She found only the 'harridan' and the Dowager Countess of Rine sat on the table. The latter woman's house was demolished by some fire and the 'harridan' had offered her hospitality until the damage was restored. She was an honorable guest at the Tower of Posperius.
Adele had never seen a wife mourn for her husband so much before. The Earl has been dead for almost a decade. Although, his widow had not taken off the black, nor stopped cutting her hair short, while one could constantly notice signs of weeping on her tired eyes. She did not wish to remarry. She desired to live the rest of her life in his memory. It was true love; the rarest thing in those times.
Adele bid them both a formal 'good morning' and sat down, as breakfast was served to her. She ate in complete silence. Naturally, though, the 'harridan' did not grace her with ignorance or a moment of peace.
"I must felicitate you for your conduct on yesterday's meeting, dear Gaèlle, child," she extolled her in a rare tone of voice, containing a migre fragment of affection and sweetness.
If the respective widow was not present, Adele would deride her, just because she called her by her middle name. That name was on of the most ancient ones in the West and she detested it. Adele was the name her father had chosen, a manorial and regal one, and she wished to be called as such.
Eventually, she simple nodded.
"I thank you, 'grandmother'."
The 'harridan' offered her a half smile. Although, one would need a vast imagination to call that a half smile. More like a weak grin. What ice did, when hit by a beam of sunlight.
"You know, little child, Lord Theon's son left with the best of impressions last night," she resumed her talking. "An alliance between the Fenian family and our own would prove itself lucrative for both sides."
"Of course," Adele responded icily and returned her utter attention on her plate with breakfast.
"For this is how you shall spread your poisoned tentacles throughout the West, cuttlefish. So that even the mighty Fenian castle would bow to you, devilish reptile, daughter of Typhon and Ehidna," she eked out through gritted teeth, so that no one could listen to her.
"What did you say, 'little grandchild'?" Came the question from the 'harridan' almost immediately. She was not surprised in the least; the old wretch could even hear her thoughts occasionally.
"Nothing, grandmother. I was just contemplating something about knitting."
She did not insist and that was extremely rare. She was indeed on her best possible spirits that day.
Later, Adele excused herself and retired to her chamber. She despised coexisting with the 'harridan' around her and did everything she could to avoid and see her the least she could master.
She summoned her maids to have her bath drawn. Five young ladies reached her in the blink of an eye and helped her undress. Then, they filled her bathtub with hot water and helped her stub and wash silently. Usually, she would start a conversation with them. She had even grown to know all their names. However, that day, she was not in a mood of chatter and they were discreet enough to not wonder why she was so downhearted out loud.
As soon as she finished, she dried her hair and got dressed, dismissing her maids in order to be alone once more.
Some time after, she heard a knock on her door.
"Who is there?" She asked as loudly as she could, bound by propriety out of fear that it was the 'harridan' or worse, the woman ordered to constantly watch over her.
"You have already forgotten our shibboleth sound, I see," an utterly familiar voice replied to her from the other side of the door; excitingly, heartwarmingly familiar.
"Rose!" Adele squealed and tan to the door to open it, having instantly recognised her only friend who was not a relative of hers. They knew each other since practical infancy.
The two coeval girls hugged one another tightly. It had been more than three months since their last meeting.
"You have grown up," Rose whispered, barely achieving to hold back a few tears of joy.
"You as well..." Adele observed, while noticing her friend's belly, which looked bigger than ever before.
"How long have you been so?"
"About seven weeks."
Her answer was followed by a short pause of complete silence. Adele needed some time to fully comprehend the fact that her friend would become a mother.
"Did you bring the book I asked for?"
"Of course."
The blonde girl produced a heavy, pitch black book from her sack and handed it to her proudly.
Adele plunged herself into reading, as soon as Rose had left. This so called 'book conspiracy', strictly secret to anyone but them, was maintained for many years, since her maids, watcher or the 'harridan' would never let her even touch those paper treasures. She was so devoted and rapt with reading, so she barely heard the tenacious knocking on her door, that disturbed her silence again.
"Who is it;" She asked with worry, as she thought of a safe place to hide Rose's book.
"My Lady, your presence is requested in the reception hall. Three people have come to see you."
She immediately recognised the voice. It was the youngest of her maids, Nixel, only seventeen years old and yet married three years prior.
"I shall be down at once."
She stood completely still, the only noise she made was her breathing, until she was certain Nixel had left. Then, she hid the book as best as she could and freshened up on her mirror, before departing straight away for the reception hall.
"You mean I cannot see the letter first? Is it so essential for the 'little Princess' to be present?" She heard the 'harridan's voice echoing in the stone walls, as she walked nearer. What could she possibly been up to, in order to undermine her again?
"We apologise, Lady Aragon, but Princess Adele must be the first to read the contents of this letter. These are our orders," an entirely unknown, female voice answered her plea. A voice full of respect but also with spunk, balminess and stoniness; a voice of a widowed mother.
"What is going on here, grandmother?" Adele asked in faked bewilderment, as she entered the hall.
Everyone present bowed to her except for the 'harridan'. Apart from the all too known servants, she noticed three faces utterly unfamiliar to her; two women and a young man.
"Gaèlle, dear, I present to you the respective widow and Duchess of Montague along with her children, Finnie and Christian. These nobles came from Raysun, the Capital of the Twelve Kingdoms, bringing something from your father."
The three visitors bowed to Adele.
"Princess Adele, it is an honour to finally meet you. We do wish to deliver you a letter from His Majesty," the Montague widow began, and paused obviously deliberately. After a unanimous exhortation to continue, her son eventually raised his voice.
"We would like you to leave us alone with Her Highness. Completely alone," he explained with a request.
The 'harridan' grew yellow. Adele could barely sustain a smile of pleasure on her blithe ken.
"Let it be so," the oldster lipsed through her teeth and -along with all the servants and guards- fended off of the hall and closed the door behind them with a loud thud.
"So, Lady Montague, to what do I owe your visit?" Adele wondered finally, when there were only the four of them; her princely self, the Duchess and her children.
"Please, Your Highness, call me Nira. I am not as old as I look," the black clad woman urged her. Then, she gave a nod to her son, who revealed a golden parchment from his cloak. The King's Sigil adorned the paper, while the Royal Seal was crystal clear an a deep crimson sealing wax.
"The King summonses you to the Palace, my Lady, as soon as possible," the young man added, placing the parchment on Adele's hands.
She opened it with trembling fingers and read as rapidly as she could master.
My dearest daughter, Adele Gaèlle,
I know that thou do not regard me as your father, for thou simply do not know me. I do feel very heartbroken for this. Hence, in order to know each other appropriately, but also your other sisters, I invite thee to the Palace of Raysun until the Full Moon. If thou feel inclined to accept, I would be delighted to see thee where you were born.
Choose a company to escort thee of solely thine choice and come to meet thy true family.
Yours evermore,
King Dante the Second,
Raysun, the twentieth second day of March.
Adele could not believe it. She would finally go to the Palace and meet her father and sisters. That was where she belonged and would soon reach.
She turned and looked at the three nobles in front of her. She instantly decided on her company of escorts.
"It would be a tremendous honor and pleasure, were you to accept accompanying me to Raysun."
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