Cyan

Adelia

I was angry, hurt, sleepy, tired and now, I was sick. Nauseous actually, because I had no idea why my father would be asking for me. 

As if that was not enough, my mother was right beside him and she was giving the deadliest stare that she had ever given. 

“Good morning Father. Good morning Mother. " 

“Adelia my Princess, how are you? I hope you had a wonderful night." My father asked

.

I simply replied with a smile and a nod because I didn't want to say much. I don't know if he caught on to it but he just moved on from it. My mother simply ignored my existence and focused on her nails. . 

“Well, due to the impromptu arrangement of your marriage and the fact that you didn't get a chance to know your soon to be husband prior to last week, we've decided that you are going to over to Glacia to spend some time with him. Get to know him, he's a fine young man." 

I froze. My heart beat loudly in my ears and I wanted to scream at my father. 

“I haven't even agreed to marry him and now you're shipping me off to be with him?! I barely know this man and neither do you! Do you even care about me?"

“Adelia-"

“He does" my mother cut him off “That's why he's doing this. He's trying to make something of you, trying to make sure you end up in a responsible home and not a dungeon where you belong." 

She really had been waiting for the perfect time to say that to me. I guess a thousand apologies wasn't enough to get her to forgive me. It's not like I deserved it anyway. 

I looked back to my father and when our eyes met, he quickly looked away from me. Seems like I'm really on my own. 

My throat already hurt because I was pushing back the  tears that were gathering in my eyes. In all honesty, I was truly tired of crying and as I bent my head to stop the tears from falling, I felt dizzy. 

I felt a warm hand on my waist holding my firmly, and I turned to see Adrian. As he looked up at me, he shook his head slightly. 

Managing to turn back to my parents, I raised my head high, 

“Thank you, for being thoughtful." 

There was no use arguing with them. My mother hated me enough not to care about how I felt and my father could or rather wouldn't say anything to her. He may be the King but she always had more control. 

I went to the only place I felt comfortable, the garden. As I sat amidst the sunflowers, I noticed they were starting to dry up. I stared at one flower until my vision blurred. 

There was no use crying because I felt really tired and if I cried my eyes would probably burst. Adrian shuffled awkwardly behind me and at first, I didn't pay attention to his presence. 

“It's going to be okay, My Princess." 

It was really low, like he didn't want me to hear it. But I did and I turned around to look at him slowly. 

“Okay? Did I just hear you say it's going to be okay? I'm about to be shipped off to marry some stuck up clodpate who'll probably not care about me while both my parents see me as a burden and a reminder that they would have had another daughter who wouldn't have been a murderer." 

I didn't realize I was shouting until I stopped talking. He just stood there and watched me as I tried to slow down my breathing. My mother told me I was supposed to be in a cell… that was the worst thing she has ever told me. 

“Yes, I said it's going to be okay." He repeated.

There was no use replying. Talking to anyone now was going to be a waste of my energy because no one was going to truly understand how it felt to be me. 

Everyday, I had to live with the guilt and the burden that I had cut my sister's life short. The fact that I never really had anyone to speak to after her death, intensified the guilt and was the reason for the daily nightmares since she died. 

Seeing her face in my sleep had become a norm for me and it was going to take less time before I lost it. I could feel myself losing my sanity and my bearing. Suicide wasn't an option, I had tried it before but my mother walked in on me and told me that it wasn't going to take away the pain. 

She didn't hesitate to tell me that I wouldn't succeed in killing myself because I had to be alive to pay for my sins and even if I killed myself, my sister would be there in the afterlife to make me suffer. 

I was going to suffer all the days of my life. I had accepted it. 

“Yeah, it's going to be okay." I blurted out. 

Before the end of tomorrow, I was going to be in Glacia, spending my time with that dimwit whose presence I couldn't stand. 

“I mean, if we look on the bright side, it gives you a chance to dig deeper into the information you received from Amari." 

I cocked my head to the side in thought. Adrian had a point but it wasn't going to be easy. 

“How in the world am I supposed to get out of the palace? I'm sure that gorilla is going to be all over me and not give me any breathing space." 

God I hated him so much. I didn't even need to see him for a third time to know that I wanted nothing to do with him. As soon as he stepped into the throne room, I knew that I would rather run away than be with him. 

But if the information I needed to nail Anita's killer was in Glacia, I guess I had no other choice but to condone him and go there. 

I turned to Aiden behind me and swallowed hard before opening my mouth to speak. 

I didn't miss how he went pale and his face rid of any emotion.