When Sylvan had excused himself from the party, he walked towards the main doors where he found Gretta waiting for her carriage. He was ready to walk past the woman but Gretta spotted him and stopped him.
Sylvan sighed, turning around with his eyebrows raised quizzically and Gretta waved her hand for him to get closer, so he did.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked in a worried tone, her usually stoic face now etched with concern.
Sylvan sighed again, contemplating on whether to give a short answer and leave or just tell her. He pursed his lips then slightly shook his head. "I've just been in a bad mood lately. Father is making me do things that I don't like," he confessed, his shoulders dropping.
"Like getting married?" Asked Gretta, and Sylvan tilted his head, silently confirming her guess.
Gretta pursed her lips, understanding his frustration because she had been with them for too long, and even she couldn't understand why Roderick decided to marry Sylvan on such short notice.
"Just don't let it affect the girl. You're too indifferent. You know women have fickle feelings," she remarked and Sylvan's lips curled up.
"I guess Solanine isn't a woman then," he said sarcastically and Gretta gave a short laugh.
"That one is different."
Somewhere at the back of his mind, Sylvan knew he was being too detached, but he just didn't want to associate himself with that woman. He didn't even want to marry her in the first place.
"I'm sure she can handle it. She's not the first one to be in a loveless marriage," he said after a while and Gretta's eyebrows pulled together.
"She isn't but you could change that. You could start by getting to know her, maybe you'll develop something." To this, Sylvan shook his head, knowing too well that he couldn't develop anything at all. "And with the way your father is behaving, I don't think he's planning to get rid of her anytime soon," Gretta added and Sylvan's eyebrows knitted together as if deep in thought.
He was also suspicious with the way his father was behaving, but now he was also curious as to why Gretta was suddenly encouraging him to build a relationship with this woman.
"You've just met her and you talk as if you know her," he pointed out and Gretta cracked a small smile.
"Well, call it a power to see through people," she joked lightheartedly, before her expression turned serious again. "She's a good girl. I can tell."
"Alright, I'll try to be less emotionless," he said with very little conviction but that was enough for Gretta. She smiled and watched him walk away, until her carriage came and the coachman helped her climb in.
****
Back to the present, Sylvan remembered his conversation with Gretta when he locked eyes with Adeline for that brief second, and he couldn't help but wonder if she held the same feelings as him regarding this marriage.
He didn't look at her for longer than a second and shifted his eyes to the front, listening to what Solanine was saying but she also stopped talking when she noticed Adeline staring at them.
She glanced at her and gave her a smile, but Adeline didn't smile back and she saw her eyes narrow, but they had already walked past.
When they were on the other side of the royal wing where the King's chambers were located, she finally broke the silence with a comment. "Roderick made sure to find the most beautifu one, didn't he?" She asked but Sylvan didn't respond and continued walking, his feet barely making a sound on the carpeted floor.
Hearing no response from him, Solanine smiled to herself, where one corner of her lips was more stretched than the other one.
Meanwhile, Adeline remained standing at the door for a few more seconds, a frown on her face as she followed Sylvan's and Solanine's silhouettes disappear into a corner with her eyes.
She turned around with a sigh and walked inside the room, Judy following behind her.
Candles were already lit in the room, bathing the entire place with a golden glow, and logs of wood were already burning in the fireplace providing warmth.
Judy helped Adeline out of her evening dress and into her nightdress, then waited for her to sit on the dressing table and she started undoing the braids and twists of the hair, then combed it.
If it were Rosa in the place of Judy, the room would be filled with chatter and laughter, but Adeline wasn't comfortable around Judy yet.
Just then, the door slowly opened and Katherine walked in. Adeline didn't turn and watched through the mirror as she took the comb from Judy then dismissed her.
Adeline expected Katherine to be rough with her hair because that was the kind of personality she portrayed, but surprisingly, her hands were soft and her movements as light as a feather as she combed and untangled her long hair.
"Tomorrow will be a busy day," begun Katherine in a subtle voice and Adeline's eyes that had closed subconsciously opened and she met Katherine's gaze through the mirror.
She placed the hairbrush on the dressing table and pat down Adeline's hair with her hands before continuing.
"I'll take you on a tour around the palace, then you'll be introduced to all the servants and the knights–I don't know about the guards… then you'll meet your ladies in waiting, probably spend the entire day with them,or the afternoon. It depends," she informed and Adeline just listened quietly. She knew that this was bound to happen, but she thought they would give her more time to settle in. Now she had to walk around with a group of women following her everywhere.
"But, these women are only candidates. You're supposed to interact with them and get to know them, then you will choose whoever you want," Katherine added.
Adeline nodded in understanding, then got up from the dressing table and got into bed.
Katherine then blew out the candles, bade her goodnight and walked out.
It took a moment for Adeline to fall asleep, and she just lay in bed, watching the flames dance around in the fireplace.
Her mind drifted back to Solanine for some reason, and the questions about that woman were endless.
Why was she so close to Sylvan and the royal family? What exactly was her identity? And why did she make Adeline uncomfortable when they barely knew each other?
Then Sylvan crossed her mind, and she remembered how indifferent he had been with her. Were they going to stay like that for the rest of their lives, or as long as the marriage lasted? She questioned inwardly and her eyebrows furrowed at the thought. But wasn't that what she wanted?
Then they would never have children? She became started at the thought, then her face immediately turned red when she realized what she was worried about.
Adeline had never been intimate with anyone before, but that didn't mean that she didn't know what happened between married couples. She had been told everything by Rosa, and she had also read it in the romance books in her father's house. So she wasn't oblivious, and now she didn't know if she wanted 'that' to happen between her and Sylvan, or if she was a little worried because Sylvan didn't seem the least interested in her.
—
The next morning, Adeline woke up to the warm rays of the sun that passed through the small cracks of the curtain, and in time when Katherine walked in with Rosa following closely behind her.
"Good morning," Katherine greeted with a smile that didn't reach her eyes as she walked around the bed to pull the curtains open.
Adeline squinted her eyes, before blinking to adjust to the light. "Good morning," she greeted back.
Katherine stood with her hands holding each other at her front, dressed in a long, long sleeved black dress, her hair tied neatly at the back.
"I told you it's a busy day. Rosa will help you with your bath, then she'll accompany you to the dining room for breakfast… don't be late. You should be there before the King arrives," she said and then sauntered out of the room without waiting for any response from Adeline.
After she left, Rosa walked towards the bathroom where everything was ready and commented on her way. "I still think she's too arrogant."
Adeline gave her a small smile, pushing the quilts away to get out of bed. "She must be busy," she said, and Rosa shook her head unconvinced.
She went on to ask Adeline about the previous night and the latter told her everything she could remember, including Katherine's small incident, which made Rosa praise her for the way she handled the matter, but was quick to add that she still didn't like the woman.
Though she wanted to, Adeline was still hesitant to voice out her thoughts on Solanine so she didn't mention anything to Rosa.