Her overdone laughter caused my ears to ring. I watched as the serving staff flinched at the sound before resuming their activities. Her golden blond curls piled on top of her head with a piece of twine, apparently handcrafted by the natives in the rural, unmarked area her family found home in. Her eyes were hard to ignore, which seemed to glow with energy. Although I had lost interest long ago, she seemed to be recounting the time she hunted her first game. Perhaps it was her eccentrics that I could not find agreeable. I mustered a smile in her direction, although my eyes were trained on Ash's amused expressions. I told myself I wouldn't be one of those wives, the kind who turns green at a sight such as the one in front of me. After all, I'm secure. We're secure.
Yet that pang hit deep every time they shared a laugh.
I tried my best to digest the jealousy with the food placed before us.
Adele, who flanked my right side, nudged me under the table. I turned to face her as she leaned in to whisper.
"You're awfully quiet."
I shrugged, "Well, someone here is holding the entire conversation by herself, so I suppose there's no need for another voice here."
She let out a muffled laugh, "Envy doesn't suit you."
I shot her a look, prompting her to purse her lips.
I had just noticed the silence that fell upon the table. She made eye contact with me.
"So Evelyn, how have you been faring? Who would have thought that you would be Queen one day!" She gushed.
I gave her a polite nod, "I've been well! The adjustment period wasn't easy in all honesty—"
She clicked her tongue, " Of course not! You've had to go through a lot! I mean, first and foremost, you had to get betrothed to this specimen," she playfully patted Ash's back, "And with all the trouble he used to get into when we—Oh, Ash, I almost forgot! Mother packed me this root juice that works wonders for healing, so I hope you'll find it useful!"
As she went off on her tirade again, I clenched my spoon and swirled it around in the soup bowl. Regardless of whether she was close to the Crown or not, it is unacceptable to interrupt the Queen. I wasn't going to stoop as low as to correct her in front of everyone, who didn't seem to mind. It didn't bother me too much anyway. Referring to Ash as a "specimen", however, rubbed me the wrong way. I braved through lunch. Relief filled my senses as Aunt Claire declared that she was going to retire for the day so she could take her afternoon nap. I hadn't realized how much she aged over the years. However, her leave meant that I would no longer feel obligated to host our guest. Adele let me off the hook as I dismissed myself under the bluff of having to proof a few accounts.
"But Evelyn!" Elena called, "I still have so many more stories to tell about living on the rural front! Do join us."
I smiled, "I would love to, but there will be evening festivities for that. Our friends will be joining us for dinner as well, so please do reserve some to share then! But for now, I must be productive."
She snorted, "You're still the same as ever."
I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"You were always the overachiever. She was at a completely different level than us, was she not, Ash?"
I had to suppress my exasperation. She was just as much of an overachiever as I was; we were each other's main competition in class. Ash, however, certainly was not on the same level. I didn't understand her need to connect herself with him.
Or perhaps I was being too possessive.
He laughed, "Well, Ev is good at everything."
The admiration in his tone made me smile.
"Actually, Ash, you haven't had a chance to catch up on the accounts yet, have you? I can summarize them for you today." I suggested.
Before he could protest, Adele intercepted, "That's a wonderful idea! Elena, you haven't seen the gardens in a while, have you? I think all the new plants we've imported will intrigue you! Would you like to take a look?"
Before she could protest, Adele dragged her away.
Ash looked at me inquisitively, "What was that about?"
I shrugged and kept walking. He had no choice but to follow. Once we were in the record keeping room, I wordlessly took out a file from the stack and leafed through it. He cleared his throat.
I looked up, "Would you like to hear about last month's tax collection or—"
He leaned against the table and shook his head, "Evelyn. Those papers are from three years ago."
I winced when I noticed the stamped date. I had no idea how to navigate the organizational structure of this room—that was Aunt Claire's specialty. I merely knew how to read and correct the ones she passed to me on occasions. He slipped behind a shelf and returned with a different pile of papers, which he gently placed on the desk in front of me. I mumbled a thank you before flipping through them. He studied my expressions. After a few minutes of reading, he reached out for my hand, grabbing my attention.
"Ev... are you jealous?" He mused.
I scrunched my nose, "Why would you think that?"
He chuckled, "It's a little obvious."
I trained my eyes on the paper before me, although I knew his were on me. I couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. A few moments of silence passed before he cleared his throat.
"Have you noticed any errors?" He asked.
I twisted my mouth, "Not yet."
He took the folder into his own hands. I watched his eyes dart from side to side as he scanned the calculations. It only took him a few minutes to reach the end. He placed it back on the table.
"A few farmers seemed to have skimped on the taxes last month, but I suppose the harvest hasn't gone too well this season either," he shrugged, "We can let it slide."
I watched in awe, "How did you do that?"
He quirked an eyebrow at me, "Do what?"
I shook my head, "It seems you've been hiding a lot of talents from me."
He smirked, "Well, they just haven't had the opportunity to present themselves."
I didn't want him to elaborate on the opportunities.
I returned the file to its original place and turned back to face Ash, who was looking at me expectantly.
"I do not want to go back out there." I mumbled.
He ran his fingers through my hair, "Why?"
I rolled my eyes, "There's something about her that I just don't like! And it's not just now, I've never been fond of her."
He let out a low chuckle, "And you claim it's not jealousy."
"It's not!" I snapped.
Maybe a little.
This only made him laugh harder.
"Of course, it's not jealousy." He leaned in so close that I could feel his breath, "Regardless, I'm fine staying in here until we're summoned."
My senses were intoxicated by the proximity – or lack there of. I didn't give him the chance to make the first move. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. I wondered if he could hear my heart beat as it echoed in my ears. I ran my fingers through his hair, relishing the desire that burst through me.
A knock resounded throughout the large study, causing us to part immediately. We were breathless and I was undoubtedly red.
Ash let out an angry groan, "Always the worst timing."
Adele opened the door moments later and a smug expression dawned on her face. I knew she was never going to let me hear the end of it.
"I see you two have been busy proofing the records." She giggled.
"Who gave you permission to come in?" Ash retorted.
She stuck her tongue out at Ash, "I'm the princess. I don't need permission." She turned to face me, "Sky's here!"
I smiled. Now, things were getting interesting.
I watched as Sky twiddled his fingers under the table. He always grew so nervous around Elena! Ash and I shared a knowing look. There are benefits to sharing the same best friend, and this is one of them. Sky had not one, but two wingmen at his disposal.
"S-so Elena, do you cultivate your own land out there?" He stuttered.
Elena's lifestyle was so bizarre to us. Her and her family lived independent lives, sustaining themselves with the resources that nature presented and their own skills. One could say that it was almost admirable, but I found that their isolationist habits did not benefit the kingdom in any way. However, they weren't hurting it in any way either.
I just wondered what made them want to settle so far away when Sedalia offered them a nice life within it's boundaries.
Elena was still in deep discussion with Sky about their independent lifestyle when we were summoned for dinner.
"Sky, you are always welcome to visit if you'd like!" She ended the conversation.
Sky's eyes lit up at the idea, "I would love to!"
I playfully nudged him as we trailed behind the crowd, "Someone is doing well for himself."
He shushed me before asking, "You really think so?"
I nodded, "She even gave you an invitation, why wouldn't she be interested?"
He scoffed, "I'm sure she would've offered that to any one of us."
Well, he wasn't wrong because Elena extended the same invitation to everyone over dinner.
Now was my chance to ask her, "Elena, what about living in no mans' land does your family find more appealing than our own kingdom?"
She put her fork down before looking up at me. She let out a loud laugh.
"Do you really not know?"
I tried to hide my exasperation, "No, that was an honest question."
She laughed some more before getting a hold of herself, eliciting confused responses from all of us.
"Since we're going to be honest," she looked at Aunt Claire, "No offense will be taken, correct?"
"None at all, dear." The Queen Mother reassured her.
She nodded, "Well, to put it simply, even we can live like kings outside of the kingdom."
I gave her a confused look, "What does that mean?"
She shrugged, "My family has never had any direct ties to the Crown. We were just normal citizens, Evelyn. Even though we had Claire helping us, of no blood relation to her, out of the kindness of her heart, life was still a struggle. I rarely got to have nice things; you know how poorly cartography is received in this area. Without adequate payment, we could never afford the nice food that's on this table now. But out there, my family grows all this all on our own! The seeds were cheap to buy and well, the land is there so we didn't have to invest much."
"But Sedalia offers subsidized plots of land to farmers, so—"
"My parents aren't farmers, and even the farmers have to give up a majority of their crop to the public in return for getting the land at a subsidized rate."
I grew frustrated, "But that's how the public is fed! It's an organized system. If we still wanted communal living, we would revert to the time of our ancestors."
She wryly smiled, "Evelyn, I understand your concern, but it's easy to criticize my viewpoint when you sleep on dawn pillows every night, while the village folk sleep on straw. It's their taxes that give you these luxuries, while they're left at their rungs. Don't you see anything wrong with that?"
I was at a loss for words. I prided myself in the fact that I connected with the commoners, but overlooked the fact that I myself had never shared the same experiences as the average Sedalian.
"But those taxes also go into developing communal areas, bolstering trade, compensating laborers, providing necessities for the very needy, and much more! It's not as if we're squandering the kingdom's wealth." Ash defended.
"Perhaps recently. Your family is a good one, Ash, but my family cannot say the same about those who came before you. Change is hard to come by, but I'm glad to see that the citizens seem to support you. You owe it all to your grandfather, and your father who came after him."
Aunt Claire spoke up, "Elena, this is the way that the world has worked for centuries. Sometimes a pig sits on the throne, sometimes a lion. But humanity will only progress with unity."
Elena shrugged, "My family is progressing well on its own."
Her backhanded comment was left hanging so that the conversation did not escalate towards a bitter end. Adele, always the mood maker, changed the topic to a lighter one.
However, that uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach never left throughout the meal.