Chp.35: Complex

"Hmm." Regina just ignored her and went ahead to pour the tea. "What would you like to have your majesty?" She asked in a polite and respectful voice.

"Ah... um.." Duncan couldn't keep the thoughts that he started having after reading that letter behind. "Earl... Earl grey... I guess." Duncan said as he tried maintaining his presence as the king and hiding his flushed face behind his stern mask.

All while Isabella was just standing there in a bow position after she got ignored by Regina.

"You dare ignore me. I will not forget this insult." Isabella gritted her teeth as she looked at Regina and Duncan getting all cozy with each other.

"You will never be happy Duncan. Not when I am here all sad." She thought as she was almost cursing Regina and Duncan.

And Regina wasn't dumb enough to not notice this hostility at all. In fact she was enjoying this hostility as she now knew who her first target would be.

"I never thought Isabella Stanton would be this stupid." Regina scoffed at herself looking down on Isabella who was still in a bowing position. "How can she, so confidently show her hostility towards me in front of the king?" Regina thought as she handed over the sugar cubes to Duncan.

Duncan sat down and for focused on his tea rather than Isabella. It was a fun show for Regina to watch. And after reading that letter at night everything about this man 'Duncan' felt so new and yet so old.

"This is really fun." Regina thought to herself.

Duncan took a sip of his tea and looked at Isabella. She still stood there with her head bowing down. "So Lady Stanton, why did you seek me this early in the morning?" Duncan asked in an extremely formal voice.

Isabella suddenly felt embarrassed. "It's because.." she couldn't find a reason why. Regina didn't even spare a glance at her as she carefully settled down to drink her tea.

"Duncan is definitely something... treating her like that." Regina judged her.

"I came her.... I didn't have any reason at all." Isabella said. And she could feel a shiver running down her spine. Duncan couldn't handle her insolence. "And what makes you think that is fine? Visiting the king without no reason?" He asked in a cold and distant tone.

Regina herself was shocked that this is how Duncan is in real life. "No doubt people know him as a hot headed king." Regina came to a satisfactory conclusion for herself. But ofcourse she never planned to disturb their little chat.

"This is absolutely fun." Regina shrugged her shoulders.

"Guards!!" Duncan commanded and two guards came rushing inside the rooms with their spears and swords. "Yes. Your majesty." They announced.

"Take lady Stanton to the cell. Interrogate if she is here for other reasons." Duncan ordered the guards. The held onto Isabella's hands and started to drag her.

"No wait. Wait your majesty." Isabella started to whine as she was being taken away by the guards.

"Wait. Duncan, you can't do this to me." She continued, but Duncan stayed calm and decided to ignore her. Both the guards along with Isabella left the room and the door closed behind them.

"So, this is how you are in the morning?" Duncan asked Regina. "Yes, your majesty. It is my pleasure to serve your majesty a hot brewed tea on this cold rainy morning." Regina said without showing a single sign of other emotions.

And on the other hand, Duncan was stuck on the words that were just mere ink on paper.

"Does she not remember what she wrote in the letter she left for me this morning?" Duncan thought. "I wish I could ask her." He was having hard time controlling his emotions.

And suddenly - "You think you deserve something like love. How delusional." The voice that fell over his ears, mocked him and laughed at him.

But because of that voice he felt like he was suddenly all awake. From a sweet dream he was looking forward to without realizing that his life was cursed to be a nightmare.

As for Regina, the silence when she was with Duncan was something she got used to. It was like some unwritten rule. Also it was morelike they didn't have much topic to talk about to begin with.

"I have sent a letter to the Count. I hope he is satisfied with the service, I want to leave as soon as possible." Regina took a heavy breath. That's when Duncan decided to break the silence in the room.

"It's been raining too much isn't it?" He asked a trivial question to Regina. It was honestly unexpected for her. "Yes your majesty, it's been pouring cats and dogs." Regina agreed.

They asked questions back and forth just a few more timed until it was silence again.

They had almost completed their tea session and Regina leaned ahead to get up from her chair. But Duncan said, "I have ordered the tailor to take your measurements today..."

Regina was caught off guard but she sat down to listen to him. "He will be coming today afternoon. So please stay in the Central palace until then." Duncan said.

Regina for one found everything about this situation odd. "I wish that you wear the special dress made for you to the ball. Consider it as a wedding gift from me." Duncan said. He wanted to pour emotions in the words but his complex made him stop from thinking he even deserved love.

Regina had her questions. She was confused about the things happening so vaguely without any pattern but she decided to go along with the flow.

"Thank you so much your majesty." He said with a wide and bright smile. Duncan had seen something like that smile for first time. He felt fresh air wrap around him. He knew he wasn't capable of loving anyone, but he can definitely admire someone.

Poetry doesn't always need life, a broken soul is enough to breath life in the words.

"This is just temporary after all. I must perform my best here." Regina thought to herself.

"This is just temporary. I will soon be leaving anyway." Duncan thought to himself.

They both were having something they were hiding, something they were responsible for. But for now they just decided to play a simple role of a husband and a wife.