Of all times, Ash simply had to be absent now.

I wasn't upset that he had left that morning, considering the circumstances, but I honestly admit that I looked forward to waking up in his arms, possibly reliving last night.

Except, her boorish voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Does he even understand the weight of his actions? And where is his mother? Has she forgotten her role in the family? It seems she doesn't even know how to properly raise children, let alone follow wifely duties! Just because her husband is dead doesn't mean she can slack off, letting her own child slander his father's name!" Lady Arabella's voice screeched throughout the empty dining hall.

Aunt Claire didn't present herself, an act that has become a habit of hers. Adele seemed to have been following her mother's footsteps, leaving me as the devil's sole victim. Ever since Ash exposed her dirty deed of murdering Godfrey Annesley, her own nephew, so that her own son could become King, the mere sight of her sizable form sent chills down my spine. And to think that her bloody hands would be the first to hold the next heir once he or she is born...

I grimaced, shaking the possibility out of my mind.

"Do you hear me child?" She yapped, her wrinkles only accentuating her disappointment.

"Yes, it'd be rather difficult not to." I muttered under my breath.

"What?"

I smiled, "Let me go find him, it's not like him to skip meals. If you'll excuse me for a moment..."

"Well hurry up! Time is a precious commodity in my age."

"Not precious enough, apparently." The words escaped my mouth as I left the room.

There was really one other place he could be, and relief flooded over me when I saw him in his father's study. Well really, it was his own at this point, considering how much of his work is done here.

"You weren't at breakfast." I stated.

He smiled and bent down to kiss my cheek, "I needed some time to myself. Didn't mean to leave you all by yourself, love."

I scoffed, "It would've been better if I was by myself."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Mother showed?"

"No..." I could sense the disappointment as his expression fell, "But your grandmother did."

His face contorted in disgust.

"I know, and she's extremely upset—"

"About what I did to father." He finished my sentence.

I nodded.

"Should've known." He grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"She might just massacre the dining staff if you don't present yourself." I added.

He sighed as he closed the doors of the study behind us, "I wouldn't put it past her. I'm so sorry you had to deal with her by yourself."

I shrugged, "I'd say that I've handled worse during my time here."

He smirked, "You not referring to me, are you? Especially not after last night."

Blasphemy.

I knew he'd tease me, I just wish it didn't catch me so off-guard that I could feel my cheeks tinge a certain shade of red. And especially not in the castle halls, bustling with servants in every corner.

How embarrassing.

I cleared my throat, "You should brace yourself before entering that hall."

"Oh believe me, I've been handling this hag since birth. I'll be fine."

With that, he swung the door open and his grandmother's eyes narrowed to her nose as she looked at him with utmost disapproval.

"Ah, here comes the King." She said with a tone of mockery.

"Grandmother, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" He stated sardonically.

Her lips pursed into oblivion as she controlled her anger.

"You are an utter disappointment to the Devereux bloodline." She spat.

Ash smiled in response, "Those are rather harsh words."

"Not as harsh as the wounds have caused your father."

His jaw clenched, "Father would be content with my choice, proud, even."

She let out a shrill laugh, prompting the waiting staff to shoot each other glances of unease.

"I don't understand why I'm even wasting my time talking to such a miscreant. Where is your mother? She is to blame for all this! If only I was given custody of you from a young age, you could have surpassed your father as a ruler."

"Father was a criminal and Sedalian law states that no one, not even the King, is above the rules for punishment. I simply followed the law of the land, the principles upon which Sedalia was built."

"But he was your father! You do not taint your own blood!"

"However, it's fine to soil your hands with that very same blood when it's convenient, is it not, Grandmother?" He hissed.

Her eyes widened to the size of the very saucers lining the table.

"Enough." Aunt Claire's voice boomed from the end of the room.

"Mother!" Ash exclaimed.

Lady Arabella scoffed, "I see that you're done moping in a corner of your safe haven. No wonder the children turned out this way. What even is the other one up to? You best watch her before she runs away with a stable boy. Lord knows that just what this kingdom needs now."

Aunt's Claire's expression darkened to one that I've never seen before, "I don't think it's appropriate for you to comment on my children's upbringing considering the deeds that your very own son has committed, and this is me gracefully ignoring the sins staining your past. We all know why Gavin built Trephine, yet you seem to ignore that reason and gallivant freely now that he's passed, disrespecting the former King's decree."

A tense silence filled the room as the two women stared each other down. I couldn't help but wrap my fingers around Ash's hand.

"How dare you—"

"The truth is that Ashton is correcting his father's wrongs, an honorable act that should be praised. I reacted similarly to you at first, caught up over my pride and bias as a loving wife, but with time I realized that there's nothing more commendable than fully sacrificing your comfort for the livelihood of an entire kingdom. That is what a true leader does, something that Sedalia hasn't seen for generations." She looked towards Ash, "And I for one am proud to have raised a true leader, not another puppet for the nobles."

I looked up at Ash to see tears pool at the ends of his eyes. His breath was shaky. Knowing how much he struggled with inner peace these past few days, I realized this is what he needed to settle that feud within. With his mother's acceptance, he could finally, wholeheartedly move on with his decision guilt-free. Noticing his expression, Aunt Claire made her way from across the room and embraced him.

"Sorry that I wasn't there for you as a mother during the time that you needed me the most." She whispered as tears escaped her eyes as well.

"No mother, this is when I needed you the most. Thank you for supporting me." He answered.

She caressed his face and gave him a warm smile, something that we hasn't seen in a while, "You will always have my approval, Ash."

Behind me, Adele's voice broke the dramatics, "Finally! We can have meals as a family without the uncomfortable tension again. I never told any of you this, but I've been silently suffering from serious indigestion because of it."

We couldn't help but laugh.

I turned to embrace Adele, "It's been so long since I've head your humor."

"Well it's been very long since I've fully satisfied my appetite, so let's start!" She exclaimed.

As we all sat down, Lady Arabella picked at her plate with a sour expression, muttering to herself.

Adele looked up at us with a bright expression, "So, since things have gone well, shouldn't we have a party to celebrate?"

Aunt Claire had a thoughtful expression, "A ball would be unsuitable for the circumstances, considering it has only been open to nobles in the past."

"Why don't we open it up for everyone?" Ash questioned.

His mother shook her head, "Apart from obvious security reasons, there is no way that everyone could fit in the ballroom."

"Why don't we take the festivities to the village center? Ash and I were planning new public projects anyway, like a library, so we could be there to lay the first stone in place for construction. My parents are accustomed to hosting large feasts for the villagers anyway during the harvest season, so they wouldn't mind helping with arrangements." I suggested.

"Lovely idea, Evelyn." Aunt Claire approved.

Ash reached for my hand under the table and gave me a knowing smile, causing me to smile back. Even Adele agreed with excitement, already contemplating what she would wear.

The only one who remained silent was Lady Arabella. Although most of her incessant rambling was inaudible, I managed to make out the words "doomed", "preposterous", and "heathens". We blissfully ignored her presence over the food, but Aunt Claire chose to speak up towards the end of the meal.

"When will you be taking leave, Lady Arabella?" She asked.

She finally looked up at us, "Finally realized I haven't died yet, huh? I supposed I'll attend this ridiculous celebration of yours before I leave, then I'll have seen everything during my lifetime."

"Hopefully that means it's coming to an end." Ash whispered to me, prompting a nudge and stifled laughter on my end.

"Very well. I'll see to it that the guest quarters are arranged for your stay." Aunt Claire responded.

Ash and I then dismissed ourselves, knowing there were a lot of plans to be made regarding the library, especially with the influx of funds coming in.