For a while, neither of them spoke, but then, as if the silence had reached its peak, Adelasta turned her head to Elyonari with a raised eyebrow.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you."
Elyonari turned her head toward her, a bit surprised by the shift in the atmosphere. She blinked slowly, her exhaustion and confusion still lingering.
"What is it?"
Adelasta's lips curled into a half-smile.
"What do you really feel for Vastarael?"
Elyonari's heart skipped. The words hit her like an unexpected punch to the gut.
She had been avoiding that very question in her mind for hours ever since the storm, the killing and the overwhelming flood of emotions.
She hadn't even allowed herself the luxury of thinking about it. But now, as Adelasta asked her so casually, there was no escape from the truth.
"I..." Elyonari paused, a soft laugh escaping her lips in disbelief. She thought she could answer, but the words were stuck in her throat. "I... I don't know. I think... I think I care about him, but..."
"But?"
Elyonari hesitated, the words suddenly feeling far too heavy. She didn't know what to say, how to explain this overwhelming feeling she couldn't quite wrap her head around.
Her emotions were so tangled up that just admitting them felt like a personal defeat.
Adelasta, sensing the struggle, chuckled softly, "Oh, don't worry. You'll figure it out soon enough."
"What do you mean?"
Adelasta shrugged casually, as if she hadn't just said something important.
"I mean... give it time. You're going to fall for him," She said it so matter-of-factly, as if it was a law of the universe. "It took me a decade to admit it to myself."
Elyonari blinked in shock. She echoed incredulously, not sure whether to laugh or feel horrified
"A decade? You've been in love with him for ten years?"
Adelasta laughed softly, an edge of embarrassment creeping into her otherwise cool demeanor.
"I was a bit... stubborn. Had to convince myself that it wasn't just some passing fancy, you know? And don't even get me started on the whole 'betrothal' thing. That was a mess."
Elyonari felt a strange sense of relief in hearing Adelasta admit it, though she was still trying to wrap her head around the idea.
She knew that Adelasta was cold, calculating, always in control. But hearing her talk about her feelings for Vastarael-admitting her vulnerability-was like seeing an entirely different side to her.
"And then what? Did you just... go for it?"
Adelasta shook her head, her eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and something else, something nostalgic.
"No, no. I was a mess. For years. I kept pushing him away, thinking that if I didn't... then I could keep my life from spiraling. But the thing is, Elyonari..."
Her voice softened, becoming more serious, more reflective.
"No woman can be around Vastarael and not fall in love with him. Not with his beauty, not with his heart."
Elyonari blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in Adelasta's tone.
"You really think so?"
Adelasta nodded firmly, a glimmer of conviction in her eyes.
"I know so. The way he is with people, how he listens, how he cares... It's impossible not to fall for him. Hell, I'm not the only one who felt that way. There are plenty of women, probably men too, who would give anything to be with him. That's just how he is."
Elyonari's face flushed slightly at the thought of all the women who might have harbored feelings for him, but she couldn't deny the truth in what Adelasta was saying.
She had seen it, too. The way Vastarael's smile could make the world seem brighter, the way he was so effortlessly kind, so genuine. He was... different.
"But why didn't you just say something?" Elyonari asked, a bit baffled, but intrigued. "Why wait a decade?"
Adelasta sighed, the corners of her mouth quirking up slightly.
"I wasn't ready to admit it. I was too proud, I guess. But in the end, I couldn't hide it anymore. It wasn't just about being with him. It was about realizing that I couldn't let him go. Because doing so... it would have been worse than dying. And I'm not exaggerating."
She shivered slightly at the thought, her eyes distant for a moment, but she quickly shook it off, turning back to Elyonari with that mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"I mean, if Vastarael were to really get away from us... I'd be ready to throw myself off a cliff. Rejecting him is worse than suicide."
Elyonari couldn't help but let out a laugh, her face flushing with a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
"You're... insane," she muttered, though she was still caught off guard by Adelasta's candor.
"It's not insanity, it's just truth, Elyonari. No woman in their right mind would stay with him and think about another man. Not with that face of his."
Elyonari's cheeks burned brighter. The more Adelasta spoke, the more she realized that she was right.
"You really are something else," she murmured, half laughing, half exasperated.
"I know, right? It's a hard life being in love with someone so perfect. But hey, at least I'm being honest about it. I'm not pretending to be some distant, cold duchess. I have feelings, too."
Elyonari's mouth hung open slightly, unsure whether she should laugh or cry. Here was this woman, this ice-cold, stoic figure, opening up about the exact thing that Elyonari was struggling to even admit to herself.
And to hear Adelasta speak about it so casually, so humorously, was both comforting and shocking at the same time.
"Wait, so... you're saying I'm going to feel that way too?" Elyonari asked hesitantly.
"Oh, trust me, you will. I'm not wrong about this. That's an inevitable fate for you, Elyonari. If you stayed more than a month with him, you are sure to fall for him."
Elyonari couldn't help but feel a nervous flutter in her chest. She wasn't sure if she was ready for all of that. But with Adelasta's lightheartedness in the air, her quiet confidence, Elyonari couldn't help but feel that maybe-just maybe-she was beginning to understand what it meant to care for someone like Vastarael.
She glanced at the reflection of the moons again, the ripples shifting in the water. The night felt a little less heavy, the uncertainty still there, but somehow less daunting.
"You know, the Richinarias are known for being... extremely loyal when it comes to relationships."
She glanced at Elyonari, her eyes sharpening with an understanding that only someone who had lived through the intricacies of their family could convey.
"If you marry a Richinaria, you'll never have to question whether they love you. The issue is never with them. If there's any problem in the relationship, it's not the Richinaria spouse who is at fault. Ever."
Elyonari turned her head slightly, surprised by the vehemence in Adelasta's tone. It was rare for her to sound so passionate about something.
"Really?"
"It's the truth. They take love very seriously. For them, marriage isn't a casual thing. It's not a contract or an arrangement. It's sacred. It's binding, in every sense. The kind of loyalty that's part of the Richinaria bloodline runs deep. If a Richinaria chooses to marry, they do so with everything they have. No halfway, no 'until it's inconvenient.' They have pure undivided loyalty."
Elyonari had heard rumors of the Richinarias' strict views on marriage, but to hear it from someone so intimately connected to them made it feel more realistic.
The idea that someone like Vastarael, with his charm and beauty, could be so committed to those he loved, despite the potential complications, was... surprising, in a way.
"And that's why all the noble families want them, huh?" Elyonari asked after a pause, her voice a little quieter, as if she was still processing. "Because of that loyalty?"
Adelasta let out a small laugh, almost to herself, her gaze returning to the shimmering water.
"Exactly. The Richinarias are the family that everyone else wants to marry into. It's not just because of their Aeterium bloodline, or for political power, but because of that unwavering loyalty. People know they can rely on a Richinaria. If you want a spouse who's going to stick by your side, no matter what... they're the ones."
Adelasta's eyes softened, a rare hint of affection appearing on her face.
"And Vastarael is... well, Vastarael. With his beauty, his heart and his strength, he could have any woman he wants. And he's still bound by the Richinaria loyalty, that's why no matter how many women he might take in his life, he'll never run out of love for any of them."
She tilted her head slightly, almost as if contemplating the idea for a moment.
"It's like his father. He has three wives and not once has he failed in his devotion to them. Vastarael, as the heir, will likely follow that same path. Luckily, I'll be the first wife."
Elyonari was speechless.
"Believe me, Elven Princess, sooner or later, you and I will be talking about how we both like the same person without feeling shy about it. When that day comes, prepare yourself to ward other women away from him. Have a good night rest. We move tomorrow."
Adelasta rose up and left, leaving Elyonari thinking deeply about Adelasta's words. She took a sigh as she looked at the two full moons. It was shocking to her that both of the moons were intact and not shattered like her present.
But where was the third moon?
"Love, huh? I don't think you're right, Adelasta..."