***
"Flower, why are you sitting so far away today?" I asked my wife who was sitting five seats away from where she usually sat, further away from me. I very well knew why she was sitting so far but still, I was enjoying her adorable little tantrum.
"Why do you think?" She grumbled, shoving another piece of the pancake into her mouth and I chuckled, sipping on my goblet of wine while keeping my steel gaze on her.
"Are you still angry about your mother?" I asked, succeeding in finally catching her gaze as she snapped her head up to look at me, eyes narrowed into a foul glare.
"I am angry at you for keeping me from her. Her health is deteriorating by the hour and you are not letting me, her daughter, visit her and for what reason? Because you are afraid I will catch her illness. Could you not have thought of a better excuse!?" She growled, pushing her plate away and finishing the speech with a frustrated huff.
"Don't raise your voice at me, flower," I said, calmly.
"Let me go see my mother," Her question was no longer a question but now a statement, a statement promising me that she will do whatever it takes to go see her mother, unafraid of the consequences that her actions will bear.
"How many times are you going to keep asking me that until you finally give up?" I gulped down the rest of the contents in the goblet and waved a slave over with my finger as she refilled it.
"Until you let me go see her," She didn't hesitate with her reply.
"Then I guess this little debacle will carry on for quite some time," I hummed.
"Stacius, what are you so afraid of? I now understand the situation at the market and that was my fault for not listening to you and I've learnt my lesson-"
"Have you now?" I cut her off, biting into my own meal.
"Yes. I have," She frowned. "But this situation in itself is completely different from that one. Last time I was surrounded by people whom I had never met before but this time it will only be family, I'll be safe with them if that is what you are worried about,"
"Your safety is only part of what I am worried about, flower," I honestly said, giving up on my food and going back to the wine.
"Then tell me what it is that you are worried about. I am not a trophy in your life, I am your wife whom you should be able to talk to about anything and that includes all your problems. What am I supposed to think of you if all you ever do is keep me locked away without telling me why?" I sighed, massaging my temples.
I heard the sound of her pushing away from the table and then the sound of her light footsteps making their way towards me until eventually, I saw her standing by my side from the corner of my eye and released another quiet breath.
I too pushed away from the table, leaving a big enough gap for her and she took the chance to sit down on my thighs, loosely wrapping her arms around my shoulders and peering up at my face as my arm crept around her waist.
My free hand moved away from the table to rest on her cheek and my thumb stroked back and forth, pushing the hair away from her line of vision until I eventually leaned in to press my lips against her forehead.
"I will not trouble you with the problems of this Empire... All you need to know is that the world outside the palace is not the same world you once lived in, I have enemies all around me and I don't know where they will come from at what time. If you are not with me at that time then there is a chance I will lose you and I will not risk that,"
All of what I just said was true. Other than the fact that it may or may not have been said in a way that made it sound a little bit more dramatic than it actually was...
"I am confident that there will be no enemies of yours in that household. And if you are still afraid of your enemies hurting me then just let me take some more guards,"
"No, Ria," I shook my head and she frowned.
"Then what? Am I supposed to just idly sit here while my mother is suffering?"
"You have Evan to keep your mind off of her," I unhelpfully said.
"No, just as you are worried about me, I am worried for her. That woman is my mother, the same person that raised me and allowed me to get married to you!" She slapped my chest and I narrowed my eyes at her, moving my hand away from her cheek to hold her said hand.
"Enough is enough... Ria, I have already said no and there will be no changing my mind... What do you want me to do? Tell your mother to come here if she so badly wants to see you?"
"How can you even think of telling an ill woman to travel miles to see her completely healthy daughter when the daughter is more than capable enough of going herself!?"
"I'll take that as a no,"
"Stacius-"
"Ria, my no means no!" She jumped at the sudden booming of my voice and her eyes met mine, trying to find a hint of a lie but failed. We had a long glaring competition, one that I easily won without a second thought.
She looked away, glaring at my chest before pushing against my hand that kept her in place in an attempt to get off my lap.
"Where do you think you are going?" I asked, tightening my hold on her waist.
"Away from you," She bluntly replied, not meeting my gaze.
"Why?" I asked, pulling her closer to me and she almost fell, her hands quickly moving to hold onto the fabric of my clothes. Then, she finally met my gaze, raising her head defiantly and I smirked at the beautiful sight.
"Because I am angry with you. Now... Let me... Go," She continued to struggle against me, wiggling on my lap and kicking her legs as I easily held both her hands with one of mine while my other hand stayed around her waist.
"Stacius, I want to go," She growled, temporarily pausing in her little fuss to look up at me. I looked down at her, the smirk long gone and replaced by an emotionless mask that did well to hide the excitement that I was truly feeling at this moment.
I cannot wait to teach her a lesson again.
"Then go, flower," I whispered, loosening my grip and she quickly jumped out of my arms, turning her head to spare me a glare before flicking her head back around and leaving the room to most likely go to our child.
I continued to sit there, unmoving for a little while. Until I picked up my goblet of wine and continued sipping on it every few minutes, thinking up a good enough scheme that will put an end to her defiant behaviour once and for all.
I found Ria attractive, all of her, and that included her defiant, fiery nature that always thrilled me but in the long term it may begin to get out of hand if I let her have everything she wants.
So, in that aspect, it was finally time for me to get rid of that part of her.
Because this is something that needs to be done.
...