302: Her great escape (part 1)

Her great escape (part 1)

Adela found herself standing at Aldric's right, her posture rigid as she struggled to maintain an appearance of indifference. It was an unusual arrangement, especially considering that Aldric's wife, Queen Samandra, should have rightfully occupied that position. Aldric's grip on Adela's arm, though not overtly painful, served as an unmistakable assertion of his authority.0

On Aldric's left, Queen Samandra projected an air of aloofness, her ivory gown revealing more of her skin than her usual attire, catching the light and shimmering like moonlight upon water.

It wasn't long before he finally broke the silence.

"Our guests have gathered in the grand throne hall, and my counselors and assassins are present as well. I expect exemplary behavior from both of you, otherwise, there will be consequences."

Drawing closer, Aldric leaned in, his voice adopting a low, ominous tone meant solely for Adela's ears.

"Don't try anything funny like yesterday," he whispered, his warm breath uncomfortably close to her earlobe. "Or else, the target will not be you. It will be my cherished future father-in-law. And I will show him no mercy. I will never forgive you if things reached that far, you hear me?"

Adela felt a shiver creep down her spine as she locked eyes with Aldric, a malevolent plan brewing beneath his cold exterior.

His calculated strategy was beginning to take shape. The face of the Oracle was already causing the Archduke of Lanark to distance himself from her, and the mind games Aldric had engaged in with Sasha the day before had set the stage for his next move.

Adela was sure of it, he intended to have her write a letter willingly seeking asylum in Varinthia, shifting blame onto Egon.

She would rather die ten times than let that come to pass. Even if her days were numbered, she would do everything within her power to ensure Aldric met his fate sooner rather than later. It was imperative that she conveyed her true identity to her father beyond any doubt.

"Here we go."

Aldric said with a resigned sigh, the metallic back door of the throne room swung open before them, granting passage as they navigated between two imposing figures concealed beneath tiger masks.

Something felt different this time.

Adela couldn't quite explain it, but as she stepped into this space, her energy seemed to surge. It was a sensation she welcomed, for it meant she must finally give metal bending a genuine try.

The throne hall was much like the day before, Kaiser de Lanark and Princess Sasha were making their way through two lines of masked assassins. Yet, there were two significant distinctions: Kaiser completely avoided making eye contact with Adela, and around a dozen of Aldric's counselors had congregated in trios throughout the overly white hall.

When they met in the middle, Aldric signaled towards his wife. "Kaiser, you should remember her... Princess Sasha, please meet Samandra."

Breaking free from his grasp, Queen Samandra who was very poorly introduced, offered a curt nod in the direction of the two guests.

"My apologies for the absence of a formal dining setting," Aldric continued, "but I believe a brief visit is in order. I have gathered you here to bid you farewell."

Aldric's audacity was striking. Not only had he brazenly slain the King of Emoria, justifying it as an act of noble protection, but he had also expelled two royals from his kingdom without a hint of remorse.

"Ah!"

Queen Samandra suddenly clutched her forehead, emitting a blood-curdling scream that sounded all the more unsettling due to her childlike timbre. Doubling over as if in pain, she then swiftly reached behind her knee, concealed beneath the slit of her white gown, and retrieved the red firearm Adela had seen before in the cliffside house.

A paralyzing sensation coursed through Adela's body as she watched the crimson weapon's barrel level directly at her forehead.

"Samandra," Aldric grunted with barely contained frustration, "What on earth are you doing? Lower that weapon this instant!"

However, Samandra showed no signs of retreating, her ice-cold gaze firmly locked onto Aldric, her firearm's focus centered on Adela's forehead right between her eyes.

"My apologies, Sister Celestia. I may be a queen, but above all, I am a woman consumed by jealousy. This is the only path to liberate our souls."

There was a conflicting expression in Samandra's eyes, as if her true intentions contradicted her spoken words.

"Samandra. Consider the gravity of your actions," Kaiser interjected, his tone calm but urgent. His blue eyes shifted between the horrified counselors and the masked guards who unnaturally stood by rather than intervening. "Emoria would be pleased to receive you if you decide to seek well-being in our kingdom."

"Or think about Kolhis," Sasha added cautiously, her body tensed like that of a fighter poised to strike at any moment.

"The oracle foretold this day, Your Excellency," Samandra murmured. "A day when I would have to make a choice. I owe it to her. I owe it to myself. I will take this life, even if it claims mine."

Samandra was still in the midst of speaking when Aldric impatiently waved his hand, attempting to disarm her. His eyes widened in astonishment when the firearm remained firmly in the Queen's grip.

The Queen smiled, that same unsettling, triumphant smile Adela had witnessed before.

"The firearm is crafted from Arcane Crystalite, Your Holiness," she explained calmly. "It is impervious to any kind of metal manipulation or bending."

Panic flooding him, Aldric's voice erupted like thunder. "What are you all waiting for?!"

At his command, the counselors aimed their firearms at their Queen. Yet again, the masked assassins remained idle, merely observing the scene rather than taking action.

When Samandra did not back down. Adela realized that she had nothing else to lose. She refused to accept this fate. She couldn't.

I must live. 

Moving her lips silently, Adela's heart chanted the incantation Bastian had taught her just before she had submerged Aldric's ship. If she could only rotate the necklace to its opposite side. That was all she needed.

It's working!

As the necklace rotated to reveal its other side, the emblem of House de Lanark, which Adela had diligently carved throughout the night using the white straw, appeared clear and unblemished against the dark metal. Adela lifted her gaze to her father, her eyes brimming with hope.

However, her father's attention remained unwaveringly fixed on the firearm in Samandra's grasp. It was only at that moment that Adela fully comprehended the purpose of the straw.

Swiftly withdrawing it from the pocket of her nun's robe, she placed it over the emblem and, on a whim, attempted to mimic the whistle she used when summoning Kannen to land on her arm.

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