The Crown Formality

Chapter Two: Christmas

The next morning, I lay in my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Is this my fate, God?" I asked, pulling up the fluffy comforter closer to my face. It hurt to blink with all the crying I had done the night before. I was glad my room was on the first floor since I was far enough from Benedict that he couldn't hear me even if I screamed. At least I hope thats alright.

Light filtered through the thin drapes adorning the bay windows on the left side of my room. Just outside, a few horses nibbled contentedly on the grass in their enclosure and birds flew in the pink-hued sky. Dawn had arrived. I rolled onto my stomach and groaned, pushing myself up on my hands and sitting up. I was now the Crown Princess. Even if it was only professionally. I rolled my shoulders and got out of bed, tiptoeing to the restroom. The staff weren't expected to arrive until after the reception and for that I was somewhat glad. Gossip was one thing the Royal Family could not tolerate. If word got out that I was sleeping in my own room, the Royal Family and even my own family would be shamed. Atlisians were a family-oriented kind of country.

After my shower, I got dressed into some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and a riding jacket; those horses were simply too tempting. Besides, I could go out for some fresh air. My hair had gone back to its wavy form after my bath, but I tied it up into a high ponytail in preparation of my ride. I was sure that Benedict would still be sleeping, so after preparing a kettle of hot water for his morning tea and eating some bread with jam, I made my trek to the barn.

The chilly air stung my eyes but I didn't mind. I loved the winter. The horses seemed ecstatic to see a human being and I felt bad for not bringing treats. One particular seemed desperate to get out, so I decided to take him out to ride. On his bridle in delicate stitching was the name, "Baewolff". He certainly seemed to live up to his name. He had a large build and was obviously a work horse, his black pelt dotted with a few scars from what was probably a cart's doing. He was kind though, and after a few minutes of struggling to climb on, we were off. I followed a trail that rounded through the forest. Baewolff was a natural, dodging trees and jumping ledges, rocks, and logs. After an hour, we returned to the house and I gave him some water. I wanted to return with some treats for the horses and ambled back to the house for some apples. The scent of something delicious wafted through my nose. Maybe Ben was feeling better and made a hearty breakfast for the two of us! My heart swooned and I dashed the rest of the way to the house.

"Good morning, darling," Benedict called from the dining table. I blushed at his greeting. Then I realized whose presence I was in. The King and Queen sat at the table, along with the other seven of their light haired children. I curtsied awkwardly.

"Good morning, Your Majesties."

Ben's mother, Queen Belinda, beamed at me. "I see you're out and about early in the morning. Good for you, Edith."

She motioned to the seat next to her and I settled down easily. Even though I wasn't particularly close to them, we were amiable enough to enjoy each other's company.

"We brought presents," his father, King Harrison, added. "I hope we weren't disturbing anything."

"Not at all, my Liege," I replied, shooting a quick glance at Benedict. He didn't react at all.

"Course we aren't disturbing, Dad! It's Christmas!" one of the younger children declared excitedly. A pang shot through my heart. I forgot today was Christmas. What was I going to do about the presents?! The only ones who knew about the switch marriage were my parents and Ben's parents. He didn't want his siblings to see the tragedy of love gone wrong. Even Bryce, the next eldest son who was only two years younger than him. My husband wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled.

"Luckily, Edith and I went shopping a little before Christmas so there are presents under the tree. Sorry to ruin the surprise."

The last sentence was directed toward me, and I nodded, rising with the rest of the family and heading to the den. It seemed picturesque seeing him laugh and enjoy himself with the ones he loved. And then there was me, the outsider. I didn't mean to say they excluded me on purpose. It just...happened. Eventually they left before evening came, although they promised to return to pick us up for the reception. He slipped his arm on my shoulders loosely as we waved goodbye on the front porch, but once they were out of sight, he returned to his normal stoic self.

"What's the matter with you," I muttered to myself as I followed him inside. He tossed me a terribly wrapped parcel with bits of tape everywhere and bits of the present showing. I rolled my eyes, plopping down on the seat opposite him. "What is it?"

"A present," he admitted bluntly, leaning his face on his hand. He looked so cute! I blushed, but he probably thought it was from my dumb moment. I tore away at the wrapping and my jaw dropped. He bought me...a sweater. And an ugly sweater, at that. It was thick and had llamas prancing about in a field filled with what looked like the Canadian maple leaf and weed. I blinked a few times.

He leaned forward excitedly. "Do you like it?"

"It's...beautiful," I replied, trying to cover up my discomfort. He pulled out his phone and beamed at me. That was probably his first genuine smile since Adella ran--no, I couldn't think of her now. Not yet. He nodded to me in encouragement. "C'mon then."

I unwillingly peeled off my riding jacket and shrugged on the massive sweater. I could feel the itchiness. He knelt down and angled the camera towards me. "Smile, Edith."

I tried to smile, but the sweater was just so awful. But I don't have the heart to tell him. Suddenly, he dropped his smile and asked with all seriousness, "Do you really like it?"

Say no. Say no. Say no.

"Yes," I replied, biting my lip afterward. He shrugged, pressing send. My eyes opened widely in horror. "Who did you send it to?"

He smirked at me, lying down on the couch. "Henry."

I growled and pounced on him, punching him and screaming, "You big fattie how dare you! This sweater sucks! You hear me?! Su--huh?"

Benedict was shaking with laughter. I frowned, tugging on his hair aggressively. "...this is a joke, wasn't it?"

"No," he replied sarcastically, a coy smile on his lips. I fought back my own smile as I looked down at him. His grey-brown eyes had life in them, at least for now, and they glistened with tears. He tugged on the sweater and murmured, "You might want to take this off."

"Why?"

He pursed his lips and chortled. "I found it in the stables near the poop."

My eyes widened in horror and I peeled it off quickly, holding it with my bare fingertips. I glared at him and smothered the sweater in his face. "Edith no no no n--UHMPH!"

I laughed in triumph, rolling off of him to give him space. He threw the sweater all the way across the room and glared at me, but there was no malice in it. I shrugged innocently at him and we lay on the floor in comfortable silence.

"I missed this," I remarked after a few minutes.

"Hm? Yeah. Me too. When was the last time we spent time together like this? It's been years!"

"Liar," I scoffed. I knew it was true. I had tried to get over him when Adella claimed him as her own, meeting him only in certain functions and short visits whenever I was in the Capitol. My only excuse was that I was quite interested in a sport, or a culture, or a law, or something that took up all the time I had freely given to him whenever he asked. I sucked. I know.

"It's kind of weird," he said, stretching one of his knees out. He had injured it when he fell off a rogue horse when he was twelve. "It has been years, and yet we're acting the same as we did before."

"Good thing or bad thing?" I asked tentatively. He smiled. "Definitely a good thing."