Kapitel 22: A walk together (2)
"Come out right now. Don't make me have to come get you," Tobias said, looking directly at their hiding spot.
His mother's little spies were getting more careless the more she picked. How was she expecting that he wouldn't notice a guard following him? Especially when the guard kept running to hide whenever he or Hazel stopped walking.
"Now!" Tobias raised his voice. He was hardly in the mood for this when he had Hazel walking alone. He couldn't leave her by herself for so long. She might come across an idiot who didn't know to just walk by her.
"Y-Your Highness," the guard said, stepping out of his hiding spot. "The queen-"
"I already know that. You fit the look of the people she sends to watch me. I gave an order that no one was to come looking for me. Go back to my mother and tell her that you have been caught. Stop following me or," Tobias stopped to fix the guard's out-of-place shirt. "I'll have you getting comfortable in the dungeon."
"But the queen said I should follow you or I will be punished. I cannot disobey her order," the guard answered.
"Let me give you a little piece of advice. Between the queen and me, you should fear me more. She'll send you out of the palace while I will kill you for following me. I'll mistake you for someone plotting on my life," said Tobias.
"I am only here to watch you. I have no intention of harming you," the guard said, slowly moving his left foot to step back.
Tobias looked down at the guard's foot which stopped moving because of his gaze. "My mother truly needs to be better at picking her spies. Leave now before I kill you with your own sword. Better yet, go to my mother and tell her that I said nice try."
The guard didn't want to go back to the queen and repeat these words. The prince was more dangerous than the queen because it wouldn't be hard for the prince to end his life and he didn't want to be on the bad side of the future king, but as of right now, the queen had more power in the palace. The king was right by her side to let her go through with what she ordered.
Tobias was amused by the fact the guard seemed to be thinking over his options. "You've never had a woman waiting for you, have you? So you don't understand the urgency I feel like now. Let me make the decision for you," he said, pretending to reach for the guard's sword.
"I-I will tell the queen," the guard said, deciding not to have the prince as an enemy. Hopefully, the queen would understand the predicament he was in. "Excuse me, my lady."
Tobias sighed, knowing the lady the guard spoke of had to be Hazel. "I told you to go ahead without me."
"I did, but then guards came that way and told me to go back," Hazel answered. She watched the guard scurry away. "Why did you need to send me away from that conversation? Were you planning on killing him? It's not his fault that your mother sent him to spy on you."
"Now I really wish you didn't come back so I wouldn't have to hear you defend him. If I wanted to kill him for following me, I would have gone to where he was hiding and killed him. My mother's spies are the harmless ones. I don't kill those spies," Tobias replied.
It was the spies from anyone who didn't like he would be their future king that he killed.
"So there must be many. I can't imagine what life would be like having to constantly look over your shoulder to check if someone is following you. Has anyone ever tried to kill you while you were in the palace?" Hazel asked as such news never made it to her ears.
The palace rarely shared the conflict happening inside of it, but it was quick to get news of conflict all around the kingdom.
"I am the future king. There are many who would love to kill me to take that spot. My uncle must be boiling that my father had a son. He doesn't show it, but he wishes to be king. I could never point an attack on my life to him," Tobias answered, walking toward Hazel to close the gap between them. "Worried about me?"
"A little bit," Hazel replied honestly. "I don't want the next king's life to be in danger. I can't think of anyone but you to sit on the throne. There isn't much said about your uncle since he doesn't live in the palace or in Lockwood. Why?"
"I can't tell you that unless you become a Castro. If you try hard to make me fall in love with you, I will pick you. Perhaps before the seven days are over. Go on and try. I want to see how Hazel Wallace gets men to fall for her," said Tobias.
His sour mood from being followed changed now that Hazel was around. He had been angry with his mother for sending another spy that he might have hurt the guard had Hazel not shown up. She helped him to not hurt someone who was just following his mother's orders.
"I do not need to try. I simply walk around and they all fall for me. I did nothing and you suddenly have an interest in me to the point you want to pick me each time you are to be with a woman from the selection. Even if it is just because you can have a simple conversation with me or that I am not crazy in love with you, I will remember having the prince so interested. Perhaps I will tell my children," Hazel said as it was a great compliment.
"It could be our children. I am standing as your potential husband. We could one day be telling our children how our love story started. How their mother fell so hard for me-"
"Do not get ahead of yourself, Tobias. We have six more days to go for me to decide if I could live by your side forever and you have other women to meet with. One might have you unexpectedly fall for them and you'll go back on your word that you will pick me each time. Don't go plotting a future with me so fast," Hazel said, tilting her head to get a better look at the confusing painting on the wall. "Art is strange sometimes, isn't it?"
"It is. If you break that one, your family would need to give up their home and more to pay for it. It was a gift to my family many years ago and the artist is long dead. Why they put something so expensive here is beyond me, but then again, all the paintings in here are expensive. Did you just step back to get away from it? You could replace it if you ruined it," Tobias said as the Wallace were a wealthy family.
"I would rather not have my father waste money. It hurts his heart when me or Helena leave to buy dresses. Knowing he has to spend money on an ugly painting might kill him. I'm sorry for calling it ugly," Hazel apologised since it was treasured art.
"Don't. It is ugly and when I am king, I will put away all of them in a room."
Kapitel 23: Control (1)
Tobias sighed as he neared his room and found guards outside. It had to be either his mother or father. He was willing to put his crown on the line that it was his mother because he had not followed what she wanted by speaking with Linda or picking who she had in mind.
After walking around with Hazel, he wanted to end the day on a good note since he had surprisingly enjoyed himself. He was looking forward to teasing Hazel, but once they decided to start over, he enjoyed his time with her.
Tobias stopped in front of his bedroom door and stared at it, contemplating if he wanted to go inside to speak with his mother or find another room to spend his time in. After giving it some thought, Tobias decided to enter to see what his mother had an issue with.
"I can open it myself," Tobias said, stopping the guards when they started to reach for the doorknob to open it for him. "Make sure no one disturbs us."
Tobias opened the door himself and entered the room. It was quite spacious so he didn't see his mother right away when he stepped inside. Tobias closed the door and locked it first before walking further inside to look for his mother.
"You spent your good time not following what I instructed you to do," said Tabitha.
She sat at the table in Tobias's room drinking tea she had prepared to pass the time while waiting for Tobias to come to his room.
"I said you were to spend time with both young ladies, but you somehow managed to only spend time with Hazel. A young woman you were not to pick first. It is her sister-"
"I told you that I wasn't going to follow how you wanted to do this selection. I am not going to play into how you want to have a favourite and make them shine all the way through the selection so you could make the other women jealous. This selection is for me to pick a wife," said Tobias.
"A wife of my choosing. Do you truly think I would sit back and allow you to pick just anyone to take my seat?" Tabitha asked, refraining from raising her voice.
"You were the one to choose the women I have to pick from. If they are not worthy of taking your seat, why did you bring them here? Always putting on appearances," Tobias said under his breath. "Why didn't you just pick the woman you wanted instead of going through this selection?"
"I am following tradition. A tradition everyone else has followed. I also took part in the selection and had to watch the queen have a favourite. There is a way to do this and you are not listening to me. I am helping you make a decision that will benefit the kingdom and you in the future," Tabitha said, standing up to walk over to where Tobias stood.
"I don't need anyone to pick a wife for me. I can make the decision on my own," Tobias said, moving back to put some space between him and his mother.
"I cannot allow you to do that after all the terrible decisions you have made. Spending nights with women not worth your time. How do I know you will not pick a wife because you wish to sleep with her as opposed to one who will help you rule this kingdom?" Tabitha asked.
She disliked his relationships with women and she was still not happy that it took so long for him to return to the palace to start preparing to wed and for the time when he would be named king.
"I love you so much, Tobias. If only you would tell me what is happening with you these days. Is there something that I have done to you?" Tabitha inquired, taking small steps toward him. "Why did we need to have someone bring you back to the palace when you knew there was so much for you to do here."
Tobias stayed silent as he wasn't ready to bring up the fact he didn't want to be king to his mother again. It would only end with her telling them that because of his blood, he had to accept his fate to become king. He knew his mother was trying to help him but she didn't understand him enough.
If she did, she would know how much he hated feeling like he was in a pretty bird cage and now with this selection, he had to pick someone to sit beside him in that cage.
Since he could not escape his future role as king, what he wanted to do was pick a wife of his choice to make life easier in the palace. Life as king would just be more hell than it already was if he didn't have someone who would listen to him or love him.
"You have done nothing," Tobias answered.
"Then I do not see why you are against working with me. I have diligently prepared how this selection will go and as your mother, I know which young lady will make a good queen and wife for you," Tabitha said, placing her right hand on his shoulder. She was able to do this since Tobias did not move this time.
Tobias smiled, not because he was grateful for what his mother was doing for him, but because like always she placed queen before wife. Just as she placed the queen before mother. He loved his mother but as he got older, she was less like a mother.
Even in private moments like this, he didn't feel like he was standing with his mother. At some point, the kingdom and his duties would come up then she wondered why he preferred to be on the battlefield.
He would give up anything to go back to the time when she was his mother and there would be laughter filling the room.
"I need you to make up for lost time by picking Helena and Linda tomorrow. Those are the two I like most for you," said Tabitha.
She already made up her mind that of the two Wallace sisters, the younger one was best. There was something about Helena that reminded her of herself. Hazel was a refined lady, but it might be hard to control that one in the future.
"I already told you that I will be picking my wife. Dancing with Helena was a mistake," Tobias said, stepping away from his mother to stop her from straightening out his clothes. "Change your plans because I won't be picking her again."
"She is all everyone is talking about and she carries herself as I expect of the future queen. What she lacks, I can fix. Do not tell me that you have already fallen for her sister. You are yet to see it but the younger one will outshine the older. I witnessed it today," Tabitha said, needing him to change his mind so her plans would all fall in place.
"I witnessed something today to know that you are wrong. I've enjoyed my time with Hazel more than Helena. Move on, mother. It is not up for debate. I want to rest now before having to continue seeing those women," Tobias said, starting to unbutton his shirt.
"Pick the older one again and I will-"
"You will do what, mother?" Tobias asked, turning to his mother. Her presence here already dampened his mood and now she wished to do something to Hazel.
She couldn't. Not when he had just enjoyed his day.
Tabitha flinched, surprised by the way her son looked at her.
Geschenke
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