The next morning, she slept late. Cale had woken up before her; even the maids who checked on them were concerned for her.
She finally opened her eyes when the sunlight streamed across her face, making her face scrunch up. Cale was next to her, and he was reading a book. Her eyesight was hazy, and she wasn't sure if this was a dream.
When she lifted her hand, wanting to touch the beautiful man with the sun giving his bright red hair a glow to make sure he was real, her arm did not feel slow and stiff, only slightly other-worldly.
Maybe it was a dream.
But then the image of Cale turned to her, concern in his eyes. "Are you awake?"
She was sure it was not a dream.
If it was, no matter how nice the scenery was, Cale would be attacking her, screaming in her face for leaving him alone.
Since she met Kim Rok Soo, a few of her dreams revolved around Cale. Sometimes, he was screaming at her; other times, he clawed at her, trying to scratch her skin off. Once, he was at the foot of her bed, a kitchen knife in his hands.
But most often, Cale was in his room, surrounded by cushions and pillows, sleeping soundly in his bed. He would wake up, either because she would shake him or on his own. And then he would look at her, with eyes unfamiliar. He would ask one question. It was always one question. And it shook her to her core.
"Who?"
But the Cale next to her was real. And he was frowning. "Adara? Are you awake?"
She groaned, putting her arm over her eyes to block out the world. Her arm did not feel that otherworldly anymore.
She could still hear Cale's voice. "Is the sun annoying you? I can close the blinds."
And then she felt him get off the bed, a cold space next to her. "No," she muttered, her voice hoarse. "Don't bother."
She heard him stop in his tracks.
She wasn't blocking out the sun. She was simply blocking out his concerned eyes. It was too much. She was barely able to handle the idea that Count Deruth and Countess Violan Henituse cared for her, much less Basen and Lily. But seeing eyes so concerned for her was too much.
She sat upright, taking her arm off her eyes. She blinked, getting used to the light of the room.
Cale was walking again. When she saw him, he was sitting on the edge of the bed on her side, the left side. "What happened?" he asked.
She blinked a few more times. "On my way back from the bar, an assassin attacked me. I was tired, and my reactions were slow. I got cut on my shoulder, but the assassin put poison on the blade, and I was slowly dying. The Vitality of the Heart was overworking to keep me alive. I managed to kill the assassin, but I still needed to get back to the palace. I managed to, but I forgot which room was ours, and I accidentally ended up in the Crown Prince's room."
Cale nodded, following with the story. "And then he brought you here."
Adara nodded. "Yes, after I annoyed him a bit, he did bring me here."
Cale opened his mouth, about to ask if she was okay. She couldn't be. Because he knew there were a few details, she neglected to tell him.
The way she had come back yesterday. Cale had thought she was dead for a second until he saw her hand twitch, and he was reassured she was at least alive. Some part of him thought it was an excellent idea that the Black Dragon was staying with Roslayn and Choi Han until they left for the Breck Kingdom. After the Crown Prince left, after her bath, she needed his support to walk to the bed.
He understood that. It must have been taxing to make her way back after being attacked by an assassin. But she was trembling as she held onto his arm to walk, her eyes scrambling to all the dark corners of the room. And she looked so tired in the harsh light of the lamp.
She looked tired now as well, looking anywhere but at him.
And just as he opened his mouth, about to ask her if she was okay, she abruptly stood up. Walking to the door, she opened the door in the face of the maid.
He watched her smile, watched her ask for breakfast. He felt as if something else was going on. He wasn't sure, but it felt almost as if she was purposefully detaching herself. It was odd.
And then they were having breakfast. It was quiet. After finishing her plate, Adara tried to reach for another dish, but it was too far.
Cale got it for her, holding the plate for her to grab.
He watched as she hesitated, staring at the plate. Her eyes softened slightly, taking the plate from him.
And then breakfast was done, and she was sitting at her desk, and he was reading his book.
The same shy mage came again, handing Adara the communication device she asked for. She had no access to her own communication device, seeing as it was in the little box back at the Henituse Residence.
She would have wanted nothing more than to deal with the unauthorised poison releases herself, but she could not. She was not at the Thornwin Estate, and even if she was, it would be too suspicious for her to suddenly start interfering with the Poison Department. Even then, she would not have been able to do much.
She had to ask for help. From someone reliable. She couldn't afford for them to mess up. She knew who she would ask, and that was not the problem. The problem, is that she needed to ask for more help for a situation even more important in her view.
She knew she was not asking for help from her subordinate because she was his boss, but she needed help from two others, a single person and a family. Them, she was not asking for help either, she was offering a deal with a lot of money involved.
If there was something she had a lot of, it was money.
But even then, she did not like it. She only wished she could do it alone.
After asking the mage on the other end to hand her to the Head of the Poison Department, she was face-to-face with Sadie.
She had become more tanned since the last time she called. Since her freckles were more prominent now, she guessed Sadie had spent a lot longer in the sun. She also looked more rested than the last time they called, so that was a good development.
"Sadie," Adara greeted quickly. "Go somewhere private."
Sadie nodded. Adara watched as the scenery changed to Sadie's office. "I'm alone," she said. "What's wrong?"
Adara wasted no time, her face a cold mask. "I think someone is releasing prototypes onto the Underworld. Specifically Prototype 71."
Sadie's eyes, a blend of cornflower blue and foggy grey, widened, her eyebrows raised. "That's... not what I was expecting you to say."
Adara continued, no change in her expression. "I'm not sure who, but my biggest suspicion is someone from the Poison Department." She didn't need to say why; it was obvious. The Poison Department was cut off from the rest of the Departments, occasionally working with the Finance and Treasury Departments for funds. But they were the only ones who had access to the poison.
Sadie nodded, deep in thought. "Well, I know it's not Rory for sure."
Adara made a hand motion. "Yes, it's safe to rule him out. You would have known if he was."
Sadie looked at her. "Do you have any leads on who it may be?"
Adara shook her head. "None. Only through plausibility did I rule everyone except the Poison Department out. I got the information out of a third part, so I don't have much to go off on."
"A third party?" Sadie questions, watching Adara closely. She seems more tired than usual, she thought. "Can you get more information out of them?"
"No."
Sadie's eyes widened again. "Oh. Oh." She sighed, exasperated, running a hand through her short, light brown hair. "Okay then. Uh, what are you planning on doing?"
Sadie was annoyed, though she hid it, that Adara's guard was even more up than usual. She could not tell anything about her. Not what she was planning next, nor what she was feeling at the moment. Her face was simply a stone-cold statue. A beautiful one.
"I need you to monitor the whole of the Poison Department."
Sadie's jaw dropped, about to protest.
But Adara glared at her, telling her to let her talk. "I don't need you to monitor them all simultaneously. If one of them takes a day off work, or if they meet someone outside of their home, or if someone visits them, monitor them. Monitor if they call in sick or if they leave unprompted."
Sadie blew air out of her mouth, the air making her now messy hair flutter out of the way. "That's a lot to ask for. Should I cash in my favours with the knights for this?"
Adara didn't want to know what Sadie did for the knights to owe her favours, but it was helpful in a situation like this. "Yes. I doubt whoever is releasing the poison to the Underworld is doing this at risk of the Thornwins finding out, and raining hell on them would be so brash as to go from one of the main entrances. They might even avoid the main entrances altogether."
Sadie frowned, leaning her head on her hand. "How can I arrange their schedules so that the knights who owe me are at the entrances the suspect will most likely use?"
"Leave that to me," Adara said, waving her hand. "How many knights owe you?"
Sadie counted in her head. "9."
Adara thought of the blueprint of the Thornwin Estate. If they weren't to include the main entrances, then... "That leaves enough. At least one of your Knights can be at each side entrance, and we have extra, so we can position them at the side entrances to the Poison Department."
Sadie leaned forward, resting her head on her hand, her eyes wide enough to have an innocent look to her. "What makes you think it's one of them and not me?"
Adara raised an eyebrow, the movement feeling odd after keeping her face unreadable for the whole call. "Are you serious? Why would you do such a thing?" Adara leaned into her seat, feeling uncomfortable with Sadie's face so close to the communication device. "I have known you long enough to know you would never risk it all for something as materialistic as some extra money."
Adara knew Sadie grew up in the slums before Adara got rid of them, and knew she was happy with anything that let her live comfortably enough that she didn't need to worry about what would be for dinner the next day. Sadie lived quite more comfortably than that.
I am not materialistic, Sadie thought. Nor am I in need of extra money; you pay me well enough to make sure of that, Adara. I am not materialistic at all. She knew it.
Sadie knew it as well. It was a stupid question, asked only to see some sort of change in Adara's face. Maybe some surprise. Oh, how Sadie wanted to see some surprise on her face. But all she got was the raise of an eyebrow. Disappointing.
But another opportunity presented itself. You are not the only one who has been with me, Sadie thought. I have also been with you. "And what will you have Rory do?"
Adara did not miss a beat, not a single one. She did not stop in surprise to wonder how Sadie knew that, did not even marvel at it. She just continued. "He will be making your suspect list shorter by browsing the Underworld. So don't be surprised when he contacts a few family members."
Sadie hid her annoyance at Adara's lack of a reaction. "How many family members is a few?"
Adara waved her off, her face still stone-cold. "It doesn't matter the amount. As long as they are not getting too chummy or speaking in code, it's fine. After this, you will need to monitor him in more detail so you can drop Mikhail and focus only on Countess Louise and Rory."
Sadie nodded. "Got it. I'll be waiting for the next time you call me."
Adara made another hand motion. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be calling me because you found the fucker who decided to sell our stuff to the Underworld."
Sadie, not ever hearing Adara swear nor expecting it, suddenly became giddy that she did something unexpected.
Adara, ignoring the barely hidden giddiness in Sadie, continued talking. "Give it a few minutes, then redirect me to Rory."
Sadie smiled at her, the giddiness shining through slightly. "You might want to congratulate him. He got a girlfriend recently."
Adara didn't particularly care.
But Sadie continued talking. "Her name is Amelia Pond, goes by Amy."
Adara made a small sound. "Amelia Pond, great name. Sounds much better than Amy Pond."
Sadie disagreed with her. "Bit fairytale, isn't it?"
Adara shrugged, leaning closer to disconnect the call. "Who doesn't like fairytales?"
And then the communication device was blank and Sadie's face was no longer on it.
She leaned her head on her chair, a loud sigh coming from her, curses coming out of her mouth in a mutter. She really hated that Sadie was so intent on seeing her without her usual calm demeanour; she needed to keep her front on at all times.
It was exhausting, and a sense of anxiousness in her made her not let go of that front. She wasn't sure why Sadie wanted to see her lose her cool, but it didn't help that Adara didn't know what would happen if she did.
It was very exhausting.
The communication device made a noise, and she heard Rory's voice asking, "Young Mistress Adara?"
Adara sighed again; Sadie probably wanted to catch her off guard again, this time by connecting him immediately instead of 'a few minutes' later. "Yes, Rory. Give me a second."
She took her head off the chair, opening her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Rory there, looking unassuming and suspicious.
Rory did not have many interactions with the Young Mistress he worked for. He met her once when he had his interview, a second time when she told him he was the best person for the job but that he had connections with the Quillen family. In that second meeting, she informed him that they knew he changed his last name to avoid suspicion and that she knew he was his mother's son.
Trying to convince her to let him work for her was the most stressful ordeal he had ever gone through. He could not tell at all if she believed him when he said he wanted an ordinary life or if she thought he was full of bullshit.
But he did get that ordinary life, though he sometimes had to do some special tasks for Adara, such as checking if the price on her head had increased.
And now, his third time meeting her, she looked tired. Very tired. As if she did not sleep well and looked on the verge of passing out. Some part of him felt concerned for her, but he knew it would not be appreciated.
Adara got straight to the point. "Someone from the Poison Department is releasing poisons to the Underworld unauthorised. I need you to find all the information possible about them. Contact as many family members of yours as you think you need to."
Rory nodded; his blue eyes silently watched her.
"You will be working with Sadie— you know who she is, right?" Adara asked, setting the bait.
Rory frowned, thinking hard. "What is her last name?"
Adara shook her head. "She has no last name. She's the Head of the Poison Department. She used to work in Administration a bit before you worked there."
Rory blinks. "Yes, I think I know her. She spends a few breaks with a friend of mine, so I've seen her before."
Adara nodded; he had no idea Sadie was monitoring him. That was good. "Sadie will help you cross-check if the poisons are ours, though I think the easiest method of finding which of the competitors is our suspect is to cross-check if they have Prototype 71. That term might not mean much to you, but Sadie will understand.
"Once you know who is releasing it to the Underworld, you only need to match up that identity to their identity above ground," Adara told him. "That's primarily what you will be focused on: making Sadie's suspect list shorter and maybe finding any patterns in how they release the poison to predict their next move."
Rory nodded.
Adara knew he didn't talk much, knew he looked like the average guy with a friendly and approachable demeanour and an ordinary appearance. Nothing looked out of the ordinary with him. With his short, dark brown hair, casual clothing, and lean physique. It all looked unassuming.
He was so unassuming that Adara could not quite believe he was related to the Quillens, a pretty prominent family in the Underworld with whom the Thornwins have had a couple of dealings in the past.
But it was his relations to the Quillen Family that particularly interested Adara. Because he had definitely not been the best person for the job.
Throughout the breakfast, she became aware of something— a wish of hers— a wish that revealed how much she wanted it in light of recent events.
She made it a point to never allow herself to get hurt when she dealt with assassins. But she got hurt yesterday— or this morning? It reminded her of the first time an assassin came after her when she got stabbed in her shoulder. She couldn't use her shoulder well for a few months after that.
But what she remembered of the encounter was the next morning. Her sheets were bloody, she was covered in blood, sitting in a corner covered in cuts from the broken mirror next to her, crying her eyes out. A cold body in the middle of the room with a ruined throat.
When the maid came in, she threw up.
Countess Louise came in next, roughly lifting her in the air, making more cuts on her feet. Countess Louise screamed at her for a good few minutes before dragging her to the bath. She almost drowned Adara in the cold water, leaving her to clean up alone.
When she entered the room that no longer felt like her own after her bath, it was clean, and that maid was never seen again.
This time was quite different, but it still reminded her too much of that night. So, her resolve was set. She knew what her wish was.
"I want my head off the Underworld."
Rory blinked before shaking his head. He knew what she was asking of him, but he could not deliver. "That won't be possible unless you have the majority of the Underworld working together." His family wasn't quite that powerful.
Adara waved off his concerns. "Don't worry about that. I will connect you with another important person who rules a portion of the Underworld, who you will be in charge of connecting to your family."
Rory was still not convinced. "My family might not see any benefit in taking your head off—."
Adara interjected his protest. "You will also be in charge of making sure they take the offer. Even if it means giving them four times the current price on my head."
Rory stared at her, licking his thin lips as he thought about it a bit further. He realised that she was particularly insistent on this issue. He was desensitized to what it meant to have a head on display since his family got money from those who wanted to kill the person. But in front of him was someone who looked like she just crawled out of the Underworld.
He could not begin to imagine how many assassins had tried to kill her since her head was put on display all those years ago.
And so, he asked, "What's the budget?"
Adara made a hand motion. "If the Thornwin's Treasury comes out of this with at least half of its original amount, it will have been a good investment."
Rory noticed this before, but he sees it now as well. Sometimes, Adara spoke about the Thornwins as if she wasn't related to them. She spoke about them in the third person, as if what was theirs was not hers.
He wasn't sure what to think about it, just a simple fact he's noticed.
He nodded again, planning on starting as low as possible. He figured the lowest would be the current price of her head, and then he would probably raise the price until they were satisfied.
But he watched her eyes open wider, he watched her think. It seemed like she got an idea and was now calculating it. He waited patiently for her to speak.
She waved her hand. "Ignore what I said about the Treasury. I'm not going to be spending my own money. Just tell me what price is settled, and I will send you a bill to send to your family. But do start low; we don't want the whole Kingdom to go bankrupt."
He nodded, though he had half an idea of what she was talking about. He got the basics, but he didn't dare ask who was funding this, nor what it had to do with the Kingdom.
Adara leaned into her seat. "I recognise that doing all of this and your regular Administration duties will be too much, so I will arrange for your workload to be evenly distributed throughout the rest of Administration until you're done."
Rory raised his eyebrows. "Thank you," he said.
She nodded distantly. "Also— but this can simply be a side project— find out where the nickname 'Queen of Poison' comes from. I heard it directed at me yesterday. I think the Underworld will be a good place to start; only assassins could come up with a vicious name like that."
Rory nodded, letting Adara end the call.
Adara picked up the communication device and brought it to the shy mage, who was still waiting outside. When she entered the room again, Cale put down the book and was staring at her.
She raised her eyebrows at him, telling him to start speaking.
"You know the Ubarr Territory?"
Adara pulled a face. "Yes? Do you not want to go anymore?" She didn't want to go either, she would rather start working to hurry up in getting the successor position.
Cale hesitated. "I want to go." He truly did; having the Sound of the Wind, the third Ancient Power, would be very handy, but... I don't want to see that sickeningly sweet smile on her face. I'd rather see her truly mad than fakely happy. Sometimes, he wished they could avoid Amiru at all costs, just so he would not need to see how the smile did not reach Adara's eyes.
"We should probably formally ask Amiru for permission," he mentioned.
Adara was sitting at her desk again. "She will allow us if I am the one asking."
Cale knew that would be so. He might've needed to have more interactions with Amiru if Adara was not here, but she was. And Amiru would surely get smitten by Adara's act, ensuring them permission to stay a few nights at the Ubarr Estate.
Adara, noticing that Cale was not going to continue talking, started working again.
First, she finished the last of the letters to all those Nobles who wanted some poison.
Then she wrote to Bede, telling him that if a pale, ashy-blonde individual who looked very much like a vampire called Cecilia was going to pay a visit, asking for the Night Poppies, that he should show her to them without any questions asked. She also wrote a few lines asking about Lina and Priest Charlie.
Last, she wrote to her Father. Cale, having brought up Amiru, reminded her about the Naval Investment plans she needed her Father to approve of. The letter was in the same tone as the letters she was meaning to send to the Nobles. Devoid of any emotion.
She was planning on telling him over the communication device a few days ago, but then she got distracted by their argument and never got to it.
Just as she finished writing, there was a knock on the door.
Adara and Cale sent each other a look of surprise.
It could not have been the maids because they never knocked. Who was it then? Adara was too absorbed in her writing to hear any footsteps, so the identity of the person on the other side of the door was a mystery even to her.
"Come in," Adara called out.
The door opened to Amiru.
Both Cale and Adara blinked, not understanding the coincidence that just happened. Neither Eric nor Gilbert were with her, only she was there.
Adara smiled at her. "Unnie! I'm so glad to see you; I've been waiting for you to visit."
Amiru smiled gently at her. "Good morning, Adara."
Adara raised her eyebrows, checking her pocket watch. Was it still morning? It felt like evening.
Amiru had made her way to the bed, where Cale read his book. "Good morning, Young Master."
Cale greeted her back. "Good morning, Young Lady."
Amiru smiled softly. "How are you?"
"Good," he responded. "You?"
Amiru shrugged elegantly. "Also good."
Cale knew why she was doing this. Amiru was here for Adara, but if she spent the first few moments talking to him, it justified having the rest of her attention on Adara. And it seemed it was enough small talk to justify it in Amiru's eyes because Amiru immediately turned her attention to Adara.
Adara pulled the chair across the desk to be next to her, Amiru smiling as she sat down.
Cale sighed quietly, continuing to read the book in his hands. He ignored the two with their meaningless small talk about Adara's health. He already knew every word coming out of her mouth would be a lie.
But he did pay attention when Adara asked a very important question.
"Did the Crown approve of the Naval Base?"
Amiru smiled. Cale noticed she was smiling a lot. "Yes, the Crown Prince did approve. He was a bit disappointed that he could not fund it, but he was very glad. He was very surprised when he heard that the Thornwins and Henituses would be funding us."
Adara smiled as well. "That is certainly good news. And you came at the perfect time. I just finished writing to my Father about the investment plans. Could you read it to see if I told him everything he needs to know?"
Amiru blinked at the pretty lady next to her. A letter to your family was private, not something anybody should just read. And why was she sending a letter anyway? A letter was so impersonal compared to telling him over a communication device.
But Adara was handing her the letter, and she took it. It was Adara; how could she refuse her?
She scanned over the letter, not wanting to accidentally read something personal, but she realised that the letter was strictly business. Not even a good morning or a 'dear father'. Simply addressed to him in his full name and all the plans for the Naval Investment. There wasn't even a request to approve it, simply telling him of it as if she already approved it and was informing a subordinate.
Amiru thought it was odd but good for her in the long run.
Amiru looked at Adara, nodding. "It is very well written. It conveys everything he would need to know about it."
Adara thanked her, taking the letter from her and a few others on her desk. "Give me a second," Adara excuses herself. "I need to deliver these."
Adara knew a maid would intercept her the second she opened the door, so she didn't need to search long for someone who would be able to deliver them to the right people. And as she predicted, a maid was there.
"Is there anything you need, Young Mistress?" the maid asked.
Adara smiled sheepishly, gesturing to the letters in her hands. "Ah, nothing much. I just wanted to find my servant to deliver these letters, but I think he might be at the Henituse Residence."
The maid lit up slightly. "Oh, don't worry about that, Young Mistress! I can deliver it!"
Adara looked at her, concerned. "Are you sure? I mean, it won't be too much of a hassle?"
The maid waved her hand. "Not at all, Young Mistress. I was just done with the other room."
Adara smiled at the maid, handing her the letters. "Thank you very much."
The maid smiled back. "No problem, Young Mistress!"
Adara smiled at the maid. That was too easy, she thought.
She was about to close the door, but the maid spoke up.
"But I do have a letter for you, it was sent through the teleportation ring. I heard it was very important," the maid said, pulling a letter out of her pocket.
Adara frowned, thanking the maid and taking the letter out of her hand. She closed the door behind her, reading the letter.
It was from Rory.
He said the Quillen Family would settle for two times her head. She smiled at how fast it had been done. Rory must have been itching to talk to his family; no wonder it came in so fast.
She made her way to Amiru again. And then she smiled again. She would need a few smiles to make this next bit work.
Amiru only knew Adara as Adara showed her. The rumours, Amiru ignored. She thought Adara was very ambitious and wanted to be the Successor of the Thornwins. She wasn't wrong, but she was quite a bit mistaken in how far her ambition could go until it became Machiavellian.
But even so, if Adara asked to go to the Ubarr Territory with the excuse of it being to 'see the cliffs', Amiru would surely become suspicious. Or there was a very big chance she would.
So she needed to make Amiru think she had the idea first.
She looked outside, not sitting on the chair just yet. She could see the Temple of Death from here, the high towers peeking over the rest of the Capital. "Sometimes, I miss the view from my room in the Thornwin Estate. You can see the gardens from my room; they always look so pretty this time of year."
Amiru turned in her seat to look outside. She sighed blissfully. "I also miss the view from my room in the Ubarr Territory. You can see the cliffs from my room, and on a good day, they are very elegant."
Adara sat on the chair, the bait set. "I haven't been to the Ubarr in a while, but I do remember how impressed I was by the view over the cliffs, looking down at the whirlpools. They were so chaotic, it was beautiful. I only wish I could remember it with more clarity."
Amiru looked at her, excitement hidden in her eyes and her cheeks rosy at how close Adara was to her. "Oh, I could take you— and Cale— with me to the Ubarr Territory on my way back. We could travel in the same carriage if you want?"
Adara lit up at the idea, much to Cale's dismay. "Oh, that is a wonderful idea. The ocean would do me good for my recovery."
Amiru agreed immediately. "Yes, it would; the salty air is something to enjoy in the mornings."
And then Adara was about to open her mouth, about to pay her another compliment, when the door opened and the Crown Prince walked in. He stopped in the doorway, blinking at the sight of Amiru.
He was only a bit disappointed in himself that, in his hurry, he had not checked to see if they had any guests over.
This guest, he recognised. She was Amiru Ubarr, and her face was red. She had been leaning into Adara, but as soon as she saw him, she leaned away immediately. He also notices how Cale, who was sitting on the bed, seemed almost completely ignored and a bit annoyed.
He knew the second Amiru shared who was funding the Naval Base that something was going on between her and Adara. But he had no idea they were in the stage of their relationship where he should be worrying if they were courting. By the Sun God, he thought, only slightly exasperated. How many people is she supposedly courting? Is there a third I should be wary about?
The Crown Prince gave an apologetic smile. "Ah, I am sorry for intruding."
He took a step backwards when Amiru stood up. "It's no problem, Your Highness; I was just about to leave anyway." She turns to Adara. "Goodbye, Adara. We will leave after the Ceremony, so please be ready to leave before that."
Adara nodded. "We will make sure to be. See you soon, Unnie," she said, with a kiss on Amiru's cheek.
Both the Crown Prince and Cale narrowed their eyes at that.
But the Crown Prince kept his front up until Amiru left the room, bowing at him as she passed. And then the door closed, and the front fell.
He raised an eyebrow as he picked up the chair next to Adara and positioned it so he could still include Cale in the conversation. He had come here mainly for Adara, but he did not want Cale to feel excluded. The desk she was sitting at had a few papers with residential matters strewn across it. "You got poisoned this morning, and you're already working?"
Adara shifted in her chair to face Cale as well, though her eyes were on the Crown Prince. "Was it this morning? I had no idea. It felt a rather lot like last night."
Alberu sighed. He hated it when she feigned innocence. If there was one thing he now knew about her for certain, it was that she was not innocent.
He observed her for a moment. He notes that her eyes try to hide how they blur when they look at words on paper. Notes the dark circles under her eyes he had not noticed this morning when she was in his arms. And he notices the sun pendant around her neck, smeared in blood no longer, but this time catching the sunlight filtering through the window.
His mind wandered for a moment as he stared at the sun pendant. None of the knights saw her on her way to his room; he checked with all the ones on duty. He thinks it would be very noticeable to see the only Southerner-looking Noble in the Capital at this moment covered in blood that was her own.
He also remembers the time during the Plaza Terror Incident when the second suicide bomber was headed for the Crown, but a second later, he was directed at the Nobles. The same bomber Adara had been shielding.
He knew something was up, but he did not quite care anymore. If she was a Dark Elf, she was a Dark Elf, there were more pressing matters to attend to than her ancestry.
"A body was found this morning. A body dressed in all black," he said, looking up at her.
Adara, who had been questioning if the Crown Prince was staring at her boobs or her sun pendant, realised that it was probably the sun pendant. Not everybody is staring at your boobs, she chided herself. Chill. "Really?" she raised her eyebrows. Her voice concerned. "Oh, by all the gods, that's terrible. Were you able to find out who did it?"
Alberu sighed again. He already had suspicions as to what had transpired, but the fact that Adara looked like she was hiding her laughter only confirmed it. "No investigation is going to go through as the Knights at the scene found evidence that the murder was committed under pretences of self-defence."
One of his questions was answered. He now knew what had happened to all those assassins who had previously tried to come after her.
Left to rot.
Adara smiled at him as if they were not discussing a murder she had committed. "Well, under pretences of self-defence, it's them or you, isn't it?"
Yes, Alberu agreed. It is them or you. But you could at least care.
Cale was staring at them incredulously. He always hated politics, and in front of him were the most political and scheming people he had ever met. And they were being so vague and subtle to each other that he marvelled at the fact they somehow understood each other.
Adara leaned her head on her hand. "Is that all you came to say?"
He stared into those tired, dark eyes. The beautiful ones. "I've been trying to get your head off the Underworld all night."
Alberu had a wake-up call when Adara collapsed in his room due to wounds inflicted by an assassin. He felt guilty, as if he somehow had caused it. He knew that her head was on the Underworld before she got attacked; he could've at least tried to stop it. But he did not. And she got attacked.
But he couldn't take her head off, as he had no connections to the Underworld nor those who ruled it.
Adara suddenly paused. She didn't quite freeze. It was more of a pause. Alberu saw a change in her demeanour, how she seemed to take the conversation a lot more seriously now. "Please repeat yourself."
Alberu raised an eyebrow. "I have been trying to get your head off the Underworld all night," he repeated.
Adara looked away from him, deep in thought. She wasn't looking at him or at anyone in particular. Just thinking.
Alberu watched quietly, he could almost see the cogs turning in her head.
He watched as her eyes turned to his. "You did not manage."
It wasn't a question but rather a statement. She was sure of it.
Alberu shook his head. "I did not."
This was a very different Adara than the one he saw this morning, who had revealed she was scared to go somewhere with someone. He still wondered about that, though he knew it had no point.
Adara thought a bit further. Never has anybody tried to do something like this for me, she thought. Never have I met someone with quite as much power as the Crown Prince. And even then, he failed. Will my plan work? Will the Quillens help me, or will they empty out his Treasury?
Alberu now saw the thoughts eating away at her, and he directed her attention back to him. "What are you planning to do?"
"I have a plan, and you need not worry, for it will work," she said, indifference turning into confidence.
Alberu narrowed his eyes. Adara seemed to be telling him not to worry quite often. And he knows it will be impossible to do anything without connections in the Underworld. "May I have the specifics?"
"You may not," Adara refused. "You do not need to worry in the slightest. I only need two things from you, and your concern is not among them."
He raised his eyebrows. "What do you need?"
"I would like my reward a bit earlier," she said.
He frowned. "And?"
She shrugged, leaning into her seat, her classic smile tugging at her lips. "I want your permission to go outside by the main entrance. Climbing windows does get tiring after a while."