79: The crosscurrent of conflicting proposals

The crosscurrent of conflicting proposals

When urgent knocks reverberated against the door, Lady de Lanark instinctively stepped away from the Crown Prince, her heart drumming an anxious melody in her ribcage.1

"Lady Adelaide," Egon's bass voice rumbled from behind the door.

A quiver of unease crawled down her backbone. How did he know that she was here?

Claude — ever composed and unfazed — seemed unperturbed by the interruption. He pressed his index finger against his lips, his eyes filled with silent mischief as he winked at her, effortlessly blending into the room's shadows before disappearing through the concealed door in the wall as if he had never crossed the threshold.

As Egon's impatient knocks resonated through the door once more, Adela swiftly tidied her hair. "Come in," she called out, her voice betraying a hint of unease.

He entered with waves of simmering anger, his penetrating gaze sweeping across the room before locking onto her with a piercing glare.

She braced herself for what was to come.

"I thought I asked you to wait," he admonished.

She conjured a hasty lie, "I grew tired, so they led me to this room for some rest," her heart raced with trepidation as she feigned innocence. "What did the King want with you?" she asked, attempting to divert the conversation.

In one of his mood-switching episodes, a self-assured smirk played on his lips. "Apparently, I should sever my ties with House de Lanark,"

His words struck her like an unexpected tempest, sweeping her off balance.

His features clouded over as he confronted her, "I overheard the last words Claude de Lanark spoke to you, Adela. But I didn't catch your response... or did I interrupt a special moment between the two of you?"

She stood there, paralyzed, as the weight of the situation sank in, intertwining with the looming threat hanging over Egon's life.

"Open your eyes and take in your surroundings," his hands shot up, raking through his shoulder-length black hair in frustration before dropping heavily by his sides, "You're behaving like a helpless fish, content to swim along with whatever current your family chooses for you!"

She understood that he referred to their conversation in the Kolhis savannahs regarding her family's plot to marry her off to the Crown Prince. However, Adela firmly believed that it wasn't the case at all. Egon failed to draw the necessary distinction between the King and the Archduke.

"We're leaving," he declared, disappointment evident in his eyes, a result of her silence.

A knot of fear tightened in her stomach as she allowed her gaze to travel in the same direction as his, a sinking feeling settling deep within her when she realized that Egon was contemplating the window as their potential escape route from the palace.

That escape would be one she could not return from. There has to be another way. She told herself. The struggle to navigate between her duty to the King and the need to protect Egon intensified.

"I cannot leave," came her levelled response, "Not until the King deems it necessary... And contrary to what you believe, I will make my own decisions," she asserted.

His face crumbled, his eyes shifting to a beastly ruby and black. The intensity of his gaze made her heart race as he closed the distance between them, casting a formidable shadow over her.

"You will come with me, wherever I may go," he stated with finality.

She held her ground, refusing to be intimidated. "I fail to understand why that is. You yourself mentioned that the mate bond has no effect on you. Doesn't that mean it's up to me whether I can tolerate our proximity, or rather, the lack of it?" she countered, her gaze meeting his unwaveringly.

His eyes switched back to their original color, and for a fleeting moment, she sensed a flicker of concern in them before they briefly darted towards the wall.

Drawing in a fortifying breath, she prepared herself for the challenge ahead, "The bond you spoke of does not make things between us official,"

In a breath, Egon's presence dominated the entire space around them, "I can make it official,"

She locked eyes with him, the wound to her pride sizzled refusing to let her entertain even the slightest possibility. 

Not like this...

"There is no need for you to sacrifice yourself," she stated.

"It is my duty as your mate to take responsibility for you. We have spent enough time together for a plausible love affair to be assumed...Nobles do not meddle in each other's engagements," 

Stunned, her eyes fluttered repeatedly. Is he actually proposing? With a deliberate swallow, the lady gathered her scattered thoughts. "You have to convince my father first."

To her surprise, Egon seemed to consider her words!

"You don't know him!" she hurriedly added, her voice tinged with caution. "He would never welcome you, with your vengeance upon our family and all..."

"You can't be sure until I talk to him, I can be quite charming if I put my mind to it," 

"There is no need for all of this, they would never impose a marriage upon me," she insisted with a roll of nausea now. Would Egon truly go that far just because of some bond that neither of them has control over?

"What about your opinion? Doesn't it matter?"

What he said provided her with the necessary clarity, this was not about Egon at all, it should not have been in the first place.

"Nobody asked for your help... Whatever happened to my father's heart, it happened after you entered our lives. I don't have to explain my actions to you,"

She concealed a wince as she noticed the brief flash of pain in his deep brown eyes.

"I will leave first then," he said as she looked away.

Their attention was immediately drawn to the door as a series of polite knocks echoed through the room.

"Lady Adelaide, the Archduke requests that you go down to the carriage departing back to Lanark."

Father!

She ran towards the door flinging it open before turning around to give Egon one final look. "Thank you for everything,"

Adelaide left Egon in a room filled with uncertainty before disappearing through the doorway.

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