III. The Impact of Her

“Goodness gracious, Robert! You scared the life out of me,” she remarked, a hand on her chest and the other held her blanket.

Mother was out of bed. And not only that, she was also fixing her bed.

The ledoras worked!

“How are you feeling, Mother?” I asked as I rushed over to her. Gonzalo closed the door behind me.

“Absolutely,” she smiled as she touched my face. “The medicinal herb that you gave me healed me,” she smiled as she folded the blanket.

I asked another, “How was your rest? You immediately fell asleep after you took the herb.”

“It was the best sleep that I’ve ever had ever since I got ill,” she smiled as she settled the blanket on the foot of the bed. “The Medicine King came in and told me everything about the ledoras. All in all, I feel so much better.”

I sighed out of relief. “I couldn’t be happier that you were well now, Mother.”

She was about to hug me when she stopped. “What happened to you? Why are you wet?” she asked as she touched my damp clothes.

“Um, well…”

“Did you fall into something? Or are you drenched because of the rain?” she asked.

“Yes, Mother. I got caught in the rain when I took a stroll,” I smiled out of embarrassment.

“Then, why haven’t you changed your clothes yet? You can get sick!” she scolded me, which was something that I was thankful for. That only proved that she was truly healed.

“Mother, I feel fine,” I said as I held her hands. “I enjoyed it, with all honesty. I never thought that playing in the rain could be so… fun.”

She smiled. “I understand what you mean. It can be refreshing to play under the pouring rain. But when you do, you have to change your clothes immediately. Or better yet, give yourself a warm bath to prevent any kind of cold or fever.”

“Yes, Mother.”

A knock came upon the door.

“You may come in,” Mother answered as we turned to the door.

Gonzalo entered and immediately walked to us. “Pardon for the interruption, Your Majesty and young prince,” he bowed briefly, “But I have news from His Majesty.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything, Gonzalo. You may stand,” Mother replied. “Do deliver your message.”

Gonzalo quickly stood up and continued, “His Majesty sent one of his envoys here with news regarding his voyage. He said the trip is prolonged due to unforeseen problems. However, His Majesty vowed to return once everything is finished.”

I wasn’t surprised about James’ update. Even when everything was planned before leaving, some of our duties would be interrupted by unexpected situations. I could only hope that it wouldn’t take so long. I didn’t want Mother to wait on James for too long.

Mother would get a bit depressed whenever she waited for James. And it was something I never wanted to see.

“Thank you, Gonzalo. You may leave,” Mother smiled.

Gonzalo took another bow and left.

“Mother, I’m going to change my clothes. I may take a nap as well,” I turned to her and held her hands. I continued, “Will you be able to take care of yourself? I can stay with you for a while. You don’t have to force yourself if you still need my assistance.”

“Oh, my dear one,” she replied as she cupped my cheek. “I have fully recovered and it is all thanks to you. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore,” she continued as she gently caressed my skin with her thumb. Pulling her hand back, Mother added, “Now, I must prepare. I will be having tea with your Aunt Bethilda.”

“You just recovered and your immediate plan is to have tea with Bethilda?” I asked in disbelief.

“Robert, I understand that you don’t get along with her. But at the very least, call her Aunt,” said Mother. “I know you never liked her but you still have to show her some respect as a relative.”

After a sigh, I replied, “Mother, you know very well why we don’t get along. And you know me: I don’t respect people who I deem unworthy of it, whether they are family or not.”

Mother sighed in defeat as her lips formed into a firm line. “I’m not forcing you to do anything against your beliefs, dear one. But I implore you to give it a try.”

As a prince, I simply wanted to say ‘yes’ to everything that Mother asked of me. But her request was against what I stood for. I never wanted to respect Bethilda, seeing that she was my mother’s sister. I never wanted to show such disdain towards another person. However, she brought it upon herself.

“I will take my leave now, Mother. I want to get out of these damp clothes and lay down,” I replied. If I continued this conversation about her sister, I would lose my mind.

Kissing me on the forehead, Mother said, “Have a bath before your nap.”

I nodded, bowed and walked away.

~*~*~*~

After a soothing bath and a change of clothes, I was ready to take a nap when a knock came upon my door.

“Enter,” I answered as I sat on the edge of my bed.

The door opened and Bethilda appeared. ‘What could she want from me now?’ I asked myself.

“I don’t know why you’re here but I am in no mood to speak to you,” I immediately turned around and arranged the pillows. “I want to take a nap and I would like to have a calm mind before I do so.”

“I was told that your mother is cured. The maids said she is back to her usual, healthy self,” said Bethilda.

I looked back at her, my brows furrowed. She didn’t seem to be enthusiastic about Mother’s recovery. “It appears that the news of Mother’s healing isn’t something you like, duchess,” I remarked.

She walked towards me and replied, “I came here to remind you that your mother’s current recovery may not last long. That mysterious herb that you have given her cured her in an instant. But she may be deteriorating on the inside and we don’t have the slightest clue about it.”

“Bethilda, my day has ended on a good note and I wish for it to stay that way. Your presence is ruining everything for me so I suggest that you leave me alone,” I spatted.

“Robert, I came here to warn you: Amelia’s health isn’t to be taken lightly. That plant may have a bad effect on her,” she repeated as she moved closer to me.

“And allow me to make one thing clear for you,” I walked up to her with my head up high, “That herb that you so desperately try to shed a bad light on cured Mother. Whether you want to accept it or not, my method cured her and that is the end of it,” I replied. “There is nothing that you can do about it so there is no use in trying to persuade me otherwise.”

Bethilda didn’t say another word. She merely stood before me, stunned.

“Now, if you will be so kind as to leave my room so I can have a peaceful rest, that will be much appreciated,” I added as I pointed to the door.

She gave me an icy stare before she turned around, slamming the door shut as she left.

I went under the sheets and laid my head down, letting out a deep sigh of relief. Bethilda certainly had a way to get under my skin! I once wished that she would be trampled over by Lady but that would be too cruel.

Mother was healed. There was nothing that Bethilda could do about it. The best solution for her existence was ignorance. I closed my eyes and slowly, I drifted into a peaceful slumber.