I turned around and walked towards Lady. But then, I stopped. Without any second thoughts, I returned to Laura and laid a gentle peck on her cheek. 
The world just stopped. 
She looked at me, eyes widened out of surprise. 
“I, um… I,” I stuttered, struggling to say something coherent. “I, uh,” I pointed at Lady, walking back slowly. 
“You need to go,” she helped with a smile. 
“Right!” I quickly hopped onto Lady. “I’ll see you again soon.” After a wave of goodbye, I rode away. All my mind could think about was the kiss that I gave her. 
♔♔♔ 
I made my way to Mother’s room as I was told by Gonzalo that I needed to see her immediately. Walking through the hallways, I still couldn’t wrap my head around that kiss. As my lips touched her cheek, it was as soft as I thought it would be. I wanted to smile so bad, my cheeks hurt because I was stopping it. I didn’t want to smile randomly as I sprinted through the halls with Gonzalo. I might look insane. 
As I arrived in front of the door, I put my ear on it but heard nothing. Fearing the worst, I barged in and as the doors swung open, I couldn’t believe what I saw. “Mother?” 
“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 you gave me did the trick,” she smiled as she folded the blanket. 
I asked another, “How was your rest? You immediately slept after taking the herb.” 
“It was the best sleep I’ve ever had since I got sick,” she smiled, putting the blanket on the foot of the bed. “The Medicine King came in and told me everything about the herb. All in all, I feel so much better.” 
I sighed out of relief. “I’m happy that you’re well now, Mother.” 
She was about to hug me but stopped. “What happened to you? Why are you wet?” she asked as she felt my damp clothes. 
“Um, well…” 
“Did you fall into something? Were you drenched by 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, something I’m thankful for. That just showed that she’s truly healed. 
“Mother, I feel fine,” I said as I held her hands. “I enjoyed it, to be honest. I never thought playing in the rain could be so… fun.” 
She smiled. “I understand what you mean. To play in the rain can be refreshing. But when you do, you must change your clothes immediately,” she continued. “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 any interruptions, Your Majesty and young prince,” he bowed briefly, “I have news from His Majesty.” 
“You didn’t interrupt anything, Gonzalo, you may stand,” Mother replied. “Do deliver the message.” 
Gonzalo quickly stood up and answered, “His Majesty sent one of his envoys here with news regarding his current voyage. He said the trip was prolonged due to unforeseen problems. However, His Majesty said he will return once everything is finished.” 
I’m not surprised about James’ update. Even when everything was planned, some of our duties would be interrupted by unforeseen events. I can only hope that it wouldn’t last long so Mother won’t have to wait that long. Mother has a tendency to get a bit depressed when she would wait for James, 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 into something different. I might also take a nap,” I turned to her, holding her hands. “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, dear one, I’ve fully recovered and it’s all thanks to you. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore,” she giggled as she cupped my cheek, gently caressing my skin with her thumb. “Now, I must prepare. I will be having tea with your Aunt Bethilda,” she added, pulling her hand back.” 
“You just recovered and your immediate plan is to have tea with Bethilda?” I asked. 
“Robert, I know you don’t get along with her but at the very least, call her Aunt,” Mother requested. “I understand that you never liked her but you have to show her some respect as a family member.” 
“Mother, you know very well why we don’t do well with each other,” I replied after a sigh. “And you know my attitude: I don’t respect people who I deem unworthy of it, whether they’re family or not.” 
She let out a sigh, her smile in a firm line. “I’m not forcing you to do something you don't want, dear one. But I implore you to give it a try.” 
As a prince, I wanted to simply say ‘yes’ to what Mother asked but her request would go against my beliefs. I never wanted to disrespect Bethilda. I never wanted to show such disdain towards another person. But she brought it upon herself. 
“I’ll take my leave now, Mother. I would like to get out of these damp clothes and lay down,” I replied. If I continued this conversation about Bethilda, I will lose my mind. 
She kissed me on the forehead. “Have a bath before your nap.” 
I nodded and bowed before walking away. 
♔♔♔ 
After a soothing bath and a change of clothing, I was already preparing myself for a nap when someone knocked on my door. 
“Enter,” I answered as I sat down on the side of my bed. 
The door opened and Bethilda appeared. What could she want from me now? 
“I don’t know why you’re here but I’m not in the mood to talk to you,” I turned around and arranged the pillows. “I’m going to take a nap and I would like to have a calm mind before I do so.” 
“I heard your mother is cured,” she said. “The maids said she’s back to her usual, healthy self.” 
I turned around and looked at her, my brows furrowed. She doesn’t seem enthusiastic about Mother’s recovery. “It appears that you have some sort of problem about that, duchess.” 
She walked towards me and replied, “I came here to remind you that your mother’s current recovery may not last long. That herb you gave her may have cured her in an instant. But she may be deteriorating from within and we don’t have the slightest clue about it.” 
“Bethilda, my day has ended on a good note and I would like 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’m warning you: your mother’s health isn’t to be taken lightly. That plant might have a bad effect on her,” she repeated as she moved closer to me. 
“Allow me to make one thing clear for you,” my head up high as I walked up to her. “That herb that you’re so desperately trying to shed a bad light on cured my mother. Whether you accept it or not, my method cured her and that’s the end of it,” I replied. “There’s nothing you can do about it so there’s no use in trying to persuade me otherwise.” 
She didn’t say another word. She just stood in front of me, stunned. 
“Now, if you would be so kind to leave my room so I can have a peaceful rest, that would be much appreciated,” I added, pointing at the door. 
She gave me an icy stare before turning around, slamming the door shut as she left. 
I went under the sheets and laid my head down, letting out a breath of relief. Bethilda certainly has her way of getting under my skin! I once wished that she would be trampled over by Lady but that would be too cruel. 
Mother has healed. There’s nothing Bethilda could do about it. The best solution for her existence is ignorance. I closed my eyes and slowly felt myself drift away into a peaceful sleep.