Sisters

"Shouldn't you be eating with Father and Mother?" Bel asked darkly, refusing to admit that she was happy about Hazel's gesture.

"If you had joined us, I would have, but when the servant mentioned you wouldn't be joining us for lunch, I decided to bring it to you. And isn't it more fun to eat with company? We can chat while we eat."

"No," Bel said stubbornly and laid back down. She rolled on her side so her back would face Hazel.

Hazel didn't reply to this, and Bel frowned when she started to hear the sound of furniture being dragged across the carpet. She turned to see Hazel had set chairs around the table in her room. 

She smiled at Bel as their eyes met. "Surely, you're not going to let me eat alone?"

The servant stood in the corner with her head bent. "That would be all, Grace," Hazel said to her with a smile. "I didn't think you would be able to move the chairs all by yourself. You did wonderfully well."

Bel watched the servant go bashful at Hazel's praise. Bel frowned; she didn't even know the name of the servant, but of course, her sister knew something like that.

Grace eagerly returned Hazel's smile. "You don't have to thank me; it was an honor to serve."

"I shall call on you if I need anything."

"Thank you, Princess."

Bel watched Grace walk out of the room with happier steps and a permanent smile on her face.

"Grace? Seriously?" Bel asked.

"What?" Hazel asked with a genuinely confused expression.

"Nothing. You should go. Thank you for bringing me lunch, but you don't have to eat with me."

"Why not? I want to eat with you," she mumbled. "I already spoke to Father and Mother, and they gave their permission if that's what you're worried about."

Bel blinked at Hazel; it wasn't that she was worried about that, she just found it a little odd that Hazel thought that would be the only reason why she wouldn't want to eat with her.

"I am not worried about that. I'd just rather be alone, and truthfully, starve while I am at it."

"Punishing yourself isn't going to give you the satisfaction you think it would. Now get out of bed and join me. I do think you would be able to be even more spiteful if you did it with a full stomach."

"Are you mocking my situation, Zel?" Bel asked.

Hazel looked genuinely hurt, "No," she whispered and looked away. "I was trying to give you a reason to eat."

"You don't have to take my words at face value," Bel said and started getting out of bed. "I know you would never mock my situation, but that was the last thing I expected you to say."

Bel chuckled lightly as she walked to her sister who beamed at her. Bel sat next to Hazel. "And you are right, it would be harder to be spiteful with an empty stomach," she added.

"I am glad you agree," Hazel replied and handed Bel her cutlery.

"Thank you," Bel mumbled and dug into her food immediately. She was hungry; running out of the dining hall without eating much was a bad idea. If she had gone to the clinic in that state, she would have been ready to eat a whale right now.

She glanced at her sister and smiled. Hazel was annoyingly thoughtful. She was certain her sister had remembered she stomped out of the dining hall with her plate still full.

Bel pushed the thoughts out of her mind and just concentrated on eating. They mostly ate in silence with only the subtle sounds of the cutlery hitting the plates.

"I am sorry about this morning," Hazel suddenly blurted out.

"You don't have to apologize. Technically, you didn't say anything wrong."

"But it pissed you off," Hazel insisted.

"I am over it; you don't have to talk about it. If it was that important, I would have brought it up myself," Bel whispered.

"I am glad," Hazel said, grabbing Bel's palm with a smile.

Bel pulled her hand out of her sister's grasp. "Okay, let me finish my food."

"You might not like what I am about to say." Hazel's voice was low as she spoke; she peeked at Bel who kept her gaze locked on her food.

"Then I don't want to hear it," Bel declared.

"I know, but we can't avoid the subject. Besides, you'll feel better when you talk about things."

"I don't want to talk; I want to not get married in seven days. How are you not angry about this? We are upstaging your wedding that you have been planning for months, and you don't seem to have any issue with it."

Hazel's face brightened. "I can't believe you would ask that. It would be beautiful if we got married on the same day, and technically, you won't be upstaging me as your wedding won't commence until nightfall."

"I haven't agreed to the marriage yet," Bel said and looked away, taken aback by Hazel's happiness. "Besides, we both know people would talk about my marriage more."

She wasn't trying to be spiteful and didn't realize how the words sounded until they left her lips.

"Well, a talked-about marriage is the least you deserve for getting married to someone you don't like."

"I can't piss you off, can I?" Bel asked and dropped her cutlery. She brought the napkin to her lips.

"I don't think you are deliberately trying to piss me off. You're just generally angry, and that's understandable."

"You always have a good enough reason, don't you?" Bel said, her pitch dropping a few inches as she stared at the ceiling. "Thank you," Bel turned to her sister. "I can at least tell you that." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the ceiling.

"We are sisters; I'd do anything to make your situation better in any way I can, and I know if the roles were reversed, you'd be yelling off my head about why this was a bad idea, and you'd get into a fight with Father and Mother."

"That's not true, I would be glad it wasn't me," Bel muttered.

"Liar," Hazel accused.