The Crown Formality

Chapter Nine: And the Truth Comes Out

Benedict had been separated from Edith when a flurry of women clad in extravagant dresses whisked her away from his arm. He was not happy with that. At all. However, his friend Henry had appeared then, whistling suggestively at his friend's despondent face. Casting one last look in Edith's direction, he decided some time with his best friend would ease his tension. They walked together to the courtyard of the castle with drinks in hand, casually commenting on various parts of the party. Once the two had found their place of solace, the juicy bits of gossip tumbled out of their mouths like elementary school girls. 

"Have you confessed yet?"

"No."

"Okay."

And they ventured out once more into the open. The place was strewn with yellow and blue ribbons among the trees, lanterns inspired by the movie Tangled, and a giant pinata of a blue whale stood as the centerpiece. Apparently, the Sumpter daughter loved blue whales. The party didn't seem very coordinated at all, but he didn't mind. It was obvious that the parents had given their daughter free reign on her party, bestowing upon her an unlimited amount of cash. Benedict had met the little girl and liked her immediately. She was weird, but definitely not snobby. Twirling her purple fuzzy wand in her hand, she 'knighted' the Prince and allowed him to serve her forever. If he wanted to, of course. Afterwards, he had a short word with her parents.

"She's a good kid," he commented as they watched her weave among the guests with several children boisterously chasing after her. "How'd you do it?"

Lady Sumpter glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She was not exactly beautiful compared to some of the other ladies of Antis, but she was cute, and definitely kind-hearted. Her black hair was curled and tossed over the side, revealing a love bite that was almost concealed with makeup. He tried not to stare at it and think of Edith. He looked across the floor in search of his wife before returning his attention to the couple. Lady Sumpter was a woman of few words, and after deciding which word to use, she shrugged at him and said, "Love."

Lord Sumpter, on the other hand, was a burly, loudmouthed brunette who resembled more of a pirate than a lord. His hand was clasped possessively over his wife's the entire time, which seemed to please her immensely. He had this thing about eye contact and continuously maintained it the entire conversation. To be honest, it unnerved Benedict. Lord Sumpter smiled, revealing a missing tooth. "So how are you and the Princess doin'? Any signs of kicking yet?"

"...excuse me?"

"Children, sir," Lady Sumpter responded, sweeping her gaze over Edith's trim figure. "Is she bearing a child?"

His mouth went dry. "Oh no no no no. We don't want to rush it."

"Aye," Lord Sumpter agreed before winking at his wife, "neither did we, and we ended up with little Terra."

His wife sharply elbowed him and turned the conversation from...lewder topics. "We have not seen either of you often in other social gatherings."

"Ah, yes. Now that I'm no longer forced by my mother to attend, I spend more time at home. Thank God."

Both nodded in agreement, but Benedict had a feeling that their reasons for staying at home were different than his. He nodded his goodbye and glanced at the clock. He tugged on a butler readjusting some of the platters on the table and handed him a note. "Would you get a white rose and give it to my wife in half an hour?"

 He needed some time to practice. When the old man nodded, he speedwalked to the maze.

***

Edith was bored. Her husband, the main attraction to her wandering eyes, had disappeared half an hour ago and she didn't know where to search for him. She was trapped by a hoard of flitting women that pestered her with trivial questions about her husband. Such questions had absolutely shocked her, but the Queen said it had happened before and it would happen again. 'Thrown wreckers' are what she called them. Pursing her lips when a particularly inappropriate question arose, she simply nodded her head, unaware of what exactly entailed some of the terms the women used. Judging by their excited squeals and swooning, she had chosen the right response. 

"Princess, this is a note from your husband," one of the staff, an elderly man with gray hair peppered with white, handed her a single white rose and a folded piece of paper. Edith smiled gratefully at him--he was her savior! Before she unfolded the note in front of the unimpressed and nosy women, she realized that they would lean over her shoulder to see what message Benedict had written her. No way she would allow that to happen. Nodding her head politely (nobility never bowed to lower ranking ones unless they bowed first), she excused herself to a more secluded part of the mansion. The parlor was filled with grandmothers on the sofa facing the fire place cooing over photos of the birthday girl . Edith sat on one of the chairs overlooking the garden on the north wing, casting a furtive look over her shoulder before unfolding the note.

Meet me in the middle of the Sumpter maze. I have something to tell you. 

Her hands trembled slightly and she pained herself to keep even breaths. How could she assume it were a love note? How could she be that naive to assume that he had developed feelings for her? Smoothing down a stray curl, she tucked the note into her purse and scurried out of the parlor. Down the steps and into the darkness, she stumbled through the maze until she reached the center, and by then she was near tears.

Benedict had his back to her with his arms folded behind him, face taut with nervousness. Edith prayed a simple prayer to God that whatever she would say would break her heart more than his. 

He turned around and smiled, taking one hesitant step toward her. "Edith."

When he saw her distressed face, however, he drew back. "Edith? What's the matter?"

She looked up at him and sniffled. He gathered her together in his arms and rubbed her upper back in large, soothing circles. He instantly put aside his nervousness and concerned himself only with her welfare. His anger seethed at the thought of the other women who had taken her filling her mind with thoughts of doubt. His mother had warned him about 'throne wreckers', but the women were dressed indecently! How was he supposed to know that they were such?  She gripped his suit coat tightly and let out a choked sob. "I-I need to tell you something."

The garden was still, as if holding its breath until the truth had come out. After a long pause, he sucked in his breath, praying to God that what he would say wouldn't place a strain on their friendship.

"Same," he replied with a forced chuckle, releasing her from his grip to look down at her. Her face held no signs of confusion then. She trusted him. Six months had passed since their wedding day and all she had ever done was aid him in his repair. Now that he had healed, if only partly, he saw the potential love he could have for her. Benedict knew it would take years to love her as much as he loved Adella, but he trusted Edith more than the other woman, and for that, he was willing to give her a chance. He had to show her. It was either now or never. Her eyebrows scrunched together as his lips tentatively gravitated towards hers. Speech be gone, he knew this would be enough to show how he felt.

Her eyelids fluttered shut and she leaned into him.

He closed his eyes, pressing his palm against her lower back. A smile began to form on his ever-edging-closer lips.

And just about as he was going to kiss her, Edith's grip on his arm tightened and she breathed, "I know where Adella is."