377: A dreamlike truth (final)

A dreamlike truth (final)

"I can't locate the mines, Adelaide," Egon said, thinking that's what she wanted to know. "And the thought of a mate's body deep underground, decaying..." His Adam's apple bobbed twice. "Andreas couldn't do it back then, and he wouldn't allow anyone near her now."1

Egon unintentionally validated what Adela and Rauul had long suspected: the First Oracle was somehow being preserved, neither buried nor truly alive.

How dreadful.

Was she trapped in a state between life and death due to the consequences of her deeds? Or had she chosen this instead of finding eternal rest beneath the earth? Only Andreas held the answers to those questions.

Egon appeared lost in thought, bringing her back to the present moment.

"...Even if you could locate the mines, My Lord, I wouldn't want to put you in the middle between your son and your ancestor. Such a situation would be unfair to you. Your confrontation with Andreas today was challenging enough to witness."

"So, if I understand correctly, you're trying to find the mines to bury the First Oracle?"

"That's the plan, yes. Rauul and I intend to cleanse the area once we locate it along with the priests to ensure that no more animals are possessed by her malevolent intentions toward Larissa."

"Noctavian can guide you there." Egon pondered. "Assisting him with his falcon project will open up new mental avenues for him."

"...I wish Noctavian didn't have to be the one to lead us to the mines. I wish Andreas would see reason instead."

Could Egon help convince Andreas?

"...I see. You don't want our son anywhere near her tomb."

"Absolutely not. I don't know what condition she's in; I only saw her once haunting Andreas a very long time ago in that dream I had when Kannen passed away... It was Rauul who initially suggested conducting a proper burial for her if she remained above ground... Perhaps with a proper burial and the assistance of the priests, she can find peace in the afterlife."

Egon stared at Adela with wide eyes. "You actually want to help her?"

"Undoubtedly, no matter how much I abhor her," she said with conviction, "I wouldn't wish for any soul to endure centuries of such entrapment."

"But isn't she in the very place she intended to be? Didn't you just suggest that she plotted Larissa's assassination centuries ago?"

Most likely, but there remained a faint possibility.

"It's just a hypothesis, but perhaps, like her twin, she too came to recognize her error, albeit too late?"

He regarded her incredulously, his dark eyes unexpectedly tender.

"How can someone view the world with such goodness?"

"I'm merely trying to do what's right. It's not without self-interest either; my sister has suffered enough, and my son has greater things to achieve in his life than haunting a ghost."

Egon propped his elbow on the armchair, resting his head on his fist. He fixed his gaze on her for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll do my best to persuade Andreas, but I can't make any promises... I echo your sentiments; I don't want our son anywhere near that manipulator's tomb."

Discovering someone else in the world who still saw Noctavian as a child was truly a marvel.

Adela had always suspected that Egon would make a good father, but witnessing it in action nearly made her willing to forgive his years of absence. Nevertheless, the missing piece of her heart reminded her not to conflate his actions towards their son with those towards her.

"...Winning Noctavian's trust will require tremendous patience. If he's permitting you to get close now, it's likely because he seeks to exert control... Once you've earned his trust, he won't tolerate any errors... and he's too stubborn to change his mind once it's made."

Egon's face went expressionless for a moment before he broke into a smirk.

"Yes, I've noticed that he takes after a certain mountain goat I know."

It wasn't his disrespectful words that troubled her, but rather his heart-pounding smile that stirred something in her stomach.

Egon's smile lingered, "I have a suggestion to make, and I'm not sure how you'll feel about it."

Her husband rarely made such overtures, so she nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"The biggest obstacle between Larissa and Andreas has always been his loyalty to his first mate. Don't you think that hearing everything you've shared with me today directly from Larissa's mouth would help convince Andreas?"

Yes, those were the good old days.

"They did face a single obstacle but that was back then, My Lord. Seven long years have since elapsed. During this time, my sister endured more than one attempt on her life, she had to put up with confinement and pretend to be oblivious to the ever-watchful blue eyes that trailed her every move whenever they could... She is fully aware of all that I've shared with you and even more, yet she made the choice not to tell Andreas... Furthermore, she is now engaged to another man."

"She doesn't love Claude de Lanark. He doesn't love her either."

Such a presumptuous statement!

"How do you know that? Can you read their hearts?"

His big brown eyes smoldered.

"Love is written on the face, in the eyes. You can try to hide it, but you can't really succeed."

Her eyes hardened.

"Well, political marriages are quite clever in that regard. They eliminate love from the equation of marriage, it is for the best."

"...You don't truly believe that."

"Oh I do! It's highly commendable. Love can cloud your judgment, make you act irrationally. It's as dangerous as any narcotic." The use of that particular word brought to mind their last conversation before he left her, and Adela's hand instinctively went to her heart where the absence of that missing piece still stung. "You once suggested that abstaining was the best solution; Larissa is simply following your advice," she reminded him with a bitter tone.

"...I regretted that," he admitted a moment too late.

"Why? Everything you said that day hurt just the same."

"...Perhaps, but that notion was twisted. You weren't the one addicted; I was."

The past tense in his words stung deeper. Why? She wondered. She had long since accepted that their relationship was over.

That is enough.

"...You should go back, My Lord, and do not visit me in dreams again."

He was about to say something, but she forced her eyes open, content to see the familiar ceiling of her chamber instead of his frowning face.

"...Calm down, heart, he isn't really here," she murmured.

Sitting up in her bed, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her body felt burdened as it always did after dreams of her husband. She wondered when the tears had started, but then, as she always did after such dreams, she decided to forget about it all and put it behind her.

Adela had many more goals to achieve, now more than ever, and she was resolute in her determination never to cry in front of Noctavian.

I must only smile for my radiant sun...

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