•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• "Are you certain that you don't mind, your Majesty?" Mr. Harlow asked as he looked at me in disbelief. "Of course, I am. Why do you behave like I'm making a mistake?" "You are not. I just can't believe my ears." I laughed. "You're my father in law and it would be strange if I didn't involve myself in your businesses." "Thank you. Your kindness is highly appreciated." I hummed in agreement as he slouched over and looked down at the contract that I gave him earlier. I decided to invest in Mr. Harlow's business for relations' sake and I could see how delighted that made him. In the few hours that the Harlow's were here, one thing was clear. I didn't like them at all. They seemed like good people during the marriage discussions, but their actions now slightly surprised me. Unlike Diane, who was praised to no end, the Harlows were so eager to blame Heather or apologize for her actions. It would be easier to assume that Heather might be the problem, but the time th

•Heather• There were only two days remaining until the festival and the kingdom was filled with activity. The castle was being decorated by servants while I had to write invitations to everyone who was on the guest list for the ball that was being held here. I was excited to see how the royal family celebrated the festival. Back at the manor, we had a family dinner and danced with the community afterwards. I usually just speculated while everybody else danced because I had two left feet. As excited as I was, I was also nervous because this would be the first time that I would meet Benjamin's relatives after our marriage. At the wedding, we barely talked but this time, we would have plenty of time to interact. I looked up at Benjamin, who was seated across from me as he ate his breakfast, and debated on whether I should ask him about it or not. He would probably be shocked by my lack of royal etiquette and that made me even more embarrassed to ask. Of course, I knew how to trea

•Heather• I was seated in front of my dressing table as I watched Annie and Bridgette move back and forth while they made preparations for the night. I had already taken my shower and my ladies bathed me in a soft lavender fragrance before applying honey oil on my skin. I had taken a pill a few minutes ago and was brushing my hair while I waited. With all the bustle that this night created, I somewhat felt like Benjamin and I were announcing that we were going to sleep together and it was quite embarrassing. Seeing that the same thing happened on our wedding night, I hoped that it wouldn't be like this every time we wanted to have sex. After finding out Benjamin's womanizing past, I was sure that he knew how to please a woman and this made me even more self-conscious. I wasn't confident that I would please him, but keeping Annie's advice in mind, I tried not to think about it too much. "My Queen," Annie called as she stood next to me, "It's time to go to his Majesty's room." I l

•Heather• A few minutes into the party, Benjamin and I watched the crowd mingle from our throne. Everybody was having a good time as they talked over drinks, but I was bored out of my mind. The guests could only approach us for greetings if we kept sitting here. As much as the royal family scared me to an extent, I wanted to socialize with them and show them that I was part of the family as well. I looked at Benjamin and unlike the night of our wedding, he didn't bother to smile. I could not blame him though. Given where we were seated, it was not hard to spot a few nasty glares here and there. "Your Majesty," I called, making him look at me. "Are we going to interact with the family tonight?" "Do you want to interact with the royals?" he asked, his tone heavy on the term "royals" and it felt like he was correcting me for using the word family earlier. I hesitantly nodded. "But that is only if you don't mind." "I don't." He stood up and offered his hand to me and I receiv