Adela raised her gaze and murmured to herself, 'But father, this time I am sorry. I'm not sure I can take your advice. I need to assist everyone this time. I swear to myself that I shall break the emperor's blood oath.'
"All well, then." After saying this, Alfred turned to leave but abruptly halted. Adela's heart began to beat remarkably fast as she realized her father had halted. Did her father notice anything? She wondered.
Her father looked back at her and asked, "How is he now?"
Adela understood what her father was attempting to say. She said, "Father, he's well. But he was the victim of blood divination magic. I do not know what will happen to him. Camilla tried her best to help him recover his wakefulness, but I do not know what the future holds. Will we be able to defeat the magic? I don't know."
Alfred lowered his gaze when he heard his daughter's voice. He appeared to be contemplating something. Adela noticed her father's indifference; it was expected that he would be anxious about Richard, who was his favorite pupil, despite his proclaimed hatred for Richard.
"Adela!" He spoke in a relaxed manner.
"Yes, Father,"
"I am aware of a way to do it."
Hearing her father, Adela's eyes grew tense. Honestly, did her father know something? If it was, they could save the prince's life. "What is it, Father?" she said curiously and enthusiastically.
Alfred avoided making eye contact with his daughter. He appeared to be hesitant to tell Adela about it. "Only another sacrifice can break the magic spell," Alfred remarked as he turned to look at Adela in response to her question.
"Sacrifice? Father, what do you mean by that?" Adela questioned.
"That will be quite expensive. Richard needed to sacrifice his most precious things. Otherwise, the devil's grip on him will be impossible to break," Alfred remarked.
Adela raised her brows as she heard her father speak. In other words, it was a give-and-take situation. "Once you start the process, you can't stop it," Alfred emphasized again.
Adela narrowed her eyes, lowered her gaze, and asked in a thoughtful tone, "Father, if it is, then how will I find out what is the prince's most precious thing?"
"As far as I'm aware, it was his mother. He adores his mother, but she is no longer alive. Richard now regards his mother's belongings as his most treasured possessions after her death," stated Alfred. Adela's eyes brightened as she heard Alfred's words.
Adela gaped as she heard her father. "Father, if that's the case, I suppose you and the others could save the first empress?"
After a brief pause, Alfred said, "Yes, we could."
"Why didn't you people do it, then?"
"Isn't it clear, Adela, that her most precious possession is Richard?"
She looked down after hearing her father. Well, it was clear her precious possession would be Richard, and the empress would never allow him to do that. She accepted death. Adela had a sudden, overwhelming sense of sadness for Richard's mother. The empress had a deep affection for her son.
But in Richard's case, she would sacrifice whatever belonged to the former empress. "So, Father, it becomes so simple," she gushed with delight. "We don't need to sacrifice our lives for it. We might choose any subject that belonged to his mother. We can easily save Prince."
"Sure, you may, but..."
Alfred paused in the middle of a statement. Adela raised an eyebrow as she heard her father speak. Then what? If that was the case, her father shouldn't have raised suspicions. "But," Adela muttered.
"But Richard will completely forget about his mother. Adela, it will permanently delete every single memory."
That was not what she expected to hear from her father. But after giving it some thought, she decided she would do it if doing so would save the prince's life. Then Adela raised her head and murmured, "Father, right now, his life matters most. Are you not of the opinion that we should do it if it makes him better?"
Alfred arched his brows while looking down. His daughter conveyed less emotion than other people, something he was aware of right away. An individual who is usually practical may sometimes become emotional and let their feelings take precedence over practical matters. Richard had an especially strong sensitivity when it came to his mother. He loved his mother more than anything else, and if he found out Adela was plotting something like that, he would never forgive her.
"You don't know him, Adela. You do not know how much he cherishes his mother. He won't let you do it, ever. He will choose his death, but he will not allow you to do so."
"But, father, don't you think it's more important than those things that only make the prince sad?" Before Adela could continue her statement, Alfred roared at her.
"Stop it, Adela."
Adela's eyes were wide when she witnessed her father yell at her. It baffled her why her father had suddenly yelled at her and what had agitated him. After a bit, Alfred said, "You are very disrespectful to the former queen. Do you even know what she did for our nation and us? Do you have any idea how he would feel if he completely forgot about the person he loved? Do you realize that he still has hope because of the memories of his mother? How would he react if you took it away?"
As Adela heard her father, she averted her gaze. She tightened her hands and pursed her lips. Yet she did not think in this way at the time; instead, she was just considering his life at the moment.
"I wasn't expecting it from you, Adela," Alfred spoke in an instant. Adela sucked in her breath and tried not to look at her father again. She lowered her head and apologized to her father. "I didn't want to offend her. I was so concerned about the risk to his life that I completely forgot everything."
After letting out a sigh, Alfred looked away from Adela. Before walking out of the chamber, he said, "But I know you can break it. I have complete faith in you. But keep in mind that whatever you decide to do, make sure to plan it out in advance. Don't take any actions that you will later regret."
With this, Alfred went out of the chamber, while Elise entered with a tray. When Alfred turned to go, she turned to face him. The mood was a touch tight for her. Upon entering, she said, "My lady, is everything all right?"
Adela was looking down. It was her emotionless side, and because of it, she once became a villainess.
**
In the yard, Rita and Camilla were strolling. With a bright smile on her face, Camilla was exploring every nook and cranny of the castle and garden as if she were a stranger. Camilla got a whiff of a flower. She widened her eyes gradually and turned to face the rose. They heard David's voice out of the blue while they were mindlessly strolling.
"Good morning, Camilla."
Hearing her father, Camilla made a U-turn. She smiled widely in response to her father's smile. Rita made a bow and stepped out of David's way. "Good morning, Father." Camilla greeted her father with a smile.
She smiled and looked at her father. Her eyes shone with joy. "Did you sleep well last night?" David asked Camilla as he approached her.
"Yes, Father," Camilla said.
David put his hand on Camilla's head and patted her lightly. Camilla was giving her father a intense look. Rita departed from the place since she felt she should give them more time. "Today I will take you to the academy," David said to his daughter.
Camilla abruptly gave her father a startled expression. She was so ecstatic that she struggled to find the words to tell her father how pleased she was. She froze and looked at her father with wide eyes, saying, "Father, I-I can go alone. You are not obligated to do so. You are busy with several things."
That was difficult for Camilla to respond to. Her father had never taken her anywhere unless there was an occasion. But he desired to accompany his daughter to the academy today, which made Camilla a bit surprised. Camilla felt pleased with herself, but she found it difficult to believe. As soon as he realized his daughter could still not take him lightly, he sighed and spoke out. That was his fault. However, he was attempting to maintain normalcy.
"Camilla, I did a lot of things in the past, but now I want to do the important work that I put off for so long."
David gave his daughter a warm smile. Then he said, "Be ready. We'll go once we've finished breakfast." David walked back from there after saying that. Camilla was smiling as she walked down her father's walkway. Her father started showing her affection. Her father would also attend the academy today, so she would do her best to make him happy. Camilla checked her wrist while pondering. "Today, I shall make my father proud," she muttered with a smirk. "He will be pleased with my performance."
To be continued...