Adira remained on her spot while waiting for Casimir. Leon wasn't saying much and she figured that maybe he just doesn't talk much.
And then, the light and soft music changed into that of waltz.
Ah, the nobles are dancing.
Adira thought and figuring that Casimir would be needing a partner, she got up. But what she saw was him already holding Iris at the center of the nobles that also came forward to dance.
Leon saw Adira stopping and stared at something—and then he also saw it. Racking his brains for something that will somehow lift her spirits a bit, he took off and collected a variety of sweets from the buffet.
Adira just stood there and watched them.
It seems that no matter which life, she always got the shorter end of the stick.
They do look good together. Perhaps... Iris is really the one meant to lead this kingdom to that brighter future, your majesty.
She felt a light tap on her shoulder and gently turned to the plate of sweets shoved to her face, in a poor attempt to hide this awkward Lord's embarrassment.
"Eat. Sweets will make you feel better, my Lady."
Seeing the amount of gooey chocolate dripping from the cake, the fiery irritation building up in her was extinguished just a tiny bit.
"Thank you, Lord Raiona."
Although coarse and straight-forward, Leon was sweet and considerate and that was enough for Adira.
She took it off his hands and chose to focus on the sweet instead. A bit of the chocolate stained the corner of her lips and Leon pointed it out.
Adira, a bit of a sweet tooth, couldn't stop herself from wiping it off and then licking it off her finger. Chocolate, after all, was her guilty pleasure.
"Tea, my Lady. To wash all the sweetness away." Leon offered and Adira chuckled sweetly at his gesture. He was just like Lyfa.
"Thank you, my Lord."
A few minutes after, of just sitting and occasionally seeing Casimir and Iris dancing, Adira felt the building heat rising and making her dizzy. The kind of heat that was arousing her down there.
She involuntarily bent down and clutched her rapidly beating chest and overheating body.
"My Lady!" Leon, who noticed the abnormality in Adira, reached out to help her. Before he could even touch her shoulders, she already swatted his hand away.
"I-I'll... I will be.. fine, Lord Raiona. Please... Excuse me." She said with labored breathing. As if she was having a hard time getting air into her lungs.
She unsteadily got up and Leon extended his hand again, wanting to help her, but she just shot him a very dangerous glare with that very bewitching look in her face.
With a flushed face and heavy panting, Adira moved forward and tried to escape from everyone. But oh no, not the men that was just waiting for her to leave the Lord's watch.
"Lady Sylveris, I'm—"
"Lady Sylveris, May I ask—"
"My Lady—"
"Lady Sylveris—"
Their words were swirling into one big cacophonous sound that was grating on her nerves and making her dizzier.
"Please.. everyone. I.. I am out of sorts.. as of the moment so please, excuse me." She breathed out and all the men were enchanted with her beauty at close quarters as well as how she was so seductive with just a few words.
While they were out of focus, Adira took the opportunity and slipped away from them as well. She needed to get away from everyone or anyone!
This... This is that drug, right? An aphrodisiac!
She stumbled forward and searched for something that will quench her thirst. She was dying from the scorching heat burning her insides.
Something... Anything that will satiate my desires... Right... Casey... Casey can help...
She continued to move forward shakily and briefly leaned into a pillar for support. She was burning hot and she needed something cold... or someone who will satisfy her darkest desire.
Adira was very unstable the more the minute stretched further and when she tried to move forward, she bumped into someone and she just keeled over.
Luckily, Triton, who bumped into her, reflexively snaked his arms around her in an attempt to catch her from falling.
"Adira!"
"Help me... It's hot... Help... Call... Call Casey please." She breathed and clung to the person that caught her.
"You're very hot. What happened?" Triton felt alarmed. She was practically burning.
Is she sick?
"Ah! it's Triton. So you're here.. Oh, my dearest, why her? Why did you choose her, my dear?" Delirious from the heat and pain of the drug that was poisoning her senses, Adira ran her fingers on Triton's face as she asked him.
Forgetting that things were a little bit different now than in her past life where Iris was seducing him as she seemed to regress back to that time.
"What do you mean? Who did I choose?"
"The greatest.. lady in this empire, right? The only girl.. you ever loved. Iris Latifolia."
"What nonsense! I never once loved her Adira! I told you there's nothing between us! I didn't choose her! I chose you! I've always loved you! But you chose someone else!" Triton, exasperated and tired of always hiding and thinking about society's rules, finally confessed to her.
Revealing a very sad and pained expression on that beautiful face, she sorrowfully spoke,
"If only.. you told me that before.." you killed me.
What the heck am I saying? Ah! This drug is clouding my mind.
Adira pushed Triton away, without warning, and stared at him finally with focus on her ashen eyes and apologized,
"I'm sorry... I am merely speaking nonsense here, Lord Dalriada—"
"Triton. Call me Triton. And I don't get the feeling that those were nonsense."
"Please, as.. you can see I am not feeling well right.. now.. and umm.. I must excuse myself." She hurried and side-stepped him.
Beyond him, was the fountain at the center of the garden and it looked very welcoming for the burning Adira that she did not think twice when she entered it and soaked herself.
Triton, who couldn't let what Adira said go, followed after her and found her sitting inside the fountain—dripping with cold water out in the cold night breeze only in a thin long gown.
"Shit. Are you planning to freeze yourself to death?!" Furious about seeing her treat herself like this, he stomped forward and grabbed her arm, trying to yank her out of the water.
She turned to him with expecting eyes before it vanished and was replaced with fake pleasantry.
"I'm fine, Lord Dalriada. It eases the burning pain so it's all good."
When she looked at him, she looked so devilishly titillating and enticing—like she was a succubus that crawled out from hell to feast on him and he didn't mind. Triton's logical reasoning flew right out of his head and grabbed Adira in a tight embrace.
"Why can't it be me? Choose me, Adira. Please... Please be mine." He whispered in her ears while Adira just sat there.
Her question from many years ago was finally answered tonight.
She doesn't feel for Triton anymore. Now, all she wanted to see was Casimir's face. She wanted to be in his arms.
"Lord Dalria—"
She stopped when Triton gently pulled away from the embrace and his face drew near.
He cannot be...
"Stop—"
Things happened too fast and she was too shocked with what Triton was about to do that she didn't see things properly but Triton was harshly ripped away from her and was already clashing swords with an enraged Casimir out for blood.
"Casey." She called him quietly and he unexpectedly still heard her.
She was flushed for unknown reasons—he was sure it wasn't because of Triton since he saw and heard her reject him just before he ripped Triton away—and she looked incredibly tempting.
No wonder Triton couldn't contain himself. But this only raised his fury a few notches higher.
"How dare you touch her?"
"How dare you leave her! Did you know that while you were out there dancing with some other woman, that girl over there was ill?
If you cannot keep only her in your life, then give Adira to me. So you can go flirt with the other ladies all you want without having to mind her. Of course, not that you minded her when you danced with Lady Latifolia."
Casimir froze for a second and turned back to the wet Adira, soaked to her bone against the cold night wind—and might she add the chill he, himself, was emitting?
"Doesn't give you the right to touch what is mine."
"Casey.. please.. help me."
Triton was about to retort to Casimir's words but they were interrupted with Adira's soft and weak plea for help before unsteadily climbing out of the fountain and careened into Casimir's arms—reacting fast enough so he could catch her.
"Why are you still hot?"
"Casey, someone.. someone drugged me."