False Expectations

Chapter 24 - The necklace

 Luna's presentation Ceremony day.

Adelina's pov:

I woke up feeling incredibly weak and drained, as if the weight of the past few days had settled in every fiber of my being. My mind was a tangled mess, a storm of questions I couldn't seem to untangle. Maximus' terms from yesterday echoed in my head, lingering like a shadow I couldn't shake. I hadn't anticipated that. I never thought he would set such conditions—conditions that left me wondering why. Why would he want a real relationship with me? I know he doesn't care about me, not in any true sense. It made no sense for him to demand something more than just the formal agreement of our union.

Was it simply about the throne, about power? I knew that much. He needed me to strengthen his position, to solidify his claim. But why the insistence on this... relationship? Why bother when he clearly had no real feelings for me? What was his game? What was he trying to achieve by making this request? It felt like an enigma I couldn't quite solve, and it drove me crazy.

I tossed and turned in my bed all night, the restless thoughts circling endlessly. There was no use torturing myself with questions I couldn't answer. Why was I trying to understand him anyway? After all, we were partners only in name, not in spirit. There could never be anything between us that resembled love. We both knew that. A relationship between us would never flourish—there was no foundation for it, no mutual feelings to build on.

As dawn crept in, the morning light offered little relief. The best thing I could do was stop overthinking it and get on with my day. I decided to push the doubts aside, at least for now. I had my routine to follow, and that was the only thing that kept me grounded. I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my teeth, when a knock came at the door.

I paused, surprised. It was much earlier than expected. Maria, the girl who cleaned my room every day, always came later. Maybe she needed to pass by earlier today for some reason. I rinsed my mouth quickly and called out, "Just a second, please!" as I hurried to open the door.

To my surprise, it wasn't Maria. Standing there was Marisa, my friend, the one I trusted. She wasn't supposed to arrive until later, but there she was, standing at my doorstep, looking a little sheepish but also determined.

-"Marisa?" I asked, taken aback by her early arrival. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled faintly, though it was clear she was a little nervous. "I know we agreed for me to come around noon, but I thought maybe... maybe you could use some company. After everything that happened yesterday, I thought it would be good to talk."

I couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over me. I'd been desperate to talk to someone about what had transpired, to voice my thoughts and fears out loud. Maybe it wouldn't fix everything, but at least it would help release some of the tension that had been building inside of me.

-"Thank you," I said, stepping aside to let her in. "You have no idea how much I needed this."

Marisa sat on the edge of my bed, her posture tense, and I could feel the weight of her gaze even as I got ready in the bathroom. I quickly dressed, taking a moment to pull myself together. When I returned to the room, I found her waiting, her expression far more serious than I'd ever seen it before.

"Let's go," I said, grabbing my purse, eager to get away from the pack house and the weight of yesterday's events. We decided to head to a little bistro in the city center, a quiet place where we could avoid any unwanted run-ins, especially with Maximus or Gina. I didn't want to face them right now. The bistro was cozy, and they served the best pancakes I had ever tasted, with strawberry jam and praline that melted in your mouth.