Keep Melissa Away From Him

Lord Benjamin Blackwell was bewitched with how beautiful Lady Melissa had become since he saw her at the palace two years ago. Her womanly curves were all in the right places, her bosom was just the perfect size, and her smile...he felt his heart instantly tightened at the sight of her smile. However, his attention was diverted when he noticed Duke Kensington and his son approached from a distance. The boy could be seen hugging her and she readily kissed him! Lord Benjamin's hand clenched into a fist when he saw this infuriating scene.

"Your Majesty, since the Duke is here, it's best we take our leave now. We do not wish to intrude further." Lord Benjamin suddenly addressed the Queen, who was still smiling while looking at the trio in front them. 

At this remark, both the Earl and the Queen turned their attention to Lord Benjamin, who at this moment seemed to sport an annoyed look, probably at the sight of Duke Kensington. The Queen simply nodded her head as a sign of approval and gestured to the page standing nearby to send the guests out. The Earl, knowing his son fully well, didn't refute him and bade the Queen farewell. 

However, although he thought his son was annoyed to see Duke Kensington, Lord Benjamin further baffled him when he led them straight to where Duke Kensington was at the moment. Even Queen Serina was surprised to see this puzzling move, hoping Duke Kensington could protect his fiancée well. 

When Duke Kensington saw the man who was walking towards him, he noticed that man's gaze was clearly on Lady Melissa, who at the moment was busy talking to William. Frowned at how brazen Lord Benjamin was at the moment, Duke Kensington immediately bent down and whispered something in his son's ear. His son seemed to understand what his father meant and nodded his head before quickly pulling Lady Melissa's hand. "Let's go Mother, I want you to bake me some more cookies. I want butter cookies today!" 

Lady Melissa was curious as to what Duke Kensington had told his son, but the next moment William was pulling her away abruptly. So he just wanted cookies! "Your Grace, I will take my leave first then." 

"Go ahead, I will meet you two inside." Duke Kensington smiled while nodding his head. 

Looking at the retreating figures, Lord Benjamin frowned. However, he couldn't turn back now as he had already approached Duke Kensington. His eyes followed Lady Melissa but seconds later his line of sight was blocked by a tall shadow. Duke Kensington had apparently moved in front of him and blocked his view! How absurd! 

"Good day Earl Blackwell, Benjamin." Duke Kensington greeted both father and son.

"Good day, Your Grace. I see you are here visiting your fiancée. I was hoping you could introduce her to us." Earl Blackwell politely said. 

"Good day, Your Grace." Lord Benjamin's short reply was laden with annoyance.

"I apologize about that. William seemed impatient to spend time with Melissa. I need to teach that boy a lesson." Duke Kensington explained.

'What a load of crap! You were the one who asked him to drag her away!' Lord Benjamin grumbled inwardly. 

"Very well, I guess the Queen is expecting you. We will take our leave." With that, the two of them left the palace. Before he left, Lord Benjamin glared at Duke Kensington, to which Duke Kensington merely smiled mockingly. 

After watching the duo left the garden, Duke Kensington leisurely walked over to where Queen Serina was seated. He bowed slightly before taking the seat opposite the Queen. 

"Where did you send William and Melissa to?" The Queen asked with amusement in her voice.

"To the kitchen, Your Majesty." Duke Kensington said while pouring himself a cup of tea.

Queen Serina sighed heavily before she said with caution in her voice, "Keep Melissa away from Benjamin Blackwell. He seemed to have designs on her." 

Duke Kensington was curious as to why the Queen said this. Yes, as a man, he didn't fail to notice the desires in Lord Benjamin's eyes as he looked at Melissa, but how did the Queen find out?

"His reaction was very strange when he saw Melissa just now. He looked at her as if he wanted to pounce on her." There's an obvious displeasure in the Queen's voice.

Duke Kensington was surprised at this. For Benjamin to lose his composure over Melissa, and that even happened before the Queen, the feelings he had for her was not simple. 

"And mind you, he actually jest that if he's going to marry, he'd snatch Melissa away from you in order to do that." Queen Serina added, looking at Duke Kensington.

"I'll keep her safe, don't worry." Duke Kensington finally said while taking a sip of his tea.

In the heart of the tranquil garden, serenity unfolded in every corner. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the nearby oak trees, their branches reaching skyward forming a protective shield. The two of them quietly enjoyed their tea before Duke Kensington decided to speak to the Queen about postponing the wedding. "Aunt Serina, I need to speak to you about something."

The Queen nearly choked on her tea upon hearing her favourite nephew called her by her name. She smiled fondly at him, it had been such a long time since he had called her Aunt. He always insisted to address her as Her Majesty, no matter how many times she scolded him for it. Eventually, she decided to let him do as he pleases. 

"What is it Zachary?" She asked lovingly.

"It's about the wedding. I've thought about it deeply and felt we should not rush it, even if Melissa has healed completely. I want her to be completely at ease with the idea first, before putting her directly in that role. As you know Aunt Serina, I need someone who can guide William well, especially in his academics and arts. It's also best if she could spend time to create a bond with that boy first, before she moved to Kensington Estates." Duke Kensington explained.

"But she could do all that after she weds you. Once she moves in, she can fulfil her responsibilities without restraint as the Duchess. William adores her and I can see Melissa gets along well with him too." Queen Serina was puzzled at his request. She had always thought he would marry her as soon as he could. 

Duke Kensington smiled, as expected, his doting aunt could not wait to get him married, no matter what!

"I've thought it through, Aunt Serina. Melissa is only 18. She should be attending college by now. After interacting with her these few days, I have a feeling she is not like others, who just want to find a good husband and settle down. She's different." After a pause, Duke Kensington continued,

"I found her at Dream Arts by chance, buying arts materials. She's clearly passionate about that. Is it just a hobby or she wants to pursue it to the next level? And I heard from Madam Leanne that Melissa wanted to design her own wedding dress. Does she have interest in fashion designing as well? Clearly, no one has ever asked her what she wants to do in her life. She's agreeing to the marriage because of her love and respect towards Your Majesty and her father." Duke Kensington explained his thoughts to the Queen clearly. 

"Well, if you put it that way, I agree. But Zachary, won't William be sad if you delay the wedding?" The Queen probed further.

"I'd rather she walked into Kensington Estates whole-heartedly, and not be consumed with regrets. Having a wife who is focused on her own well-being, and by extension to that, the well-being of people around her, is much better than a self-conscious and bitter woman. I certainly do not want William to grow up with that later kind of person. A little bit of sacrifice from him is worth it in the long run." said Duke Kensington.

"How about you? Don't you want to marry her as soon as possible? It's been five years and you've been alone all these years." There's a twinkle in the older woman's eyes when she asked him this. She's clearly referring to his long sexual abstinence, causing Duke Kensington to avert his eyes in embarrassment. 

He cleared his throat before replying, "It has already been five years, another few years would not matter." 

His answer derived a chuckle from his aunt, causing him to smile as well. On that note, they decided to invite Duke Malcom to the palace for further discussion o this matter. However, on the walk back to the main palace, a sudden thought crossed Queen Serina's mind which prompted her to ask Duke Kensington. "Zachary, what if Melissa fall for someone else during this period? Aren't you worried?"

This question had been on his mind last night after his talk with the Prince, a question to which he didn't have an answer to. 

Therefore, he smiled and reassured the Queen, "If she chooses someone else, there's nothing I can do. She should decide on her own lifelong happiness." 

Queen Serina shook her head and hoped everything would turn out as planned.