May I, My Love? ✔

34. t h e s c h e m i n g

(Josiah's pov...)

The view of our gardens from the balcony was spectacular, and at once, I was reminded of a certain someone. It would be such a romantic night, to take a walk in the field of roses and other flowers with her. But my hands were tied down by my grandfather.

He was the figure in my life who had made my life miserable, and a dark abyss - somewhere I couldn't return from even if I wanted to. A figure I could learn lots from if I wanted to, but also someone I was going to abhor for the rest of my life. And just one reason wasn't enough for the immeasurable hatred, the reasons were, in fact, too many for me to cite right now.

As I sat in front of him in the balcony this pleasant evening, I studied his profile as he poured himself a cup of tea. He was one of the most conceited people I had ever seen, but he had his own set of rules that he followed. One of them was that he never allowed someone else to prepare his tea. The reason he gave was that they would never understand the precise amounts of milk and sugar that need to be added. This proportion was known only to him, and so no one even tried to meddle in his affairs.

A king, or a member of the royal family is supposed to be considerate, sympathetic and compassionate - because they need to use these abilities to take care of their people. But people in the royal family were often the exact opposite of it. They were often calculating, cold, measured in their actions and words, and conceited as hell. They said these were what made one a good leader, but I couldn't see how.

Right from when I was young, I had been taught by my parents, the value of kindness. They taught me to be kind to everyone - be it the helpers in the palace, or our subjects. Because kindness was a king's greatest weapon, and it could solve almost every conflict in life. But as I lost them in an accident when I was younger, and spent most of my life under my grandfather's aegis, I too grew up to become a measured man.

I was one who always measured his words and actions, but not because I wanted to act with caution with the public masses, but because I didn't want to be a naive prince... like my father. It was a known fact that my father was a naive and honest man, but that didn't suit him well, and he had to leave this world too early. If I had to beat my enemies, I would have to keep them close and turn the tables on them, rather than just foolishly following my own values and morals.

It wasn't like I wasn't aware of the suspicious activities going around the palace, I simply chose to turn a blind eye to them until the time was right. As they say 'Strike while the iron is hot', I would wait for the opportune time to kill them with a single strike.

"After a long time, I'm feeling truly happy, excited even. My only grandson is getting married to a brilliant girl, her parents agreed immediately, and the preparations have been in full swing since then. What more could I wish for?" He said, his eyes looking lighter than I've ever seen.

I had no idea that the topic of my marriage would be so exhilarating for him. Honestly, he was over the moon, and it was so crystal clear. But, blinded by that light it brought him, he failed to see my discomfort and disappointment. He may have done this for my benefit, as princes are meant to get married to girls of class before they ascend the throne, but what's the use when I was going to be miserable for the rest of my life?

What use is a happy event, when its eventually going to bring grief and sorrows of a lifetime?

But, due to some reason, I couldn't bring myself to correct him and tell him about Harmony. It felt too soon, and I didn't feel like shattering his hopes so early on. They had to be shattered someday, but my mind kept telling me this wasn't the day.

So, instead of arguing with him, again, I decided to change the subject, "A few days earlier, Claire told me she wanted to learn the piano. I could have taught her if I wasn't so preoccupied with other things. Should we appoint a tutor for her?"

"We can't just bring some stranger inside the palace, not without a thorough research at least. Even then, do you have someone in mind for her?"

"Yes. And with her, you won't have to worry about her security too." I told him, hoping my plan would work.

"Who is she? Do I know her?"

"Harmony Rose. The daughter of the Baronet whose family resides in the palace. Since she's already a part of the palace, any harm won't fall upon Claire or us. I too, recently learned from Claire that she was an expert in playing the piano."

"Oh, the girl with the same striking red hair as her mother? She is indeed wonderful! Okay then, since our Claire seems to be her fan, I suppose we should allow her to follow her heart's desire." He agreed immediately, which gave me a lot of relief than I had imagined.

I wasn't just doing it for my benefit, but because Claire too had been pining to become at home at piano like me, and I just happened to use this opportunity to my benefit.

I knew Harmony was going to get mad at my scheming, but as long as I got to see her more than once a day, I was willing to face anything she threw at me.