Didn't sleep well.

After Adeline left, the three people remained quiet for a moment, until the other man broke the silence.

"She's the one, huh? Your wife?" He teased, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Solanine smiled, but Sylvan's lips twitched and no one gave him an answer. But it was obvious so he didn't ask again.

"Well, she's pretty and…" he trailed off when he received a glare from Sylvan and he laughed, raising his hands in the air.

"But it's strange," said the man as they started walking to Sylvan's room. "I couldn't sense her presence at all."

Solanine nodded, silently agreeing with him because it really was strange. It was like the woman didn't even have a scent. Or was she using something to cover it?

Sylvan on the other hand remained silent, as if the discussion had nothing to do with him.

Meanwhile, Adeline walked back into her room feeling drained and confused. She placed the jug on the table in the sitting area, then walked back to the bed, but instead of jumping on it, she stood there staring at the wall dazedly.

Questions, questions and more questions. But amidst the questions, it was like she was beginning to get some clarity. Or maybe it was clear from the start, but she had just been refusing to see it. Solanine and Sylvan weren't just friends. They were way more than that and they didn't even try so hard to hide it. And that was the reason they were laughing and talking in the middle of the night when everyone else was as asleep. That was why Solanine, despite not having a very important identity, had her own room on the second floor. That was why she was always around.

Wait… did the King know? Was that why they were all so friendly with her?

Still standing at the edge of the bed, Adeline brought her hand up to her face and started playing with a lock of her hair, still deep in thought.

Despite laying out all the possibilities of the questionable relationship between Sylvan and Solanine, Adeline still had more and more questions in her mind. Like why he would go ahead and marry her when he already had another woman.

According to Katherine, Solanine had been friends with the Lowell family for a long time. So if that was the case, why couldn't they marry each other? Or was it because the Crown Prince needed a woman with status?

Adeline's shoulders slouched, a tired sigh leaving her lips. She clawed a hand through her hair, letting it rest at the top of her head.

Sleep had already eluded her, and she was almost certain that she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.

The realization didn't even hurt her because she and Sylvan were only recently married and she didn't really have feelings towards him, but it still bothered her.

She paced back and forth for a few minutes, then decided to lay down and let the matter rest for now because she wouldn't get her answers from walking around the room. But she would definitely get her answers the next morning.

The next morning found Adeline asleep, but only for a few hours because most of her night had been spent thinking and wondering.

When Katherine came to wake her up, she was half asleep but still reluctant to get out of bed.

"Good morning," Katherine greeted, pulling the curtains aside and opening the windows.

Adeline put a hand over her eyes to avoid the glaring sun, groaning in disapproval at Katherine.

"Looks like you didn't sleep well," Katherine commented, moving around the room for god knows what. "Did you spend the night reading?" She asked, pointing towards the books on the bedside table, and the open one sprawled over her pillow.

Adeline didn't respond and just sighed, pulling up the covers.

Katherine summoned the maids standing outside to prepare Adeline's bath, among them Rosa and Judy. She then walked back to the bed and forcefully pulled the covers from Adeline's firm grasp.

In response, Adeline groaned. "It's not a busy today, is it?" She asked with her eyes squinted and a frown on her lips.

"It is not. But… as a queen of this land, it is not a good image for you to be sleeping till late, Adeline," he addressed her informally, which made Adeline's eyes narrow. It was unacceptable for a servant to address their master by their name, even though Katherine wasn't just any ordinary servant, but it sounded so natural that Adeline didn't find anything wrong with it.

Her mind replayed what Katherine said and her lips twitched, knowing she was right. It was not a good thing to portray a lazy attitude when she just moved here. If it was back in her father's house, she would spend the entire day locked up in her room. But she had to remind herself that this was not Grimwood. This was Darkfrost, and she was married to the crown prince. She would be Queen some day. She was now Adeline Sage Lowell.

Shaking her head, she swung her legs off the bed and walked to the bathroom.

Rosa helped her with her bath, while they talked about the fight they had witnessed in the training grounds.

"I still can't believe that's training. It was as though they had some scores to settle," remarked Rosa as she rinsed Adeline's hair.

"I thought so too. But what really surprised me was Sylvan didn't have any bandages on his chest when I saw him," said Adeline.

"Mmh. Maybe he just doesn't want to appear as a weakling."

"Pfft. If that is so then he must be very stupid," Adeline scoffed and Rosa chuckled, amused.

"Oh, speaking of Sylvan. I noticed the two of you don't really… interact well," begun Rosa, then lowered her voice and leaned into Adeline. "Did you already consumate?" She asked in a whisper and Adeline's face immediately turned red.

Her eyes darted around, before she slapped Rosa's hand away from her shoulder. "W–what kind of question is that?" She stammered.

Rosa bit her bottom lip to suppress a giggle when she saw Adeline's embarrassment, but her smile was wide and her eyes sparked with interest.

"Did you or did you not?" She persisted.

"No. We didn't," Adeline gave a short reply, trying to brush off the topic but Rosa was hellbent on teasing her.

"Aah, don't worry. It's bound to happen sooner or later. Just remember, if you need to know something… anything, just come to me okay? I'm at your service," she offered with a smile and a dramatic bow.

Adeline didn't respond, and instead shifted the conversation to the coronation. All the servants had been informed so Rosa already knew.

"Do you think your family will be invited? I mean they should, right?" She asked, holding out a towel for Adeline as she stepped out of the tub.

"I hope so. I can't believe I haven't seen them in almost a week. I miss them already," replied Adeline.

They walked out together and found Katherine seated in the sitting area, one leg crossed over the other leisurely, her face buried in a book.

"King Roderick seems to be a kind and considerate man, so there's a high possibility they'll come," Rosa said, closing the bathroom door behind her.

When she noticed Katherine sitting on the other side, she paused for a second, then walked ahead.

Katherine didn't look up from the book and acted as if she was the only one in the room so Adeline put on her undergarments as usual, then Rosa helped her with the other clothes.

Once she was fully dressed, she sat at the dressing table and Rosa combed and styled her hair quietly. It was as if their liberty to talk was snatched away by the mere presence of Katherine in the room.

When it was all done, Katherine finally put the book aside, folding the page she was reading and putting back on the bookshelf. She turned to Adeline with an empty smile.

"Breakfast?" She offered and started walking to the door, but Adeline stopped her midway.

"Umm, wait. There's something I wanted to ask you," She said hesitantly and Katherine turned around, giving her a quizzical look.

Adeline fiddled with her fingers, wondering what was the right way to phrase her question. Sensing her unease, Rosa also raised her head, her eyebrows raised quizzically.

"Uh… are men in the Lowell family allowed to have concubines?" She asked with much difficulty, and silence followed after her question.