Choosing Home

Chapter Eighteen

"I'm sorry Audrey but you're the one who called her a 'half breed'," Ben stated. "Also, we talked about the nicknames back when we were together. I didn't like them then and I don't like them now."

"Benny, unfortunately it's not going to matter how many times you tell her that. Humanoids like her lack the organ known as their brains to comprehend simple requests," Uma said, rolling her eyes.

"Bennybear! Are you seriously going to let her talk about me like that?!" Audrey exclaimed. "I am a Princess! Well I should have been more than that but you saw ft to throw away our contract!"

Ben sighed. "I didn't 'throw it away' Audrey. If you remember, I did try to talk about the fact that I wanted out of it with you calmly and in private but you were the one who brushed it off as 'my nerves before the Tourney game' and didn't take it seriously."

"Why would I take it seriously Bennyboo? You never indicated that you wanted to break up before then!" Audrey cried. "In fact you were so happy with me until she came and ruined everything!"

"Audrey, think about it. Do you call me having to constantly ask you not to call me a nickname 'happy'? Do you call me arguing with you when you insulted my best friends 'happy'? Can you truly say I was happy in our relationship? And even if I had never said anything before, the fact that I was saying it then should have logically let you know we had our issues. Blame Mal all you want but she was just the final straw."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Honestly Bennyboo, I never insulted your best friends. Calling them by their lot in life isn't an insult, it's a fact. They are half royals and honestly you could do so much better as the King. And what's wrong with my nicknames for you? Grammy always said they were cute! But all the years with that teacup and the half royals spent poisoning you against Grammy and me wore you down huh? Otherwise, why would you break up with me?"

"Audrey, I am a half royal. If you take offense with Emir and Akiho's bloodline, then you take offense with mine," Ben said, his voice growing hard as Mal gently squeezed his hand in comfort.

"But...you were the Crown Prince Bennyboo and now you're the King! You don't get more royal than you!"

"My mother was a commoner before she became Queen. Just as Emir and Akiho's dads did. I have as much 'royal blood' as they do. You were always quick to comment on that fact but always wanted to ignore my bloodline. It's clear to me that what they said was true. You only wanted my title—not me."

Mal squeezed his hand once more. She knew she should probably stop him, with the way Audrey was sting nothing would get through to her. But...how long had Been bottled these things up? And honestly, when would he be in enough of an emotional state to say them again? He needed this.

Ben sighed and looked at Audrey. "I tried. Honestly Audrey I tried to stick out our contract because I considered it a promise made by our parents in our names. But honestly? The 'relationship' was one hundred percent about you. Our 'dates' were shopping dates where I was your glorified pack mule—even after I got a concussion in Tourney. You complained about barely being able to see me when we were a month away from the coronation. I don't think either of us was happy in that relationship. You were one of my best friends Audrey and for the sake of that, I really did try but our relationship was doomed from the start."

He shook his head slightly and straightened his back, his emotional walls coming back up as he slipped back into his role as King. "But now is not the time to talk about that. Now we need to talk about your crimes, both against the Kingdom of Auradon and against Uma, Mal and myself. Do you understand what you're being charged with or do I need to go through it?"