Her mood grew sour once she found out she was to eat her meal in the dining. Together along with the entire Hayes' family. Olivia intended to have her meal in her room.
She admired the small dining there. It reminded her of her cozy room in the castle. But she was not ready to mess things up with more rumors.
In order to rise, she was going to start off with the smallest things. And that was clearing her name and proving them wrong that she wasn't who they painted her to be.
Olivia was tired of having to soak herself in self-pity when that was clearly what her enemies wanted. She was tired of being silent and down when she was destined to top the charts.
She would not get her desired results just by sitting and hoping for answers to come. Olivia was going to work hard toward it. Even if it meant having to fake being happy with her marriage.
Her decision to eat in the dining was because it was her first day in the Hayes mansion. If the other servants heard that she never took her breakfast, she was sure the notorious ones would end up spreading rumors.
Seeing how close Madeline 'was' to Reginald, there was no doubt that the lady had a mole watching her. Princess Olivia did not care. All she wanted was to never catch that mole because if she did...
She was sitted in the dining, her expression neutral while the maids served them breakfast. The air around the dining was light and breathable due to the comfort she found in the silence.
Sun rays lit up the room, making it look as though brighter days were coming for her. Olivia raised her eyes to study the dish before her, while her gaze fell on the silver goblet with golden intricate designs on it.
They fell back on the silver cutleries that glistened in the sun, before darting to the fruit salad before her.
Noiselessly, she picked a fork and started to eat like no one was watching. Despite feeling the scrutinizing gaze of her husband.
"Trust you had a great night, Your highness." The baritone voice of her father-in-law caused her to pause on her chewing, before swallowing in.
A small smile appeared on her face and she directed her silvery gaze at him. "Yes, I did. Thanks for asking, General."
Reginald's expression darkened because it seemed as though she was throwing words at him. Even though Olivia had no intentions to sound that way, to him, he thought she was accusing him of not asking about her night.
Why was he even worrying about the way she thought of him? It was not like the Princess was special. He didn't see anything that would make her reach that standards in his heart.
Yet, he couldn't look away from her. He face-palmed himself internally at his thoughts.
Olivia was relieved that what came after her answer was silence again. She gladly continued her meal, hoping to get out of the dining. To be frank, she never had appetite as the intense stare coming from her husband left a bitter taste at the back of her mouth.
He was staring at her as though he wanted to know her in and out. Too bad he would fail miserably.
Taking another bite, she leaned back graciously and chewed in silence. She was getting accustomed to the silence only for it to be bursted again.
"Was there any reason for you to stay in the guest room, Princess?" She almost choked on the food she was chewing. Olivia's eyes grew wide sending an astonished look to him.
General Hayes focused on tearing a part of grilled beef, before putting it into his mouth. His lips raised subtly. There was no form of resemblance between him and the man sitted opposite her, she made a mental note.
At the same time, she got curious about him. Olivia scolded herself for even thinking about him when he clearly was using her to get benefits.
"I own this mansion, Princess..." He raised his dark-brown eyes to meet with hers. General Hayes's left brow quirked. "...and yours too." He completed.
"Therefore, I see no reasons why you stayed in the guest room. Perhaps you should have informed your father you never wanted this to begin with, to save you from this pressure." General Hayes stated in a casual manner.
Princess Olivia clenched her teeth tight. She recalled seeing the General with Madeline last night. Oh... he was surely happy wanting her to be with his son, rather than her.
So, instead of disobeying her father's demand and be tagged traitor, he saved his name by accepting the proposal. That way, he could have directly access to the throne through his son.
The length one would go to for a crown... she sneered in her head before rolling her eyes.
"The Princess was obviously not used to her new life, I think she was trying her best to adapt all of a sudden. There's no need to make a huge subject about it, father."
Olivia thought it was her ears. The way Reginald addressed his father was quite different from when they were in public. It sounded as though there was a large gap between them. She sensed a faint change of air in the dining after he spoke.
"We should have just ignored the King's offer when we had the chance." Reginald never looked up from his meal. His smoldering eyes looked as though they were brooding on something.
Olivia had noticed this. Her tongue itched for some words but she held back.
Unknown to Reginald, his words rang another meaning to the Princess. He spoke those words without any intentions to make her overthink. Only he and his father knew why he was not supposed to be with her.
But the man had to agree either way, so as to strengthen the Kingdom's protection. General Hayes knew how powerful and dangerous his son was, despite the calm aura he had.
A soft snicker was heard and before they knew it, a bang.
___
In a dry voice: She's gonna mess things up.🤦