118: Before nightfall

Before nightfall

Adela woke up disoriented, her eyes opening to the first rays of the sun. A pounding headache gripped her head, making it difficult to shake off the vivid dream that lingered in her thoughts. She instinctively rubbed her arms, trying to dispel the uncanny feelings that clung to her.0

As she reflected on the dream, she found it challenging to pinpoint the exact source of her disconcertment. The man with long hair in her dream was unquestionably Andreas, but his garments and the cosmetics adorning his face were entirely unfamiliar.

A tremor coursed through her bones as she recalled the discussions surrounding the enigmatic figure known as the Oracle.

She pulled the coverlet of her bed up, hiding her face entirely. Andreas did not look a day younger. "Why don't you ever age?" she muttered.

What if her dream wasn't just a figment of her imagination but some sort of revelation, did that mean Andreas wasn't like Egon, bitten by the legendary vampire of Lanark Forest, but was, in fact, the vampire himself?

His nonhuman nature was unmistakable in her dream, as the de Lanark's signet ring on the Empress's finger undoubtedly assailed him. Adela wore that ring on the day her father conferred his jurisdiction upon her and entrusted her with the task of assisting in the investigation of Andreas's abduction. But no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't recall ever making physical contact with Andreas using that ring in reality.

"Larissa... What trouble have you involved yourself in?" she whispered beneath the bedspread. "Was that Oracle his initial mate... Are you the subsequent one?"

If Larissa was indeed Andreas's second mate, does that imply that she was afflicted by the Empress's curse? Startled by the last thought, she sat straight up in her bed. What if, like Adela, Larissa had no say in the matter of the mate bond?

"No... They are different from us..." She took a deep, steadying breath, repeating the words in her head.

Larissa and Andreas were in perfect sync, if there truly was a bond between them, they embraced and cherished it, unlike Adela, who harbored doubts.

The comparison left a twinge of ache in her chest.

Wasn't the fundamental distinction found within Andreas himself? Wasn't he the one who dared to defy convention by eloping with a royal? What kind of resolve did Egon display towards Adela? Wasn't he fighting against the mate bond with even greater intensity than she was? Going to the extreme of acquiring the Empress's Heart to sever the attraction between them?

Regardless of whether I wear the brooch or not... My desire for him remains unchanged. She silently confessed. And in her thoughts, he seemed to be drawn to her just as she was to him. Perhaps being a Healer or not didn't alter the connection between them. The notion brought both joy and anguish to Adela.

She pressed her hand over her right shoulder where his head had rested the night before. Then, closing her eyes, she brought the tips of her fingers to her lips, recalling the sensation of his soft lips against hers, igniting a fire within. She couldn't fathom another man's touch upon them, for they belonged solely to him.

Could things be less convoluted between us?

She pushed the bedcover aside and rose from the bed, walking towards the vanity mirror. Rauul's blowgun seemed out of context amidst the perfumes, but her gaze was fixated on the brooch. It reminded her of the interior design in the room from her dream... It all seemed to belong to a different era and location.

She ran her fingers lightly over the green mana stone. "Was it all just a dreadful nightmare?"

She couldn't rid her mind of the haunting image of the two Healers treated with inhumane objectification. The Empress's intense animosity towards Adela's Emorian ancestors and her desire to merge her bloodline with that of the healers, or with Andreas's bloodline, made it clear that Adela, being an Emorian Healer, would be the Empress's ultimate adversary.

Her gaze fell upon her reflection in the mirror, her eyes scanning past the distinctive hue of her hair that signified her true identity.

The Archduke had always articulated the righteous motives behind Emoria's uprising, recounting how the final emperor — despite enduring arduous and fierce battles — abdicated the throne with dignity. The actions of his predecessor towards the Emorians were deemed irrespective of any justifications, and the Archduke himself carried out the executions, putting an end to the emperor's bloodline.

I need to find father...

Adela quickly dressed and tied her hair up. She placed the brooch in her pocket and left her room, encountering Baroness Frieda in the hallway. 

"Lady Adelaide!" 

Baroness Frieda hurried toward Adela, clutching her hand with both of hers, displaying gratitude and concern on her face.

"Thank you for going after my son to Latora... I am at a loss for words... You took care of him instead of him taking care of you..."

"He is my brother, of course I will take care of him," Adela replied, embracing her nanny and planting a kiss on her head. "Would you mind keeping this in your possession?" She took out the brooch and placed it in the Baroness's hand, noticing the slight tremor in her grasp.

"What's troubling you, Baroness?"

The Baroness placed the brooch in the pocket of her dress and looked up at Adela. "I don't want to burden you with everything that's happening with Lady Larissa... But have you heard from Arkin, by any chance?"

Adela grimaced. "No..."

The Baroness sniffled. "He hasn't returned home yet. I came here looking for him, hoping he's with you... I wonder if he is avoiding me..." Her voice carried a sense of desperation.

Adela held her by the shoulders. "If there is one person that Arkin would never be angry with, it is you..."

Frieda took out her handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "...That man... Leopold von Conradie... He summoned Arkin yesterday to the King's former estate..."

Adela knew that the two of them had much to discuss, and it was natural for their conversation to be lengthy. She needed to divert the Baroness's attention until she could reach Arkin.

"Don't worry about Arkin. He will find his way back to you soon... How is Mother?"

Another wave of tears was wiped away with the handkerchief, "Confined to her chambers."

Adela hesitated, her thoughts momentarily drifting toward her mother's quarters. However, the emotional distance her mother had placed between them for years seemed insurmountable, intensifying her longing for Larissa even more.

She clenched her teeth, a pang of remorse settling in for giving Egon a whole day.

What could a mere day achieve other than setting her back by one more day in reaching out to Claude?

"Baroness, please take care of Mother while I attend to what I need to do before nightfall."

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