[Music Recommendation: Arcade (Instrumental version) ~ Duncan Laurence]
Everyone fell silent, the only sound being Oriana’s quiet sobs, which still sounded distant. The ministers and guests looked on in shock, their faces pale and frozen. Nicholas’s eyes were fixed on the lifeless body of his servant, his face twisted in a mix of anger and grief. The royal family seemed equally stunned; Fidelis’s face looked calm and expressionless, while Sophie’s eyes were wide with fear.
The silence was oppressive, heavy with the weight of the sudden and brutal act. It was as if time itself had stopped, leaving everyone trapped in a moment of horror and disbelief.
Adric alone seemed unmoved, his expression cold and calculating. He gazed down at Oriana, his eyes void of any emotion. The executioner stood still, his sword still raised but dripping with blood, a reminder of the horror that had just taken place.
When Oriana raised her face, her eyes bloodshot and her hair disheveled, she inhaled deeply, "Y-you didn’t have to kill an innocent person; he did nothing...wrong..." The princess wasn’t able to speak, as she was rapidly breathing and her airways felt constricted.
Adric didn’t say anything; his eyes moved from Oriana, now settling on Nicholas, who was burning with rage. Without saying another word, the crown prince left the place with his personal guard behind him.
Most of the court officials dispersed silently. Nobody said anything or tried to make a conversation out of what had happened. Even the maids were scared to help Oriana stand, as they didn’t want to be the next on the scaffold.
"W-what just happened?" Sophie finally asked after trying to process what she had just witnessed.
Jasmine turned to look at her with a sneer on her face. "Are you so dumb that you need an explanation even for that?" she retorted before walking straight inside the palace.
Adelaide was the second person with the most relaxed expression. "That is the Brother Adric I’ve been looking for. I told you, don’t let his looks and smile deceive you."
Sophie turned to look at her sister. Maybe it was for the best that she wasn’t getting married to Adric. Because right now, she wasn’t sure she would be able to survive any of this. But then, Sophie paused in her thoughts; it didn’t matter as long as she wasn’t the one facing his wrath. She nodded to herself.
"I’m sure Brother Adric must have given this warning to either the princess or someone else before now; they didn’t take him seriously." Adelaide smiled. After looking at Oriana, she joined others inside the palace.
Oriana held her dress tightly, her eyes unable to look at the servant who was sacrificed. She used her hand to grip the sand, but her body still trembled. If she didn’t know why not to marry Adric, now the reason had been given to her clearly. She had to leave no matter what, even if it meant abandoning her title as a princess. She was going to leave for a place he wouldn’t think of looking for her. Where would that be? Oriana thought to herself. It was as if everywhere she went, Adric appeared there. Unable to stand up and walk away, Oriana lay down on the ground, feeling numb and scared.
Inside the palace, Adric sat on his couch, his head relaxed backward with his eyes closed.
"Your Highness, you’re bleeding," Rowan pointed out when he noticed Adric’s shirt was soaked. "Let me get a physician for you."
Adric waved his hand. "Leave it. Oriana would be shocked right now. Make sure she’s taken care of," he ordered.
Rowan bowed. Before he left, he stared at Adric. When he opened his mouth to talk, Adric waved his hand dismissively.
"I don’t want to hear it," he remarked.
Rowan nodded, and without trying to say anything else, he left the room. Adric rubbed his temples tiredly. Touching the side of his stomach, which was bleeding, he inhaled deeply. Slowly, he fell asleep, and his mind wandered to an old memory when his mother was still alive.
’Mother, the chicken won’t let me touch the chicks. Look, it even bit my hand,’ a younger Adric said to his mother.
Queen Charlotte, who was engrossed in her embroidery, turned to look at her son, then smiled. ’That’s what you get for crossing a territory that isn’t yours,’ she said, picking up her son’s hand. She rubbed his hand gently and blew air on it.
’The chicks are the mother hen’s territory, just like your father goes to war to protect the land of Avon,’ the woman continued.
Young Adric nodded his head. ’But what if people don’t want war but get killed because Father wants to protect his territory? Like my hand just wants to pet the chicks.’
Queen Charlotte hummed. ’There’s a word for it: collateral damage, per se.’
A knock woke Adric from his short nap. He opened his eyes and looked at the door. "Come in."
Adelaide walked inside the room with a bright smile on her face. "I’ve missed the bloodthirsty Brother Adric. This is why I always wished for war, seeing you come back covered with blood and sweat, ecstatic!" she commented, going to sit on a free couch with her leg crossed over the other.
"What brings you here, Adelaide?" Adric asked; he wasn’t in the mood to talk.
The princess didn’t talk. Her brown eyes settled on Adric’s stomach that was now bleeding. Then she smiled. "Nothing much, just that I have a little secret you might appreciate later."
"Take it elsewhere," Adric replied. Standing up from the couch, he walked towards his table to clean up the blood.
Adelaide shook her head. "It’s found you. The secret, I mean." She chuckled. "It’s something about Princess Oriana." She waited to see Adric react to hearing Oriana’s name, but he didn’t turn or even say a word.
"I see, not your weakness either. And I thought I’d finally found your Achilles’ heel," Adelaide smiled. "Then why do you care so much about making her yours if you’re not interested in her?"
Adric remained silent, his eyes on the wound he was now wrapping with a cleaner sheet.
Adelaide tapped her fingers on her lip, then she snapped them. "I know! People tend to forget who you really are because of your smiles. This is a reminder, yes? For my mother," the princess nodded with a hum.
"Still have much to learn about you, Brother Adric. You’re always a step ahead," Adelaide smiled. Pushing herself up from the couch, she started walking towards the door, then stopped.
"Since I don’t know where your interest really lies exactly, I’m going to tell you an Orion secret for a penny." Adelaide chuckled, laughing at her own joke with her hand covering her mouth. When she brought her hand down, she said, "You should keep the older princess on a leash. She’s a walking disaster with loose lips, with a secret that might bring down the entire Orion and raise questions about your choice of wife."
Adric finally turned after dressing his wound. His hand dipped inside his pocket, and he took out a box of cigarettes. "What do you know?"
"Now I have your attention," the princess smiled. "Oriana isn’t a direct child of King Curtis. Turns out promiscuity runs in their blood. Her mother had an affair years ago and was caught by her husband, but they chose to keep the child. Oriana is the result of that affair. I don’t know the entire story, but this is all I’ve got. And Sophie is walking around wagging her tongue. You should hold her before it gets to the wrong ears."
Adric sucked his teeth. "It already did."
"No, no, Brother Adric. With time you’ll know I’m always on your side," Adelaide winked. "And yes, it turns out Oriana is unaware of all this. My work here is done. You now owe me a favor." She pushed the door and stepped out.
Adric crushed the butt of the cigarette in the ashtray, scratching his brows slightly. He sighed.
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