Adeline had a foreboding feeling in her heart and she fiddled with her fingers nervously. Rosa was standing behind her, her head hang low but her ears pricked up.
"Nothing," uttered Adler in a serious tone and Adeline felt a little lost.
"What do you mean nothing?" She asked, a deep frown forming creases on her forehead.
Adler sighed. "There's nothing out there about the prince, or the Lowell family."
Adeline still felt confused and couldn't understand what her brother was telling her. How could there be nothing? They weren't ghosts. They were a royal family that had ruled a flourishing Kingdom for centuries, and were bound to attract people's attention so how could there be nothing?
"I know what you're thinking but they're… very secretive, I guess," Adler tried to explain helplessly. He was also as confused as Adeline but he couldn't risk digging any deeper.
"Not even what he looks like? What kind of person he is?" Adeline persisted, not satisfied with this mysteriousness.
"Prince Sylvan Lowell. Son of King Roderick Lowell. Only son actually… making him the only heir to the throne. That's it."
With a twitch of her mouth, Adeline turned her head away and mumbled under her breath, "I already knew that."
"Well…" Adler heard the displeasure in her mumbles and could only shrug his shoulders.
"Even father knows nothing?" Adeline probed relentlessly. She couldn't just accept things as they were. She was to be married to a man whom nobody knew nothing about?
"You could ask him later," Adler suggested. "Anyway, just prepare yourself for whatever. I'm going out," he informed and wasted no time in leaving the house.
Adeline stood there for a few more minutes, her mind racing with different kinds of imaginations about the prince. Rosa watched her in silence, feeling somewhat sorry for her state. Thank God she was just a maid, otherwise, with her age, she would have already been in a similar situation if not worse. She then chided herself inwardly for having such thoughts about her friend.
Instead of proceeding to the backyard to find her sister, Adeline turned around and headed to her father's study. The study was located on the east side of the mansion, beside the Duke's chambers.
They passed by a few servants doing their daily chores, mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, while also gossiping about the awaited marriage of the Duke's daughter. Rosa gave them a warning glare but Adeline just ignored their hushed voices until they reached her father's chambers where it was dead quiet.
When she reached the study, she turned to Rosa and dismissed her with a nod. Rosa understood and walked away. Adeline stared at her retreating figure and knocked on the door.
"Come in," her father's muffled voice reached her ears and she turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.
Duke Sage was seated at his desk, his eyes focused on the papers in his hands. The study didn't consist much. Apart from the desk that accumulated most of the space, there was a bookshelf filled with piles of books, a wine cellar at the corner and a coat hanger. There was a window that allowed in natural light and provided the dark room with a bit of life.
Sage only raised his head when he was done going through the document he was reading. He removed his thin-rimmed reading glasses and placed them aside, turning his attention to Adeline.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, his voice echoing the concern etched on his face. He knew Adeline wasn't one to seek him out unless it was something important and he had to pay her his full attention.
Adeline sat down opposite her father on one of the two chairs, placing her hands on her laps.
"Father, I want to know about Prince Sylvan and the Lowell family. Why are they so mysterious?" She probed, her curiosity evident in her eyes.
A sigh escaped Sage's lips as he clasped his hands together. He knew this question would come up sooner or later and Adeline would try to find anything she could before the day of her wedding.
"I don't know much myself, but I'll tell you the little I know. You already know Sylvan is the heir to the throne, right?"
Adeline nodded in haste, urging him to continue.
"Well, he does not like interacting with people and doesn't attend social gatherings. That is why many don't even know what he looks like because he rarely shows himself to the world. But he has a reputation of being a great warrior and a responsible ruler, just like his father. Their Kingdom is proof of it. Even those that know him have had the chance to meet him only on the battlefield, or his father's parties."
"His father is a very… lively person, unlike his son. He holds parties very often and is said to be very generous. People often compare the two and end up liking King Roderick more because of his chivalry. They don't have much in common actually."
Adeline listened attentively and found herself more curious about Sylvan. If he doesn't like interacting with people then does that mean he would ignore her? The thought didn't bother her, rather, it made her less annoyed with this marriage. They could just ignore each other and live peacefully ever after. Her lips threatened to curl up at her calculations but she refrained from smiling.
"Is he ugly?" Maybe that was the reason he was indifferent to people. Her father chuckled at her question, shaking his head in amusement.
"It's important," Adeline said with a serious expression and Sage's smile widened.
"I don't think so. His father is a handsome man so his son should not be far off, or maybe he's even more handsome," he responded, teasing her with his words. But Adeline didn't laugh. She just sighed and pursed her lips.
"You shouldn't worry too much. Even mine and your mother's was an arranged marriage and I loved her more than life." A smile still tugged at the corners of his lips, but quickly changing to a sad smile. Adeline noticed the shift in mood and decided to lighten up the conversation.
"Please don't say that. Everyone keeps saying that but it's not the same for everyone. We both know that marriages do fail, arranged or deliberate. Just know that if I can't take it anymore, I will return to this house. I won't care about Michael or the hypocritical society. My peace of mind comes first."
"Alright, alright. I'll tell the maids to always keep your room ready and clean," responded Sage with a smile and Adeline smiled too.
"Now that everything is set, you should start the wedding preparations."
Adeline clicked her tongue, turning her head to look outside the window. "Michael can take care of that. Isn't he pretending to be incharge of everything."
Sage shook his head at his daughter's words. She was lucky that she was his daughter and this was a safe space. If it were anywhere else, she would have already been beheaded for insulting the King.
"You want him to choose even your wedding dress?" He cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly and Adeline's composure faltered.