Fidelis stood inside his son’s study room, a sad expression on his face as he stared blankly into space.
"What is becoming of the Royal family? All this for the throne? What about the children that would be hurt by this," the man sighed, shaking his head gently.
Adric’s eyes were on the last letter Caspar had written. "With the confessions Caspar has written, staying within the palace would hurt Walter and Kai. I’ll have them move with Jasmine until I’m sure everything is settled. That’s the best I can do for them."
Fidelis nodded. "That should do. The children shouldn’t have to suffer because adults have failed to act like one. I will leave with them, let me stay with my grandchildren. Since you are now King, I believe you can take care of everything in the palace."
Adric didn’t like the idea of his father leaving the palace. He wanted his old man to still stay around him; he was the only family he had. "Father, you don’t need to leave, you can always stay here with me."
Fidelis smiled. "Adric, you now have your own family. At every finish line, a new reign begins. This is your time and I hope you don’t make the mistake I made after your mother left this world. Protect your family and most importantly, cherish your wife. I can see it already, that you also have the same feelings for her. Don’t make her wait for too long."
"You’re really going to leave? When?" Adric asked. He still wanted to have his father around him.
Fidelis hummed thoughtfully. "I should leave as soon as possible. The more Kai and Walter stay here, they will eventually get to hear the news about their father’s crime. And you know how smart Kai is, so let the children have a good memory of their father."
By evening, every member of the Galgani Royal family gathered in the big room except Gwen, who had been exiled from the palace, and Caspar, who was apparently the reason they had all gathered.
Walter and Kai sat close to their mother, without saying anything. Everyone in the room had their eyes on the two boys.
The soft sobs of Jasmine were heard in the room, with Adelaide consoling her sister. After some minutes, Jasmine raised her face and wiped her tears. "He didn’t do it, Caspar was accused. We should focus on finding the culprit and make sure they pay for what they did to my husband. He can be everything, I know he was never faithful but killi-"
"Watch what you say in front of the children!" Fidelis warned his daughter.
Oriana was also worried about the children, but she couldn’t do anything for them as they were with their mother.
"It’s okay, sister," Adelaide shook her head. When a tear slipped down her face, she sniffled. "I still can’t believe this is happening..."
When she said this, Jasmine cried even more. "Why me... My husband, what should I do?"
"That’s why we are here, to let you know what you should do," Adric’s cold voice was heard, and the room became silent.
Oriana turned to look at her husband. This was the reason why people always suspected him first. He was cold and insufferable in moments when he was supposed to be empathetic. She sighed. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
"You will be leaving the palace with Father and my nephews. Not the abandoned palace, a better place for you to rest away from the noise of the palace. And you’ll be leaving in the next two days," Adric continued. "From the letter Caspar wrote, he was supposed to be punished so for that reason his funeral won’t be held, but you’re allowed to mourn him."
Jasmine dried her tears and nodded. "It’s okay, I was already fed up with the palace drama. I should leave. Sister, will you come with me?" She turned to ask Adelaide.
"I would have loved to come, but brother Adric needs me right now. Without Father, he would need his family, especially after what happened with our mother," Adelaide started crying again, and this time Jasmine joined her.
Adric rolled his eyes. He had something he wanted to say, but he saw Oriana looking at him, so he refrained from making the statement. All he said was, "Adelaide, you can leave with her if you want to. That would help me focus on the task ahead. I want to make sure my family is cleared of any troubles now that we are getting ready for war. It’ll be better to have trouble off my list." This time he turned to look at Oriana.
Oriana blinked, pointing at her chest. She wanted to know who he was regarding as trouble.
"That’s all. Prepare to leave the palace in two days’ time. We will always visit, and you can always visit us if you want to." Adric concluded. When he stood up from his chair, he turned to Walter and Kai. "Who wants to get a gift from Uncle?"
The two boys stood up quickly and ran after their uncle. Meanwhile, Jasmine and Adelaide quietly left the room.
Oriana smiled. She noticed how soft Adric was when it came to his nephews. He was nonchalant and indifferent to every other person except Walter and Kai, and sometimes his father. It was this part of him that reminded Oriana that Adric wasn’t such a bad person.
As she was smiling, Fidelis came to sit beside the girl. "He has his sweet side too, Adric."
"Your Majesty," Oriana bowed. She had almost forgotten that the man was still in the room.
Fidelis chuckled. "Queen Oriana," he said in reply with a small bow.
"Hearing it from you sounds..." Her voice trailed, then the smile on her face fell. "You’re leaving the palace. Now that I’m Queen, who will help me understand how Adric’s mind works?"
Fidelis smiled, looking at the girl who had now come to love his son so much. "Nobody needs to teach you how his mind works; you already know that. And who said I was leaving forever? You can always come and visit me if you have questions."
Oriana nodded. "Thank you so much. I have a lot to thank you for. But right now, thank you for accepting me as your son’s wife." The truth was that Fidelis gave Oriana the feeling of having a father and what it felt like. This was something she never had when she was still in Orion.
The man supported her, protected her, and even believed her no matter what. He was one of the first persons to accept her in the palace.
"If you want to thank me, then make sure the next news I hear is the arrival of my grandchildren. I heard you both now stay in the same room," Fidelis nudged Oriana, and the girl blushed.
Oriana covered her face, trying to hide her blush. Then she remembered something. "I would have had a lot of grandchildren, but Adric doesn’t feel that way about me."
"He said that?" Fidelis frowned, ready to go and scold his son.
Oriana shook her head. "He didn’t, but I just see the way he acts around me..." Her voice trailed as she pressed her fingers. She wished that Adric would look at her the same way she did, even if for a moment. And she couldn’t tell Madame Rosalie and Freya about this, as everyone thought she and Adric were already in love.
Fidelis tapped his feet on the ground thoughtfully. "He needs a push; this is something he is not used to."
"A push?" Oriana repeated, and the man nodded with a mischievous smile spreading on his face.
"Have you ever made a man jealous?" Fidelis asked, his voice growing distant. He knew that Adric also had feelings for Oriana, and all he needed was to see it and accept it.
Oriana bit her lower lip. Adric was the first man she was openly accepting her feelings for. "I’ve never made a man jealous before."
"It’s time you make your King know that he only needs his Queen," Fidelis grinned.
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