Stand By Me Darling

"Are you sick? Are you taking the medications properly?" Arthur asked drying his hair with a towel. They’ve been connected in the call for more than an hour and Talia is still in her bath. She isn’t saying much but didn’t want to end the call either. He took a shower with her watching and even then he could see her eyes were listless as if she was pondering something.

"I don’t know what I should do, Fred. What should I do if the elders are biased? I don’t want to be hated by Lambert. I even wonder if returning to Rosandale was a mistake." She sighed and told him about the rumour Cordelia talked about.

Arthur listened to his grievances patiently and after she finished, he chuckled. "Of course, Iris. Your title won’t tie you to Rosandale and after Louis you’d only go further down the line of succession. By then, your grants won’t be enough for you and your children won’t have anything to tie them to Rosandale other than an empty title and some measly grant. You might want to return to your homeland Esteria then. But if you’re given a Duchy, you’ll own a piece of land there, binding you to stay there. The same won’t be the case for Lambert. He doesn’t need a Duchy to tie him there, since it is his homeland.

Also I don’t think The Dowager is biased. She had two children. The grandson of her only son is currently on The Throne and she would want to give something substantial to the granddaughter of her only daughter. Don’t you think so?" his tone was serious as he gave a concerned smile.

"Well... If you look at it this way... it seems like she is not biased. But still, she only has three great grandchildren. How can she leave one out just because he’s the youngest?" Although she understood The Dowager’s perspective, Talia still felt bad for Lambert.

"Mmm.... You still don’t know everything and nothing is set in stone yet. So be optimistic. This might be a rumour after all." Arthur consoled her. He didn’t like the frown between her brows.

He was disturbed by this news too. If this happens, it would be hard for her to visit Esteria in the future. She’d need to manage the Ducal lands and will have responsibilities over the livelihood of the people there. Also, how can she do the duties of The Duchess of Trenton and The Marchioness of Ashwood? It would drain her.

That old lady is sneaky!

And as Iris worries, it might strain the relationship between Lambert and her. No one can be that saint-like to watch someone else given everything that should be shared with them.

"You’re right," Talia decided to not think about it for now.

"Our high school tenth year reunion is coming up. Want to attend?" Arthur asked. He wanted to change her mood.