Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 370: Is Teasing Love?

Chapter 370: Is Teasing Love?

"Welcome back, Grandpa!" Talia welcomed her grandpa into the house with a tight hug. Arthur was the one who welcomed him from the airport. "How are you feeling?"

"Great! I’m feeling really great to see you back home." Her grandpa became teary-eyed and Talia hugged him back.

"I’m home, grandpa."

Talia then left her grandpa with the staffs of the castle who were waiting for his arrival. Sebastian gave a bow with tear filled eyes and for Talia it all felt very nostalgic. Sebastian would always be emotional around her grandpa. The staff could see the difference in their master’s health. He looked like a sick man when he left, but now he looked like he used to; majestic!

The return of the little Lady brought a lot of happiness!

Lambert was welcomed as a State Guest by Prince Edward and that’s why Talia didn’t want to go to the airport. She really didn’t want to meet Edward.

Talia’s grandpa went straight to his office and Talia reported about the preparations for the Ceremony. Jerome was pleased seeing how she feels at home here.

He had watched in Rosandale preparing for the Spring Ball. She had the same enthusiasm then too, but she treaded carefully there; as she must. But here, she acts freely; rightfully so.

"Aren’t you tired, grandpa? Should I prepare for your rest?" Talia asked her grandpa. Seeing her grandpa sitting in his study, brought back all kinds of memories to her mind and made her feel happy and protected.

Her grandpa gave her the feeling of security. She remembers believing that she could rely on him no matter what. But then some things happen and her belief wavered.

But grandpa has always been protecting me, hasn’t he?

"I don’t feel tired, MaryAnn... I’m glad I am back. No matter where you go, there is no place like home, right?" Jerome smiled and Talia nodded. "Come child, sit with me," he asked her to sit with him.

Both of then chatted mostly reminiscing the past and Sebastian brought tea and soon he joined them too. With another old man as his company, Talia’s grandpa started reminding about the embarrassing stories of her past making her pout.

Arthur who had to go to the office for a meeting returned, and seeing Arthur, Talia thought she’d have support, but Arthur was more interested in learning her stories.

"I’m leaving!" Talia couldn’t handle three people roasting her and left the study puffing in anger.

"Fred! If you’re not out in five seconds, I’ll never ... "

She was about to say ’sleep with you’, but she held back since they were with elders, "I’ll break our pact!" she shouted before leaving the room amidst the laugh of the two grandpas.

"Okay," Arthur with no second thoughts stood up to leave. He didn’t want her to break the pact.

"Look how henpecked he is before marriage... Imagine how he’ll turn out after marriage!" Jerome laughed. "I thought my granddaughter was naive, but she has trained him well."

Trained? Am I a dog?

Arthur wanted to reply to him, but in the end he only had two seconds to leave and so he ran at the door, fisting his hands.

"Sebastian, did he really scream ’I’m the future Lord’ and commanded MaryAnn to get out?" Jerome asked and Arthur felt his skin crawl.

Why does Jerome know about that? Nasty gossiping Sebastian!

He wrapped his arms around Talia’s waist and pulled her to a hug while listening to what’s happening inside. Talia failed to get out of his grip and Arthur placed his hand over her lips and signalled to listen and she decided to follow his lead.

"I remember Milord saying something similar in the past to Milady," Sebastian’s statement made both Talia and Arthur intrigued. Talia has never met her grandmother, but she knew her grandmother was very kind and soft-spoken, everything Talia is not.

"You remember that?" Jerome laughed heartily. "My Anna got so mad that day and locked herself in the room and refused to open the door. All I had to do was shout ’I am your lord, listen to my command’ and she immediately opened the door. My Anna loved me so much! She always listened to me. So MaryAnn didn’t open the door? What a pitiful man Artie is... even his woman isn’t listening to him..." Jerome laughed and Talia heard Arthur gritting his teeth.

"This old man is a male chauvinist! What does he know? My Iris came to me by herself that night! I bet you didn’t have a wild night with your wife after ordering her around like that!" he grumbled and Talia held her laughter seeing Arthur’s reaction. She pulled him back from barging in. He was really angry but Talia was very delighted.

"Milady was a very admirable woman. That day she opened the door but she still didn’t forgive you and I remember you had to beg on your knees to enter her bedchambers," Sebastian added and both Talia and Arthur broke into laughter.

He commanded grandma to get out and afterwards knelt and begged her? Oh! My grandpa sure is weird!

"You rugrats are eavesdropping? Get lost!" Jerome threw a teacup at the door and Arthur and Talia ran away giggling like children.

----

"Your house is bigger than mine," Lambert said taking a sip from the beer bottle. Like usual, they were sitting in the terrace and Arthur joined them too.

"This is our main house. You grew up in the Gresford Palace. The main house of the Royal family- The Palace of Charentes is bigger than the Oakley Castle, right?" Talia leaned on Arthur and took a sip of hot chocolate.

"No, it has more rooms, but the Oakley Castle is bigger in area." Lambert said making Talia grin.

"Eh, so I grew up more lavishly than you!"

"That’s a given," Lambert answered unenthusiastically and dampened Talia’s good mood. For a moment she thought Lambert was jealous and she thought of riling him up. But she failed.

"Prince Edward asked about you. In fact we talked a lot about you. I didn’t know you two were raised together," Lambert asked and Talia almost spit back the hot chocolate in her mouth. But she didn’t want to waste any chocolate and swallowed it. Arthur silently listened to their interaction.

"Raised together? He is not my family! Is he deluded? "

"You weren’t? I thought he was exaggerating a little too. But... Talia was he in love with you?"

"Wha-?" Talia almost swallowed in the wrong pipe. She checked Arthur’s reaction and was relieved to see him calm. She knew she can’t handle his jealousy.

This Lambert is purposefully bringing up Edward to make Arthur jealous, right?

"Lambert, are you a lame-birdbrain? Edward hated me! He’d try to steal my stuff; he’d pull my hair, lift my skirt and would try to shift his blame on me! Love? Pfft!" Talia stood up. She didn’t want to dip her toes in dangerous waters of Arthur’s jealousy.

"But boys tease the girl they like!" Lambert wasn’t backing off.

"Well, not all boys! And girls don’t like such boys. You tease me and you’re my cousin." Talia curled her lips. "Fred never teased me." She bent and kissed Arthur in the cheek and he looked at her with a smirk.

Only then she remembered all the weird games he used to play with her. He’d try to scare her from behind her, hide her homework and once he even left her in the school labyrinth alone. Well, she thought he left but this guy was just hiding making her almost cry while he laughed at her.

These all happened in the first year!

"You fell first for me? You lied? You said it was when I visited your place wearing-"

"I didn’t know why I felt like teasing you then. It was that day I realised what that feeling was." Arthur held her hand and interrupted her. Through his peripheral vision he could see Lambert being over curious and he didn’t want to reveal more information to him.

Talia’s heart started pounding looking at Arthur. She was glad she learnt about it now. He liked me even in the first year? Even before me?

"What did you wear to his place?" Lambert didn’t feel any shame to pry into their conversation and ruined their moment. He was a little bitter seeing a happy couple.

"I was in my birthday suit," Talia grinned ear to ear and Lambert almost dropped the beer bottle in his hand and Arthur chuckled.

"Fred, I’ll leave now," Talia left after giving him a smooch not minding Lambert.

"She was my first crush from when I was ten..." Lambert said watching her leave. "And then she became my cousin."

"She was the first crush and first love for many men. Many loved her for her wealth and beauty. Some for who she is..." Arthur shrugged.

"But how come she doesn’t know?"

"There was Cyrus who blocked bigger targets and for the small fries, I was there... We never let anyone close to her," Arthur was very proud saying that and Lambert was lost for words.

Is that something to be proud of?

"Edward told me that the one you think is dead probably is not dead. He said that he’ll send his minions to attack her even in this Ceremony." Lambert said after confirming Talia left. "He was cryptic probably to get Talia go to him."

"Understand." Arthur’s voice went deep. He fisted his hands.

That d*mn Prince Edward!