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The whole time, Natalie’s words had gone around his head although he hadn’t been able to bring them up yet. She’d come to speak to him while Rainier had been bathing. The Queen’s cruel insults made him wonder too.
Natalie had said that Addy hadn’t died like the stories said. Felix had never dared to bring her up to Rainier, but he always thought she had died from a rare stomach ailment. He’d never questioned it before.
Natalie said Addy had died from vomiting, and the family knew the truth, but they covered it up. Natalie had been younger at the time, but she did remember Addy writing and once mentioning that she’d finally lost weight. She’d seemed far too pleased over it.
Betty said Addy had been trying to lose weight, and the Queen was too hard on her children. She figured Addy had been puking up her food to get rid of it.
Rainier had lost weight as a teenager and turned into what Felix was used to seeing, but since he always seemed fine in general, Natalie figured he wasn’t throwing up. Queen Eliza had always been strict on her children about not snacking, and she had also given things to Betty before so that she would lose weight, but they never seemed to work.
“You should talk to Rainier about this,” she had said. “I thought it could be stress and because he was heartbroken that you left, but I’m wondering if he’s concerned about losing weight, and that’s the real issue. If I ask him, he’ll deny everything.”
Felix jumped slightly as Rainier shifted in the bed and sat up. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Um, about three hours or so, I think.” Felix went to sit by him. “I went and bought food.”
Rainier looked toward the window. “I’m sorry about Mum acting like that. I didn’t want us to see her at all.”
“It’s not your fault.” Felix crossed his legs on the bed as Inky jumped up. “Natalie told me some stuff while you were in the bath. I never brought up your sister because I figured you wouldn’t want to talk about it, and Natalie said she threw up.”
Rainier kept his face turned away. “I’m not throwing up.”
“She’s afraid you’re trying to lose weight like Addy was. She wrote to Natalie and said she’d lost weight, and she was happy about it. Natalie told me you don’t seem to be vomiting, but you’ve been thin for years, and you don’t eat much.”
Rainier took a deep breath. “Addy was vomiting to lose weight, but I’m not doing that.”
“Natalie’s wondering if you’re trying to lose weight too. I don’t see why you would want to lose when you’re this thin.”
Rainier rubbed his face. “You heard my Mum.”
“I heard nasty insults and a lie.”
“I am fat,” mumbled Rainier.
Felix widened his eyes. “You’re about as far from that as possible.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I don’t see how you can think you’re fat!”
“Because I am. Mum can see it, and she’s not nice like you. She’s not afraid to say it.”
“Do you think I’m fat?!” asked Felix.
Rainier squinted at him. “No. You look perfect.”
“I’m thicker than you.”
“You’re not fat. I’m the one who’s overweight, and I’ve been fucking hearing about it for years. I’m sick of it and her, and I’m tired of her nagging and insults. She thinks my kink is sick, and quite frankly, I don’t want to see her, deal with it, or even be in that Castle anymore.”
“She thinks you’re fat?”
“I lack self-control.”
Felix wasn’t even sure what to say, and someone knocked on the door. Inky looked up from kneading the blanket and jumped down to slink under the bed. “Maybe that’s the physician. Let me check.”
He was right, and he let the physician see Rainier while he sat at the table in front of the fire and tried to make sense of everything. How could the Queen look at her son and think he was fat? How could Rainier possibly believe that? He barely knew how to organize what he’d learned today, and he hadn’t made much progress by the time the physician came out.
“I’m guessing you’ll be staying here and taking care of him?”
