
"Alright then, you may go, but return quickly" said Tessa
"Thank you wildvine" said Richard.
"Do not worry I will return quickly" said Richard.
"But do not be saddened, for you have your lovely niece to stay with you" said Richard as he turned to look at Wura as he smiled at her.
"Am I not right Wura?" he asked.
"Of course you are Uncle" said Wura as she smiled back in annoyance.
Richard could promise you that he saw Wura stick her tongue out at him, but she did it so subtly that no one would notice, it made him laugh.
"Ooooh Wura my dear, do not worry, we will make this home our own" said Tessa as she was already excited.
"We do not need men in our lives to be happy" said Tessa
"Wildvine I am still here" said Richard as he reminded his wife of his presence.
"Of course you are Richie, but you are already long gone to me" said Tessa as she smiled and looked at Wura, she had plans of them dressing up, and looked pretty and beautiful.
"Aunt please tell me that you are not thinking what I think you are thinking" said Wura as she knew that flash in her Aunt eye meant that she wanted to play dress up.
"It depends my dear niece, do your thoughts involve beautiful dresses?" asked Tessa as she smiled.
"No Aunt, No, I am not dressing up" said Wura, she still remembered when she was a little girl and Tessa would force her into different dresses, Wura despised dressing up, she found it a hassle.
"You have no say my dear" said Tessa calmly as she ate.
"Aunt!!" pleaded Wura, but Tessa ignored her as she ate her food and smiled, already thinking of the new dresses she would make her niece try on.
"*Ahem*" came the voice of a maid as she entered the dining room.
"Duke and Duchess Scot, the Lady and the man of the house have arrived" she said.