The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 51: Gift (1)

"Then I will stay here with you," Linda declared, sitting on Hazel’s bed. freewёbnoνel.com

"You cannot stay here, Linda. You need to go with the others. You are already late and it won’t make me happy to know you also got in trouble. Go and have fun," Hazel said, trying to lift Linda from her bed. "You are ruining my time looking out at the palace garden. I could be watching the lanterns be lit but here I am with you."

"I don’t mind getting in trouble for staying here with you. I could say that I am sick," Linda suggested.

"The queen is no fool to think that you are suddenly sick. I promise you that I am fine being alone tonight. It would make me feel better if you were to go, enjoy yourself, and then tell me what happened when you return," Hazel said, still struggling to lift Linda. "Have you been training with your brothers again?"

"I wouldn’t call it training. They torture me into knowing how to defend myself like they aren’t always behind me. Be honest with me. Do you want me gone because the prince is coming here? Ow," Linda whined, touching the aching spot on her arm where Hazel pinched her.

"That is not funny. The prince will not be coming here. He doesn’t know which room belongs to me and I want it to stay that way. I expect that nothing he offers you about Edgar will have you revealing my room. Promise me," Hazel said, holding her hand for a promise to be sealed.

"Hazel, there is nothing the prince could tell me about Edgar to have me pointing out which room belongs to you. I wouldn’t do anything to ruin your name. I am not like the others who are enjoying speaking about why you didn’t dance with the prince. How long are you going to ignore Helena?" Linda asked because when she arrived Helena was outside pleading to be let in.

"When she stops trying to ask why I revealed Tobias asked to dance with me or maybe I will wait until the selection is over. Maybe then she will go back to normal. Again, I wouldn’t mind trading her for your brothers. I could get used to their overprotectiveness and give you Helena’s childishness. You must go," Hazel said, taking a seat beside Linda.

She was fine staying alone while everyone else was with the prince or queen, but what she was not fine with was Linda getting in trouble for the sake of staying behind with her.

"I mean it. It would upset me if you were to get in trouble. The queen seems to like you so don’t ruin that over me," said Hazel.

"I truly do not care about ruining if the queen likes me. I don’t want you to be alone, but there is nothing I can do. I will defend your name from anyone saying something foolish tonight," Linda said, standing up as she decided to leave. She could help Hazel by ending any rumours before they could grow big.

Hazel didn’t want that either as Linda’s words would just be twisted, but it would get Linda out of there so she said nothing.

Hazel stood up from the bed to walk Linda to the door. She didn’t want to step outside and walk Linda any further because she had a feeling the queen might consider it breaking her punishment.

The second reason Hazel wanted Linda to go tonight was so Tobias could have someone to pick. He picked Linda before so he might be comfortable to choose her if there was no one else. Then Tobias would only need to be concerned about who the queen picked.

Hazel closed the door after Linda walked out and rested her head on it. With Linda gone, she didn’t have anyone telling her about the punishment and making her overthink it when she was already fine with it.

She could use the night to be alone and just look around the palace. One night to be away from a group of women who were not her friends aside from Linda and Helena. Her dinner would be sent by her maid so it wasn’t like she had to worry about what she would eat.

The queen should have thought of another punishment because Hazel liked being alone sometimes.

"I am going to miss the lanterns going up if I stay here," Hazel said, lifting her head from the door to rush to the balcony.

Hazel was already dressed to sit and watch the garden. If she was lucky, she might see a few people sneaking around in it. She had managed to drag a chair and one of the smaller tables there, along with a comfy blanket to keep her warm and a book.

It was the closest thing to making her feel at home.

As Hazel made her way out to the balcony and sat down, she noticed that a guard was below in the garden looking right up at where she stood. She slowly sat down thinking that he must have been confused by someone still in the rooms when they were meant to be empty or thought the queen might have placed the guard there to stop her should she be brave to go down the balcony.

There was also a possibility that the guard was here to keep the prince away.

"He is not so crazy to come here tonight," Hazel muttered, chuckling right after as it was a silly thought.

Tobias would be out of his mind to try to find her room.

Hazel still did not fully understand what was happening between Tobias and Tabitha, but it couldn’t be so bad that Tobias wasn’t where he was meant to be right now.

Hazel trusted that Tobias was going to enjoy the night just as she wanted Linda to do.

Hazel looked away from the lone guard to the servants walking around putting up more lanterns and lighting the others to bring light to the garden.

It would have been better if the punishment only forbade her from going where everyone else was now. She would have loved a quick trip through the garden, but considering how dangerous the palace was, it might be best that she had to stay in her room.

Hazel opened the book, ready to get lost in the story, but already she was disturbed by a knock on her door.

"This better not be Linda," Hazel muttered, putting the book down as she stood up. It was just like Linda to go halfway and then return.

"I said- Oh," Hazel said, confused by the sight of a guard at her door. She had never seen them knocking on anyone’s doors or walking through where the women’s rooms were. She believed that they were not allowed to go further than where they stood guard for no one other than the women to come this way.

"A gift from the prince," the guard said, holding out flowers to Hazel and then placing his hands at his side after she accepted it. "Please excuse me."

The guard had to be quick to leave before he was spotted coming somewhere he did not belong.

Hazel was still confused by the fast interaction and poked her head out the door at the guard running away. She wondered why he wasn’t going toward the only door that would get him out of there.

"What just happened?" Hazel whispered, looking down at the familiar flowers.