Outside the palace, Adric exhaled when he stopped walking. Dipping his hand inside his trouser pocket, he took out a pack of cigarettes. Taking one stick out, he placed it on his lips and raised the rest of the pack for Oriana’s father to take one, but Curtis shook his head, rejecting the offer.

Adric hummed, lighting the cigarette. He puffed smoke with numerous rings, then said, "I thought you might have picked some habits while warming my dearest mother’s bed."

Curtis cleared his throat and looked to the side, trying to unbutton his shirt properly.

Sophie glared at her father. "Everyone knows?" She sighed. Her family was embarrassing her way too much. She replaced her frown with a sweet smile just for Adric. "Your Highness, I—"

"King Curtis," Adric continued, "you’ll be leaving Avon with your family today."

Curtis raised his brows. He wanted to ask why, but seeing that Adric already knew his dirty secrets, he kept quiet.

"The reputation of Orion is already going down the gutters, and I don’t want Avon to be dragged down too. Earlier today, I heard your wife engaged in a brawl with my mother."

Curtis nodded. "It was a slight misunderstanding, you know women..."

"Was it now? Just a slight misunderstanding. What do you think women do when they find out they’re sharing one man?" Adric asked, without waiting for Curtis to reply as it wasn’t necessary. He continued, "Your kingdom has been left without a king for too long, and I hear there’s a war looming. Smaller kingdoms are the first to go. It’s my best advice to you; go back to Orion."

Saline scoffed. "Leave Avon? We are going to leave, all right, but not without Oriana. That wedding must not hold!"

"’Must’ is a strong choice of words," Adric sighed, bringing out a parchment. He raised it for the family to see. "This is not just any marriage; it’s to repay the debt Orion owes Avon."

Curtis leaned closer to look at the written words. "But we’ve never owed Avon. It was just Valonia..." His voice trailed off. "Valonia owed Avon."

"You’re a king yourself. I’m glad you understand what happens when there’s a breach in a pact."

Saline saw the defeated look on her husband’s face. "What is he talking about, Curtis?"

"We can’t stop the wedding. Right now, we are indebted to Avon," Curtis replied, turning his face to the other side.

Saline pushed her husband on the chest. "You coward! I can’t believe I’ve lived in fear because of your wrath all these years." She turned to look at Adric. "We do not accept. Oriana will never get married to you."

"But I, on the other hand," Sophie interjected, "will, and the pleasure is all mine." She smiled.

Adric looked down at the cigarette, which was burning slowly, and dropped it. He crushed it with the sole of his shoe. "Disunity runs deep in the family, which is why Orion is weak." He sighed, scratching his brows slightly. "Choosing not to accept is in the case where you have a choice. If Orion fails to keep their own part of the bargain, Avon wouldn’t hesitate to strike. We don’t sit back when people look down on us. You saw a glimpse of it earlier," he said, his brown eyes looking from Saline to her husband.

"You’re a king. I trust you’ll make the best decision for your kingdom and family."

Curtis nodded, and with a bow, he said, "Thank you for the advice. I’m sorry for what my carelessness has caused around here. You’re a wise man fit to rule Avon, I must commend. I’ll be leaving with my family, and the wedding can continue." Though Curtis had his feet stuck on the ground due to shame, he had no choice but to struggle to walk away. It was already so embarrassing that news about his affair with the Queen of Avon had been known. If he was being truthful to himself, Adric was right. He needed to go back to Orion because a war with Avon was just a careless sacrifice of his soldiers.

"I won’t leave! No, not without my daughter," Saline refused to move, her eyes filled with hatred for Adric.

Adric hummed. "What exactly are you playing at now?"

"You’re a murderer, one who takes a life without a second thought. Oriana’s life is in danger staying with you," Saline remarked.

Adric threw his head back and laughed, prompting Sophie, who wanted to be on his good side, to join Adric and laugh at her mother.

"This must be the dumbest joke that could ever go down in history. Now you also want to care about her? You can’t marry her off to a murderer, but you can to an old man with several wives. Well, I give it to you, good thinking," Adric said, with the laugh seeping away from his lips. His eyes now had a seriousness that was threatening.

"You failed as a mother when you gave Oriana out to the wolves. Trying to assume the position only now, just because you saw me killing someone. Do you know what would have happened to her if she had gone to Valonia? Oh, now you’re playing the card of the pitiful mother hen, who wants to save her chick from the big bad wolf." Adric sighed. "Well, the wolf already had a taste, and it was good."

Saline shook her head. "No...no...I’ve always loved Oriana. She’s my daughter...and I’m going to protect her," her voice broke at the end.

"The best you can do for her is leave. She doesn’t need to hear the stories behind her birth. That way, she would still love her family. I’m sure she does. That one is another dumb chicken head," Adric suggested.

Sophie twitched her lips when she saw her mother now sobbing softly. "Your Highness, what about me? I love you! I want to be your wife. Trust me, it’s fate. You and I."

"Princess Sophie, everyone is allowed to be stupid at some point, but then, in your case, you tend to abuse the privilege. Making you queen is no better than getting a scarecrow. I need someone with a choice, and it’s not you," Adric remarked, looking at the older princess, whose colors on her face were now washed off, replaced with shame.

"I—I but I—" Sophie stammered. She had never been insulted this badly to the point she was unable to make out words.

Adric rubbed his forehead. He could feel a headache rising. "I already said this to your mother; I have taken Oriana to bed. She has been touched by me."

"No!" Sophie gripped her gown tightly. "It’s not...when...how?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Is that your problem? When?" Adric asked.

Sophie shook her head. Getting down on her knees, she begged, "I’ll do better. No...I can do better."

Adric stared at the princess unbelievably and sighed. "This one is just empty," he muttered, turning to leave.

"Can I at least see her before we leave? Please," Saline said, drying up her tears. She hadn’t been a good mother all these years. There was no point in trying to be one. It was true she abandoned Oriana because she needed to survive. At that time when she cheated, Saline did everything she could because needed to gain her husband’s trust again.

Adric turned to look at them both, princess and mother. Oriana might not have a good relationship with them, but he knew she would love to see them before they leave. "Very well then, I won’t stop family from having their moment, but you must promise to behave and not say anything wrong to her, especially you," he pointed at Sophie.

Saline nodded. "I promise, we won’t say anything wrong."