The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 105: Before it’s too late (2)

Hazel sat on a cushion placed by her window for her to look out at the garden. She was lucky that the room her parents had given her as a young child had a view of the garden. It didn’t compare to the palace garden, but she still loved it.

"Hazel."

"You may come in," Hazel answered. freēwēbnovel.com

She looked away from the window to the opening door and her mother walking in with a tray.

"You can keep sitting. I can do this much for you and it is not heavy," Renee said, skilfully closing the door by giving it a little kick with her foot. "Do not speak of that to anyone."

"It was only a kick, mother. I do it from time to time if my hands are full. Surprisingly, the door has not fallen from how hard it sometimes slams shut," said Hazel.

"Thank goodness it has not. Oh dear," Renee said looking around Hazel’s room as she walked over to Hazel. Looking at it made her want to cry. "I know I have joked about making your rooms into rooms I can pass the time in for new hobbies, but I will leave it as it is now."

"Regardless of the palace preparing what you need, I think you should take some things that you cherish and leave the rest here for us to watch over. You can come back to this room when you need a break. I brought you some tea and sweet biscuits."

Hazel made room for her mother to sit with her. "Thank you. I thought you wanted us to have a picnic? I was waiting for you to send a servant for me to come down."

"That was what I wanted, but then Helena came to me to apologise for saying she hated everyone and not listening to what I was saying. She agreed to only go to the palace for an hour and I don’t know what you two spoke of, but it feels like she needs a moment alone," Renee replied.

Seeing that Helena needed a moment to herself to think about how she behaved, Renee cancelled having a picnic. It wouldn’t be right to have a picnic with only Nathan and Hazel to make it seem like she was icing out Helena.

She didn’t have any favourites with her children and she didn’t want them to start thinking that now.

"Thank you for always being ready to offer her advice even though you are angry. Being an older sister is quite a challenge. I experienced something like this with women around my age in my family. Some weren’t pleased that I had married your father. Oh, what a time that was," Renee said, smiling even though those were rough years.

Hazel was surprised to hear there was someone in their family who didn’t like her parent’s marriage. "Why didn’t they like you getting with father? Did they like him?"

"Oh no. None of them liked him as I did. I didn’t have anything near the wealth that I have now before marrying your father. His wealth wasn’t what I was after. It just came along with the love. As you have seen, a few of my relatives didn’t get a man to offer them this life so I became a target of their displeasure,’ Renee answered.

She was once an enemy to her family members because she got the life they wanted. For some, they got over their misplaced anger while others muttered rude comments whenever she invited the family over for dinners when it was her daughter’s birthday.

"Do you mind telling me which relatives it was to be this way with you?" Hazel asked. She had a few in mind, but she didn’t want to assume.

"For you to become weird around them? No," Renee answered.

"Well, that is boring. You must always tell the story to the end. Are you trying to say that what I am going through with Helena will pass?"

"I am trying to say that it is quite normal even with family. Women are trying to marry to retain their status and wealth. It isn’t exactly easy for some to see those close to them get what they desire. There were even a few cases during my time when friends hurt friends and families were out to hurt each other. It’s not right, but quite normal," Renee further explained.

Hazel brought her feet up her chest and hugged them. "Mother, I am afraid that I do not understand what you are getting at here. Should I just continue to put up with it because it happens often?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to let you know this has happened many times before you think it is something about you and Helena that has been brewing over the years. Jealousy acts quickly when you have what others want. It goes away when they realise what you have was not meant for them," Renee said, hoping her words were helping.

"Helena has already told me that she no longer wants the prince. She seems to love being near the queen and the man the queen is trying to set her up with. I will wait for the moment she truly lets go of the selection not ending as she wanted. I want to celebrate with my sister," Hazel said, leaning on the wall and then looking back out at the window.

She had always imagined her engagement would go differently. That she would be celebrating with her mother and sister for this new start in her life. Yet here she sat looking out her window with her mother trying to cheer her up and her sister nowhere in sight.

"Lucky for you, I think that is coming soon. Helena looked as if she had done something she regretted. She was a bit jittery and nervous. If she comes to you, please hear her out. Promise me that you will," Renee said as she wanted them to go back as they were.

She’d do anything to go back to eight days ago when she found them lying in bed together the night before the selection started. It reminded her of the nights Helena would get scared because of the weather and go into Hazel’s room, but then they’d make their way to sleep with her and Nathan.

"I will try to listen if the conversation is one that Helena means what she says and won’t act like a fool later. Do you think that I would make a good queen, mother?" Hazel asked, moving on to what was on her mind.

"I know that you will make an excellent queen, Hazel. I’ve seen you put others before yourself and try to do your best to care for those around you. I trust that you will do what you can for the kingdom. It will be okay for there to be times you mess up. Do not let that get the best of you. Realise your mistakes and learn from them," Renee said, reaching forward to hold Hazel’s hand.

Renee peered at Hazel’s hand without the ring. "I must ask, Hazel. Do you love the prince?"