290: Aldric's inferno of envy

Aldric's inferno of envy

4Word of the Duke's wedding spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom, and the most tantalizing gossip revolved around the unusual wedding gift requested from his in-laws: the annulment of Latora's approval for the Industrial Zone.

Initially, the Emorian nobles were furious, their dreams of prosperity shattered by the cessation of cooperation with Varinthia before it could even begin. That was until they held a meeting with the Archduke of Lanark.

During this meeting, it was revealed that the entire wedding gift had been a clever ruse masterminded by the shrewd young Duke. He had been pushing back against the intense pressure from tribal leaders opposing the establishment of the weapon factory from the start.

By marrying the captivating daughter of the most influential tribal chief, originally betrothed to his brother, Rauul had conceded to their tribe's demands in the form of a wedding gift. In doing so, he had reversed the tables and secured a position of power.

The nobles were left dumbfounded by the actions of the young Duke, and they began to harbor optimism that the Industrial Zone would soon resume its development, but a certain young King who knew that the deal was now doomed prepared to demand compensation.

***

Late at night, the quietude surrounding the closest house to the Eastern entrance of Lanark Forest was interrupted by insistent pounding.

"Egon! Open up!"

Startled by Bastian's urgent voice from outside, Adela and Egon promptly left their bed. She put on her robe de chambre, observing her husband's ashen face as he hastily pulled up a pair of pants and threw on the shirt he had worn the previous day.

"Hurry up! Open the door!" Another frantic demand resounded.

With eyes devoid of optimism, he gazed at his wife. "Stay here; let me see what he wants. I'll be right back."

She nodded in comprehension, and he vanished from her view in the blink of an eye. She heard the door being opened and closed, but it sounded more like Egon had departed the house than that Bastian had entered it.

Noticing the empty water bottle next to the bed, she decided to fetch some water from the kitchen, she thought it might also offer her a glimpse of the situation downstairs since the kitchen had a window with a view of the house's surroundings.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, soft knocking at the door reached her ears. Bottle in hand, she hastened to open the door, expecting her husband.

"What did he wa—"

But instead of her husband's face, she was met with the last person she wanted to see. Her throat tightened as she kept the door partially ajar.

Aldric's lopsided smile, one she now recognized as insincere, never left his face as he peered down at her.

"Good evening, My Lady. I'd like to speak with the Lord of this house."

"He is..." She hesitated, a deafening scream of intuition echoing inside her. "He is currently resting. Please return at a more suitable hour."

As she tried to close the door, it jammed upon striking Aldric's foot.

"Oh, but I wasn't finished," he continued. "Where are the Lady's manners?"

Summoning every ounce of her strength, she glared up at him. "Your Holiness, entering my home at this hour, unannounced, and demanding an audience with my husband are the peculiar manners that warrant discussion."

Her shock deepened when he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her free hand's nails dug into the doorframe, a rush of cold coursing through her.

These audacious actions, this visit immediately following Bastian's arrival, raised too many suspicions.

Aldric's gaze surveyed the entire living room before drifting up to the ceiling, a look of distaste on his face before his eyes fell on Adela.

"You are a terrible liar, My Lady. Has someone told you this before?"

Adela stood her ground by the open door, her readiness to flee and scream intensifying. She shot a piercing glare at Aldric.

"Leave my house this instant. I'll graciously forget this encounter, but only if you depart from Lanark and all of Emoria. Don't return unless invited." 

His face contorted, his twisted smile now mirroring his inner displeasure.

"I know you are behind the bastard's change of heart."

Rauul...

"Show some respect for the nobles of this kingdom! Before you accuse anyone, remember the manners you displayed when you insulted him during Princess Sasha's investigation. Did you consider the consequences of your actions as a king should?"

A sudden gust of wind blew past, forcefully closing the door, startling Adela and causing her to drop the bottle which shattered on the ground.

Aldric's voice rose with a touch of madness.

"What right do you have to lecture me? This deal was meant to revive the kingdom that Kaiser de Lanark loves! Are you willing to burn it all away just to play the obedient wife to a monster? Where is your pride, woman!"

Woman? Was that supposed to be an insult?

As a noble lady, she had been brought up with such principles, knowing that composure was vital even in the most dire circumstances. She persevered, setting aside the pain in her scraped feet from the shattered bottle and enduring the ceaseless insults from the man who had become her living nightmare.

"Rest assured, Your Holiness, I have alternative plans for the kingdom His Excellency loves. These plans do not rely on anyone but the good people of Emoria."

Aldric's face contorted with rage.

"You... You're behaving like a bitc* in heat while the economy of your kingdom crumbles!" he bellowed. "Is being with Egon von Conradie more important to you than a prosperous future for your homeland!"

She suppressed the nausea bubbling up within her. If this madness of his was all about her, then it was high time Aldric accepted her rejection.

"...To be with the only man I will ever love, Your Holiness. I would, without hesitation, watch the whole world burn." She stated with her chin held high.

Aldric's eyes transformed, showing the unsettling gaze of a deranged individual bent on destruction.

"It's time for actions, not words. You want fire? My insides are burning, Adelaide. Get a taste of what you've asked for."

Adela may not have known how to cast spells, but she recognized one when she saw it. His lips murmured an incantation, a tune reminiscent of the one Bastian had taught her for manipulating metal. She watched in wide-eyed horror as flames manifested in his empty hand, held palm up, and then witnessed him send it flying toward the nearest drape, which immediately caught fire.

Within moments, her house was ablaze, the flames spreading with a hunger that seemed pent up for too long.

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