*Adriel's POV*
Erica strolled across the room and sat beside Kiara.
Kiara's eyebrows raised, and her eyes searched and found mine. I had already drawn the chair up beside me. It was a slightly embarrassing situation, but if there was one thing that never bothered me, it was what people taught, and so I quietly pushed the chair back in its place.
It made an annoying screech against the marble tiles, only then did Erica notice that I had pulled the chair out for her.
"I'm so sorry, Adriel; I actually came to Kiara."
"That's...understandable." I said, not knowing what else to say.
This was the first time she openly rejected anything from me.Very first. I don't know how I felt about that.
Kiara didn't look interested in talking, but she gave a polite smile to her visitor.
Her hazel eyes rolled toward me again, and this time I avoided it.
"Good morning, Kiara,such a lovely morning, isnt it?"
"Good morning, Erica."Kiara replied simply
My mother clicked her tongue and pushed her plate away.
"I've lost my appetite."she declared dramatically getting up "I hope you all enjoy your breakfast."
Erica watched my mother leave with an unbothered smile. They had a sort of beef back in the day,perhaps they still did. I was always neutral in my stance on that matter. Sometimes I wondered if Erica knew what my mother was capable of. Even I didn't know what exactly she was capable of.I just knew she had her own secrets.
"Is that a lemon cake?" Erica asked with a childish gleam in her eyes.
She reached out her hand and took the entire cake positioned at my mother's seat.
Hendrix and I chewed on amusingly watching the show. On this, we bonded. When watching women's drama was the peak of events when we were children,it was
There was a way they did it that made it much more entertaining.Perhaps it was the high-pitched voices or the facial expressions.
"I actually came to invite Kiara to a tea party I'm hosting tomorrow."Erica spoke,pouring herself some tea. "What better way to introduce you to the girls than through tea?"
Kiara laughed softly. "Which tea will you be having?"
"You are the Whitman; any tea you choose."
Kiara nodded. "That will be fun."
***
"You look a bit troubled." Erica noticed, walking towards me.
"Really?"
"Yes."she nodded.
Damn, I was letting it get to me. I was not displaying my dismay on my face. If only Charles could see me now. He will laugh his ass off knowing a woman did this to me.I stared out the office window thoughtfully.
"Is there anyway I can help?"
I stared up at Erica; her blue eyes stared back at me with what was always there: attentiveness and submission.
"What do you think about Kiara?"
Some lines were drawn on her forehead in confusion. She waited for an explanation; perhaps I asked why.
It never came.
"She is as lovely as an angel. She is kind, polite, smart, and bold." Erica said in her raspy voice. "She is perfect."
"Perhaps too perfect." I muttered dryly.
"Do you want to see flaws?"
"No one is complete without them; surely there is something bad about her,"
"Hm." Erica smiled uncomfortably.
I noticed this too quickly. She usually told me everything she knew, and she believed in the 'flaws in every person' logic too. But she was silent. Hesitant, in fact. Did Kiara also manage to spellbind Erica?
"What do you know?"
"Nothing in particular." Erica readily said.
I sighed in frustration. "Then what do you know about Shadrach?"
"Who?"
"Her Royal Wizard."
Another obvious hesitation drew on Erica's face. "Nothing."
"Erica–"I pressed. "Tell me what you know."
"What I heard were just rumors, and you know how rumors can be. There is a high chance it's untrue."
"Are you going to tell me or not?" I frowned.
Erica stared at her hands. "Some maids here told my maids that the wizard was banished from the castle because he was suspected of improper conduct with his patient. The only patient he had was... Kiara."
I leaned back in my chair. So they have been lovers for a while now. Doesn't Kiara even care about her reputation? Any logical princess would have avoided Shadrach's death if they knew their reputation as clean and pure was at stake because of a man. But Kiara meets up with him in secret and still lies about it. Not to mention it was a garden—the literal love cove in every annoying fairy tale. Perhaps if I had stayed longer watching, I would have seen something.
Erica saw my mind wandering all the wrong places and tried to do damage control.
"It was merely a rumor."
I stared at her. I still questioned her new undying love for Kiara, but I partly understood it. Kiara, with all the complications she brought,was like a beautiful reminder of simple humanity—something that has been extinct for a long time. You wanted to use her as your moral light and shade her from troubles, lest she get corrupt.I was infatuated once too.
I sent Erica away so I could think a little more. My mind has gone down a rabbit hole and won't be leaving anytime soon. As I disturbed my mind a little further, I wondered if my mother "heard" anything. It was needless to say she was gossip. But the Kiara effect was probably working on her.I still had to try right?
***
"What do you think of Kiara?"
My mother took the cucumber slices off her eyelids and glanced at me.
"What do you want to hear? she asked.
"What do you think?"
She faked a struggling groan as she got off the massage table. Betty proceeded to massage her feet.
"What happened this time?"
I didn't reply to this.
"You have begun digging behind something perfectly fine so you can ruin it, like you always do."
"That's because I'm not dumb; I know nothing is perfect."
"You poor thing…"my mother said with disgusting pity.
"So you aren't going to tell me anything?"
"I know nothing. She IS perfect."
"You are lying."
I caught Betty nervously dropping the towel with the corner of my eye. She looked uneasy. She knew something.
"Fine." I breathed, making my way out.
If she won't tell me, I will find out myself.
"This habit of yours will make you a very unhappy person." My mother like a wise sage behind me.
I chuckled; she made it sound like I was a usually happy man.Like this was my very first crisis. I slammed the door behind me as I left. I refuse to be the naive fool she dreamed of.
Unfortunately, Betty spent the entire day with my mother. She will only be free at night.
So I lied in wait, practically jittering at this point. I could barely take it. I had to know. I just had to. I avoided the family lunch and dinner so her pretty 'humanity exists' face wouldn't distract me from her wicked ways.
What excuse did I have for paying so much attention to the rumors? There is no smoke without fire.
I was returning to my normal self too. I had incredible patience. I immersed myself in work as I waited for Betty's shift to be over.Like the old Adriel will do
By 10:32 pm, Betty strolled out of the sauna with her little purse in hand, her fluffy pigtails skipping on her shoulders. I walked calmly behind her; she heard the footsteps and winced around.
Our eyes met, and I smiled. "Hello, Betty."
Only then did she collect herself.
"Your highness," she half-gasped during an extra low now, for apology's sake.
"Tell me what you know." I commanded when she finally straightened up.
"About Kiara." I added before perplexity fully drew on her face.
She also hesitated. Kiara was a heck of a woman to have everyone wrapped around her finger.
"Speak." I barked.
"But your Highness there is nothing to say." She shrugged, looking away.
I took a step toward her. "Betty."
"Your Highnesss?"
"You do know that lying to a royal could result in execution, don't you?"
Terror caught her eyes. "I swear,all I know are horrendous rumors against the lady. Even if I did say, you won't believe me."
"Tell me either way."
So Betty reluctantly explained a lot of things...like how Shadrach was hopelessly in love with my fiance, and he was banished from Whitman Castle because her father found out. That they used her ex-lady in waiting—Carlotta—to send messages to each other. And he is planning to escape with her so he can keep her 'safe'.
I saw an unwillingness dance across Betty's body; she was still holding back from me. I was almost scared of what I would hear. Would it be wise to let matters die?
Yes.
But right, I was no wise man. I needed to know.
"What else?"
Betty took a shaky sigh. "Your highness… I can't–"
"You can and you will, " I pressed.
"When her highness arrived recently, she barely ate and looked so withdrawn. Some people said it was because she misses you; others thought that she felt guilty..."
"Guilty? Of what?"
Betty sniffed hard and sobbed. "I really don't want any trouble, your highness."
I groaned loudly. I was running out of patience. She sensed it and backed away.
"She and her wizard rode the same carriage, and people suspected that she may have slept with him."she whispered lowly, as if in hopes I didn't hear.
My stomach churned hard. The next breath refused to leave my lungs. I wasn't even moving.
"You must forgive me, your highness."
"You may leave." I declared, waving her away.
She readily bowed and hurried away.
I rested my hand on the wall for support. I should calm down….I couldn't.
There was a surge of heat in my veins. Then all of a sudden I felt cold—terribly cold—like my body was fighting to get back to normal to made a mistake on the way.
I knew what I had to do; I will confront her, I don't know what I will do if it were true.I've been unsure of what exactly I was doing lately.
All I knew for sure was that I needed to get answers and only one person can give me that.