Chapter 48 The Head Of A Revolution Means A Big Target To Your Head!
… what? What?!
Revolution. A revolution that she had no idea about or wrote about— but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was Isabella Montague leading it. Why. What. Where. When. How in the name of everything holy was she there?! “How did you know for sure—”
“You told me,” Adrian continued, his eyes remaining on her. Maeve could feel the chill resting right on her bones as he blinked, the iciness in them glistening. “The reason I feared the nobles finding out… was because I worried that would hurt you. The commoners… they hated the nobles, but they hated the Pillars the most. I did not care for them. They were cruel, and vicious. But you were not… them. You were soft, and kind… but you did not look kind the night I found you,”
Maeve didn’t know what to say or how to feel.
But she knew one thing.
This Isabella idiot had just made everything so much worse.
“You said…” Adrian’s words drifted, then ever so gently, a look of bliss spread across his face as he said, “‘what is the point of power if I did not use it to do good?’”
Oh, Jesus. This girl was more stupid than Maeve thought.
“Wait, wait. Stop. Oh, god, I’m having a migraine,” She rubbed at her temple, her body burning with a new fire as she rose from where she was sitting and began walking around, “This… revolution. What was it on?”
“Overthrowing the Queen,”
Maeve’s head snapped to him. “What? Why?”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I mean, yeah, sure, I’m aware of everything that she and you have done in the past but what has she done currently?” Maeve said, waving her hand around, “And it better be a really bad thing,”
“People fear her,”
“Is that it?”
Adrian’s eyes hardened. “She killed millions of people. She burned entire regions to the ground. Starved cities. Executed dissidents publicly. She—”
“I know,” Maeve cut in, rubbing her face harder now. “I know what she’s done. I know what she was. I’m asking what she has done recently. Any new horrors? Because from what I understand, her throne was being taken from her, and from what I know about hostile takeovers, every person loyal to the CEO has to be sent away or you die. It’s the way the world goes,”
“So what about the people that have died?” Adrian cut in, rising as well. “All those families? All those people?”
“Of course they matter! But you don’t help them in any way by making bad decisions in their name!” Maeve snapped, “You don’t honor the fallen by creating more bodies. You don’t heal families by tearing the world apart again because you need someone to suffer. You remember them. You forgive yourself. It’s a start. And okay, let’s think logically. Who would they have replaced her with? Which noble do you think deserves to sit there?”
He did not waste his breath. “You.”
“WHAT?!”
“You were leading a revolution knowing fully well the cost of it. Eldoria would have killed you if she knew. And I told you. You said it didn’t matter,”
Maeve felt like she was having a heart attack. “That doesn’t make me a better leader! It just means I was foolish! And how old are you?! How old was she?! Having a good heart doesn’t mean I can lead!” Then she paused, her eyes widening in fear as she faced Adrian and asked, “Wait. This… this thought of yours… were there other people who shared it? That Isabella— I should rule Aeltherra?”
He waited a moment, then nodded.
A phantom pain struck her chest— phantom because she was being dramatic but it hurt nonetheless as she moved backwards, clutching her chest as her face scrunched in pain. “Such… stupidity. How was she even surviving with a naive brain like that?”
Her thoughts were different. And more erratic.
Because, for one, all of this made knowing who could have harmed her before the Presentation Day almost impossible.
If she was actively trying to overthrow the Queen, nobles were suspicious. Commoners too. And they had to be Queen loyalists too who adored her rule. Anyone could be the culprit. Jesus Christ. Maeve could feel her head aching, spinning.
And worse of all? She was craving ice cream.
“Adrian,” She turned to look at him, her eyes widening in fear. “If you knew Isabella… and you had… respect for what she was doing, then surely, because of your feelings, you wouldn’t let the Queen be aware of what she was doing… would you?”
“I had no choice.”
“WHAT THE FK?!”
Adrian tried to explain himself. “I do not… I cannot lie—”
Maeve wasn’t listening. No. The angry woman could feel her fire turning into a flipping volcano as she hissed, “I swear, I will rip your face from your skin—”
The rest of the words never got to leave her lips— which was sad, because it was going to be quite a creative threat.
And it was all because her screaming had invited some orcs who had now shot a sedative dart to her neck, and because Adrian was distracted, had shot him too.
Not that it was alright but she had no reasons to complain— because after this lovely nap, she would regain her strength and punch him hard in the face.
But as she watched herself slowly drift away into the beautiful arms of sleep, she saw, just some feet away in the corner of her eye, a white deer staring back at her, blinking like it could see her.
Really see her.
And then she passed out.