The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 240: Coming around (2)
Chapter 240: Coming around (2)
"No! He can’t possibly be so stupid to do something like that. He of all people should know the consequences that would fall on this family. We could be branded as traitors for just being his family. Even when you help the king it would be remembered as the Hensons who did something horrible, not just Grant," said Tessa.
Tessa paced back and forth as she thought about all the outcomes. No matter how this ended, Tessa saw this greatly affecting their family. "Think of the children. None are married yet and if we are seen as traitors, no one would want to marry them. He’s not only going to ruin his life but the life of our children."
Tessa wasn’t worried about herself since she got to enjoy her time married to Kenneth and raising her children. Her children’s lives were starting to get more exciting and that shouldn’t be ruined by Grant.
"We should leave," Tessa suggested.
"I cannot leave after I have promised to help the king. I must be near to protect him and Hazel. Though I don’t find it to be a bad idea for you and Linda to go out of town. I don’t want her to be near him anymore for him to be putting anything in her head," Kenneth said, worried most about Linda.
"Linda will not want to leave and will want to know what we are trying to hide from her. She’s already suspicious of us staying home from the ball. I feel like my hands are tied. I must sit,’ Tessa said, going to one of the chairs. "I don’t want her involved."
"She will not be involved. He can never convince me to let her go to the palace to become the king’s woman. I need you to continue to act as though you know nothing. When this is all over, I don’t want you called to the court. Carry on as though there is nothing wrong," said Kenneth as the men there would be cruel with their questions.
"I understand. When did you tell the boys? Is that why they do not go to visit him?" Tessa asked as they had been acting strange for some time now and she could never understand it.
Kenneth took a deep breath as there was more to share with her. "I found out about my father’s plans a few days ago from the king."
"That doesn’t make any sense," Tessa said before Kenneth could reveal more. "The boys have been refusing to go see him for months now. I tried to get Jack to send the cookies I made to your mother and he refused. Had they suspected something before the king came to you?"
"No. There was something three years ago. Liam came to me sharing that he realised whenever my father came around you would not be in a good mood. He confronted my father about it and since then, my father doesn’t see Liam as his grandson," Kenneth revealed.
Tessa didn’t think Grant could get any lower but she was proven wrong again and again tonight. It was one thing for Grant to not see her as part of his family but it was another to do it to Liam. No matter what Grant thought, Liam was his flesh and blood.
Tessa was relieved to know that Kenneth would put them first and not be a loyal son to do as Grant wanted. Kenneth knew what was wrong and stood by what was right. Knowing this made her love him even more. "You are doing the right thing," she said.
To have to go against your father wasn’t something easy but it had to be done for the sake of their children and the good of the kingdom. Someone like Grant having the throne in his hands would not end well for the kingdom.
Grant was a greedy old man who had proven he would hurt those close to him to get what he wanted. To have Linda’s name in plans he knew she would be against and to be plotting against the same young woman who was like a relative to them was evil.
"I know," Kenneth replied.
It was a bitter feeling for the kingdom’s enemy to be possibly his father. No one would ever want to have to fight their parents or any kind of relative but he had to do it. It was unfortunate that had to come to this because his father would be too stubborn to give up.
Tessa stood up to hug Kenneth. He would need many hugs now with what he had to do. Rather than be called the son of a traitor, Tessa hoped the town would call him a hero for the sacrifice he would make.
"When you need me to take Linda away from this town, tell me. I can send word to my parents to expect us at any time. What will you do about your mother?" Tessa asked, thinking of her now.
"She will side with him. My mother is always near him so she should have known that he was planning to go against the king. I am not certain but still, the chances of her not knowing would be low," Kenneth said, not knowing whether or not could trust his mother.
"Even if she knew, she couldn’t just speak up about it. I have always thought that your mother is a little scared of your father. She is traditional like him, not speaking about her husband’s affairs. I wouldn’t cut her out of my life just yet," Tessa suggested.
It was hard to be Grant’s daughter-in-law so she thought about just how much harder it would be as his wife.
"You need a good distraction. We can go back and save this family night. I will get the children to behave and convince Linda that there will be more balls for her to enjoy. Just for tonight, let us not think about your father or war. Okay?" Tessa asked, gently moving her thumb across his freshly shaved beard. "I might even enjoy a good drink with you."
"Now you are starting to scare me, Tessa. It is not the end of the world for you to need to drink," Kenneth said, trying to change her mind. For all the years that he knew her, she would never just sit and drink with him because she feared embarrassing herself.
Kenneth looked forward to seeing what exactly she thought she would do before him if she was drunk but as a good husband, he was going to save her from hiding from him the next day.
Later in the night, Grant stood by his window looking out into the distance in the direction of the palace. He couldn’t see it from his home but it didn’t stop him from coming to stand here.
What he imagined was marching the men under his command out of his gates toward the palace to begin a new era for the Hensons.
With his plans out in the open, there was no going back now. He was either going to get his hand on the throne or die. Death didn’t scare him at this age. He had faced greater challenges and didn’t run away from them just as he wasn’t going to run away from this.
Tobias’s silence told him that the young king was willing to go to war to see who would claim the throne.
"This is the final battle I deserve," Grant said.
He had missed killing his enemies and it had been so long since he had an exciting fight. After this battle for the throne, he could truly put down his sword.
’Grant!"
Grant sighed as once again he was being bothered by annoying bastards. Men who couldn’t think for themselves and always ran to him for help. It was astonishing how much power they had yet they could not think for themselves.
"Shouldn’t you be in the palace enjoying the last moment of the ball or was it not exciting, William?" Grant asked, turning to the man he knew to be drunk from the scent that filled the room. "You must want to die for entering my home when you can hardly stand."
"I want her," William said, angered by what he had lost once more.
Grant sighed as it was tiring to have this conversation. He was not putting Hazel in the hands of a dirty man like William. "You cannot have the queen."
"Not her. She’s nothing compared to what I want. You should have seen the way he had her dolled up today. Her mask made her stand out from all those women in the ball. The one side she reveals shows the beauty she inherited from her mother. Melanie got away. I cannot let Alessandra go. Give her to me," William pleaded.
Alessandra was not suited for Edgar. She belonged to him as he could properly understand her beauty. See the art that she was.
"Give her to me and I will do whatever you need. I will go out of my way to convince the others you need on your side. Just hand her over to me."
Grant was surprisingly pleased with this drunken visit. "You mustn’t forget your deal in the morning."