The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 141: False Ally (4)

"You look stressed. Is it the party?"

Tabitha looked up from her work, surprised to see Tobias visiting her. She was delighted to see him, but then remembering why he only visited her these days, her excitement went away. "What do you need to ask for Hazel now?"

What else had Hazel complained about? Weren’t her demands to Jeffrey enough?

"You wound me, mother. I am not here about Hazel. I came because I heard you were lost in work, over preparing for a garden party," Tobias replied.

"Garden parties require a lot of work. I have to look over the fine details to make sure the party goes well. It will be the first palace event with Hazel engaged to you. It must go without a single flaw," Tabitha said, getting back to her work.

She wasn’t interested in speaking of Hazel with Tobias when there was much to do. The garden party was only a few days away.

Tobias entered the room, closing the door behind him. He was angry with himself for not paying much attention to his mother since Hazel came into the palace. Her feelings toward Hazel were quite obvious, but somehow, he had not noticed before yesterday just how bad those feelings were.

"What is it that you want, Tobias? You are not here for a simple talk with me. Hazel has received what was taken from her room and the maid was punished for doing it without the head maid’s order," said Tabitha.

"I recently came to you to speak about Hazel, but that is not why I am here. I love the woman, but-"

"You what?" Tabitha questioned, stunned by the confession. He loved her already.

"Love her. Is there a palace rule that I cannot speak of what I feel for her?" Tobias asked jokingly. "I am marrying her. Certainly, it must have crossed your mind that I love her."

It most definitely had not come to mind that Tobias loved Hazel. From the very beginning, his interest in Hazel seemed like a joke. Like he was settling because she was the only one he knew well or he was doing this to annoy her for making him take part in the selection.

Nothing between the two had given Tabitha the thought that Hazel and Tobias were already falling in love. Tabitha would have bet on Hazel to be the one claiming to be in love first.

Tabitha smiled. "There isn’t a rule that says you cannot speak of loving her. It is good to hear that your relationship has already developed to that point. It means we will be going through with the wedding."

Tobias stared at his mother, trying to place why she would be like this. What could cause his sweet mother to be so against Hazel?

Tobias understood her recent issues with him as he had a duty to fulfil to the kingdom and there was no one to replace him, but what was her issue with Hazel?

Hazel was well-behaved from what Tobias saw. The perfect woman to become queen as she wasn’t interested in the throne for the power. While most women wanted the seat of queen for the title, he knew that wasn’t the case for Hazel as she would have left the selection if she could.

His mother spoke negatively of his choice of women in the past and Hazel was quite a change from his relationships so he imagined outside of him taking control of the selection, she would love Hazel. That the selection was in the past and they would move forward as a family.

Growing up, he was used to the kind side of his mother, but now he questioned what others were faced with when meeting his mother.

He was blinded by dreams and could not see the reality.

The first clue that something was wrong with his mother should have been her quick interest in Helena.

"I am patiently waiting for her to be named my wife. Then one day the mother of my children. Your grandchildren. You spoke of wanting to have grandchildren many times in the past so much that it bothered me. Now you have Hazel to bring those children to you," Tobias said, taking a seat opposite Tabitha.

"I do,’ Tabitha agreed, looking up from her papers to Tobias. "It is good to hear that you are preparing yourself to become a father. We need many princes for the future of the kingdom."

"I wouldn’t mind a princess though all of you will pressure us for many princes. Thinking of you becoming a grandmother, it’s a shame that my grandmother isn’t around to see me getting married or having children after. I think of how little time we spent with her before her death. Why was that?" Tobias asked.

Tabitha wasn’t in the mood to speak of her deceased mother-in-law. The woman was long gone and she enjoyed not having to speak of her. "You could have visited her whenever you wanted," she answered.

"But you wouldn’t come with us so we couldn’t go see her. There was tension between the two of you so I couldn’t see her as much as I wanted," said Tobias.

"Are you blaming me for not seeing her? I had the maids ready to take you whenever you wanted to see her. I made great efforts for her to be around her grandchildren. It is not my fault she grew distant and remained hidden away in her side of the palace. You were too young to know that it was uncomfortable for me to sometimes sit near her," Tabitha confessed.

Tabitha was scolded at every turn for something she might have failed to do as queen. Tabitha didn’t need any advice from a former queen at that point. She was not the young lady in the selection needing to be trained.

"I was aware of it and knowing that you get along with Hazel for my children to see their grandmother often feels like we fixed a mistake of the past. Hazel wouldn’t mind paying you a visit and likewise. You don’t have to fear not seeing your grandchildren if you keep this up," Tobias said, smiling.

Tabitha was shaken up by the sudden thought of not getting to see her grandchildren in the future. She was not on good terms with Hazel so she should never look forward to Hazel bringing the children to her.

Tabitha only now realised that with Jeffrey wanting them to reside out of the palace, she would have to depend on Hazel or Tobias to see the children.

"Where is the maid that took Hazel’s necklace?"

Tobias’s question brought Tabitha out of thinking about the cold future. "She is working somewhere in the palace. Why?"

"That doesn’t sound like she was punished. Send her to me," Tobias said, wanting to see the face of the maid. He knew those who followed his mother the most after years of having to sneak around them to get out of the palace without his parents knowing.

"There is no need for her to be punished any more-"

"She didn’t receive a punishment that satisfies me seeing as she is already back to work," Tobias interjected. The matter was brushed over quickly as his mother failed to give an answer to why the maid went into Hazel’s things without permission.

"I will have her hands lashed five times. She had no right to go ahead taking Hazel’s things. Is that enough to calm your anger?" Tabitha asked, hoping it was enough. Should there be a greater punishment the maid just might reveal there was in fact an order.

"Of course. It is good to send a message to anyone treating Hazel as if she is not going to be my wife. I am still set on killing the men who brought up the idea of testing her," Tobias confessed. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"That is not funny," Tabitha said, put off by his confession. He could not go around killing anyone. Did he want to be labelled a mad prince and have the kingdom think he was abusing his power?

"It is not a joke. I said I love her. I’m quite ready to kill anyone messing with Hazel. I don’t welcome anyone to test what I might do to anyone hurting her. Hanging, cutting off their head, a finger, or pulling their teeth out one by one. I am open to doing it all should anyone hurt her. My apologies," Tobias apologised for mentioning the cruel methods.

"You aren’t aware of how we torture people in the dungeon," he added.

Tabitha was sick to her stomach as flashes of someone being tortured those ways filled her mind. A cold chill came over her as the person was her. She quickly calmed herself as she knew that would never happen to her.

Her fights with Hazel were small and Tobias loved her more than he loved Hazel to torture her.

Tobias enjoyed the silence in the room. "I won’t keep you from planning the party. I wish I could say I am looking forward to it, but it is something I am not invited to and Hazel will be away. I hope that no accidents involving Hazel happen then. I won’t be so kind even if the person is a woman."

"You are not to get involved in the drama of women. Men are to stay out of it," Tabitha warned.

Women didn’t get into men’s business so men should do the same.

"I am not like other men who don’t care what happens to their woman. Should anyone hurt Hazel, I will always be there to deal with them. Keep that in mind," Tobias said as he stood up. "I shall see you again at dinner, mother."

Tabitha sensed something was missing. There was a reason for Tobias’s visit that she couldn’t understand yet. "What is he up to?"