Page 46 of The Loathing

“Xavier done good hiring you…” she trails off for a moment, her eyes downcast on her tea but I don’t look away from her. “I know he can be difficult, trust me, I have the t-shirt to prove it… but he does mean well.” She pauses for a moment, twisting her mug round slightly before she continues, “His priority is Amora, and he will put himself in the firing line before he lets anything or anyone get to her or his family. I know bits of his plan, but I don’t know everything and as much as it infuriates me…” her light blue eyes finally lift and steady on mine, “I trust him wholeheartedly.”

I swallow the thickness in my throat and give her a tight nod.

“I just hope I can too.” I roll my lips and finish the last mouthful of my tea. “If you’ll excuse me…” Royal nods at me, reaching for my cup before I even have the chance to place it in the kitchen sink. “Thank you for the tea,” I say, standing and begin to walk towards the garden.

“You’re most welcome.” She turns and I hear the sound of shuffling feet coming down the hallway. Nosiness gets the better of me when I look up and see a frail older lady heading towards the kitchen. “Betty,” Royal walks over to her, leading her towards the large kitchen table that overlooks the impressive gardens. “I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“Thank you darling, but I am more than capable of making myself one, thank you.” I watch as Betty rolls her eyes and Royal laughs.

“I know you are, but it’s nice for me to wait on you for a change.” Royal’s hand moved from Betty’s shoulder as she walks away and pops the kettle on again. “In case you didn’t know, Betty used to be my lady in waiting…” Royal looks over her shoulder and I see Betty sigh.

“Lady in waiting?” I ask, pushing my hands deep into my pant pockets.

“I was a Princess before I married Xavier; heir to the throne of Auradell.”

My eyes widen slightly.

“You have royal blood?”

“Yup,” Royal chimes, “but I abdicated the throne once my father died, it was his last dying wish…” she adds the milk to Betty’s tea and I continue to listen. “It was always Xavier’s plan to have me abdicate…” she stills for a moment as if trying to remember if I have heard this side of their fairy tale.

I nod giving her the signal that I do in fact know their story, just not the part of her actually being of royal stature or being made to abdicate.

He was a selfish fucker.

My back teeth grind as I listen.

“But as time went on, Xavier didn’t want me to abdicate… but I had already made my choice. I fell in love with him and he was my life, my new plan… he was my fate. When my father fell ill suddenly, I felt it was my duty to continue with our original plan and for me to become Queen. But on my father’s death bed, he didn’t want to put that burden on me. He wanted me to live my life with the man I loved… he wanted me to have a small bit of normality after twenty-one years… and well…” she looks at Betty then back to me, “the rest is history.”

“Wow,” I rub my chin and I am in awe, “I feel like I should bow to you.” A low chuckle leaves me and I watch Royal’s cheeks flame.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she waves me away and Betty beams.

“So who took your place? Do you have any siblings?”

She shakes her head from side to side.

“When I abdicated, the only rightful heir was my uncle so I gave it to him, and I got to live out my happily ever after, that’s what my father would have wanted,” and I see a glisten in her eye but she swipes the tear away before laughing and giving Betty her tea.

“You certainly did,” I give her a tight smile, “and Betty, it was lovely to meet you.”

I don’t stick around. I feel like I have taken up enough of Royal’s time. I only wanted to pace to get out of my head for a while, Xavier sure knows how to get in there and wind me up. He is a mastermind, the perfect puppeteer.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t not believe his love for his wife and his family, it’s obvious that he would die for any of them, but I don’t understand how a man could be so cold hearted. He is horrid. In my opinion I don’t think he even has one redeeming quality about him.

I continue through the flower garden, the sweet smell of pollen filling my senses. I look around at the brightly coloured flowers softly dancing in the spring breeze. I feel a million miles away. I continue forward, my shoes gliding across the soft grass when I spot a little picturesque cottage in the distance. I stop in my tracks. What a perfect setting. That would suit me, something like that. I wouldn’t need the grand things in life, as long as I have Arizona and my friends close by… I would be happy. Waking up every morning, sitting on the decked porch area with a cup of coffee while I read the sports column, the birds chirping, the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. Sounds like a little piece of heaven. I look behind me, the huge manor house sits proudly, and I can’t help but wonder what this place was like before it had love filling it, before it had the touch of a woman and a little family making it a home. Shaking my thoughts away, I head towards the cottage and that’s when I hear the sound of water. My feet waltz me across to a large boating lake, a long-decked pier overhanging the dark blue water. Walking out onto the decked area, I still for a moment just enjoying the calm. My eyes gaze out along the glistening water when I see a vibrant dragonfly. I watch as it dances and skates over the water’s surface and I smile.

“Peaceful isn’t it,” I hear Amora’s voice as it breezes over me, and I ignore the way the hairs on the back of my neck stand and the way her voice makes my skin tingle.

“Very.” I don’t turn to face her; I am too focused on what is in front of me.

“You found my favourite place, now I’m going to have to find a new one…” she is next to me and I feel her eyes on the side of my face. I look down at her and give her a wink.

“You can still have it, I’m just visiting.” I let out a blissful sigh.

“Did you get in trouble?” she asks as she moves forward, perching herself on the edge of the pier and leaning forward to pull her shoes off. I watch as she places them neatly beside her then dangles her feet over so her toes just dip into the water.

“Is that not cold?”

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