“Yes, you were worried about him.” Albert said with a bitter smile. “With such a big event today, you didn’t even think to tell me. If the arrest operation had failed, if that bomb had exploded, do you know the consequences?”
“Of course I know!” Wilhelmina irritably grabbed her hair. “But Owen’s proposal also seemed reasonable. This was a perfect opportunity!”
“You’re always like this. Hans Borg is your mentor, your best friend… always right…”
“Don’t do this, Albert.” Wilhelmina called out. “You know what he means to me. His election would be very beneficial for me!”
“Don’t confuse the issue, Willy; you know what I want to say.”
Albert looked disappointedly at his wife, “If you can’t see that he’s standing between us, then anything I say is useless.”
“What are you talking about?” Wilhelmina found it unbelievable, “Me, and Hans Borg?”
Albert’s eyes were filled with sadness. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pointed it out.”
He grabbed his coat and strode away, leaving Wilhelmina standing there, her dry eyes closed in pain.
That night, the royal couple slept in separate rooms for the first time since their wedding. The room prepared for Prince Albert was finally used.
The servants in the Palace of Paris were especially cautious. They whispered among themselves.
“No couple doesn’t argue,” a cook remarked. “My husband and I have been married for thirty years and argue almost every day, but we still love each other and have five children. Arguments are just a kind of adjustment in a marriage. Don’t think a little bickering will break their bond. Maybe tomorrow they’ll have breakfast together.”
However, when the order came from above for the Queen and Prince to have breakfast in their respective bedrooms, even the cook couldn’t help but make a strange face.
“Newlyweds always need a running-in period; marriage is like testing a new pair of shoes.”
Wilhelmina planned to send Cynthia to ask Albert if he wanted to have breakfast with her, but Angela, aware of their argument, advised against it.
“This is your first quarrel, dear. I don’t recommend the woman taking the initiative to make up. This moment is crucial for establishing family authority.”
“But I wasn’t entirely wrong. I’m already the authority in this family.”
