The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 273: Calm before the storm (2)

"Do you know what you are doing?" Tobias questioned.

He stooped down beside Hazel to watch her try tending to the flowers.

"I do not. I am only trying to move a lot of the snow already gathered around them. Do you think the gardener would be angry if I accidentally mess them up?" Hazel asked, staying still before she could do it.

"Not unless he wants to end up in the palace dungeon. Do as you want. It doesn’t look like you are destroying them and if you do, we can blame it on the snow. I doubt Edgar would care about his guests ruining his garden. I’m surprised he even has a garden for a house he doesn’t frequent," said Tobias.

"Still, I don’t want to ruin anything. We would find it rude if someone were to come into the palace and destroy it," Hazel said, deciding to leave the flowers alone. "They are beautiful. If only I could paint their beauty. I should have learned more."

"Were you too busy reading at the time?" Tobias asked, finding this all to be new to him.

"That along with not enjoying painting. I was good at most of the talents my tutors thought I should have. I do not understand it now. Why would my husband ever care that I was good at painting or playing an instrument? All they want is a wife to look pretty next to them," said Hazel.

She was yet to make use of some of the things she learned when she was younger.

"I don’t need you to just look pretty by my side. Though I honestly do not require you to play music for me, I would only like for you to paint if it involves one of us being naked while the other paints. I volunteer to be the naked one," Tobias offered.

"It is not going to happen because I cannot paint someone and I can already see it that we would not get any painting done. I should continue to learn what I started. Like baking," Hazel suggested. "That was something I started with my grandmother and with Linda’s mother. No matter how much she tried to teach me, I never did well."

"So, you aren’t perfect after all," Tobias joked.

"I never claimed to be. You were the one to give me that nickname. And the one of being a prude. Honestly, you didn’t know what to make of your feelings for me and picked on me any way you could. I should have guessed it then that you liked me. How did I miss it?" Hazel wondered.

For someone who thought she was no fun, Tobias always happened to be near when she visited the palace with her father in the past.

"Seems you aren’t all that smart either. That wasn’t needed," Tobias said after Hazel pushed him to fall in the snow. "If I get sick, you must care for me."

"You didn’t know of your feelings so you weren’t smart. If we could go back in time to give our younger selves a heads-up about the present, I think we would both not believe it. Even with staring at our future selves. It also matters most what time I would go back because I had a crush on someone," Hazel revealed.

Tobias pretended to be offended. "There was someone else?"

"Oh, please. You had girls our age and above swooning over you and you enjoyed the attention. Your mind was not always on me and likewise, I had others I thought I would end up marrying. My tutor had instructed me of boys I should have gave my attention to. Boys she thought would have gotten along well with how I am," said Hazel.

"And what is the name of this tutor and all the boys that you considered?" Tobias questioned, needing it for no reason. "Just so I have the names."

"I am not telling you the names. You cannot fool me, Tobias. My tutor has long passed and most of those boys are already married with families. Besides, I lost those feelings for them long ago. I might not have liked them a lot. I just looked for who could have gave me a comfortable life," Hazel answered.

She continued, "We didn’t all have the luxury of only thinking about the present. Though I was born into a family with a lot of money, I had to worry about my futur. It is odd isn’t it?"

It was like none of her father’s money should be passed onto her.

"To think that I ended up a queen. I still worry about the future, but a little less than most ladies my age. I would not believe it if you told me then that I would be right here. I would do my best to convince my younger self to anticipate this," Hazel said as she wouldn’t want her life to go a different path.

Tobias plucked one of the flowers and placed it in Hazel’s hair. "You wouldn’t try to get married before my return? So you wouldn’t be in the selection."

"No," Hazel shook her head. "My life was meant to be this way. Despite a lot of the troubles, I am happy with you. Why do you think I do not complain or beg to leave? There are a lot of things I would do differently. A lot of things I would focus on more and some less. I am happy, Tobias."

"You know how to make a man fall for you," Tobias said, falling in love with her more.

"Just think, if it changed to me being married before your return, you would have ended up with Linda or Helena. Wouldn’t that have been something?" Hazel chuckled.

Tobias frowned. "You also know how to spoil a moment. Here I was falling in love with you and now you placed a nightmare in my head. Take responsibility for filling me with such horrors."

"It gets funnier because I know Helena would say the same. We are all where we are meant to be and I want it to stay that way. Don’t pout," Hazel said, still laughing at his reaction.

Hazel placed her right hand in his hair to shake out all the snow he gathered. "Why are you staring at me so? Falling in love with me again as you claim?"

"Would you prefer this? For the two of us to live quietly like this. Far away from the palace. You can tend to a garden and read as much as you like. I would take care of you this way if you want," Tobias offered.

It was always the life that he sought to have. If Hazel wanted it now, he was more than happy to drop everything for her and do it.

He would still kill Grant and all his followers before he left. Tobias could not let go of the way Grant spoke of him and how he planned to take Hazel from her position.

"Don’t think of the kindgom," Tobias said before she could respond. It was always her answer that she didn’t want to take him from his duty. "Think of yourself for once."

"Unfortunately, I cannot. I can’t think of anyone who can replace you. Anyone who would want the best for the people so we must stay," Hazel answered.

She had witnessed the type of hands the kingdom could fall into if Tobias did not want to carry out his duty.

It wasn’t like Tobias could pass on his duty to Sofia. It would not be allowed and it would never happen if a king like Tobias was not present.

"You have become a good queen-"

"Become? Have I not always been one? My duties are limited but still, I’ve done what I could," Hazel said, piling up a handful of snow with the intention of throwing it at Tobias.

"You know I am not good with my words sometimes. I have always known that you would make a good queen. I was trying to compliment you. Do you really want to do that?" Tobias questioned, eyeing the snow in her hands.

"You’re dealing with a trained guard. I am no different from a commander," Tobias warned.

Hazel was not the slightest bit worried about the threat. "I’ve seen you fall when exiting the bathroom. You are not good on your feet so I think that I can take you."

Even with the dress that she wore now, Hazel still thought that she could beat him. She only needed to outstmart him.

"Rather than your earlier idea, can I walk around wearing your shirt and pants?" Hazel questioned, throwing the snow just as the shock showed on his face, and then made a quick dash to the front door.

"This is why queens should get to voice their opinions for war strategies!" Hazel yelled as she ran.

Tobias sat with show covering his face, watching as Hazel left him alone. "Ha," he smiled, picking up a handful of snow. "She’s going to regret that."