230: A royal courtship (part 1)

A royal courtship (part 1)

The tension thickened in the room as Sasha's keen eyes darted between Adela and Egon. Any doubts about their romantic involvement dissipated, and she felt compelled to help Kaiser de Lanark save face.0

"Lady Adelaide, do you have proof of Egon's presence in your room that night?" Sasha inquired, her voice steady.

Adela nodded resolutely. "Yes, Princess Sasha. Egon left his jacket behind that night. It's still in my room."

Sasha's expression remained composed, yet she couldn't deny that Lady de Lanark's behavior continued to surprise her. The young woman was unlike any of the Emorian women she had crossed paths with before. Was it Kaiser's influence on her that had shaped her into this unique individual?

The princess, like anyone who looked the Lady's way, couldn't help but notice Adela's hair, an inherited Emorian trait identical in color to Kaiser's. However, her bold and assertive actions were more reminiscent of a Kolhisan royal, setting her apart from the typical demure demeanor of Emorian women.

"Very well," Sasha said, "I will collect the jacket as evidence. Additionally, I will retrieve the bottle of Alcohol that King Emanuel sent to you that night, as it is mentioned in your testimony. You still have that, don't you?"

"I do," Adela answered without any hesitation, her eyes reluctantly shifted towards her father who looked visibly agitated.

Just as the Archduke seemed about to explode with anger, Egon intervened.

"Your Excellency, if I may, I request a word with you in private," he said urgently.

Kaiser hesitated for a moment, torn between conflicting emotions pulling him in different directions. Nevertheless, he eventually nodded and motioned for Egon to follow him.

Unbeknownst to them, Sasha had already devised a plan. She intended to eavesdrop on their private conversation to gather additional clues for her investigation.

"Stay right where you are!" She exclaimed, motioning for the two with her hands. "The Lady and I will step out for a private word of our own," Sasha declared, draping her own cloak over Adela to conceal her hair.

Adela slightly frowned, not accustomed to such chivalrous gestures from a fellow woman.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Sasha urged, placing a hand at the small of Adela's back and gently guiding her outside, earning herself a glare from Egon that she happened to miss.

As they stepped out, Sasha left the door open and motioned for Alphonso to return to his place by the door, effectively blocking both of them from Kaiser and Egon's view. She turned and looked down at Adela, then pressed her forefinger to her lips and winked.

She wants us to eavesdrop?

Adela held her chin up high and whispered, not fully trusting Sasha, "I am only doing this because I genuinely want to know, not because of your pressure."

A slow, satisfied grin spread across Sasha's face, revealing her set of white teeth that contrasted beautifully with her bronze skin and dark armor. Adela looked away, reminded of Olga by the princess's raw beauty.

Inside the room, Egon had already finished his introductions. "Your Excellency, there are two matters I need to discuss with you."

Kaiser raised an eyebrow, intrigued yet cautious. "Go on."

"As I mentioned earlier, I know how these revelations must have affected you, and I want to assure you that I had no involvement in King Emanuel's death. I was there that night because, much like you, I was worried about Adela… I was on my way to see you that night, not her. But then I saw her as she opened her window, looking as if she was in pain…"

Egon's brows furrowed; he would have never guessed that she had taken off the bracelet, that he was the cause of her pain that night.

"It was an innocent encounter. Our feelings for each other have grown over time, and I couldn't resist seeing her, even if it meant breaking the rules." 

Kaiser's eyes narrowed.

He had long since concluded that Egon hadn't entered Adela's room through the door. There was something otherworldly about the von Conradies, the way they survived as a boy and an infant in the forest that night. He  remained silent for a moment, absorbing Egon's words.

There had been a time when Emanuel wanted to push Claude and Adela into matrimony, and Egon's approach reminded Kaiser of what he himself had presented to Grace back then – another option. However, so many things had changed since then. The direct threat to his daughter's life had been lifted.

"You said you wanted to meet me that night. What did you want to say?" The Archduke inquired.

"That I love your daughter," Egon stated confidently. "I wanted to ask you for her hand in marriage that night."

Kaiser sighed heavily, torn between his duties as a father and the restraint he held as a ruler who had overthrown Egon's dynasty. He also couldn't ignore the fiery olive green eyes that defended the one they loved, contrasting with the vacant look they had when attempting to bury the symbol of their commitment to the same man at the bottom of a dark lake.

"You need to know this. I have already proposed to her," Egon dropped another bomb on Kaiser's head.

Kaiser's eyes widened in surprise. "And what was her answer?"

Egon smiled softly. "She said she wouldn't give me a definite answer without your approval first."

Adela's hand snapped to her heart, where the man who had just told a white lie for her was hidden.

"In this vast world, Egon, I wish for nothing more than my daughter's happiness." Kaiser swallowed back a sudden wave of emotion and cleared his throat. "I may not approve of your actions, and only a blind man would not perceive all the obstacles that were and continue to be in your way. But my daughter's happiness is paramount to me."

Egon took a deep breath, "I will do whatever it takes to prove my innocence."

Hidden by the cloak, Adela felt her heart swelling with warmth. She flinched when Sasha placed a hand on her shoulder and patted it. As she looked up at the princess's face, a strange maternal happiness was present in Sasha's brown eyes before they narrowed in a frown.

"Looks like they're not done yet,"

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