Richard's heated breath brushed against her neck. Adela's lips quivered with fear when she parted them. Was he feeling bad? Her hands trembled as she mustered up his confidence before suddenly touching his carved upper arms. Richard cautiously took hold of her arms as well, but his grasps were firm. Adela took a gulp and started.
"Prince, what happened?" Adela hesitated.
Adela and Richard were alone in the middle of the night in a spacious room. Adela could feel Richard's closeness and his firm grip on her arms.
"Prince?" Adela spoke with tremors. She did not know what she needed to do at that point. On the other hand, Richard was holding her as well, and he was not responding to her adequately. His heated breath brushed against her neck.
"Just don't move. I want to remain in this position for a moment." After a time, Richard stated. Adela became as still as a statue upon hearing him. Adela squeezed her lips together, contemplating whether she should embrace Richard for a little while. But after a moment, she realized that being overly sentimental about him would be a bad idea. That would be terrible for both him and her. He did not find out what she was truly like. If she opened the path, then it would only hurt her. However, Richard had never admitted to feeling anything for her. Thus, why did Adela initially express her emotions? He embraced her as a friend; therefore, she should have accepted it and not dreamed so much.
Adela took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She also lowered her head while Adela's cheek was being stroked by Richard's hair. Adela closed her eyes as she whiffed his hair. The aroma of his hair was so alluring and intoxicating. Adela delicately stroked her head with his. What exactly were they up to? After some time, Adela cracked open her eyes when she felt Richard stir slightly. He gently raised his head, and Adela stirred, but Richard still held her arms. Adela dropped her gaze because she lacked the bravery to meet his eyes. It startled her to hear Richard's soft voice.
"I apologize for making this situation unpleasant."
Adela responded to Richard without making eye contact with him. "I get it, prince. You don't seem to have felt well."
Richard instantly dropped his attention after hearing Adela. His expression darkened instantly. He was going to make things unexpectedly awkward. If he continued to interact with her, he may lose control of himself. Adela was the daughter of his master, and he could not touch her without her consent. Yet he wondered: did Adela feel the same way he did? He wondered to himself, 'Was it his problem?' Richard blinked his eyes shut as he took a big breath. Instead of responding to Adela, he said, "Adela, you may take this book and read it in your house as many times as you like." Richard was attempting to change the conversation. Adela took a little step backwards and turned to face the table.
She hesitated before expressing her gratitude to her prince.
"And I'll order the guards to not put out the fire. So, you are free to visit anytime you choose."
Adela forced a smile as she turned to face Richard again. "Prince, now I'll spend the night here," she remarked. "You can go to sleep."
After looking at Adela for a moment, Richard responded, "It's okay. You are free to take as much time as you wish. I'll read along with you here."
"But, prince-." Adela attempted to stop him, but Richard would not listen. He strolled up to a bookcase and pulled a book from it. After taking the book, he turned back to Adela and said with a smile, "I won't disturb you."
After saying this, Richard strolled over to the divan and sat down to read the book. Adela sighed as she observed him, after which she studied those books as well. She was attempting to shoo him away so she could check the area. Even though she told the prince, it seemed like he didn't mind her request to enter the area. Adela then paid close attention to the book.
**
[Next day]
Through the enormous wall window, the sun's rays entered the room. Adela was seated close to the window and felt the sun's touch on her face. She arched her eyebrows and raised her eyelids. She gently cracked her eyes open and took in the breathtaking view of nature. The sun had just started getting up. She rubbed her eyes as she peered through the window. From a distance, the natural environment seemed stunning. Adela was still drowsy, but she dozed off while reading. While she had finished some books, there were still three that she had not yet touched. She had the idea of bringing those.
She stood up from the chair and took a glance around while she was pondering. "Your Royal Highness," she said, calling out to the prince in a quiet voice.
While walking, she came near the divan and found Richard sleeping. Last night, while reading, he dozed off. That book was open on his chest. Adela received the book with a little smile on her face. After putting the book away, she turned to face Richard. She urged him to rest, but he was obstinate and stayed there instead.
Adela supported herself on her elbow and rested her chin on her hand while she got a good look at his face. He was dozing off so soundly. She stared at Richard for a while before speaking out of the blue.
"It's morning, prince."
Richard remained asleep and did not respond to Adela. Adela attempted to wake him up again, but after three or four efforts, Richard gently cracked his eyes open. "Adela," he said in a dreamy tone, glancing at her.
"Yes, my prince. Now it's morning. It's time for me to go," Adela commented with a smile on her face.
"Did you complete all the books?" Richard said, grinning slightly as he sat on the divan.
Adela shook her head in agreement and said, "I suppose I need to bring some books with me. Can I?"
"As I've said, this library is also yours. So, that you can take."
When Adela heard Richard, she lightly smiled and remarked, "Then I am going now, prince."
When Richard heard Adela had to depart, he took some time to speak. He blinked slowly while thinking over something before asking, "When will you come back here?"
"Possibly tonight. I need to learn something before I go on the mission, so-," Adela said.
"All right, let's leave; otherwise, it will be late." He got to his feet as he finished speaking.
[The scene changes to the palace of the Duke]
Elise was humming as she made her way to Adela's bedroom. It was still quite early in the morning. She wasn't going there to wake up her master; instead, she was going to replace the tattered flowers. She gathered new flowers for her master. She walked up to her master's bedroom, carefully opened the door, and found curtains pulled across all the room's windows.
Elise went inside cautiously since she didn't want to wake up her master. She moved over to the table and filled the vase with all the fresh flowers. She replaced everything, and then she saw the fireplace. She also needed to extinguish the fireplace. So she took the water and was going to pour it out. But, just as she was ready to do it, the flame suddenly became larger and brighter, which startled Elise. She shrieked and immediately took a step back in fear.
"Ah."
[Swoosh]
The flames were going to scorch Elise's face, but she took a step back just in time. But she got much more terrified when she noticed a person emerging from the fireplace, which filled her with dread. Adela emerged from the fireplace as Elise watched her.
"My lady,"
[The scene changes to Camilla's bedroom]
Draperies surrounded the window, blocking even a paltry amount of sunlight from entering the room. Camilla had collapsed on the floor. Camilla appeared to be dead at this point. Her complexion was deathly pale, much like a corpse's. The room was uncomfortably chilly. Camilla's body lay on the chilly ground, her hands on her chest.
Camilla's eyes opened wide, and she immediately turned her head to stare up at the ceiling. She remained staring at the ceiling without blinking, with no emotion on her face. Camilla abruptly sat up on the floor while keeping a blank expression. She gently rose after that. She appeared to have turned into an emotionless body. She stood up and made hesitant progress in the mirror's direction. She moved her gaze to her hand while standing in front of the mirror.
Camilla tilted her head while meticulously checking her body. She then turned her attention back to the mirror and gradually smiled. Compared to prior days, Camilla's face was radiant. It appeared as though she had been born again. She mumbled, staring in the mirror.
"It's time to start a new step in my life."
To be continued...