Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 62: Titles and Troubles

Chapter 62: Titles and Troubles

Talia cussing Arthur in her heart, wrapped herself in her coat since she felt a little chilly. She really liked to dress warm.

After travelling for an hour in that sinful traffic, she reached the restaurant and as she entered, she saw a clerk welcoming her. A coat check attendant got her coat and she was respectfully brought to the top floor of the restaurant that looked more regal with many round tables and at one glance, she could see only few people there. Most of them weren’t the patrons of the restaurant but paparazzi from Esteria.

She hid her annoyance with a smile. Even though she predicted this would happen, she still felt irked to be there. She walked towards Prince Edward who was walking towards her with a dazzling smile. If she was some maiden with Cinderella dreams, she’d have fallen for that man looking like a fallen angel with angelic charm.

"Lady Talia, you should have allowed me to pick you up!" he placed his hand on her arm and leaned for a kiss on the cheek and Talia effectively took a side step.

’Dude! We are not that close to greet with a kiss! Is this for the cameras around us? ’

"Your highness is not blaming me for being late, are you?" she smiled and in the pretense of looking at her watch, got her arm out of his grip,

"I’m on time!" she chuckled sweetly and held out her other hand for a shake.

She could see the little flicker in the clear sapphire eyes of Prince Edward and to not being awkward her shook her hand in return.

"Of course Lady Talia is on time as always! A lady is never late. It’s the men who are early," he said jokingly and lead her to the table and even pulled the chair for her.

Talia accepted that gesture and placed her clutch on the table to her side and with her smile still not wavering, watched him take his seat.

" I’m not sure how to address you. Last time we met you were Lady Talia but now you have become the Royal Princess of Rosandale," he said with a smile and even his eyes were lifted in the corners giving the illusion of a real smile but Talia knew it better.

He is calling me a traitor of Esteria for accepting the title from Rosandale.

They, from the upper class are raised from a tender age to look polite and sincere all the time and acting is part of the lessons they learn in another name - ’etiquettes’.

"Yes, I’m the heir to the Dukedom of Oakley and I’m also the Royal Princess of Rosandale. But you can address me by my name," she corrected him politely and placed the napkin on her lap.

It’s the truth! Both are her identity even if she didn’t want to accept it.

" Then you can address me by my name too... Talia!" he said with a smile and fixed his tie clip that was already perfect revealing a slight nervousness.

’She has become more arrogant, hasn’t she?’ his eyes swirled with darkness.

Talia sighed seeing the table arrangement. There was a big centrepiece of red roses and candles and by the arrangements she could infer it was a five coarse meal. She patted her own hand and decided to be more patient throughout the dinner.

As the dinner went on, Talia tried to converse about business but he steered clear from business and talked about the Noble families of Esteria.

Esteria is a country where class system is still followed. That means those with Noble titles are considered superiors and others were considered second class. Even the laws of the land can be bent in favour of the nobles and with now the Sinclair family ruling, those rules are slowly changing.

Also the newer generation didn’t care much for tradition and they want to create their own. With each new generation, people care more about liberty and equality and those old traditions won’t hold on much longer.

Of course the nobles doesn’t like that and the class system is slowly shifting with many low class people becoming richer than the nobles. That’s why the nobles still hold on to the last straw - The High Council, to stay relevant and hold some power in the country.

And that is exactly why many Nobles hate her grandfather who is the richest of all and holding abundant power as a Duke and also as a billionaire.

Talia wasn’t too sure of the political situations there for now, but she could only guess it would have only become worse.

In any country, those with money will hold power. Many people from the low class who made big are thankful to her grandfather since he helped them get big and now with the feud between Sinclair and Brunton family being over, the power structure should have tilted to one side leaving the nobles powerless.

They all should be fuming now and with her grandfather sick and thinking that no one to take on his mantle they’d do anything to change everything back.

Talia knew why her grandfather needs her there now more than ever, but was she willing to give up on herself and her mental health to go back there to save her family’s legacy?

Also her return will definitely cause a stir among the people. No matter how fast their country changes, some things like loyalty runs deep in the veins on the people. Her return as the murderer of her loyal companion and also her betrayal of accepting the Royal title of another country won’t be accepted.

Not to mention, she still couldn’t figure out what the Lockhart family is planning.

And so...

The answer was a resounding "NO" till last week...

But now...

Her heart has wavered a bit.

"I admire the Rosandale royalty for accepting Arthur as your husband. The Queen Dowager always showed herself as a traditionalist. A commoner marrying a Princess? Didn’t know they could sink this low. Heh, " he snorted and Talia almost broke her smile.

Rosandale is still under the Monarchy and the people are happy being under a monarch. Esteria and Rosandale don’t get along for... As long both countries existed. Surely there were many marriages and alliances among nobles were made and still they never got over their hate and they’d jump to war any chance they get. The two countries have border disputes at certain areas too.

Surely it is not odd for a Royal family member of Esteria to badmouth the Royal Family of Rosandale, but Talia was more pissed he involved Arthur.

But no matter what she says it would end up bad for her. If she disagrees, she’d be defending her great grandmother and opposing Prince Edward. But if she stays silent, then it means she agrees with Prince Edward.

"If you want, I can give a Knighthood or some title like Viscount to Arthur so he won’t be embarrassed in front of those Rosandale Royals," Prince Edward added with his eyes sincere and Talia’s strings of patience snapped one by one.

Who wants your measly titles, dumbass! What do you mean by Knighthood or Viscount? I, the Royal Princess can confer some higher title to him if he desires! And by right, he is my Prince Consort if he is actually married to me!

"Don’t bother, Edward," Talia said with a chuckle, "Arthur is pleased with his title ’The King of the Business World’. He gained it with his own sweat and blood after all! He has no time to bother with all those other honour we think as something we are entitled to as we are assigned to it by birth. And my great grandmother is not that traditionalist as others portray. Now that she pulled herself back from the government affairs and retired, she involves herself more with charity works and spending time with youngsters, she became more youthful. Sometimes even I envy her. " Talia said with a chuckle as if she was speaking lightly and wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin and hid her clenching jaw.

Of course Prince Edward understood the shade she threw on him. With him not ruling the country actually, what difference is there between his title of ’Crown Prince’ and Arthur’s title of ’King’?