"Mother, wake up!"
Adelheid sprinkled water on Lady Evelyn's face, shaking her frantically, and after what felt like ages, she finally stirred.
Lady Evelyn gasped awake, eyes flying open as she frantically looked around. The moment she saw Adelheid kneeling before her, she grabbed onto the sleeve of her gown.
"We have to prepare!" Lady Evelyn shouted, a wide grin spreading on her lips. "Your wardrobe needs to be changed! Your hair—no, your skin—no, everything! You need to look the part, Adelheid. The part of our future QUEEN!"
Adelheid froze.
Her mother's voice faded into the background, drowned out by the pounding of her own heart.
A queen.
A wife.
A mother.
These duties would constrict every decision she made in the worst ways possible.
She could already see it—her mornings dictated by rituals, her evenings spent as an accessory beside a man who would barely notice her, her worth measured by her ability to bear an heir.
Her voice would only matter when it was sweet, and her thoughts only valuable when they aligned with the King's desires.
And then what?
What would become of her?
Slowly, she reached down and peeled her mother's fingers off her sleeve. "I do not wish to wed the King, mother."
The room instantly fell silent.
Lady Evelyn blinked, once, twice.
Her lips parted slightly as if she might have misheard, but then, slowly, her fingers began to tremble, her expression shifting from disbelief to rage.
"You ungrateful girl!"
Lady Evelyn slapped Adelheid hard across the cheek. The sound echoed through the room as the latter's head jerked to the side, the force of the slap sending her staggering backwards.
For a moment, all Adelheid could hear was the ringing in her ears.
Her fingers twitched at her sides, curling into fists before loosening again. She held back her tears with her might, turning back to face her mother.
Lady Evelyn stood rooted, her chest rising and falling with anger. Her hand was still raised, trembling slightly, as if even she was startled by the force of her own strike.
Adelheid's jaw tightened, but she steadied her voice.
"Are you finished mother?"
Lady Evelyn's nostrils flared. "You—!"
"I will not marry him."
Lady Evelyn's vision blackened. "You speak absolute nonsense! A life in the palace, with power, security, riches beyond your wildest dreams—and you call it a—!"
"A cage." Adelheid held her gaze.
"I will not spend my life being nothing more than a vessel birthing heirs non-stop for the throne. I want to learn, to explore, not a mere ornament at a King's side." She added.
Lady Evelyn gaped at her, her fury momentarily stunned into silence, but then, her lips pressed into a sneer.
"You're a woman, Adelheid. Your world is your husband's world! Your mind should be occupied with how to keep him happy in bed, not foolish ideas about learning and adventure!"
Adelheid expression faltered, her face recoiling, she did not utter another word to her mother, and instead simply turned on her heel and disappeared up the stairs.
‡‡
Days passed. Then weeks.
But Adelheid did not waver.
Her mother tried everything—blackmails, shouting, even locking her up for three days straight without food—but none of it worked. If anything, it only strengthened her resolve.
Still, a question couldn't help but nag at her.
What had changed the King's mind?
That night at the ball, though his words were few, his disinterest had been very clear.
So why, out of all the eligible noblewomen in the Kingdom, had he suddenly decided that she was the one he wanted to condemn to a life of misery?
‡‡
The Next Morning..
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A frantic pounding on the front doors instantly jolted Adelheid awake.
"My lady, ladyship! There is something wrong with Lord Montclair!"
The panicked voice echoed through the halls.
She could hear the footsteps thundering down the halls, followed by the sound of doors being thrown open and closed.
Adelheid immediately threw off the covers, barely managing to put on a robe before rushing out of her room. She met her mother in the hallway, their eyes locking for a brief moment before they both hurried towards the commotion.
But nothing could have prepared them for what they saw at the entryway.
Two footmen currently struggling to support a swaying figure covered in blood.
Lord Edwin Montclair.
Her stepfather.
He was barely standing, his body slumped between the servants. His clothes were torn, his face swollen beyond recognition, the stench of alcohol clung to him.
Lady Evelyn let out a strangled gasp as she ran to her husband's side. "Edwin!"
Adelheid also rushed forward, grabbing onto his arm. She gazed up at the two footmen, panick in her eyes. "What happened?!"
The footmen exchanged uneasy glances before one of them finally spoke.
"We found him near the city watchtower, my lady. He was beaten and abandoned." His voice dropped. "I believe it was.. loan sharks."
Adelheid creased her brows. Loan sharks?
But her stepfather never borrowed money, if only, he detested the very idea of it. He always mentioned how loans were nothing but traps, excuses that kept people from earning their own way.
Lady Evelyn collapsed to her knees beside Lord Edwin, clutching onto his hands. "Edwin, tell me what's going on!"
A broken sob finally left Lord Edwin's lips. His shoulders trembled as he shook his head. "It's over." He murmured. "It's all over."
Adelheid took a steadying breath. "It's not father. Remember the fortune grandmother left me before she passed? We can sell half of it—surely that will be enough to settle the debt."
Lady Evelyn quickly nodded. "Adelheid is right. The sum shouldn't be that large. It should be enough."
Tears welled in Lord Edwin's eyes as he looked between his wife and Adelheid. Slowly, he shook his head again. "I've exceeded the time they gave me. They don't want money anymore." His voice broke.
"They want collateral."
Adelheid's brows furrowed. Collateral?
Nonetheless, she hastily nodded. "If that's what they want father, we can give it to them. We just need to find something of equal value that hasn't been turned into c—"
"Adelheid."
Something in his voice made her stop.
Lord Edwin lifted his gaze, eyes glistening with unshed tears, face contorted with shame.
His next words made the blood drain from her face.
"The collateral is your brother and you."