The union between her and the Blood King's brother will soon be announced to the entire continent. It was the best method to cease the brutal killings of her people and a way to pacify the terror they were all feeling.
With her marriage to one of the lords of the creatures of the night, perhaps, Adelyn will become her people's savior.
But who will save her?
Upon finding out that she would soon be wed to a creature of the night, the Blood King's very own brother, for the sole purpose of saving her people, Adelyn felt despair and frustration.
Her frustration soon turned to anger, and it gradually took another form; desperation.
As no one can save her, and no one will be able to tell her that there is still some hope and an escape route for her to take, a wicked desire sprouted inside her.
Adelyn could force herself to surrender her own life for her people, but what she does with her life is up to her.
She planned to look for a way to satisfy all her curiosities. Ease the irritation and desperation she felt from this sudden destiny and the burden she carried on her back.
The night was still young, and the sun was almost swallowed up by night. Adelyn draped the cloak on her head and body before slowly walking up on the busy small street filled with bustling and giggling sounds of children playing under the lit lamps hung on some post or between old wooden buildings.
As she walked deeper and deeper into the streets, the light and peaceful atmosphere were soon shrouded in nothing but darkness and obscurity.
Drunk men with red faces and smelling like old socks that hadn't been washed for weeks passed by Adelyn. Their eyes lingered on her figure, that was covered by the black cloak. Under the inquiring gazes they sent her, Adelyn squeezed her cloak tight around her body.
Trepidation crept inside her as they got closer and closer. She hoped they didn't stop in front of her.
Thanks to one of the drunk men falling on his feet after feeling dizzy from the booze he had drank earlier, Adelyn was able to slip away from their attention as she hurriedly strode forward.
She passed by several establishments that had been well-lit and bustling for business. However, the goods they're selling here are not similar to those she saw earlier.
Here, a different type of meat was being sold.
After careful consideration, Adelyn chose to stand before an inn that looked slightly brighter and livelier than the other establishments she passed by.
Entering the inn, the sight of intoxicated men and women in flimsy dresses that showed most of their skins bombarded her vision. Such a scene would have been greatly frowned upon if they were in Voltis.
But this was not Voltis.
Tonight, she was not Adelyn De Silva, the seventh princess. She was simply a commoner woman called 'Addie'.
She did not have to show her fear and hesitation. Tonight, she could live without restraint. She had been given two days, so little time yet. There was so much for her to experience and to look forward to before she was returned to the capital, to where her groom-to-be will be waiting for her.
Before she completely loses her freedom to the enemy.
"I don't think this is the right place for you, Missy."
Startled, Adelyn quickly turned to the side to see a woman standing next to her. The woman's hair was a golden blonde, curled up into a neat up-do which was then pinned down by a flower accessory. Her neck looked slender and fair. Below, her clavicle swooped down to an ample of flesh that bounced up and down through her sleeveless purple gown which hugged all the curves of her body.
The woman looked beautiful, but the way she smiled was completely different from the pretentious smiles noble ladies in the capital had on their painted lips. Hers were tempting and obscene.
"How do you know if this isn't the right place for me?" Adelyn didn't respond for a short while, and when she did, she asked this question to the woman.
The woman's comment was not out of uncertainty. Rather, she was sure that Adelyn did not belong there. Was it her dress? Adelyn wondered. But she chose the simplest one she had in her closet. Well, the others were already plain enough, but they were all still made by a royal seamstress.
Then, she quickly realized why.
Her cloak was not as ordinary as her dress. It was embossed with intricate patterns of gold. No such thing could be seen in this town. Only those who came from the homes of the nobles.
No wonder, she was discovered instantly.
The eyes of the woman flicked swiftly over her face and down to her body, "Look at this place, Missy. Have you seen anyone behave so primly? The moment you entered the door, everyone with eyes could already tell that you're not part of this world. Our world."
Adelyn looked around her. Just as the woman said, unlike her, the inn was full of tipsy, intoxicated people. Their clothes were not one that was clean. One of them didn't even wear a top. As for the ladies inside the inn, they were all dressed similarly to the woman standing beside her. Their faces were thickly painted with power and rouge.
A clean faced and neat-looking lady like Adelyn was like a nail sticking openly, waiting to be hammered down.
Fearing that she would be chased out of that place, Adelyn looked at the woman before slipping a silver coin in her palm. With eyes focused on the woman, Adelyn told her, "Two days. Allow me to stay in your inn for two days. I will leave as soon as two days are over."
Touching the smooth and undented coin in her hand, the woman changed her expressions, and a more accommodating smile was on her lips. "A generous guest will never be rejected in our inn. Please, do follow me upstairs."
Adelyn sighed in relief as she followed the woman through the flight of wooden stairs. It creaked under their feet, but miraculously held on until they reached the second floor of the building.
The woman guided her to a room at the far end of the corridor. After inserting the key and opening the door for Adelyn, the woman said, "Unfortunately, this is the only decent room we have in our inn. The walls are thin so there can be some noises that can be heard during nighttime. But I will try to keep them slightly away from where you're resting."
"No need," Adelyn told her. "It would be better if there's noise. I don't fare well in silence."
"Very well." The woman frowned while wondering if the young lady in front of her knew what kind of 'noise' she was speaking about. Nevertheless, since the lady had already spoken and the money was given, she didn't persuade her anymore.
Taking one long look at Adelyn, the woman was certain that she was a young lady from a wealthy noble family. She was probably rebelling against her family and thus, found this place to stay for two days.
"If you need anything, just ring that bell right next to the bed. An inn maid will come to you. Meals will be served according to the food in the kitchen. Requests and demands that are unavailable will be rejected." The woman added further to make Adelyn understand that this was not her home, a place where everything could be handed to her.
Adelyn nodded, signaling that she understood.
"If there's nothing else, I still have to go back downstairs and serve my customers…"
"Wait!"
The woman, who was about to turn around as if she were about to leave, paused in her tracks and faced Adelyn with her brows raised, impatiently.
"Have someone come up to accompany me tonight," Adelyn suddenly told her, making the woman's eyes enlarge before blinking a few times while her mouth was shaped into a small 'o'.
The woman didn't seem to believe what she had just heard and repeated her words, "Acco–accompany you tonight, Missy?"
"That's right," she said boldly before taking out a gold coin and slipping it again into the palm of the woman. "It shouldn't be that difficult, right? After all, this is that kind of p-place…"
Adelyn's cheeks flushed red as soon as she stuttered.
Finding it hard to find her voice, the woman shot Adelyn another assessing look. She was wondering if a bold maid had stolen her master's cloak and went out to look for pleasure in their brothel.
But it was not her business whether the lady in front was a maid who stole from her masters or a young noble lady who came to seek pleasure, as the woman gripped the gold coin tightly in her hand and nodded.
"What kind of person do you wish to accompany you, Missy?"
Adelyn couldn't answer. She hadn't contemplated what kind of man she wanted to deflower her.
She had never been with a man before. Otherwise, this question wouldn't have troubled her so.
Then, as a first-timer, what type would be suitable?
In a timely manner, sounds of footsteps could be heard from the creaking stairs. A tall, broad shouldered man with a strong physique emerged from the corner of the two walls that the stairs were in between.
The man's hair was a lustrous black, thick and dark as the purest of velvety nights. He was beautiful, but in a harsh way. Almost breathtaking…
"That man… is he one of yours?" Adelyn couldn't help but ask the woman while in a trance.
If that man could take the purity that she had saved until tonight, it would be worth it.
The woman looked past the man who had just arrived, and a thin young man, one of the bar servers, stood on the other end of the hallway.
Frowning slightly, the woman slowly nodded.
"He is."