202: Collecting Collateral (part 2)

Collecting Collateral (part 2)

After Aldric left Kaiser's study, having been given a one-day period to evacuate the ship, Adela approached Kaiser, who stood by the open door with a visible sense of astonishment. She informed him of her intention to meet Egon and requested a platoon to accompany her. 1

Kaiser, much like Aldric, promptly complied with her request.

Mounted on her mare, Adela moved forward in a leisurely walk, her forehead still throbbing from the heavy blow she had endured a week prior. Rather than letting the pain deter her, she embraced it, allowing it to fuel her determination.

He will talk to me, he has no choice.

The distance between her and Egon seemed to widen ever since her father had retrieved her from the wreckage of the carriage on the day of the incident. Not once did Egon visit her room at night throughout the entire week, and it became increasingly evident that he was deliberately creating a divide between them.

Her eyes shifted to her hand gripping the reins of Emily, and her gaze lingered on Aldric's bracelet. The metallic accessory, which she had been eager to discard, now appeared to work like a miracle, nullifying the effects of whatever had been clouding her memories.

Slowly but surely, over the past week, two significant incidents involving manipulation of her mind came back to her. One of them confirmed what she already knew: Andreas had never allowed her to touch him with the signet ring on her finger, clearly anticipating a negative reaction from the ring. And the other incident...

Taking a deep breath, she pushed aside thoughts of the intimate ride they had shared on their journey home. Now was not the time to dwell on it.

Were those worthy actions of a man who professed his intention to marry me?

She understood that he was preoccupied with his ailing uncle, and perhaps he was upset when she removed the bracelet with the promise ring he had given her. But wasn't it his fault for suppressing her memories in the first place?

It had to be him. And for that reason alone, he had a lot of explaining to do.

She cast one final glance at the bracelet, appreciating how it had aided in recalling moments she never wished to forget. Regardless of their perceived wrongness or inappropriateness, those moments had occurred, and she had shared them with the man she loved. He needed to take responsibility for his actions and acknowledge them. They were both consenting adults, and he had no right to deprive her of those experiences.

At least I know it won't happen again. That bracelet unexpectedly became a reliable shield.

Maintaining an impeccable riding posture, Adela kept her gaze fixed ahead. Behind her, a platoon of knights rode in perfect formation, the rhythmic clattering of hooves accompanying their steady progress as they pursued the collateral she sought. 

As she approached the King's former manor, intending to knock on the door and request an audience, she was struck with shock. There he was, astride his stallion not too far from the main door, wearing a scowl as he stared at her.

Her gaze shifted to his upper abdomen, where unmistakably, a woman's tanned arms were wrapped around him.

"Halt!" called the platoon leader from behind Adela as she came to a stop. In response, Olga peered out from behind Egon's back and rolled her eyes at Adela.

Suppressing the pain welling up in her heart, she swallowed hard and turned her head away from Egon, directing her attention towards the platoon leader to address him.

"Go to the Commander of the Second Order and inform him that I have sent you. He has orders for all of you," she improvised.

The knights, who had endured numerous breaches in protocol throughout the past week, had no reason to doubt her words. "Yes, My Lady!" they called out unanimously as their leader tapped the left part of his chest, acknowledging her command.

Pulling the reins once more, Adela made an effort to pass the platoon while maintaining her dignity though it proved to be a challenging task. Once she cleared the final knight, she spurred Emily into a gallop. However, her escape was short-lived as the sound of hooves behind her grew louder, belonging to a single horse.

"Adela!" Egon's voice grunted with a deep and low tone, reaching her ears.

She spurred her horse harder, her forehead and heart aching with each thud of Emily's hooves against the ground.

"Adela!" he called out angrily now.

She exerted all her strength to ride as fast as possible, but to her surprise, Xavier suddenly appeared in the narrow route between the two lines of pines. Running alongside her with astonishing speed, he swiftly surpassed her. Then, he reared up on his hind legs, pivoting to face her, effectively blocking their path and compelling her to halt her mare.

"I've been calling out to you. Can't you hear me?" Egon barked, his chest heaving.

Adela glared at him, doing her best to keep her nerves in check. "I heard you and chose to ignore you. Or is it only you who is allowed to disregard requests for conversation?"

His eyes widened as he huffed, narrowing them once again as he noticed his bracelet on her other hand. However, his expression shifted to one of disgust when he saw Aldric's bracelet on her other wrist.

Egon tapped Xavier with the bottom of his heels, circling Adela atop his horse. He circled her once, then twice, while she stood there, proud and motionless, allowing him to assert his dominance.

Nothing he could do would hurt her more than what she had just witnessed.

"Why did you come?" he asked in a low voice.

"I came to ask you... Why?" she replied.

He chuckled, though it sounded tinged with sadness to her ears. He continued to circle her.

"You need to ask a better-defined question. Besides, I've told you many times before. I am a hunter, and the fact that you run away from a confrontation only makes me pursue you."

She held her chin up high. "I simply accompanied the knights here to get some fresh air, but as for all the running away, I leave that to you."

He scowled, coming to a stop to face her. "What the hell does that mean?"

His arrogance and the belief that he could continue deceiving her pushed her to her breaking point.

"...Did you also ask Olga to sit on your lap? Or is hugging you from behind something you do with other women?"

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