Adela made her way down the stairs at a fast pace, not caring about the creaks sounding dangerous as if they were about to break from the force of her steps.
She ran with no direction in mind, her eyesight clouded by tears that didn't stop coming from her eyes. Her feet slowly became bruised from running with no shoes to protect them, her silent cries forever swallowed by the sound of the night.
As she ran through the castle, the corridors began to shift. No matter how hard she tried to make her way towards her grandfather's room or her room, the castle wouldn't allow her. It was as if the castle itself was alive.
Every door was sealed shut, every window will close as Adela tried to run towards them. The castle will have her running around in an endless circle unless she accepts the path the castle has left open for her.
"Stop shifting!"
Her screams and her demands fall to deaf ears, her tears dried up and now only anger, with puffy red eyes was shown on her face.
As if she realized that no matter how hard she screams nothing would change, she accepted the path the castle had opened for her without not much of a choice.
The door made of wood with beautiful cravings was shown before her. She opened it without much of a thought and was welcomed by a room full of books. An old library that she has never been to before, and an old library that was forever erased from the maps of the castle. Said library wasn't even shown on the mental maps she had been able to create with magic.
This only shows her that this castle was way more complex than she thought.
"Greetings successor of Titania's blood."
A butler with a transparent appearance presented before her. She knew that in the castle there were ghosts, but none of them had shown themselves before her no matter how much she asked.
Her image of a ghost was destroyed once again by this world. She always thought they would look like white sheets floating in the air. The ghost that has just shown himself had a human appearance, but he was transparent and had no feet. He was floating in the air, wearing a butler uniform.
"Who are you?" she asked without much thought.
"I am the first butler to ever have worked in this castle."
"Your name?"
"When you get older you will know my name. For the moment I am afraid I do not have the permission to tell you, nor do you have the power to accept it."
"What do you want then? Why did you bring me here?"
The butler gave a soft chuckle. His clothes so outdated, but there was no denying that even for a ghost his elegance still prevailed.
"Ah, you remind so much of Lady Titania. It's as if she made a copy of herself with you."
Adela's feelings were too much of a mess to be accepting such words. The little brother she thought was dead was very much alive, but not for long. Her heart and mind overflowing with anger and betrayal from everyone in the castle. She just couldn't understand why did they hide something like this from her.
"Princess, do not feel anger towards your people. They were just trying to protect you."
"From what? From my little brother? Even if was to die, he was still very much alive for over a year. I could have stayed beside his side for as long as he gave his last breath!"
Tears started to overflown once again, her eyes were starting to sting from crying too much. Her clothes were torn from running and falling so much from the past hours.
"They were just afraid of you falling ill once again."
"And what where they do when suddenly a funeral was held for him? Would they have it held on secret?! Not even giving me a chance to say my last goodbyes to him?! Where they about to give him such a disrespectful funeral?! No mourning for his death?!"
The butler stayed silent for a few moments as in thought. He couldn't deny that what they did was wrong, if he was Adela's shoes he would have reacted the same or maybe even worse.
"Indeed, what they did was such a disrespectful thing not just for you but for the young prince as well, but they held no ill feelings when they kept it secret from you. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive."
Adela stayed silent for the rest of the time. She sat in an empty chair, lost in thought. The butler couldn't help but watch her from afar. The resemblance of Titania was strongly present in everything Adela did, it was as if Titania herself had come back to life through the young girl.
The butler and the other ghosts have been taking care of Adela since she was born. They, even if they couldn't touch anything alive, had to always recur to moving stuff around the castle to make their presence be known. They noticed when Adela's attitude changed. The young timid girl she once was long forgotten and now it seemed as if an old woman with many experiences had taken over her.
After that sudden change on their young lady and similarities of Titania was shown stronger than before. Now the young girl had similarities not just by her appearance, but also in the way she will hold herself. Titania's blood became stronger after she came back from death.
"So, what do you want. I need to go back to my brother."
"Ah!"
As if he had just remembered why he made Adela come here, he straightens himself up, ignoring the sudden brow lift Adela did towards the bizarre attitude he had just shown her. Sharp blue eyes watched his movements, he couldn't help but had the desire to hide from her gaze. He felt that if he saw her eyes he will be swallowed into the deepest part of the ocean to drown and never return. A silly feeling for someone long dead.