283: Proving trust (part 1)

Proving trust (part 1)

As the door closed behind their departing guests, Egon glanced at Adela, his gaze carrying a meaningful message.0

"What's going on?" she inquired.

"Get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"We're leaving for Latora in a few hours."

She stared at him as though he had sprouted a third arm, her silent objection apparent and provoking an exasperated response from him.

"Just say what's on your mind, Adelaide. We're short on time."

His words had a sharp edge, but beneath it, the warmth he had been gradually showing her still resonated. He had asked her to trust him on many occasions, and now, she needed to trust that the moments they shared in their newly founded home were not as fragile as a sandcastle on the shore.

"Why the rush?" she asked with diplomatic concern.

"Because I want that witch out of Lanark sooner rather than later," he replied sharply.

Adela nodded in agreement, her thoughts racing to find a solution that aligned with her husband's desires while staying within the boundaries of her father's orders.

"I understand the importance of contacting Rauul regarding your plan..." she began, attempting to maintain her composure under the scrutiny of his predatorial eyes, growing harder with each word. "...We have several trained falcons capable of delivering messages to the Duke's manor in Latora. If the message bears the de Lanark emblem, there will be no doubt it's from me."

"I see you were raised to be resourceful."

His words injected some hope into her heart, but it vanished just as quickly when he thoughtfully stroked his stubble. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, hinting that maybe his previous words weren't exactly what he meant.

"My wife is incredibly stubborn, and she is a terrible liar too."

Offended by being called a liar for the first time in her adult life, Adela stared up with a wounded expression.

"When exactly have I lied to you?"

"Deceit and lying are two sides of the same coin."

"Please explain."

"If it weren't for your desire to blindly obey your father, you would not be standing here arguing with me; you would be upstairs getting ready the way I told you to."

The term 'blindly obey' seemed like an exaggeration to her.

"Many of my perspectives align with those of my fathers," she explained, defending her actions. "He may not always explain his reasons, and perhaps I have grown accustomed to it. I don't find it my place to demand explanations each time he makes a request. I trust the Archduke's wisdom. But at the end of the day, I do what I believe to be right. It's how I was raised."

A vein popped on Egon's forehead as he gritted his teeth. "My wife certainly knows how to make words look pretty. Let me be clear. From here onwards, I will expect to be treated with the same level of trust you treat your father with. If I say we must go to Latora, you need to trust that I have found it to be the best course of action."

Adela felt frustration welling up within her. "I did not make myself fully clear, apparently. I trust you more than anyone in the world, but our interaction cannot mirror the one I have with my father. Those boundaries that the Archduke has set for me as Lady de Lanark… I do not wish to maneuver through them when it comes to you."

His expression remained stern, and she realized he was either misunderstanding her or deliberately avoiding her point.

"A simple yes or no would do, Adelaide. I am telling you that we must go to Latora. Are you coming with me?"

Her heart ached with the unfairness of the situation, caught between her father's edict for her not to leave Lanark and her husband's demand for trust. It felt like Egon was blowing this out of proportion just to make a point.

"…How long will we stay there?"

His face quickly relaxed with relief, until he ran the back of his hand across his forehead, his expression turning into a frown.

"We will arrive by sunset and return tomorrow morning."

That sounded manageable to Adela.

"When you said 'get ready,' exactly what did that entail?"

"First things first, we need to get Andreas to come with us, and for him to do that, your sister must come along."

Adela's lips parted in surprise. It was one thing for her to slip in and out of Lanark without getting noticed, but taking Larissa from the Archduke's estate and then returning her was an entirely different matter.

"Larissa-..."

"Is Andreas's mate. It's on him to get her to come with us; I think it's the best thing for the two of them right now."

She certainly hoped it was.

"Just pack what you believe is necessary for a night in a tent." His expression darkened. "Where's the Empress's Heart?"

Oh no...

The mere thought of that brooch near her body was sinister. If it gave her those kinds of dreams when she was alone in her room, what horrors might it unleash when Andreas was close by? Not to mention the proximity of the second mate that the Empress had threatened the ancient vampire with for centuries!

"…The Baroness is holding onto it for me."

"The fief is too far away, and we don't have much time." He turned his face away and cursed creatively under his breath. "We'll need that metallic bracelet that warlock placed on your hand."

She paled, her hair standing on end.

"Recall those snakes that attacked you in Latora before? If they were attracted to you back then, just imagine what it would be like for them now."

That changed her mind. Between the cold metal around her wrist and the sight of the two snakes emerging from her bag, she chose the bracelet.

"It's in my room. I'll go inside the estate and get it."

Egon shook his head, a sly grin on his handsome face.

"I'm much quicker; I'll handle it."

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