Tainted Blood

Even an hour after her nanny had left, Adelia remained under the shade of the large tree for a while longer. She absentmindedly stroked Meryl's fur as the unexpected invitation remained in her thoughts.

What was she going to do? She had already made it known to Saya that she did not wish to go, but it was obviously just a bluff—a snide statement made in the spur of the moment.

But she would have to attend, of course. If she didn't, it would be no less than an embarrassment to the Veldon house. Refusing a direct invitation from a member of the imperial family was considered treason...

Saya appeared upset, more saddened by her sudden outburst than her unexpected refusal to honor the invitation. Adelia sincerely would have preferred to express her refusal in a more polite way.

But it wasn't her fault, was it? What was she to do? Her good mood had fell drastically the moment she laid eyes on that letter.

Adelia remembered the first day she met him, the infamous second Prince of the Dalniar Empire. It was indeed one of the happiest days of her life, after, of course, the day she had gotten her freedom...

She finally felt like a normal child, but noble. Like the characters she read about in books—ones who would go around causing mischief. They didn't do it alone; it was always with a friend.

A friend with whom she could cause mischief—that was what she imagined her and Raegan would be like.

But to her disappointment, he seemed far too gentle, and she would have never imagined things turning out as complicated as they were now.

Adelia did not love him. They were still only friends—friends who were about to be wed; not that she had any choice in the matter.

She remembered the first time the topic had come up, and how she had reacted when he brought it to her attention.

They sat in a corner of the palace's large garden, where the flowers seemed to bloom the most, sipping fragrant tea as they usually did.

Raegan was not one for thrills, so Adelia usually had to accompany him for events like this whenever she came to visit. It was not as interesting as hunting or reading a book, but she always indulged him.

They had just finished reminiscing about the first time they had met. It was at a small festival held in a town in the Veldon Duchy, the first event she had ever attended after stepping outside the suffocating walls of her castle.

It was a pleasant encounter, one that would unconsciously come to her mind whenever she was idle.

But she didn't really enjoy the discussion because Raegan had been spacing out in-between conversations the entire time. She took another sip of her tea and placed the cup gently on the table.

"You mentioned there was something you wished to discuss, Raegan," she voiced, trying to draw his attention. "Isn't it about time I heard of it?"

Raegan looked far off for a moment, but her question quickly brought him back to the present.

"Ah..." he mused. "I did say something like that, didn't I?"

Adelia furrowed her brows at him. "Is something the matter? You don't seem grounded today."

He nodded. "I suppose I don't. My apologies."

"Care to share your thoughts with me?"

Raegan stared at her for a while, then nodded again.

"I... I have been thinking about something for a while now... something I want to accomplish as soon as possible." He paused, and his gaze blanked for a moment. "Although it seems like a foolish dream for someone like me, I have thought about it, and with your help, I am sure I will be able to realize it."

Adelia's eyes widened for a moment, then she smiled. "Rarely do you speak of something you want to do. Are you the same Prince Raegan I know?"

For as long as she had known him, Raegan had never regarded himself as someone who could accomplish anything. It always worried her when he thought like that.

So her earlier reaction was somewhat understandable; for him to speak of something like this now was a little strange, but it gave her a sense of relief.

The prince returned her gesture with a small one of his own. "I assure you that I am the same Raegan you know."

"Did I ever say you weren't?" she feigned ignorance as she sipped her tea, as if she had not asked the question in the first place. "Of course you are. You couldn't be anyone else."

Raegan laughed softly at her statement, prompting her emerald gaze to focus on him.

"So tell me," she urged. "What is this goal you speak of?"

A deep crease formed between the prince's brows, and his expression quickly turned serious. "I'm afraid I can't tell you... not yet."

"Not yet?" Adelia echoed as she held up her teacup, taking another sip of the liquid. "If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to help you?"

"I assure you that you can, even without knowing," he told her, then his gaze lowered. "...Getting married to me should be more than enough for now," he added in a small voice, one that couldn't possibly be heard by a normal person.

But Adelia wasn't normal; she had never been despite being a witch. Her parents kept her locked up in the castle for that reason.

The young lady almost choked on her tea. "What...?" she asked in astonishment, her fingers tightening around the delicate cup.

Raegan looked up at her in surprise. "You... heard me?"

"I... I..." Adelia stuttered, searching for an excuse. She had never been good at lying. "Yes, I heard you."

Raegan wanted to ask 'how,' but the look on her face took priority, and his eyebrows furrowed sadly.

"Is the thought of marrying me that deplorable to you?" he asked.

He knew he was only a prince in name alone, with no standing in the imperial family whatsoever for he was of tainted blood. The imperial family consisted of witches, and unlike his siblings, Raegan was not a pure witch.

His mother, who was a mistress to the emperor, was purely human, without an ounce of power, and it appeared to have affected him as well.

He could hardly cast spells properly, and the density of his aura was next to nothing. People mocked him for it, but Adelia was the only one who accepted him for who he was, despite being of pure blood herself.

The thought of her not wanting to marry him opened wounds he didn't even know he had.

"I didn't say that," she responded.

"The look on your face says otherwise."

Adelia looked up at him, realizing that her noble composure had collapsed. Her fingers tightened even more around the teacup, prompting a low crackling sound.

The sound apparently brought her back to her senses, and she stared down at the ceramic in alarm.

She quickly placed the cup back on the table, hoping that the crack she had made would not be too visible.

She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Getting married to you does not seem the least bit deplorable to me, Raegan," she assured him. "Your words only took me by surprise."

"I see," the prince mused. "I expected that. I was dreading how to ask you about it. It seems lucky that I didn't have to ask you directly."

Adelia gave him a faint smile. She couldn't imagine accepting his ridiculous proposal. They were friends, for goodness sake.

The idea of friends getting married was not foreign to her—nobles often did it. But that wasn't what she wanted.

She would give anything to help him, but...

Her fingers fiddled nervously with her dress under the table.

"Adelia..." Raegan called gently, drawing her attention to him. "...What do you say?" he asked quietly.

The young lady bit down on her lower lip. "I... I don't know," she told him. "This is too sudden..."

In contrast to her words, the second Prince of the Dalniar Empire rose from his chair and approached her. He came to a halt by her side and fell to one knee, extending his right palm towards her.

The action took Adelia by surprise; her eyes widened as she moved her chair a few inches back. "What are you doing?!"

Her childhood friend's lips curled up in a nervous smile. "I am making my proposal official."

She turned her face away uncomfortably. "There is no need for it. This gesture is... unnecessary," she told him. "...You do not love me, so why do you want me to marry you?"

Raegan did not put down his outstretched palm. "It is true that I do not love you," he agreed. "But I admire and respect you. Isn't that enough to live as a married couple?"

Adelia turned back to him, squeezing the folds of her dress. "...It is, but—"

The prince's gaze softened. "Be my wife, Adelia," he urged. "I promise to give you anything you desire... anything."

Her eyes bored into him doubtfully. "You say that as if you are in a position to give me anything I want..."

Raegan smiled with as much confidence as he could muster. "You would be surprised by what I am able to give you."

Adelia studied him. Raegan wasn't a liar; he would have no reason to lie to her. If he said he could do something, he could, and if he said he couldn't, he was being sincere.

But now, she couldn't help but feel a little doubtful...

She closed her eyes and let out a breath. "Would you give me some time to consider this?"

Raegan stared blankly at her for a while, then he smiled and nodded, taking back his outstretched palm. "Take as long as you need, Adelia," he told her. "...I truly hope you return to me with a positive answer."

Adelia had stopped stroking Meryl's fur somewhere along the line as she reminisced. She had taken time to think about his proposal, and in the end, she did return to him with a positive answer, though not in the way he had expected.

She sighed; the banquet be damned. It was still two months away. She had plenty of time to decide if she would attend or not.

Adelia reached for Meryl's fur again, but the canine swiftly got to her feet, prompting a confused stare from her.

Meryl was a very large wolf, about four feet tall when standing on all her limbs. Her fur was a lovely mixture of gray and black, and her eyes were a brilliant blue, like sapphires.

Adelia had never seen eyes as blue as those, except for that one time...

The canine nuzzled her owner's hair urgently, and the young lady instantly understood what her beloved pet wanted.

"You're hungry already?" Adelia asked in surprise. "But it isn't even noon yet. There won't be any food for you now."

The wolf's normally upright ears fell, and she gave her owner the saddest, most adorable look she could muster.

Adelia laughed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Alright, shall we go hunting then?" she asked. "We can find you food there, since there wouldn't be any in the kitchen."

Meryl's face lit up instantly, and she panted in excitement, nudging her owner to stand quickly.

"Yes, yes," she giggled. "I'm standing. Can't you be a little patient?"

Adelia quickly got to her feet, dusted herself off, and picked up her bow. She hung her quiver over her shoulder and picked up her book, then she and her companion left the grassy expanse and headed towards the stables...

Very unaware of the eyes that watched them.