87: Giving her the cold shoulder

Giving her the cold shoulder

"My Lady... Unfortunately... Master Egon is occupied today as well..."0

Inside the adjacent estate, Adela could discern the Lanarkian guards from the rest with a single glance. And by the way this guard squirmed uncomfortably, she deduced that he was indeed a Lanarkian.

"...Thank you," she replied with a subdued voice before turning around with a troubled heart.

"M-My Lady, I can escort you back on horseback," the guard offered.

She looked over her shoulder and offered a smile, "Thank you, but I prefer to walk today."

The journey back was fraught with thoughts about a certain beast.

Adela was appalled by his persistent childish behavior. She tried hard to suppress thoughts of the intense kiss they had shared the other night, but she couldn't deny that it was a transformative experience she had undergone.

It felt as if he had delved into the depths of her soul, touching something profound. She wanted to believe that someone who had restrained himself while being in the adjacent room in Kolhis irrespective of their bond had acted not on a fleeting desire when they kissed, but on the true promptings of the heart.

"Isn't it all your fault?" she murmured softly, placing the blame on herself.

Egon von Conradie was the last man Adelaide de Lanark should even consider, let alone become involved with. But she was weary of her exemplary behavior. For once in her life, she yearned to defy the rules, especially because she had to fight for it, especially because she had so much at stake.

Perhaps love was a cause worth fighting for.

But why was he persistently avoiding her?

It felt like navigating hurdles on horseback. Remembering the kiss was the anticipation before the jump, and not being able to reach him was the impact upon landing. It truly shook her to the core.

The last two days were made even worse by the state of the manor.

The Archduchess had locked herself inside her quarters following the ceremony, and the Archduke was frequently absent, leaving all his responsibilities to Adela. It was both a blessing and a curse. While it kept her mind occupied for hours, it also deprived her of the much-needed time for herself.

Her mind was also with Arkin who found himself in a similar predicament dealing with his drunken or absent father, shouldering the weight of his devastated mother and the entire First Order.

She wrapped her arms around herself, "This is all transient, just like Lanark's snow..." She whispered.

The weather was mildly cold as she walked along the path between the pine trees. The air carried the invigorating scent of pine rejuvenating her senses. Her ankle still throbbed slightly, and she ended up wishing she had opted to ride her horse after all.

"Stay positive," she reminded herself, searching for something that would bring her joy.

A sudden smile brightened her face as she thought about her sister. Larissa existed in her own pink world, a place that Adela observed from a distance. With her engagement to Andreas, Larissa's attention was wholly occupied by her fiancé.

Adela wished for Larissa's happiness to be enduring, unlike the fleeting nature of snow, but rather like the everlasting warmth of the sun.

As the sound of an approaching horse reached her ears from a parallel path, Adela thought that the loyal knight must have followed her. However, her surprise was immense when she saw Egon riding on his stallion, accompanied by Olga on Andreas's stallion.

The sight of his smiling face was like a physical knife to Adela's stomach, but it caused more pain than a mere knife wound ever could.

She took two steps towards him, ready to demand an answer, but her pride ultimately held her back.

With her eyes stinging, she turned around and ran back to her father's estate. She knew exactly where she wanted to go, and like a masochist, she sprinted as fast as she could to the hill she had joyfully climbed not long ago. The burning sensation in her chest as she pushed herself beyond her physical limit was a welcome distraction.

Finally, she came to a halt at the spot where Kannen's former nest had been. Tears streamed down her face, no longer held back. "Father..." she whispered, her voice choked with sorrow.

Right where Kannen's nest once stood, there now stood a headstone with the emblem of House de Lanark, the falcon's wings encircling the crescent as if they were Kannen's own. Adela embraced the cold stones.

"Kannen, I miss you so much," she sobbed bitterly.

Her falcon had attacked Egon in the past, and even Egon himself had acknowledged the move, considering himself an enemy. Did her companion have better judgment than she did?

How could I have let him kiss me like that?

She flinched when she sensed a presence behind her, and she waited, bracing herself for words that never came.

"...You know," she sniffled, wiping her tear-streaked face with her sleeve, "I've noticed that you never approach me from the front. Is there a reason for that?"

"Yes," he replied, his voice calm and composed, "It's less unsettling that way."

She shook her head slowly in disbelief. When she turned to face him, he looked down at her with an air of arrogance, like a proud hawk peering down at its prey from the sky.

"We never had the chance to discuss what happened between us," he said with a cold voice.

She swallowed against the painful butterflies in her stomach, "I'm afraid I'm not available right now. Let's have this conversation another time."

He wore a patient mask as he spoke, ignoring her reluctance to engage in the discussion he had conveniently postponed.

"What happened between us might have been a spur of the moment," he suggested.

His words struck her like a lightning bolt, burning through the air above her head and deep into the ground beneath her feet.

She gritted her teeth as she lifted her chin, "You're absolutely right, but by refusing to see me, you only prolonged the awkwardness. I came to you from the beginning to tell you that I consider that moment undone,"

A sudden bulging vein on his forehead, even if slightly, dimmed the burn within her.

"I must leave now. If someone were to see us alone here, they might get the wrong impression that we are more than strangers." She said with a lopsided smile. 

"Why are you angry? You yourself admitted that you reached the same conclusion," he accused.

"It's not anger, but disappointment. I am ashamed of myself, that is all," she replied, her voice filled with remorse.

She had walked past him when she felt his hand on her elbow. With her skin already aflame, she easily wrenched her arm out of his grip and glared up at him.

"Don't you dare touch me ever again in your life, Egon von Conradie... I swear, until my last day, I will never forgive you for touching me."

Egon disappeared from her sight after that, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake.

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