BXBX NOVEL Chapter 817 - Do Not Regret
She had given up all hopes of receiving any sort of attention and kindness from her mother.
After her marriage, she had cut all ties with her family since the only good relationships she had were with her sisters who were no longer there as they too had been given away in marriage to different Kingdoms.
Therefore, it was safe to say that from the day she had left her Kingdom, she had turned her back towards it and tried not to think about that place.
Realizing that she no longer had any sort of contact with them made her imagine a time in the future when Felicia might do the same.
She too would leave the Palace after getting married and by the looks of it, there was a high chance that her daughter would follow the same path that she had taken in the past.
As she imagined this scenario, a frown formed on her face which was enough to prove that she was not pleased with this outcome.
However, when she thought about everything that had taken place until now, there was nothing that she could do to change it.
Their circumstances were not easy to solve right away and even if she wanted, she would not be able to look at Felicia without recalling the injuries of the past.
"The damage has already been done, Draco." She used his name to address him, something she had not done in a very long time.
Queen Zena recalled everything she had done, how she had pushed her daughter away with her own two hands.
The chasm between them only grew larger each day so she was already aware that nothing could bridge the distance she had put between them.
She felt miserable that she had ended up just like her mother, the very thing she had declared she would avoid at all costs.
However, things had not turned out as she had expected, instead it was quite the opposite.
Her fists clenched her gown as she bit her lip in frustration and displeasure at herself and her circumstances.
The young prince sighed when he saw how adamant she was in her ways, not even attempting to change the future which she so clearly disliked.
If she was unwilling and did not have the heart to change then there was nothing that he could do.
She needed to realize what had to be done in order to shift the dynamics present between herself and her daughter, who was always looking at her with expectant eyes in hopes of getting closer to her.
"Sister, I hope you do not regret the decisions you have made later." The young prince whispered as he rose to his feet.
While he had gained new information from the Queen, he did not achieve success in what he had planned initially.
However, he felt that pushing her too hard would not lead to any favorable outcomes and might even work in the opposite direction.
Therefore, he chose to leave her alone with her thoughts, after all, their conversation must have brought up too many memories for her.
The Queen's lips never dropped the frown she had been wearing until now as she watched the young boy who was now close to becoming a man turn away from her.
Draco had already turned towards the entrance of the greenhouse but did not take another step forward.
Without looking back at her, he exhaled out loud before he muttered his final sentence to her then walked away, not waiting to hear her response.
"Do you really think that something so serious about Sister-in-law's health could have remained hidden from my brother for this long?" His voice was low and even gentle which faded away as he began walking out of the greenhouse.
The Queen's widened eyes trembled at the thought of her husband knowing everything that had taken place so many years ago.
She had given strict instructions to everyone who knew about her inability to not have any more children and was sure that they must have paid heed to her warnings.
However, Draco's simple question had shaken this belief, making her wonder if he might be correct.
If her husband knew how much of a failure she was…
She shook her head rejecting such a possibility taking place as she did not want it to be true.
Just the thought of facing her husband was now making her weak-willed and worried about how he would look at her.
While the Queen was diving deeper into a vortex of self-blame, fear, and frustrations, the young prince was already at the entrance of the greenhouse which also served as its only exit.
Draco did not know how she was handling the startling news he had given her.
Judging by their conversation earlier, he could guess the kind of emotions that could be enveloping her right at this moment but was also sure of the fact that it would not continue for much longer.
As the young boy stepped outside, the bright sun fell onto him but unaffected by the strong rays of light, he turned his head to the side.
"She needs you." He smiled encouragingly as he gazed at the one who stepped out of the shadows.
Standing next to the entrance of the greenhouse was someone familiar whom he did not expect to find here but judging by the lack of surprise on his face, it was clear that he had already known of this person's presence.
"You did well," The reply came when the image of the person's face came into his view.
"Leave the rest to Big Brother." King Ophire, the Ruler of Rosenhyde, patted the young boy's shoulder before passing him by.
The man dressed in royal robes stepped into the greenhouse and the steward guarded the entrance so that the couple might have some privacy.
Draco nodded at his brother's aide he had known all his life before resuming his movements as he walked towards the Rose Palace where he wished to spend some time with his niece.
As he walked along, he found the two maids who had stepped out to fetch them tea earlier but had not returned until now.
The Queen had sent them away so that they might speak in private.
However, the maids should have returned a while later but the appearance of the King seemed to have diverted their plans.
Earlier, when Draco was still speaking to the Queen, he had sensed a presence he knew too well.
It was without a doubt that his brother had arrived at some point but had not entered the greenhouse, allowing them to continue their conversation.
These maids must have been stopped by the King and now had lost their chance to serve the tea altogether.
Now that his brother was here, Draco could leave this matter into his capable hands.
He truly believed that everything happening in this Palace, especially something related to the health of his sister-in-law would have reached his brother's ears already.
Why the King had never addressed this issue and let it escalate to this extent was not something he could understand.
However, now that he had been reassured by his brother, he hoped that there would be some kind of an improvement in the rocky relationship between the mother and daughter.
He cared about them both and wished to see them happy.
Since he would soon be leaving for the Roschester fief, there would be limited contact between them once he left so he hoped that things would turn for the better and continue to remain that way in the future as well.
Whether these would be possible depended on how the King managed the situation which he had chanced upon this day.
Thus Prince Draco placed his hopes on his elder brother and was on his way to meet his niece while the Royal couple were left alone.