Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 254: Lambert Visits

Chapter 254: Lambert Visits

"Marquees? The Duke’s son?" Talia asked for clarification. She never bothered with these details so much in the past. If she wanted to do something against that family, she needed to know them better.

"Yes, he is the first wife’s son and King George only allowed titles for his half brother and sister after making the first son - Walter, the Heir to the Dukedom. Walter is not as bad as Asher and he is his own man with his own business," Lady Jolene explained.

" Oh... " Talia felt like it wouldn’t be fair to involve the brother in this." So what can we get against the Duke? "

" Come on! You’re the Princess. Can’t you send a summon and order them to do something? " Lady Jolene asked. She wondered why a Princess must gather details before doing anything.

"It doesn’t work that way anywhere, dear. Unfortunately, anything good don’t come easy! And let’s make the Duke pay what he owes to the public too... " Talia said with a smirk.

If only everything was that easy! And throwing away one Lord Asher wasn’t enough for her. She wanted his father who enabled his son to become such an entitled arsehole to get punished too. For that she needs a lot of proof.

" I have a bunch of complaint letters against the Duke from the people," Lady Celine said after deliberating with herself for a while.

"Really? Where?" Talia was intrigued.

"In here..." Lady Celine tapped her finger over her temple and both Talia and Jolene were intrigued.

Turns out, Lady Celine had what they call a photographic memory and she could remember everything she read as it is for a long time. Since she liked to read to pass time, she once had accidentally read the complaint letters addressed to the Palace that her brother who was an intern in the Department of Justice brought home one day.

Lady Celine offered to bring notes of everything she read about the Duke of Luxxenshire even though Talia felt like she’d be over worked.

"I never liked the Duke! For him to abandon his wife and son for another woman and making his people suffer too... He is not a good man and he needs to face justice," Lady Celine was happy to help.

Talia was more impressed by Lady Celine’s intelligence. She would make a very good Princess Consort. Lambert should have saved the universe in his last life to have such a knowledgeable wife. Talia was really happy with her choice. But there was a selfish desire in the deep part of her heart to keep Lady Celine for herself. She was torn between the two thoughts.

"Maybe Walter would be willing to help... Won’t he have grievances towards his father for abandoning his mother?" Lady Jolene suggested.

"Yeah.."

"No! Walter Trembley is no such person!" Talia’s voice was overpowered by the usually gentle, but now loud voice of Lady Celine.

"You know him? Is he your brother’s friend?" Talia asked noticing the odd, familiar way Lady Celine talked about Walter. Talia didn’t understand why Lady Jolene was holding back her laughter seeing Lady Celine.

"No..." Lady Celine’s voice got lower as a mosquito. "I’m forbidden to get closer to anyone from that family... I’ve just heard about Walter... That’s all."

"I thought you were some boring bibliophile... I didn’t know you were this interesting..." Lady Jolene said in a low tone. Talia heard it and she could make a guess.

Lady Celine is interested in Walter? Wow!

Jolene continued, "Talia... I heard the Marquees of Rodenberg is interested in you and was willing to-"

"What in the... ?"

"What?"

Both Talia and Lady Celine said at the same time and Jolene’s lips curled to a smirk.

"You can use this opportunity to get close to him and know more about his family."

"Ah... I’m not that desperate. There are always other means," Talia couldn’t even think about pretending to date another man. Fred will kill her.

"Why not? You’re single right? Also if you start dating, we can put an end to the rumours about us," Lady Jolene was much more exited as she spoke.

"What rumours?" Talia asked. Lady Celine too, with her lips pressed together, looked at Jolene with a questioning glance.

"No one told you? There are already rumours that... They made p*rn about us..." Lady Jolene scrolled through her phone. While Talia’s eyes widened with surprise, Lady Celine’s jaw dropped and she closed her wide open mouth with both of her hands.

"I didn’t know about it, but one of my colleague told me about it... I don’t know how within ten days of announcing us as your ladies in waiting they came up with this... Wait... I downloaded it... Ah... Here it is..."

Lady Jolene pushed her phone towards Talia and Lady Celine after playing the video.

" You are the bossy Princess, I’m the crazy redhead and Celine is the dumb blonde... " Lady Jolene laughed.

"My goodness!" Talia pushed the phone back to Jolene. It was a high definition video involving three women who were doing ’adult stuff’.

"There really are rumours that I am gay? I thought Asher was just butthurt when he said it." Talia shook her head.

" What do you do with your phone? Please turn the sound down and delete that video from your phone! What if someone hears it? How could people be so vile to produce such... monstrosity? And... Why did you even download it?" Lady Celine was shaking visibly, after watching the video.

Lady Jolene felt like teasing lady Celine more and purposefully increased the volume and even Talia felt nauseous hearing the very ambiguous moans of three women coming from the phone.

" Oh enough, Jolene!" Talia got the phone from her hands and deleted the video.

"None of us have boyfriends and we hang together a lot and it created rumours," Lady Jolene laughed and Talia could see the similarities between Rebecca and Jolene. Both act slap-worthy at times.

Jolene on the other hand, felt very amused seeing the reaction of the other two women. "That’s why, Talia... Bite the bullet for us and start dating Walter..."

"She said she is not interested. Why are you compelling her to do what she is not interested to do?" Lady Celine let her thoughts known clearly, although she seemed to be talking for Talia.

"Maybe you should get close to him then!" Talia glared at Jolene before she started to tease Celine more and spoke with a gentle smile.

"Why me?" Lady Celine’s pretty blue eyes widened and her face blushed red like a tomato.

Because you like him?

Talia wanted to say, but she knew Celine won’t agree. So she came up with another reason. "You are my lady in waiting and it is tradition for you to do my bidding. That’s why."

"Oh?" Celine blinked hard. It was very obvious she wanted to but something stopped her. "But my family-"

"You are an adult for Pete’s sake! How long will you obey your brothers? Tell them that he’s the man you love and that you will only marry him" Lady Jolene who was trying to control her laughter till then, got a bit angry.

"I don’t love him!" lady Celine got up from her chair and picked up her purse. "It’s getting late. I’ll leave now..." saying this she left the room.

"What a silly woman! Can’t he live her own life?" Lady Jolene sighed. "In a way, I envy her... She has a horde of brothers and sisters to protect her while I have to do everything myself with me being the only child in the family....I wish I had a big brother or two who supported the family. I like to stay home and get pampered too..." she leaned at the back of her chair.

" Mmm... " Talia could understand what Jolene meant.

Talia herself is the sole heir of the Brunton family and that required for her to be more restricted and it reduced her liberty. It was why she couldn’t even freely fall in love with Fred when she was in high school. Even now, she felt like maybe there is a lingering hesitation in her even though her Grandpa accepts their union. Maybe it was a remnant of her fear from before.

She thought about it after she learnt about her grandmother Princess Lillian. Princess Lillian knew even if she leaves, she still had a brother and he can wear the crown meant for her. If she didn’t have a brother, would she have left her duty and followed her heart?

Everyone has something binding them to the ground, stopping them from soaring up high in the sky, following their heart. Some snap them and decide to fly, some unable to snap it, stay on the ground. Both cannot be blamed.

Everyone has their priorities. Some choose their heart, some choose their duty.

People who choose duty over their heart are applauded by the vast majority, while those who choose their heart are blamed to be selfish. But it is what it is and not everyone is the same.

Talia herself, chose to snap every chord of duty connecting her to her grandfather and the monarchy and flew away far. But she really couldn’t find her home there. She returned. The chords she thought were balls and chains at that time, feels like a lovely pair of anklets now.

Both women stayed silent in each others company for sometime. Each were in their own thoughts.

"Men actually have misbehaved with you?" Jolene asked.

"Is that surprising?" Talia asked back.

"No... But why did you allow them?"

"I allowed?" Talia felt a little offended. "Allowed as in wearing provocative clothes and makeup?"

"No, allowed as in not breaking the nose of the first man who misbehaved with you so that the other men are scared to cross the limit with you," Jolene said with a serious face.

"Hmm... It is an interesting point actually... I’ll think about it."

Jolene’s words made Talia think. It is true. If she was stronger, men wouldn’t have succeeded in misbehaving with her.

Should I ask Mr. Ed to teach me some self defence?

As they were speaking, Kate came and informed that Prince Lambert is there.

" I’ll leave now... I have work tomorrow," Lady Jolene got up. She was working in her father’s company and being Talia’s Lady in Waiting was like a hobby for her since it is not a job that pays.

"There are similar videos of body doubles of Prince Lambert and you too..." Lady Jolene whispered in Talia’s ears before she walked towards the door.

"Oh, by all things holy! Don’t you dare show such videos to me! He’s my frigging brother!" Talia shouted.

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