[The scenario changed to Adela's palace]
"My lady."
Elise was on the verge of screaming out of fear when she discovered Adela in that way. If her master was standing in front of her, who was sleeping on the bed?
As Adela spotted Elise about to scream, she swiftly grabbed her lips to stop her from yelling. Adela placed her finger on Elise's lips to persuade her not to scream. Elise gave a brief nod. Adela pulled her hands from Elise's mouth while taking a long breath. Elise saw Adela carrying several books. It somewhat took aback Elise to find that Adela was carrying several hefty books. Where did her master get those books? "What is it, my lady?" Elise said as she parted her lips in curiosity. "Do you want to murder me? You misled me and abandoned me here without telling me what you had in mind. You told me last time that you'd take me on the next adventure, but you abandoned me here once again."
Elise pursed her lips and looked Adela in the eye with sympathy. Adela attempted to smile and responded, "Oh yeah. Indeed, I just left to bring those books."
Elise raised her brows with interest. "My lady, where did you go at this hour?" she questioned.
Adela approached the table and placed the books there. Elise also drew close to her. She was interested in what her master had brought. Adela said as she arranged those books, "I went to the royal library."
Elise's eyelids grew dreamy as she heard. But after some time, she suddenly enlarged her eyes and said, "What?"
Elise found it hard to imagine Adela visiting the imperial castle. What if someone noticed she was there? The Duke would also become enraged if he learned Adela had visited the royal castle.
"My lady, what are you saying? How did you get there? Did someone see you taking those books out, or what would happen if they got to know you and came to arrest you?"
Elise began probing Adela with a barrage of inquiries. Adela folded her arms and furrowed her brows. Adela gave Elise the time and attention she needed to fully understand her before answering the questions she had. Adela began when Elise paused to inquire.
"No one saw me, and the first prince helped me."
When Elise heard about the First Prince, she widened her eyes and touched her face in surprise. "What?" she exclaimed. "Prince Richard?"
"Yes". Adela gave a head nod.
Adela's words caught Elise's attention, and she smiled as she grasped Adela's hands and added, "I knew it. Nobody could ever forget my lady. She is the most stunning young woman in the world. Do you two seem to make any progress, my lady? When will I be able to meet the prince?"
Adela furrowed her brows as she heard Elise speak. She sighed after taking a long breath. She occasionally struggled to comprehend how she should handle Elise. Adela exasperatedly rubbed her head with her hands and said, "What are you saying, Elise? We're not dating. Then from where will the progress come?"
"Dear lady, don't worry; he'll fall in love with you, and you'll be the future empress," Elise spoke as her eyes shone. Her eagerness to see Adela with the first prince was unquenchable. If Adela was to ascend to the throne, it would be the only way to rescue the empire from the current ruler.
Adela attempted to smile when she heard Elise. Was she going to become the next empress? She wondered to herself. It was simply not possible. Elise was partnering with the person who had murdered her. How silly! "When will you stop reading fairy tales, Elise?" Adela said this with a phony smile on her lips. "It's not a tale of a great hero and a helpless heroine. It's all about the hero and the evil."
As Elise heard Adela, her eyes grew tighter. She asked in a confused tone, "I don't get it, my lady. What do you mean by a villain and a hero?"
Adela took a deep breath and released it slowly. Her butler was a complete moron; how could she possibly explain things to her? Adela was going to say something when her tummy grumbled. Elise looked at Adela with one eyebrow arched. Adela attempted to smile at Elise. She woke up last night; therefore, it seemed expected that she would be hungry.
Elise asked, "My lady, your tummy is grumbling. You ought to have let me know earlier that you were hungry." Adela smiled and agreed with her nod. "I'm extremely starving, Elise," she remarked. "I will tell you everything about my adventure. But before, will you kindly, --?"
Elise hurried out of the chamber to prepare food for Adela before she could complete her sentence. Adela plopped onto her bed as Elise walked out of the chamber. Adela murmured and gazed up towards the ceiling.
"Prince, I just don't comprehend what you want from me."
While staring at the ceiling, Adela sprang out of bed and glanced at the books. She stood up and walked over to the table. She carried a book with her so she could read. The book's name was 'διαβoλικός'. Its meaning is diabolical, which is another way of saying that the devil is protecting. Adela turned to the book's first page and began reading while leaning up against the windows' adjacent wall.
Most of the words were in Greek, but there was also some Hebrew writing. Adela had an almost seven-language reading and writing repertoire. That was easy for her to understand. She had to finish those books until she discovered how to assist the prince. She read every part of the book and every word of the paragraph, attempting to figure out what the hidden meaning of the sentence was.
Adela took a seat next to the window. She was deeply immersed in her reading when the door abruptly knocked. Adela assumed it was Elise. As a result, she did not feel the need to hide the books and allowed her inside. Adela could hear the door creak open, but not Elise's voice. She looked away from the book and cautiously proceeded in the entrance's direction when she realized no one was speaking. As she saw her father there, her eyes grew wide.
"Father!"
Adela hesitated before speaking. Adela pondered as she placed the book next to her chair, 'My father has never visited my room in the morning; why has he come today?' She attempted to cover up the book, but there were still some books in front of her father. Did he comprehend something, then? Alfred smiled as he heard Adela call him father.
"Good morning, honey," he said with a smile as he greeted his daughter.
Adela smiled as she heard her father. She stammered, "Good morning, Father. Father, what happened? You are here?"
When entering the room, Alfred made a slow eye-blink motion. He came to a stop in the middle and scanned the room. "You woke up so early today, Adela," he said as he looked around her room.
"Yes, Father,"
Adela said the words while feeling uneasy, but she suppressed them from her appearance. She was well aware that she would be apprehended if her father got wind of anything. So it was best to act normally in his presence. Also, he unexpectedly turned up to see her in the morning, which aroused suspicions. Then Alfred asked once more.
"What's the deal, honey?" Did you get enough rest last night? Or have any issues?"
"Father, it's nothing. Because I have a mission coming up in a few days, I'm trying to get ready." Adela gave her father a confident response. There was no reason to believe that Adela was keeping something from him. But those books were the issue! Adela placed the books among some other books, so Alfred had not yet noticed them. However, if he had moved his gaze below, he would have noticed.
Alfred paused for a moment to take a deep breath, then asked: "So, you decided to take part in the competition?"
Adela nodded her head in agreement and then said, "Father, I'm not concerned about the competition, because I'm certain I will be chosen."
Alfred kept looking at his daughter because he could see how confident she was, but he remained silent for a while. Then, with a somber tone, he remarked, "I hope you remember what I told you, Adela?"
"Yes, Father," Adela responded with a brief nod of her head. Adela averted her attention. Her father always told her not to show so much power because it was not the right time. He could be right, but could he just tell her when it was appropriate? The lives of her family and her buddy were in danger; the bastard emperor was setting traps for everyone; the prince's life was also in jeopardy; and her buddy had become possessed by evil forces. When would she use her power then?
To be continued