Family Scandals & Fresh Grass
The hammock swayed lazily under the midday sun, its rhythmic creaking blending seamlessly with the sounds of laughter and splashing water from the backyard. Caitlyn and Vi lounged together, the soft breeze carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and the faint tang of water from the sprinkler.
In the yard, Mylo, Claggor, and Powder darted around like maniacs, drenched from head to toe as they attempted to dodge the spray of a hose Claggor held aloft. Powder shrieked as she slid across the wet grass, narrowly catching the frisbee before Mylo launched himself into her with a full-body tackle. The frisbee went flying, landing with a wet plop near the sprinkler, which arced dramatically and soaked them both in retaliation. Claggor cackled from a safe distance, swinging the hose wildly and missing both of them entirely.
It had started with Vander’s stern directive that they clean up after this morning’s pancake disaster—flour still dusted on Powder’s hair and Claggor’s hands faintly tinged with purple food dye. He’d told them to take proper showers, but the siblings had taken one look at the warm sun and decided that hosing themselves down outside while playing games sounded way more fun.
Caitlyn watched them with amused curiosity, her head resting lightly against Vi’s shoulder. She felt the steady rhythm of Vi’s breathing, the comforting warmth of her arm loosely draped around her waist. It was peaceful, an oasis of calm amidst the chaos of the past few days.
Powder shrieked again, narrowly dodging another attempt from Mylo to tackle her, and Caitlyn let out a soft laugh. “They’re relentless, aren’t they?”
Vi chuckled, her gaze fixed on the scene. “They always are. You give them a hose and a frisbee, and suddenly it’s a battlefield.”
Caitlyn turned her face toward Vi, her lips curving into a small, playful smile. “And to think, we opted out of all the fun.”
Vi shrugged lazily, her smirk shifting into something cocky. “What can I say? They don’t want me to play because they know I’ll beat them all. No contest.”
Caitlyn arched an eyebrow, turning to meet Vi’s gaze with a sly smile. “Oh, I don’t think that’s it. I think you just prefer lying here, pretending you’re above all the chaos.”
Vi chuckled, brushing a blade of grass off Caitlyn’s arm. “And if I do?”
Caitlyn leaned in just slightly, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper. “Then I’d say you’re exactly where you want to be—beside me.”
Vi’s cocky grin softened, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns against Caitlyn’s hip as the hammock swayed gently. “Yeah, I guess I am,” she murmured, her voice quieter now, her focus fully on Caitlyn.
After a moment of quiet, Vi shifted slightly in the hammock, her fingers brushing against Caitlyn’s arm. “So, uh…” She hesitated, her voice low, almost unsure. “I mean, now that I’ve, uh, had time to wrap my head around the fact that you’re, you know, a literal princess,” she said, a sheepish grin tugging at her lips, “I was kinda wondering… your family. What’s that like? I know a little about Jayce, but your aunties—they must have some pretty wild stories, right?”
Caitlyn blinked at Vi for a second before bursting into soft laughter, her head tipping back against the hammock. “Vi, you’re adorable when you’re trying to be subtle,” she teased, her voice warm and fond. “But I guess it’s only fair.” She shifted a little closer, her hand brushing against Vi’s as she settled in. “Alright, where should I start?”
A smile spread across Caitlyn’s lips, her eyes soft with the weight of a cherished memory. “Well, first, there’s Aunt Isolde… she’s my favourite, honestly. Whenever we had gala nights at the estate, my mother would parade me around, trying to push potential suitors on me—mind you, I was only fourteen at the time,” she added with an incredulous laugh. “It was ridiculous. Anyway, Aunt Isolde always had this knack for swooping in at just the right moment. She’d say I looked tired and that she’d escort me to bed.”
Caitlyn’s smile grew mischievous as she continued. “But instead of tucking me in, we’d run down the halls to the other side of the palace. There was this hidden staircase, a secret passage that led to what we called the ‘Lavender Oasis.’ – it was just a ballroom on the lower level, though - It wasn’t like the grand, polished ones upstairs. It was more… alive. Isolde had all these women sneak in through a side entrance—painters, musicians, dancers. They’d bring wine, play music, and dance the night away. It was this whole underground world I didn’t even know existed.”
Vi’s eyes widened, fully captivated as Caitlyn spoke.
“Aunt Isolde introduced me to that secret nightlife,” Caitlyn said softly, her voice almost wistful. “We’d spend hours there—talking, laughing, just soaking it all in. And then, just before dawn, she’d sneak me back to my room and cover for me the next day, telling my mother I’d gone to bed early like a proper little princess.” She shook her head fondly. “I think that’s where I got my rebellious streak from. Aunt Isolde taught me that there’s so much more to life than duty and appearances.”
Vi let out a low whistle, a grin tugging at her lips. “Damn. Sounds like Isolde is the original badass of the Kiramman family.”
Caitlyn chuckled, nudging Vi gently. “She really is. She’s always been my escape when everything else felt like too much.”
Vi tilted her head, her hand still absently tracing patterns on Caitlyn’s hip. “Okay, so Aunt Isolde’s officially my favourite now. But what about the rest of your family? Do you have any other cousins, or is Jayce the lone wolf?”
Caitlyn’s expression shifted slightly, a mix of fondness and something a little heavier. “Jayce is the only cousin I have. The rest of my family, well… they’ve had their share of struggles.” She took a deep breath before continuing, her tone still light but touched with a hint of solemnity.
“Aunt Isolde never married, never even really dated as far as I know. She’s always said she never ‘found the one,’ but honestly, I think she just didn’t care for the idea of being tied down. She’s so fiercely independent, and she’s always surrounded herself with her own kind of family—artists, dreamers, people who light up a room. I think romance just never felt necessary to her.”
Vi nodded, her gaze soft. “Makes sense. Sounds like she carved out her own version of happiness.” She hesitated for a beat, then added with a small smirk, “Bet your grandmother didn’t love that, though.”
Caitlyn laughed lightly, her eyes sparkling with memory. “Oh, absolutely not. But Aunt Isolde was the firstborn—Gran had such a soft spot for her. No matter what she did, she could do no wrong in her eyes.”
Vi’s lips twitched into a knowing smile, but she stayed quiet. Inside, she felt an odd sense of solidarity with Isolde. As the oldest in her family, she knew what it was like to carry expectations while also benefiting from that undeniable soft spot. Vander might not show it outright, but Vi always felt his extra layer of protectiveness toward her. It made her wonder if that’s what had allowed Isolde to forge her own path, no matter how unconventional.
But instead of voicing her thoughts, Vi just gave Caitlyn a reassuring nod, encouraging her to continue.
Caitlyn smiled wistfully, then shifted to the next story. “Then there’s my Aunt Alexandra… she’s Gran’s second eldest. She suffered a miscarriage in the early 80s, and it completely shook the family. Her husband left her shortly after, and that caused a massive scandal. Divorce wasn’t just frowned upon back then—it was a catastrophe for the royal family. He ended up being exiled from England, which might sound harsh, but it was the rule back then.”
“Exiled?” Vi repeated, her brows furrowing. “That’s… extreme.”
“It was,” Caitlyn agreed, her voice quiet. “And Alexandra never remarried. She’s dedicated her life to charity work and helping others, but I think that loss has always stayed with her.”
There was a pause before Caitlyn moved to the next aunt. “Then there’s Victoria, Jayce’s mother,” she began, her voice dipping slightly. “She had Jayce out of wedlock, which was another huge scandal waiting to happen. The public didn’t know, of course. Gran was adamant about avoiding any kind of disgrace. The Palace tracked down Jayce’s father, forced them to marry three months before Jayce was born, and even had his birth date officially forged to make it appear he was conceived after the wedding. To the public, it all looked perfectly legitimate.”
Vi’s face was contorted as she tried to understand the actions of Caitlyn’s family. “That’s... intense.”
Caitlyn nodded with a wry smile. “They tried to make it work, but they couldn’t stand each other. Their marriage lasted sixteen years, though, purely for appearances. They finally divorced in 2010, and it was ugly—really ugly. But by then, the damage was done. I think the divorce was the start of Jayce’s breakdown,”
Caitlyn hesitated, her fingers absently toying with the hem of her shirt as the hammock swayed beneath them. “When Jayce turned eighteen, things got even worse,” she began softly, her voice thick with the weight of unspoken memories. She coughed gently, as if preparing herself. “He got… quite, uh, ill. Really bad. Almost died, actually—an overdose.”
The words stuck in her throat, but she pushed through. Her expression softened, and the weight of the past caught up with her, making her voice waver. “Gran’s solution was to exile him here—keep him out of the spotlight, away from the royal circles.” Despite the warmth of the midday sun, a faint tremor edged her tone, betraying the lingering hurt she felt.
Even though Caitlyn had only been six when it happened, Jayce had always been like a big brother—her protector, her safe place in the whirlwind of royal life. When he vanished without much explanation, she’d been left lost and confused, the one person who seemed to understand her suddenly gone. Now that she knew the truth, it stung in a way she hadn’t expected.
Vi’s brow remained furrowed, a spark of indignation in her eyes. “So instead of getting him help, they just… shipped him off?” she asked, a note of anger creeping into her voice. “He almost died and they thought kicking him across the ocean was the answer?”
Caitlyn swallowed, nodding her understanding of Vi’s frustration. “They didn’t know how else to handle it. The scandal hit right when social media was exploding, and the family panicked. They thought putting an ocean and a continent between Jayce and The Palace would fix everything.” Her voice took on a bitter edge. “Spoiler alert: it didn’t.”
Vi snorted, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. “Figures,” she muttered. There was a knowing look in her eyes—she’d seen firsthand how the Kirammans had tried a similar tactic with Caitlyn.
Caitlyn sighed, continuing her story. “When Jayce moved here for college, it was apparently all smooth sailing at first—everything seemed to be going fine. But, of course, he found new vices.” She paused, her voice growing quieter. “He developed a crippling gambling addiction and snuck off to Vegas on weekends, blowing through money he didn’t have.”
Vi exhaled, her gaze sharpening as she processed the weight of Caitlyn’s words. Her fingers tightened slightly on the hammock’s edge. “I can’t believe they thought exiling him would just magically solve everything,” she murmured, her voice still tinged with anger. She cast a sidelong glance at Caitlyn, recalling how the same ‘solution’ had been applied to her.
Caitlyn's eyes met Vi's, offering a quiet understanding. "Yeah..." she agreed softly, the pain of the shared experience hanging in the air between them. “It was a mess,” she admitted quietly. “And I guess now you see why I empathise with him so much. We both got that same… royal treatment.” She let out a humourless laugh. “I can’t say I recommend it.”
Caitlyn paused, her eyes lingering on Vi’s for a moment. Then, without warning, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Vi’s lips. When she pulled back, her face still hovered inches away, their gazes locked.
“Well,” she murmured, voice low as her breath mingled with Vi’s, “I do recommend this part of the exile.”
Vi let out a quiet laugh, returning the kiss with equal tenderness. The hammock gave a gentle sway under them, the murmur of laughter from the yard blending into the background. After a blissful second, Vi drew back just enough to meet Caitlyn’s eyes. “How did Jayce end up back in England?” she prompted gently.
Caitlyn shrugged slightly, a heaviness settling into her voice. “Jayce saw his father in Las Vegas one weekend, and, well… they had a massive blowout. They were both drunk, and things got ugly. Words were exchanged that can’t be taken back, and Jayce was completely unhinged afterwards. It was like everything spiralled from there.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “That’s when The Palace finally intervened. They had him flown back to England and sent straight to rehab. He stayed there for a year, and since then, he’s been rebuilding his life, slowly but surely.”
She hesitated for a moment, then went on more quietly, “Once Mel stepped in as his personal PR manager, everything changed. She practically spun him into the royal family’s golden boy. The media is obsessed with him now - and Mel’s clever enough to keep it that way. She’s unbelievably good at her job.”
Vi cocked her head. “Mel must really believe in him, huh?”
Caitlyn gave a small, wry grin. “Oh, she believes in him, alright. So much that I’m ninety percent sure they’re hooking up. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it started, but there’ve been enough hints.”
At that, Vi let out a surprised snort. “hah-really?”
Caitlyn shrugged - an amused light in her eyes. “I can’t confirm anything, but I've seen the way they look at each other. And Mel never misses a chance to be near him at events.”
Vi laughed under her breath, shaking her head. “Well, I guess that’s one way to keep tabs on your client.”
“Exactly,” Caitlyn said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. “And that’s Jayce for you—he manages to create a stir whether he’s trying to or not.”
Vi let out a low whistle, absorbing the weight of Caitlyn’s words. “Man, your family doesn’t do anything halfway, huh?”
Caitlyn let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with sadness. “No, we really don’t,” she said, referring to her family’s tendency to go all-in with every scandal or ordeal.
Vi tilted her head, a gentle thought crossing her mind. She gave Caitlyn an understanding look. “So, that’s all the daughters… except your mum, right?”
Caitlyn snorted softly - an almost bitter sound despite the small grin that flitted across her face. “Yeah, lucky last,” she said with a wry chuckle, but her voice wavered. “It’s kind of sad when you think about it, though. All the weight of a legacy falling on her shoulders… maybe that’s why she’s so determined to control everything. Her whole life has been about making up for what was lacking and trying to please Gran at every turn.” She sighed, her expression sombre. “I can’t even imagine that pressure,” Caitlyn said, her tone edged with a wry sarcasm that betrayed her true understanding of the weight her mother carried. Vi sighed softly in response, letting her fingers thread through Caitlyn’s hair, a quiet acknowledgment of their shared, complicated predicament.
She leaned back in the hammock, fingers idly picking at the fabric as if the motion could dispel her worries. Then, as if to gather herself, Caitlyn let out another brief snort—this one coloured more by melancholy than humour.
“Anyway, yeah—my mum, Cassandra. She was born ten years after Victoria, so she’s much younger than all her sisters. Because Jayce can’t inherit—being male and all—the responsibility to produce a legitimate heir fell squarely on her. It’s… complicated. She’s always wanted to please her mother. And when she met my dad, Tobias, on a diplomatic tour to China, she found her perfect match.”
Vi sensed the weight of Caitlyn’s words and squeezed her hand in reassurance. The hammock rocked gently between them, the distant laughter of Powder, Mylo, and Claggor drifting in the background—a stark contrast to the heavy legacy Caitlyn quietly carried.
Vi listened intently as Caitlyn’s voice took on a more wistful tone. “They married a year later and immediately started trying for a baby, but… it wasn’t easy. The stress got to her. She went through multiple rounds of IVF, but nothing worked. When Jayce was born, and they realized he couldn’t inherit, the pressure on my mum just multiplied. She always talks about how hopeless she felt.”
Caitlyn’s voice softened further. “Finally, when they went back to China on vacation to escape the spotlight, she fell pregnant with me naturally. But because she was 38, she was put on bed rest for the whole pregnancy. She always says I was her miracle.”
Vi let out a low whistle, leaning back slightly in the hammock to process it all. “That’s… a lot of weight to carry for your family, Cait. And then they just expect you to take the reins and keep everything perfect?”
Caitlyn let out another humourless laugh – talking through all this made her realise just how insane her lifestyle sounded. “More than that. My mother has made it very clear that I’m supposed to be the ‘saviour’ of the Kiramman legacy. She’s hinted more than once that I need to have at least three to five children. You know, just to secure the bloodline—oh,”
Her cheeks flushed the instant she realized how her words sounded, and she quickly looked away. Vi smirked, her voice slipping into a teasing drawl. “Well,” she purred, “we can certainly try.”
Caitlyn groaned, her face heating all over again. “You’re ridiculous,” she muttered, but even as she said it, her lips curved in a half-smile. That was enough heavy talk for now. Wanting to escape her own flustered state, she pushed off from the hammock. “I’m… I’m gonna join them out there,” she announced, nodding toward Powder, Mylo, and Claggor, who were still whooping it up in the yard.
Vi chuckled, watching as Caitlyn slid out of the hammock. “Enjoy the view,” Caitlyn tossed back with a mischievous grin, calling over her shoulder as she jogged toward the water-fuelled chaos.
Vi leaned back, crossing her arms behind her head, grin widening while she watched Caitlyn sprint into the fray. “Oh, I am,” she murmured under her breath, fully content to stay behind and admire the view.