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Five • Love Rival
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Benjamin's Bride Six • Something Different
•Benjamin• "Is this where the village ends?" I asked as I looked at the open pasture ahead of me. "Yes," Scott, my right hand man and trusted friend, answered. "This is the last village of the Northern district. If you walk past the forest, you'll reach the border in about thirty minutes." "I see. That's good then." The village was doing better than I expected and I was happy that the bags of wheat and fertilizer that I gave two months ago helped the villagers. I looked down at the map that was tucked in my belt. Despite being King, I didn't have as much power as I would have liked. Power was in the hands of those who held the most influence and gaining the peoples' trust was a priority of mine. As much as gaining support from the nobles was a great place to start, I couldn't neglect the poor and I hated seeing the weak suffer because they were not strong enough. "Let's continue to the west," I said and began to walk to where we had left our horses. "Wait a minute," Scott
Benjamin's Bride Seven • A Pain In The Neck
•Benjamin• Later that day, I went to my study and began to work. I preferred being in the field but Scott would definitely give me an earful if I went back. The time flew by quickly and before I knew it, I had run out of papers to look through. "Where's the rest of the work?" I asked Paul, my butler, as he proofread and arranged the documents that I went through earlier. "I expected more than this or is that not the case?" "The Queen handled most of them while you were gone," Paul answered and I looked at him in surprise. "You made her do paperwork?" "No. You're the one who ordered it, my King." "I did?" He nodded. "You said that we should split the work with her. 'Give her something that you can give to me' is what you said." I sighed when the words sounded familiar but I could not remember why or when I said that. I held back a groan. "How did she handle that? Should I look through them?" "There's no need. From what I saw, she handled them very well actually." "Is that so?"
Benjamin's Bride Eight • He's A Married Man!
•Heather• "Hasn't Lady Samantha stayed too long?" "I heard that the King is considering taking her back." "I saw her cuddling up to the King!" "If I was the Queen, I would have thrown her out." "I would rather kill myself than be in the Queen's position right now." By the beginning of the following week, all sorts of rumours had already filled the castle. The servants whispered amongst themselves and kept quiet when they saw me. Some would even gossip outside my bedroom door when they thought that I was asleep or maybe they did it on purpose to taunt me. I didn't know how to feel about this. Despite Benjamin being home often, we rarely talked to each other. He was either occupied in his office or with Samantha. The only time we had to sit and somewhat talk was during meals and he would leave immediately after. What the hell was Benjamin doing? Everywhere I went was filled with gossip that even my office stopped being my favourite place. For even the servants to ridicule
Benjamin's Bride Nine • Intimacy
•Heather• "That's all for today," Samantha said as she gathered the papers that were on the table and gave them to her maid. "We can continue tomorrow if you don't mind." "There's no need. I've already gotten the gist of this strategy although I can not approve it just yet," Benjamin said as he looked at the map, that was marked on various spots with a marker. "You can send the rest through letters." She blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?" "You don't have to be here anymore. Your family must miss you." "I understand but it's not like I came here for play." He hummed and looked at me. "What do you think?" "M-me?" I asked in surprise when I realized that he was being serious. "Of course." "If you're satisfied then I agree with you." "And I'm quite satisfied already." He looked at Samantha again. "Have a good day." She stared at him for a while before standing up and bowing. "I understand. Thank you for your time." She left and my gaze followed her. I was surprised th
Benjamin's Bride Ten • Trauma
•Heather• I stared at the document on the table and sighed softly. I couldn't get my head around my interaction with Benjamin last time and I wondered how he could be so charming at times. I followed Bridgette's advice to the best of my capability. Whenever Benjamin would have tea in the courtyard or when he would be taking idle walks, I made sure to join him. We still didn't talk about anything but matters of the kingdom though. I didn't know how to start a personal conversation with him and I was not sure if he would be okay with that. A few days in, Benjamin started inviting me for tea himself. We still could not take each other too personally but it wasn't as bad as it was before. The gossip gradually reduced and I could finally breath. Another thing that never failed to pop up in my head was the Festival of the full moon. I was assured that Benjamin would not force himself on me so, I could just sleep in his room. It wasn't a must for us to have sex but a part of me shame
Benjamin's Bride Eleven • Mixed Feelings
•Benjamin• "That was fun!" Scott said as he looked over his shoulder at me. I hummed in agreement, pulling the reigns of my prized steed, Trevor, to slow him down. "Although it would have been better to race in the forest than here." "Nope. You've got enough space around your castle so, make use of it." I sighed in frustration but didn't argue. Scott and I were riding our horses in the outdoor horse ring a few meters away from the castle. After declining my offer of a race in the woods, Scott suggested that we have it here instead. I didn't like the idea but it was better than being cooped up in my office. The space was large enough for a good ride but it wasn't the least bit accommodating for a race. I understood that he didn't want me to leave the castle too often but this was ridiculous. "Anyway, what did you think of the report I sent?" Scott asked, his question making me look at him. "It was well done. I want to start working on things right away," I answered. "As g
Benjamin's Bride Twelve • A Horrible Situation
•Heather• Today was the day that my parents were coming to the castle. I was nervous and a part of me wished that Benjamin would change his mind. Parents could also send blessings and well wishes through letters so, why did they have to come here? This would be the first time that I'm seeing them since the wedding and I did not know what kind of face to put up for them. How should I behave? What should I feel when I see them? Despite my first days in the castle being terrible, it was peaceful and things were starting to get better. Benjamin became a little soft spoken with me and regardless of the doubts I have about him, I found his presence rather peaceful. I was living better than I did at the manor. Nobody hit me here and my ladies were a strong support system that I barely experienced while growing up. I wanted to show my parents that I have changed and they couldn't step on me any further. That is what I kept telling myself but my heart still shook in fear at the mere th
Benjamin's Bride Thirteen • Bad Memories
•Heather• "Yes. Diane is doing well," my father answered calmly. "Is that so?" Benjamin asked slowly. "Heather told me that she was sick so, she couldn't attend the wedding." My father looked at me briefly and a cold shiver ran down my spine. "That's true. Heather did offer to be in her place and since it was better than nothing, we agreed. We apologize if this offends you." I dropped my gaze to my plate and my hands began to tremble under the table. What was Benjamin doing? "It doesn't offend me. I would have appreciated a warning though." Benjamin put down his fork and leaned back into his chair. "I was surprised when I noticed that she wasn't the woman I met." "We promised your family a daughter from our household so, we figured that you wouldn't mind," my mother defended. "If that was the case then I should have met them both. I recently realized how intelligent my Queen is and I didn't expect her to be so fond of paperwork." "I apologize for her nonsense. She has a
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