308: Rising from the ruins (part 2)

Rising from the ruins (part 2)

Observing him enter the room carrying a tray with two bowls of chicken soup, she offered a tentative smile, which he reciprocated.2

Could it be that things between them weren't as dire as she feared?

They dined together in an uncomfortable silence, but she kept reassuring herself that everything was still very new, and they would eventually address and resolve their issues when both of them felt ready.

"I'll assist you with your shower," he offered once they had finished eating.

Although he didn't voice it, it was obvious that he had already taken care of her personal hygiene while she slept, and he seemed to need the shower far more than she did, still wearing those same dreaded clothes.

I should take my turn only once he is finished using the bathroom. "I can manage on my own. Go ahead if you'd like," she suggested.

His eyes, already distant, flashed with an emotion she couldn't decipher.

"Very well. I'll inform the Archduke and the Archduchess that you'll be ready to receive visitors within the hour. Would that be suitable?"

For both of them to shower? Not really. But this distant version of Egon was someone she didn't want to argue with.

"Yes, thank you," she replied with a subdued tone.

When he grumbled about not practicing what one preached, she initially thought he meant her, but as he got up and walked to the window, his gaze steadfast on the distance. She waited, counting to ten before making a comment she feared might be misconstrued.

"You can shower after you've met with the nobility of Lanark," he suggested with a sarcasm that didn't sit well with Adela at all. "Andreas and Uncle Leopold are out to greet them."

She briefly wondered who had violated her husband's rules—her family, who had arrived unannounced, or his family, who had called on them without his approval. She wasn't sure how to feel about this interference as she genuinely wanted to speak to her father while needing to stay united with Egon in public.

Navigating this narrow, peculiar line was challenging. The prospect of being in this position for too long weighed heavily on her heart, as it wasn't the future she desired.

Patience, she reminded herself. Everything would be fine.

"I'll take the tray downstairs," he announced as he rubbed his unshaven face, appearing more unkempt than she had ever seen him, clearly unwilling to greet visitors in such a state.

Or perhaps he simply wished to avoid being around her parents.

"Thank you," she murmured as he picked up the tray, leaving without saying a word and leaving the door open.

She couldn't help but sigh with relief, feeling guilty for it. It wasn't that she didn't want him around; on the contrary, they needed to stay close during this time. However, his overall dark aura seemed to hang over him like a storm cloud, relentlessly thundering.

"Adelaide!"

The Archduchess's voice echoed from the hallway, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Grace was the first to enter Egon's room, dressed quite modestly, her beautiful face wet with tears.

"Oh, my kind, innocent Adelaide!" she exclaimed as she rushed to Adela with open arms, enveloping her in a warm embrace.

"Mother..." Adela held onto her mother tightly.

"My one and only, my brave one! Why do all these dreadful things happen to you?"

Her mother's words fell heavy on Adela's ears, but she patted the Archduchess's back in an attempt to provide her with comfort. She made eye contact with her father as he crossed the threshold of Egon's room and noticed how he appeared the opposite of Grace, immensely relieved to see her face, her thoughts darkening as she realized that Aldric had indeed chosen the right spell to repel her father back then.

"Thank God," he said as he took a step to the side, making way for Larissa. She was hurrying after her mother and resembled the Archduchess in her uncharacteristically simple attire.

With one arm still around her mother, Adela extended the other to embrace her crying sister, who was patiently waiting her turn. Larissa rushed over to join the embrace, and their father soon followed, holding his wife and both daughters in a long, emotional moment.

"Are you all right, Adela?" Larissa's voice quivered.

"She is not all right at all! How could she be!" their mother complained.

"Adelaide is strong, and this is all behind her now," the Archduke reassured them gently before releasing his hold on them.

Grace shot her husband a stern look as she let go of Adela's waist. "I won't stand by silently and accept all of this, not when I was kept in the dark while one of my daughters was forcibly taken away. Not when I have to seek permission to see my own daughter!"

Adela only realized she had a headache when her mother began shouting.

"We've just got her back. Let's give her a moment to gather her thoughts, shall we?" The Archduke turned and nodded at Larissa, who wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, understanding his unspoken message.

"Let's sit down, Mother," Larissa suggested, leading the Archduchess to a nearby sofa and taking a seat beside her. Kaiser held Adela's hand and guided her to a chair next to them.

Sitting down, Adela gazed up at her father who wore an emotional expression as he locked eyes with her. She wondered how much he was willing to share with her mother and sister. Knowing him, he wouldn't have divulged most of the details.

"Kaiser, I want to take her home. I want to take care of her with my own hands. My daughters are accustomed to tenderness and protection! I want her under constant surveillance, not left alone in a house that doesn't befit her, lost in the middle of nowhere near that accursed forest!"

Adela's head throbbed once more, aware that her husband, wherever he was, likely had an ear on their conversation and heard the Archduchess insulting him. She felt compelled to defend their home—the place where she had shared countless moments of love and passion with Egon.

Did anything of that place remain?

Looking at her father with startled eyes, she whispered, "My home... do I no longer have a home?"

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