The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 102: Plans for the future (2)

"It is good to have the two of you home. I’ll have all your favourite treats and dinner prepared tonight. We can celebrate with just the four of us," Renee said, trying to make the most of Hazel’s time home.

"Mother must have missed us because you never do something like this unless it is our birthday. Can we have as many treats as we want and like father said, try some of his special wine?" Hazel asked, looking to her father for his answer.

"I thought you would have forgotten that by now," Nathan muttered. He was certain he was a little bit drunk when he agreed to let them drink some of his wines when they were to get married.

"Certainly not. I even brought Linda in on the deal so when it is her time to get engaged, you must offer her wine. Something we must keep from her father," Hazel said as Kenneth would march over here to lecture them on how he didn’t like it.

"I am not giving that girl wine to have an army at my door the next day," Nathan replied.

Helena walked ahead of her family as she wanted to go to her room and fix her appearance. Now that she was home for a day, she could call upon her friends to let them know what happened during her time in the palace and learn what she missed happening in town.

Her friends would be more understanding of her feelings as they would agree that what was dangling before her was stolen by someone who had no interest in it, but she didn’t care any more.

"Helena, before you get too settled in, I need to talk with you and Hazel. Please do not make any plans to leave or invite anyone here. We are not to have anyone around Hazel at the moment. There will be too many questions that I don’t want to answer right now when she is finally home," Renee said, taking off the coat she wore by the door so she could hand it over to the butler.

"What? I have not seen my friends for seven days and tomorrow morning I will be going back to the palace. You can at least allow me a few minutes to speak with them. I’ve missed them. Father," Helena turned to Nathan for help.

"I’m sorry," Nathan apologised as he too did not want anyone coming to them now. "It’s going to spread around that Hazel is engaged to the prince before the palace gets the chance to announce it. We cannot have anyone coming around Hazel now."

Renee looked back at their gates. "The palace guards are already taking their places to guard our home. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have strict orders to not let anyone inside. You can have a day without your friends, Helena. You will see them tomorrow."

Renee walked inside the home as the outside was a bit too windy.

Hazel followed behind her mother, wanting to hear what they had to talk about. She stopped for a moment, fearing that her mother might want to talk about how babies were made. ’Please no.’

Hazel didn’t want to hear it from her mother. She didn’t need to since she already knew how it would happen, but she couldn’t tell her mother how she knew because it would be too embarrassing.

"Welcome back, Hazel."

Hazel looked to her right at the butler. "It is-"

"What do you mean that I will see them tomorrow?" Helena’s question interrupted Hazel. "I am to be going to the palace tomorrow as the queen requested. You cannot take back your word now."

"I can and I did," Renee answered whilst checking flowers in a vase. "Please have the flowers changed. The petals are turning brown."

’My flower,’ Hazel remembered the petal she had tucked away in her book. It was still in her room at the palace and she had forgotten to ask to go there to get it. ’No one should go into the room. I hope.’

The petal was quite fragile now and she needed a new one but she didn’t want to bother Tobias about it.

"Mother!" Helena whined, not believing what she was hearing. "There is someone the queen introduced me to and I cannot see him if I am not in the palace."

"I am your mother. Not the queen. It is my duty along with your father to pick a good husband for you. What does the queen know about you to know what you want? To her, it is a task of marrying you off quickly to clean up a mess, but for me, it is so much more," said Renee.

She was going to carefully pick a man who would treat her daughter well now that she had a chance. She would help Helena and guide her away from men who were nothing but trouble. Renee also found it important that she worked on this childish side Helena had as it needed to end now that she was looking to marry.

"It is a great honour to have the queen be interested in my marriage. She invited me to stay in the palace because she likes speaking with me. How could you want to ruin that?’ Helena asked.

"I will take care of this," Renee informed Nathan. She could handle this much. "Can you please inform the cooks to start preparing some of their favourite treats and some nice drinks for us to have in about an hour? We should have a little picnic like we used to do."

"Very well," Nathan said, sparing a glance at Helena whom he needed to talk to. He didn’t like the way she was acting and how she spoke to her mother.

It seemed that being in the palace made her feel like a queen and made her forget that she was to respect her parents, the people looking out for her best interests.

Hazel wanted to walk away, but at the same time felt like she should be around in case the conversation became heated. Hazel wasn’t the slightest bit surprised to hear that her mother had changed her answer about Helena staying in the palace.

"Mother, you have already made the promise to the queen and I have gotten quite settled in-"

"That is the problem. You are getting too settled in somewhere that you do not belong. Your behaviour since I sent you off there has not been the best and then you two fought. As cruel as it might sound, I must think of Hazel for a moment," Renee said.

If Helena was a bit more mature, Renee could count on her to be around to help Hazel. She would not have any problem worrying about Helena being in the palace.

Renee couldn’t help feeling that leaving Helena to live in the palace until she was officially engaged would cause problems for Hazel. Hazel was not in any position to be caring for Helena right now.

Still, the issue of the queen wanting Helena around was a problem.

"I will send a message back to the queen that you will spend an hour there and return home. I am not allowing you to live in the palace," Renee said, her decision final.