Chapter 189 The Regal Queen.

Chapter 189 The Regal Queen.
Jared’s POV
Adriana looked uncommonly stunning. She looked regal, like the queen she was. Her dress was long and blue, hiding all of her skin apart from her face and hands, the glasses on her face adding to her regality.
The knowledge that I missed her fell upon me like a boulder.
Staying away from her had been intentional—it was for her own good—but missing her was not.
Adriana reached forward to take baby Brian from his father. The boy, who was usually selective about who touched him, allowed her, but he was more interested in the shiny crown on her head than her person. Adriana’s crown was delicate and feminine, having been specially designed for her, while the usual king’s crown was stored in the royal treasure room.
“Thank you so much for coming, Gerald Bale,” she spoke to him, her voice calm and soft. Softer than I remembered. Gerald bowed in response.
Adriana progressed to Chloe, giving her a kiss on the cheek and muttering something my ears didn’t catch. Chloe laughed aloud, trying to untangle the crown from her child’s fingers.
Adriana held the baby up against her front like a shield as she approached me. “Uncle Jared.” I wasn’t privy to the smile she had graced the others with. “You look well.” Her lips were tight. She was not happy to see me.
“You, too.” She did look well. More than well. Being queen suited her.
She nodded and turned her back to me.
“I’m off to Daisy’s room. I have something for the kid,” Chloe announced before leaving the library.
Adriana looked between Gerald and me, as if saying it was him she wanted to see and not me. I knew I should have left, but I wanted to get under her skin a little. I missed her. Besides, an order would not keep me from finding out whatever it was she wanted to ask Gerald.
“The General was at my place when your order came,” Gerald found himself explaining. It was funny; Adriana had managed to exude an intimidating aura. “It made sense to come together.”
Adriana sighed, avoiding my gaze. “Well, it’s for the best. I had some questions to ask.”
“You had some questions and you’d rather summon Gerald?” I shouldn’t be doing this, but the urge to rattle her, to make her look into my eyes, was strong. I had no idea why. Maybe it came from not seeing her in a while.
“Yeah, who do you think I should have called?” she fired back.
Adriana had changed. That fire... it wasn’t familiar. Yes, she had always had sass in her, but that fire was something else entirely.
I looked away, unable to fathom if she was indeed that angry with me or if she had developed a new trait.
“I had a few questions concerning our borders and business, but I ended up getting quite confused. It turns out that the High City used to actively do business with the North. Do you know about this?”
I paused. I wasn’t expecting that. “No. I don’t have any memory of such.” I shook my head.
Gerald and Adriana looked at me, and it was evident that they found my input a nuisance.
“Do you, Gerald?”
Gerald shook his head humbly.
Baby Brian chose that moment to recall that he missed his mother and began bawling. Gerald tried to pacify him, but he would have none of it. Frustration was clawing at Adriana. “I’ll take him to his mother.”
Gerald tried to take the responsibility, but Adriana didn’t let him. “Besides, you won’t know where Daisy’s room is. I’ll be back before you know it.” The words were kind, but they left her lips like an order. She was getting better at being a queen.
When we were alone, Gerald turned to me. “I might be wrong, but I think there was a time the High City was quite close with the North—not just the bordering towns, but the North itself. The Central and High North. My mother had a scarf. It was old but still beautiful, and its thread was like none other the women had. She used to say her father had gotten it from Northern traders,” he explained.
“Why didn’t you tell Adriana that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’d hate to contradict you.”
I was proud of him, yet I knew we should tell Adriana the truth.
“Do you think we should tell the Queen? About the subject you had been discussing with me earlier?” Gerald was very tight-lipped; he was a good subordinate.
“No. I’ll deal with it.” Eve and I would sort it out. Adriana already had enough on her hands.
Cody opened the library door without knocking, but whatever had been flickering in his eyes died the moment he took in the people sitting there. He bowed immediately. “Sit,” I ordered.
He had entered without knocking, meaning he had been visiting this library a lot recently, in my absence.
My gaze seemed to make him uncomfortable. “Has Adriana shown you the letter we found?” he blurted.
I raised a brow. “No, she has not. She had to attend to something.”
Gerald's eyes beamed as he shot me a look.
Adriana should know better than to hide things from me. “Adriana?” I repeated, recalling how he had addressed his queen.
Cody coughed, his knees shaking. “The... the Queen.” His posture was embarrassing for a soldier. This kingdom had grown so slack.
“The letter,” I ordered.
He ran to a bookcase and opened a volume, pulling out an old piece of paper. Written on it in dark ink were words in the Old Language. Few could read it. I figured Adriana would be able to.
It was a letter from the North.
The contents made me stagger.
Gems bearing spirits being summoned out of the sea was no joke. We were dealing with more than theft.
I had to get that gem from Eve.
Adriana opened the library door, and the apology on her lips died the moment she sighted the letter in my hand.