The Duke's Masked Wife

"I don't have Edgar wrapped around my finger.  The king must have seen it differently," Alessandra denied Hazel's claim. How could she have a man like Edgar wrapped around her finger?

"I will leave it for you to see. One thing is for sure, my husband would not have been able to convince Edgar to come tonight. I heard you were able to change his mind in a heartbeat. That is unusual for your husband who hates social gatherings like this. Many would try to kiss up to him, propose business ideas, or try to introduce their daughters to Edgar. Your husband is a hot topic."

Hazel glanced back at the throne and found the said man with his eyes glued to his wife as they walked around the ballroom. 'This is entertaining,' she thought.

"Completely smitten," Hazel chuckled. She wished to be a fly on the wall to witness when Edgar realized he had fallen in love.

"Who is?" Alessandra was afraid she wasn't on the same page as the queen.

"I will tell you if you visit me in the castle later on," said Hazel.

"I see. What is it like living in the palace, your highness?"

Hazel frowned as she thought about life in the palace. "There are too many rules to follow. I once thought the rules my mother had for me to follow were too much until I came to live in the palace. Thankfully, Tobias was always close by to help me adjust. I cannot thank him enough. Never let him know I said that."

"I won't," Alessandra promised. She found the queen and king to be amusing.

"Do not look but I think your sister is glaring at you, Alessandra. Perhaps she is angry you did not invite her to meet the king or maybe, she is angry you have taken her spot. Don't look so surprised," Hazel stated when Alessandra looked at her. "I am quite perceptive and a lot of information reaches my ear thanks to the maids. I know who likes who and I know your sister has always liked Edgar."

"She will get over it if she wishes to keep a relationship with you. My sister wished to be the one to marry the king but I was chosen. She did not speak to me for a year and almost missed my wedding. We talked about it and moved on. She is now married and lives out of town. Give it time," Hazel advised Alessandra.

'There is not enough time in this lifetime for me and Kate to one day have a sisterhood,' Alessandra thought.

"Queen Castro."

"Priscilla Collins. I've heard you were in town. Did you come back because of Edgar's marriage? Hopefully, you can convince him to have a proper wedding for us to attend. I was getting to know the Duchess. Have the two of you met already?" Hazel looked back and forth between Alessandra and Priscilla.

"We have. I have to admit was quite a disappointment. My son has someone playing dress-up," Priscilla threw an unimpressed glance in Alessandra's direction. She was hoping Alessandra would continue hiding in a hole just like she did at the Baron's home. Now everyone was questioning Edgar's preference and mental state.

"It doesn't appear that way to me," Hazel replied, disliking the way Priscilla was openly talking down on the Duchess in front of the queen. 'She knows no one is to approach me unless I call for them. She acts like the queen,' she mentally rolled her eyes at Priscilla.

Hazel was once on Priscilla's bad side when she turned down the offer to be considered as a candidate for Edgar's wife. She could never deal with a mother-in-law like Priscilla meddling in her life and she had never felt romantic feelings for Edgar.

"What are you trying to say, your highness?" Priscilla asked. She disliked how Hazel was standing so close to Alessandra and holding her hand when there were better young women waiting for the queen to notice them.

"I believe we are going to see a positive change in Edgar soon. Some people have questioned the type of household he was raised in for his heart to be so closed so off. I find those questions to be preposterous. Surely, Edgar witnessed the love between his mother and father. Something else must have closed off his heart or maybe there is something we are missing. What's done in the dark will one day come into the light but I'm sure it was nothing on your end, Mrs. Collins," Hazel offered Priscilla a smile for support.

Alessandra was confused by the sudden tension between Priscilla and Hazel. It felt like Hazel was standing up for her after Priscilla's words but why would she when they hardly knew one another?

Priscilla bit her tongue to refrain from saying something nasty to the queen. She played this game many times and knew Hazel was not offering her any support. She was openly blaming her for Edgar not wanting to be married. "Only a mother would understand the position I am in. I hope one day you get to be in this position, Queen Castro."

Hazel continued to smile despite the words Priscilla stated wounding her heart. As much as it hurt her to be reminded of her lack of an heir she would not falter in front of anyone.

"Oh my," Priscilla covered her mouth with her hand pretending to be shocked by the words she told the queen. "I hope I did not offend you, Queen Castro. Do not think of me as your enemy. I was only trying to offer friendly advice."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Collins. Nothing you say will offend me. I will never make a woman dealing with her husband's affairs my enemy. I wish for you to come to me any time to cry on my shoulder. I will offer you some advice. Focus on your own marriage  instead of disrespecting your son's wife. Now, please get out of the queen's path. Guards," Hazel glanced at the men behind her and Alessandra.

"I can move on my own. I'm starting to question what kind of queen you are. Birds of a feather flock together," Priscilla glared at Alessandra.

'Why am I being glared at when I was silent  this entire conversation?' Alessandra sighed.

"I will remember this moment well, your highness."  Priscilla left without addressing Alessandra. Many of the young women in her circle will deal with Alessandra the moment she leaves the queen's side.

"Thank you," Alessandra said to Hazel after Priscilla walked away.

"No problem. I dislike it when people bully others. I like Mrs. Collins when it comes to tea parties and dresses but when she starts trying to control Edgar's life I can't help but roll my eyes. I would hate to be in your shoes, Alessandra."