Chapter 66: Head Steward Josaf's Caution

Elizabella went to her study, where Head Steward Josaf waited for her. She sat down and sighed while placing her hands together in front of her in thought. Head Steward Josaf stood quietly beside her, waiting for her to speak. Finally, after a long time waiting for her to say something, she shifted her posture and looked up at the Head Steward.

"Head Steward Josaf, it seems that I may need to update you on some of my plans. I found something out that I am not sure how it would affect the future. Our household's future," Elizabella paused as Head Steward Josaf wondered what she meant and continued to listen. "I am sure that you may have already noticed, this marriage is a sham. The Royal Family, the people of Glear, do not know who I am. They know nothing of my background, and I would like to keep it that way for when I leave this marriage."

Hearing her words, Head Steward Josaf became alarmed.

"My Lady? What do you mean?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he thought maybe he misheard.

"We are not supposed to tell anyone about this, but I learned something that may affect my plans," said Elizabella as she looked in thought while speaking. "We had planned on waiting until he turned twenty-one until we divorced. By then, he argued that his family would take him seriously when we did."

"A Crown Prince divorcing!? That would cause a scandal in any Kingdom. Whoever he marries next would only be scorned if he married soon after. Are you certain that he would not be convinced otherwise?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he thought that this plan was not thought through. "I am certain that the Royal Court would object to this and would try to persuade him."

"He said that he would renounce his title before we divorce. With that, I agreed," said Elizabella as Head Steward Josaf's mind continued to run a mile a minute.

"Is that why you did not care that Walliams saw him with another girl?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he cautiously asked, seeing her frown.

"Oh! I am so upset that Prince Zander ruined my entertainment! I wanted to see if the lovebirds could get over their awkward phase that night! Sigh~ I guess I will have to wait until Prince Zander's birthday party for me to see any progress," said Elizabella as she sat back on her chair, making Head Steward Josaf look at her strangely.

"Entertainment?" he asked dumbly.

"That Lady Margarette Miles seemed anxious to meet with her beloved. I gave them a chance to meet, but their interactions were painfully awkward to watch. I think it is because she had rejected his proposal for marriage right before I married him," said Elizabella as she sighed again. "I thought that she had guts. If I did that, I would not go actively pursuing the man I rejected."

"My Lady, I do not think that it is wise for you to get involved with this sort of thing. If anyone were to find out that the Crown Prince is having an affair, it would hurt multiple parties. The Lady's family would also be implemented in the scandal. The Royal Family will bring this to a halt the moment they find out. Although the one who would get the most heat would be the Crown Prince, if he is somehow able to convince the world that this Lady is his one true love, or what have you, then the one on the losing end would be you, my Lady, as the one who came between the two of them. No amount of PR (Public Relations) would help your image. You would scorn; seen as the villain. No mercy would be shown to you," Head Steward Josaf felt his heart racing as he imagined everything wrong that could happen to his Lady. "Please, do not do anything that would hurt your future, my Lady."

"Relax, Head Steward Josaf. Why do you think that I have hidden my identity so well? If that were to happen, I would merely need to relocate my Aunt and Uncle with my younger cousins. By then, they can go back to living a normal life of not being related to the Royal Family in any way. I could even go back to my father's place and live the rest of my days there," said Elizabella as Head Steward Josaf looked at her worriedly when he heard her say she would go back home.

"Are you sure that you would be able to go back home? You left because you could not handle the stress of living there anymore. Would you be alright?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he saw that Elizabella bit her lower lip while clenching her fists.

"I have not had an episode for a while now. By the time we divorce, I am sure that I would be fine," said Elizabella as she tried to relax. "If not, I have other places I could go."

Head Steward Josaf looked at Elizabella as he worried for her future. He sighed as he realized that Elizabella's mind was made up, and even if he could convince her, it is too late as she has already married the Crown Prince. If anything, the only thing he could persuade her to do would be to get the Crown Prince to forget about the other Lady and try to live a married life with Elizabella.

However, seeing how closed off his Lady has been since the day her family died, he knew it would be a formidable challenge to convince her otherwise. But what if she fell in love with the Crown Prince first? If she did, she could easily persuade him to leave the other Lady and focus on her only. Head Steward sighed again.

"Easier said than done," he thought as he knew that Elizabella was not going to open herself so soon to anyone. "If she never felt betrayed by the people that she once considered her friends, then maybe it would be a different story."

"Anyways, back to my plans. It seems that there are many things that the Royal Families of Glear and Edalelia do not want others to know. Firstly, were you aware that the King of Glear was gravely ill since before he became the King? That was the reason for our rushed wedding; in case he passed away before the Crown Prince was of age," said Elizabella as Head Steward Josaf heard her words and thought for a bit.

"How is he now?" he asked.

"He has ten more years if nothing else happens to him. I cured him after we married," said Elizabella nonchalantly. "In return, I have asked for a future pardon. I will use it for my Aunt and Uncle when everything comes to light. This way, they will not be implemented. After saving the King's life, I am banking on it for some leniency on my life. The Queen of Edalelia has also helped me out by quietly announcing that she is my backer. Hopefully, this is enough for me to leave in the future with my head on my shoulders."

"What if this is still not enough?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he looked thoughtfully at Elizabella.

"Then, maybe my father's name and title could have some influence. I could even bribe them with my riches. What do you think?" said Elizabella as Head Steward Josaf answered her almost immediately.

"I think that bribing the Royal Family is illegal, my Lady. What would happen if you got caught?"

"I used the crude term of 'bribery,' but what I mean is, what if I fall under their good graces first and when they find out, they will have to look back on all the good I have done for them," said Elizabella as Head Steward Josaf felt a little anxious.

"But if you do too much good, would the Royal Family let you go? My Lady, I fear that you fail to see your value to all high noble family, including any Royal Family. Why else would the Queen of Edalelia spend so much effort on you?" thought Head Steward Josaf as he did not know how to say to his Lady that it would be impossible for anyone to let her go after they found her many talents. "To you, saving a King was just exerting some of your force. To the King and the Royal Family, this becomes a life-saving amulet that they would want to exploit."

Head Steward Josaf felt antsy with the way things were going. He wondered if this was a good idea. He sighed again, for the nth time since they began talking.

"My Lady, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into; the Royal Families are always tricky to handle. They have been ruling for centuries at this point with no significant flaws in their rules. They are cunning and very manipulative in their speech and action. Please, be careful. Just because it appears peaceful when looking in clear waters does not mean that it does not have currents underneath. Whatever you decide to do, as your loyal servants, we will forever follow you. We just ask that you take care of yourself and do not wade in muddy waters," cautioned Head Steward Josaf as he looked at Elizabella.

"I understand," said Elizabella as she took in what Head Steward Josaf had said to her. "I will be sure to be careful."

They continued talking in private for a while longer. Prince Maxen had fallen asleep waiting for her and slept for a few hours before he got up for the day. He noticed that Elizabella looked very animated when talking to her family at the dining table. He had hoped that they could talk some more before they left back home, but time was never on their side.

The family was busy talking during their breakfast, and Prince Maxen had to join in and talk with them. After breakfast, they got a message from the palace for them to return. Not sure what was happening, they prepared to head back to the palace. Elizabella said her goodbyes to everyone when a large man appeared before her to give her a basket full of food.

"My Lady, in case you get homesick for your favorite food, I prepared you a basket to snack on," said the large man with a grin.

"Thank you, Chef Yacub. I often miss your meals," said Elizabella as she took the basket before Walliams took it from her and into her shadow.

"Safe travels, my Lady," bowed Chef Yacub to her and Prince Maxen before stepping back in line with the others.

"Thank you, everyone. Please take care," said Elizabella as she waved one last time before getting on the hovercar with Prince Maxen also smiling and waving before getting on after her.

The household all stood watching as the hovercar lifted into the air and flew off. They continued to watch until they could no longer see the hovercar on the horizon.

Inside the hovercar, Elizabella wondered what had happened for the Royal Family to call them so soon. They had initially planned on heading back after dinner, not so early in the morning. She looked at Prince Maxen to see if he knew what was happening.

"Hey Maxen, would you know why they have called us back so soon? I thought that we could continue with my family until later in the evening," said Elizabella as Prince Maxen pondered on what he had heard.

"I am not too sure. Prince Zander called me to say that his mother had come back yesterday. Maybe this must do something with her?" said Prince Maxen, unsure why they were being called so soon.