"And she asked you this every day?"
"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?" I asked him in disbelief. I've spent most of the time with Vlad, talking about what happened in the Underworld that I haven't caught up with what happened in the world. I kept forgetting that I'd gone for eleven months although it felt like days.
Adrian glanced at the clock on his wrist and grimaced. "I'd love to talk to you but I really have to meet the Queen before she chews my ass and spits it on the sidewalk." He looked around and then pointed at the small lounge in the lobby. "Go and wait for me there. I'll be out in ten minutes."
I gave him a brief nod. Adrian smiled before he walked towards the grand hall.
I moved towards the lounge and took a seat on the leather couch. Ten minutes passed and I started to regret not bringing my phone with me. I failed at being a teenager, I never bring my phone everywhere. Mostly because I usually forgot to charge it and it was useless to carry a dead phone around.
There were no magazines or a small fridge in the lounge. I groaned and stared at the ceiling, wishing I was smart enough to borrow Adrian's phone before he went inside. At least, I'd have something to do other than sitting and waiting.
"Camila Stavros."
I heard my name being called and looked around to find out who it was. My eyes landed on a blonde girl carrying a tray in her hands. I tried to recall who she was but before I could ask who she was, she said, "I'm Emily. I used to be your maid before—" She didn't finish her sentence and to be honest, she really didn't have to.
Everyone was surprised by the fact that I was brought back alive. And not by reincarnation, I was brought back to my original body with my memory still intact.
I looked at Emily and realized who she was. She was Vladimir's ex. "Yeah, a lot has happened. How're you?" I offered her a smile which wasn't returned.
"Like usual." She gave me a once over and narrowed her eyes as if she was thinking about something. I always had no clue when it came to this girl. I knew she didn't like the fact that I was dating her ex and also had a click with him, something she wished to have in the past when she turned eighteen. Emily cleared her throat. "Would you like something to drink?"
I wanted to decline. I've never felt comfortable with her serving me, mainly because of the look on her face that told me she didn't enjoy serving her duty, that it was forced. Yet I gave her a friendly smile. "That would be lovely. Thank you."
Emily curtsied and then walked away.
Five minutes later Adrian came out of the grand hall. There was an annoyance on his face. He moved to the couch across from mine and plopped down with a thud.
I stole a glance at him. "Are you okay?"
"This is ridiculous!" He threw his arms in the air out of frustration. "I really don't see any point of her asking me daily as if the answer would be different each day."
I laughed, merely because of his frustration. He narrowed his eyes and shot me a murdering glare. "What did she ask?"
Adrian suddenly looked uncomfortable in his seat. He seemed to give it a thought before answering, "You."
"Me?" I raised my brows in surprise. "What did she want to know about?" She just met me a while ago, if she had something she wanted to know, she could've asked me and spared Adrian.
His face turned sad. "Your death. She wants to know about the shooting."
"And she asked you this every day?"
Adrian nodded. "I didn't know what her deal is but she wanted me to recap what happened." He let out a deep frustrating sigh. "The thing is, she always has that look on her face as if she's hoping I suddenly remember an important detail somehow."
I hardly remembered since it happened so fast. I knew there was a guy standing in the crowd with a gun in his hand but that was it. "Well, did you?"
Adrian frowned. "Did I what?"
"Remember something new."
He shook his head. "No. I've told her everything I remember but seemed like it wasn't enough. I hate retelling the story over and over, especially before I knew that you were alive. It's like a loop of a nightmare that I have to relive daily."
I stood and moved to sit next to him. "I'm sorry." I grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze. It must be hard for him. "I'm sorry that you have to go through that."
He squeezed back. "It's alright. I'm really glad you're alive, Montgomery." He dropped his gaze to the ground and his expression turned bitter. "Vlad was a mess. He spent days mourning and other days trying to get you back. He even tried to kill himself to get to you but Kris managed to get him to the hospital as soon as she found him."
"I know. I've seen his hand." It still pained me how much Vlad had suffered after losing me even though deep down I knew if I were him I'd do pretty much the same.
"Adrian," I started. He looked up and our gaze locked. "What happened to Scarlet?"
"After you died, we found out that there is a new faction. This faction has one mission." He swallowed hard, his brows knitted together. "A mission to eliminate all of the Royal families."
I gasped. It was bad enough that they tried to kill me. Royal families were the pillar of our government, without the royals there was no government. "Even the royals?" I asked Adrian for confirmation.
I could understand why people wanted to eliminate Pure Royal considering pure royals were the only families whose members could be King or Queen. He answered me with a solemn nod.
"But why?" I nearly shouted. There are so many Royal families around. Hell, some of the regulars even had a click with Royal families, like what happened with Dimitri and Rose. Eliminating all royals could expand into eliminating the entire race.
Adrian shook his head. "I don't know. No one knows. But I suspect," he lowered his voice as he continued, "some people don't really like Queen Rhea. They think she's too racist."
"Racist?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "When it comes to government and high positions, she prefers Royal families and leaves the regulars for guard duties or other unimportant roles."
I've never actually thought about it, considering I didn't live in the court until recently. I was raised thinking I was a regular so I didn't really have the privilege to live in the Court. Even though both 'parents' worked for the Court, they never shared any information and I never bother with the politics.
"We didn't know about their existence. We thought they only wanted to kill you so when you were dead, the CG lowered their guards thinking it was over," said Adrian, continuing his story. "But at your funeral, they showed up. Masked with gun blazing. They aimed for the Queen but...."
I hated suspense. I knew he was tired from Queen's interrogation but now, in the middle of telling a story, was not a good time to take a rest. "But what, Adrian?" There was a sense of urgency in my voice.
"But Scarlet sacrificed her life for her mother." He ducked his head and stared at the ground. "We lost so many people in that night, Montgomery. So many good innocent people died."
I felt like there was something more. "Who else?" I held my breath as I waited for him to answer.
Adrian looked up. "Pete, Sera, and Joseph. We lost them too."
"Oh my God!" I put one hand over my mouth to prevent me from screaming my heart out. They were my friends. Sure, Pete and I had banter every time we were in the same room but I loved him. I loved all of them. Even Sera, who played a very noncaring nonloving mother for years. And even though Joseph was not a pleasant fellow most of the time, but he didn't deserve to die. I considered him a friend.
"Montgomery." Adrian pulled me into a hug and I sobbed into his chest. This was too much. Too much grief. Too much pain.
I had no idea how long I cried with his arms around me but when I was finally able to calm myself down, a figure approached us. It was Emily and she was carrying a tray in her hands. "Lady Stavros." She put the tray in front of me and poured me a cup of tea. "Your tea."
I was about to grab the cup but Adrian was faster. "You can take the next one. I'm too thirsty for being a storyteller today." I rolled my eyes and he smirked.
Just before he raised the cup to his lips, I heard Emily shout in pure terror, "No, Lord Ambrosia, don't!" But it was too late, he already took a sip. A deadly sip, to be precise.
* * *
What do you think will happen, my angel?
What do you think of this new fraction?
What do you think of Queen Rhea?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments!