Chapter 491: Impossible Expectations

(Adelaide)

The palace looked different at night. Not because it changed. Because it woke. The quiet halls Tomathican had guided her through that afternoon had filled with life while she slept. Servants moved purposefully along polished corridors, carrying polished silver trays laden with crystal goblets, fresh bread still steaming beneath embroidered cloths, platters of roasted meats fragrant with herbs she didn't recognise, and bowls overflowing with jewel-bright fruit. Others disappeared through doorways carrying armfuls of flowers, stacks of folded linen or gleaming decanters of deep crimson wine that caught the lantern light like liquid rubies.

Everywhere she looked, people were preparing. Preparing for dinner. Preparing for their Queen.

The thought made her stomach tighten.

Tomathican walked half a pace ahead of her, his broad shoulders making him easy to follow through the growing bustle of the palace. Despite the increasing number of people filling the corridors, no one crossed his path. Conversations softened as he approached. Servants stepped respectfully aside. Every person they passed bowed, some deeply enough that Adelaide wondered how they managed to remain balanced.

"My Queen."

"My Queen."

"My Queen."

The words followed her from every direction. She still hadn't grown accustomed to hearing them. Each greeting made her instinctively glance over her shoulder, almost expecting someone else to be walking behind her. Someone older. Wiser. Someone who looked as though they belonged wearing the crown currently resting upon her head. Instead she found only an empty corridor.

The circlet felt heavier than it had in her chambers. She resisted the urge to reach up and adjust it. The gown flowed around her legs with every step, its layered skirts whispering softly across polished stone while the gemstones resting against her collarbone caught the warm glow of the lanterns overhead. It was undeniably beautiful.

She simply wasn't convinced it belonged on her.

"You seem nervous." Tomathican hadn't looked back as he spoke. He continued walking at the same measured pace, his observation so casual that for a moment Adelaide wondered whether he had somehow felt the change in her breathing rather than heard it.

"Is it that obvious?"

"It is."

She laughed quietly beneath her breath.

"I was hoping the crown might make me appear more confident."

"I believe it accomplishes precisely the opposite."

She blinked.

He finally looked back over one shoulder. "The crown reminds everyone that you have every reason to be nervous."

She frowned. "I don't understand."

"They have waited centuries to meet their Queen." He offered a small smile. "You have had less than three days to become her."

Adelaide looked down at the embroidered flames climbing the front of her gown.

"When you put it like that..."

"It would concern me far more if you weren't nervous."

His words eased something inside her. Only a little.

"But," he continued, "I suspect you are worrying about the wrong thing."

She looked up.

"The council is not gathering tonight to judge you."

"No?"

"They already know who you are."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling faintly.

"I don't even know who I am."

Tomathican's answering smile held surprising warmth.

"They'll help with that."

The thought should have been comforting. Instead, it somehow made her even more aware of the uncertainty twisting quietly beneath her ribs.

Another corridor opened before them, broader than the last, its soaring ceiling supported by towering pillars carved with flames that seemed almost alive beneath the lantern light. Large windows overlooked the palace gardens now bathed in silver moonlight, the fountains below shimmering softly as water danced beneath the stars. Beautiful. Peaceful. Almost impossible to reconcile with the knowledge that somewhere beyond these palace walls Hell remained locked in war.

Her thoughts drifted, almost instinctively, towards Apollo. She wondered whether he was looking at the same moon. Whether he had managed to sleep. Whether he'd felt anything she'd tried so desperately to send through the broken bond. The ache settled quietly beneath her ribs once more.

She hoped... No. She refused to let herself hope. Hope without answers had become a dangerous thing.

Tomathican slowed as they reached a pair of enormous doors crafted from dark timber bound with polished bronze. Twin flames had been carved into the centre of each door, their branches intertwining until they formed a single burning tree.

Two Emberborn guards stood silently to either side.

The moment they saw Adelaide approach, they struck the butts of their spears once against the floor. The deep crack echoed down the corridor.

Both guards bowed.

"My Queen."

Tomathican stopped before the doors and turned to face her fully for the first time since leaving her chambers.

"The council awaits."

Adelaide's heartbeat quickened. She looked towards the towering doors. Then back at Tomathican.

"One question."

"Of course."

"...what if I do something wrong?"

A smile tugged gently at the corner of his mouth. "You will."

She stared at him.

He continued before she could panic. "You'll use the wrong piece of cutlery."

His smile widened.

"You'll forget someone's name. You'll interrupt someone by accident. You'll probably stand when you should remain seated, or remain seated when everyone expects you to stand."

"You're not helping." Adelaide groaned softly.

"I am." There wasn't the slightest trace of humour in his voice now. "Because none of those things matter."

Adelaide looked at him uncertainly.

"The council is not waiting to discover whether you know which spoon belongs with the soup."

His dark eyes remained steady upon hers.

"They are waiting to meet the being prophecy chose."

She blinked.

"The vessel entrusted with the Queen's blood."

Something tightened quietly beneath her ribs.

"The one our people have waited centuries to find."

He spoke with quiet reverence, every word carrying absolute certainty.

"The one destined to lead the Emberborn into freedom."

Adelaide lowered her eyes to the embroidered flames climbing the front of her gown. None of those things sounded like her. They sounded like someone written about in one of the ancient books she had spent the afternoon reading. Someone impossible. Someone who had never tripped over her own feet or forgotten where she'd left her bag or eaten burnt bread because she couldn't be bothered to cook a new loaf.

Tomathican smiled gently, mistaking her silence for uncertainty.

"They are not coming to judge Adelaide." His voice softened. "They are coming to place their faith in their Queen."

He inclined his head.

"The etiquette can be learned." His eyes met hers. "The rest cannot."

Her chest tightened so suddenly she almost forgot how to breathe. The next breath barely reached her lungs before it caught somewhere beneath her ribs, her heartbeat stumbling into a frantic rhythm that seemed to echo inside her ears. Every expectation, every prophecy, every impossible responsibility Tomathican had just placed on her shoulders seemed to press inward all at once, until the beautiful gown suddenly felt far too tight, and the gemstone necklace impossibly heavy against her throat.