318: Coming full circle

Coming full circle

Adela walked out of the conference room and into the hallway to find her husband who was still gazing in the direction his brother must have departed.2

As he turned to face her, she recalled the day he had told her not to follow him into the dungeon, the day their mate bond had pushed her away instead of its usual pull. He was doing the exact same thing again. 

No.

With determination, she marched toward him, refusing to indulge him this time. He regarded her with a neutral expression as she stopped next to him.

"I need to leave Lanark for a while," he said.

Taken aback by the unexpected travel arrangements, her face, much like her hands, tingled uncomfortably.

"Where are you going?" She asked when she found her voice again.

He hesitated for a moment too long before responding, "Not too far."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"You can't."

Her heart ached. How could he leave her after everything they had been through the previous week?

"Egon... We are stronger when we are together."

She tightly shut her eyes, despising the way her voice revealed her neediness.

"You are safe with Andreas."

As her husband glanced over her shoulder, she realized that Andreas was approaching them.

"Egon is right, Lady Adelaide. I give you my word. As long as you are under this roof, no harm can befall you." 

What about the harm that can befall him? Glancing once more at her husband's face, she fixated on his eyes, a constant shade of red. Egon was clearly not in good mental health.

"...That dream I had," she began in a soft voice.

"It led you to the artifact," her husband replied, not paying attention to Andreas, his eyes focused on her hands which held the object.

Opening his hand, he silently asked for it back. Adela placed it in his palm without hesitation.

"I will be borrowing this for a short while. I'll return it to you when I come back."

As if that settled the matter between them, he locked eyes with Andreas and initiated another conversation.

"I'm entrusting her to your care."

"She'll be safe with me," Andreas assured.

"Prepare uncle and Bastian; we shall relocate to Latora once I am back," Egon instructed.

When Adela's breath caught in her throat, her husband gave her a flat look. "Permanently," he added, as if daring her to argue.

She couldn't help but sympathize with Bastian, likely experiencing what he had just gone through. Egon's dominance knew no boundaries, and if left unchecked, he could easily become a tyrant with her as well.

She couldn't accept that. "You can't make decisions like that on your own."

Taking a step closer to her, Egon glared down at her and then smirked. "Watch me."

While those words stung her pride like a whip, she resisted the urge to glare back at him. "I have business in Lanark. I can follow you once matters are settled here."

Egon scoffed.

"As if your business in Lanark will ever end."

"You're right, it won't," she admitted, "but I can establish the ground rules first and then continue working on matters from Latora. Going back and forth between the Archduchy and the Dukedom won't be too demanding."

He appeared exasperated. "What exactly is this business of yours?"

So, he had the right to meddle in her affairs while she wasn't even privy to his destination?

She held her chin up defiantly. "To begin with, there's Father's coronation, followed by a business proposal I have yet to present to Princess Sasha regarding the Industrial Zone..."

She contemplated whether to reveal that she had a week to determine if his brother was either brainwashed or under a spell before her father took measures to ascertain whether Bastian was an accomplice or not.

"...But there's more," she continued. "There's an ongoing investigation into my kidnapping."

Egon's subsequent look sent chills down her spine.

"Don't delude yourself! What investigation and what kidnapping?"

A premonition of impending trouble washed over her, urging her to retreat a step. Egon's predatory stare tracked her movement before locking onto her eyes once again.

"No one saw you leaving Lanark. There are no records of your entry into Varinthia, and the woman you were there looks nothing like you! Do you think your father will simply stand by if you confess to stabbing the king of another kingdom?"

Egon's words were harsh, his tone even harsher. 

I am not your enemy...

"If His Excellency wants to conduct this investigation, he must have his reasons," she finally replied. "I will cooperate with the Archduke's edicts and investigation, and for that, I need to stay here."

"Of course," Egon retorted sarcastically. "It's good to be the Archduke of Lanark. He's certainly trusted and his words are followed thoroughly. Perhaps I can inherit the title once he becomes King?"

Adela couldn't help but smile bitterly, feeling a hint of pettiness while she did. "I can put in a good word for you."

Andreas intervened, placing a hand on each of their arms. "Egon will go clear his head and return to Lanark as quickly as possible. Matters regarding Latora and the timing of our relocation can wait. There's no point in arguing about them now, is there?" He glanced between Adela and Egon.

"I'll be in our chambers," Adela murmured, glancing at her husband and then at Andreas. "If you'll excuse me."

Andreas nodded with a look of sympathy in his eyes, reminiscent of their first encounter. It felt like she had come full circle.

No, we are not enemies anymore. We will make it through.

As she walked away from her husband and felt the push instead of the usual pull through the mating bond, she resisted the urge to turn back and tell him that he would regret leaving. It was an undeniable feeling, almost a certainty. While Egon insisted on putting more distance between them, Adela sensed that something terrible was on the horizon because of it.

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