1 Unexpected Invitation

*~*~*~*~*~*

Adelia's eyes had widened beyond belief as her gaze fixed on the raised platform where the emperor stood with a broad smile.

'Wedding…?' she echoed in her head in a daze. 'Why…? Why now? It's too soon! It's far too soon!'

She fought the urge to reach for her hair and pull at it and her hands only clenched into fists at her sides as she trembled slightly.

Her eyes were almost tearing up… but no… she wouldn't cry, she couldn't cry!

She had agreed to get engaged to Raegan, after all. To marry him.

So why… why in the world was she feeling so heartbroken at this announcement?

She was supposed to be happy!

*~*~*~*~*~*

"So large…" A plump woman said quietly as she hurriedly walked long halls. "Where on earth is she?!"

Her hair was a dark sheen of brown, and her eyes were a bright shade of hazel. Despite her considerable weight, her face gave off motherly kindness.

Her eyes darted left and right in search of something as she held up her skirt deftly and continued to move as quickly as her stubby legs would allow.

How long had she been walking? Minutes? Hours? She could hardly tell. It could very well have been a couple of days—who knew?

She was in search of a young lady and she had almost circled the entire perimeter of the estate, asking every servant she saw about the girl's whereabouts, but to no avail.

It was starting to seem like her search would end in vain, and her legs couldn't have been more tired than they had ever been.

What if the young mistress had already left the grounds? She was unpredictable like that sometimes.

The woman sighed…

She remembered the castle halls as almost always empty, but they had become rather busy and crowded in the past few years.

Ever since a long journey ten years ago, the Duke and Duchess had deemed it safe enough to bring back all the servants they had initially dismissed after their daughter's birth.

And With that decision came the difficulty of finding her.

Initially, the young miss would often spend her free time locked up in her chambers or outside in the garden. She was not used to having so many people around.

So she would normally be found behind a flower patch with her companion, either sleeping or reading a book, or she would be somewhere in the estate's training grounds, practicing her archery.

But today, she was in neither of those places. The woman huffed angrily.

'What other hiding place has she found now?!'

A few moments later, she reached a quiet place in the castle grounds, where large apple trees were grown—the orchard.

She spotted a lovely young woman in a sleek white dress; her lush auburn hair fell to her back in rich waves, and her pale skin glistened softly like porcelain under the gentle rays of light filtering through the leaves and branches.

The young miss sat comfortably at the foot of a large tree, taking advantage of its shade. She was engrossed in a book—a tome rather—that was considerably larger than her usual ones.

A bow and quiver lay by her side, and on her lap rested the head of a large dog...

'No. It's a wolf, not a dog,' the woman reminded herself. 'She would raise hell if I said otherwise.'

Adelia leaned back against the tree, interested in one of her favorite books. She had heard shuffling from a distance earlier, but she was so engrossed in the book's pages that she hardly noticed someone had discovered her new hiding place.

A few seconds later, she felt aware of the person's presence and stiffened. Then she peeked at the visitor from behind her large book and saw that it was exactly the person she was afraid it would be—her nanny.

Her nose twitched slightly at the sight of her, and she quickly pulled her face back behind her book, as if it were enough to hide the rest of her.

"I saw that!" The woman called breathlessly as she approached. "I have spent almost the whole day searching the entire castle for you!"

Adelia laughed softly from behind her oversized book. "Goodness, Saya, is that why you're so out of breath?" She teased. "You wouldn't be breathing so hard if you just exercised more."

Saya halted just inches from her, panting. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath. "I am tired because I am only human, My Lady. The work I have in managing you is enough exercise for me, thank you very much."

The young lady brought down her book and looked up at her maid with bright emerald green eyes and a small smile. "What do you mean by that?" She sulked. "I am not so difficult to handle."

"You cannot say that of yourself, My Lady," Saya told her. "Only someone who has watched and known you can do that." She huffed and shook her head. "Hah… the stress I had to go through to find you today…"

"Now, Saya, don't be so sour," Adelia smiled at her. "You've found me, haven't you?"

"After searching the entire castle? Yes…" Saya said grudgingly.

Adelia laughed again and petted the wolf slumbering peacefully on her lap. "It couldn't have been the 'entire' castle," she said. "But all that matters is that you've found me. What would you have done if you had searched the 'entire' castle to no avail? I could have been out, you know."

Saya wrinkled her nose at the way she emphasized that one word, prompting a stifled laugh from the young miss.

"...You're right," she responded apathetically. "I suppose I should be satisfied enough that all my time and energy did not go to waste."

"Indeed, you should," the young lady agreed with a nod.

"Why, you—" Saya started, but instantly decided against it. It was always futile to argue with her. The girl always had something to say.

Saya finally sighed. "Why in heaven's name are you so far out? Normally, you would be in—" She paused as her hazel eyes found the rest of the orchard.

Apples were scattered about. Some were pierced through with arrows, while a few lucky ones remained unharmed. On the grass lay broken arrow shafts littered around.

Saya wrinkled her nose again in displeasure. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked, her gaze fixed on the wreckage.

Adelia followed her line of sight. "Oh," she exclaimed quietly. "It's umm… the result of my practice."

"Your practice…" The woman mused, her eyes burning with something familiar as they found the bow and quiver by her side once again. "I hope you are willing to explain this to the Duke."

Adelia pursed her lips as she looked up at her nanny wearily. "I… I will try…?"

Saya took a deep breath, and the young mistress winced, readying herself for what was to come.

"What were you thinking when you came out here without informing anyone?! What if there was an emergency? No one would have been able to find you in time!" The woman admonished. "And to think that you would cause so much damage to this place! Where is your decorum as a lady?!"

"Saya… if you would just breathe for a moment and…" The young mistress' voice wavered at the sudden outburst.

"Go on," Saya prompted, interrupting her. "Do make your excuse, but I certainly hope you do not tell me it was because of that beast."

"Don't be so quick to blame Meryl!" Adelia chided. "I brought her out of my own will to let her rest in the fields and watch as I practiced. But I got bored of the targets and wandered here instead. I just got a little distracted and stayed here longer than I should have."

"So, it wasn't because of her then," her maid breathed. "I suppose it is better to make a decision on your own than to let a mere beast influence you!" She paused. "But honestly, what was the Duke thinking when he let you keep this wild animal?"

"Meryl is not a wild animal! She is my beloved pet, and she is well-trained," Adelia protested, wrapping her slender arms around the canine's neck. "And of course, Father let me keep her; she was just a lonely injured pup in a forest full of vile creatures!"

"How many times must I tell you, My Lady," Saya reminded her. "Giving an animal a name is ridiculous."

"It is not. Giving her a name means I have welcomed her as family, and Meryl is family."

"If you were to say that to anyone other than me, they would dismiss it as silly," her maid sighed again. "Well, it doesn't matter. You never listen to me anyway."

"Don't say it like that, Saya," the young lady pouted. "You make me sound incredibly disobedient."

"Are you not?" her maid asked.

"I am not," Adelia stated curtly.

"Of course you aren't," Saya relented. "But this silly argument is not why I searched the whole castle for you."

"I suppose it is not," Adelia agreed. "Then why? Did Father or Mother call for me?"

"No," the woman responded and rummaged through the large pockets of her dress. After a little while, she pulled out a small scroll.

"A message addressed to you was delivered earlier. It is from the palace."

"From the palace?" Adelia thought aloud. "What could it possibly be about? It isn't time for the seasonal ball yet, is it?"

She gently took the scroll from Saya's grasp and unrolled it.

Adelia's lips pursed, and her expression grew wearier with every second she spent examining the letter. A few moments later, she handed the parchment back to Saya.

Saya took it and read through it as well, her face lighting up with every line she read.

"A banquet?" Saya asked herself as she read on. Then, slowly, a wide smile curved her lips. "This is wonderful, My Lady!" She exclaimed in excitement. "Prince Raegan has personally invited you to his banquet! Who would have thought the Emperor would host one for him?!"

Adelia remained silent for a while. "...I do not wish to go," she stated flatly.

Her maid's face fell at the immediate refusal. "But, My Lady," she started, "it would be discourteous of you not to attend! He has personally invited you!"

"That doesn't make any difference. I will handle it like I have handled every other invitation from the palace," Adelia told her. "The only thing different is that I will not be attending this one."

"My Lady... he is your fiancé!"

"I have made up my mind, and nothing you say will change it, Saya."

Adelia furrowed her brows. It was never a good sign when he sent her letters personally; he was not 'asking' her, he was 'telling' her to attend the banquet.

This was the second time he had sent her a message like this. That fact was not welcome to her, not in the slightest.

'I hate this,' she thought. 'Why do I have to go? It's never a good thing whenever he summons me like this...' She bit her lip subtly and lightly clenched the folds of her dress.

What he had called her for the first time had been shocking enough... what did he want now?

Saya apparently didn't notice her young lady's silent dilemma and proceeded with her initial argument. "My Lady, please reconsider—"

"How many times must I say it for you to understand?" Adelia interrupted coolly, her green eyes taking on a dangerous sheen. "I do not wish to go, and that is final."

Her nanny pursed her lips. "My Lady..." she tried.

The wolf slumbering on Adelia's lap jerked its head up, fully awake, as if sensing its owner's discomfort. Meryl nuzzled her cheek affectionately, and she ruffled its fur in response. She turned her attention to the plump woman.

"I would like to be alone for now," she told her. "We can discuss this later."

Saya gave her a small curtsy. "Yes, My Lady," she responded and promptly took her leave.