Chapter 188 - Wandering The Streets
Adeline woke up in a daze. Her vision felt blurry and her legs carried themselves out of the bed. She didn't even feel like she had just woken up. Instead, it felt like she was dreaming when she pushed the blankets off, placed on shoes, and wandered out of the bedroom.
Adeline was only conscious that her body was walking, but to where? She didn't know. It felt the same when she was near the tower and her body acted on its own accord to walk up the staircase. She was completely unaware of Elias who had fallen asleep sitting by the bedside, nor did she feel the chilly wind of the garden.
"Come, child…"
Adeline let herself be guided towards the same tower again, up the staircase, until she stopped before a door. Then, she blanked and swayed, her vision suddenly clearing itself.
"Where?" Adeline breathed out, glancing around in confusion. All she recalled was waking up, and then, all of a sudden she was in the tower again. This time, the doors were cracked open a bit, allowing light to seep into the darkness.
"There you are," a tired voice said. "Don't just stand by the door, come in."
Adeline stiffened at Dorothy's voice, but did as she was told. She stepped into the room, her eyes sweeping over this place, realizing there was really nothing here. There was a table and two chairs by the window, a large bed, bookshelves, and strange bottles on a nightstand.
"Don't look so confused, child," Dorothy mused, tilting her head. The resemblance to her mother was insane.
"You look like your mother," Dorothy said. "I remember meeting her like it was yesterday—the girl who went against her own destiny."
Adeline's gaze snapped to Dorothy.
"She wasn't supposed to marry your father. The Heavens forbade it and I warned her there would be severe consequences, but she didn't listen," Dorothy lamented with a wistful sigh.
"And now, look what happened to her. She had a painful death, watching her husband take her life before her own. Then, she leaves behind her little girl, all alone in a world of monsters that feasted on her blood," Dorothy mused, like she was telling a funny joke.
Dorothy's gaze flew to Adeline's neck. The fang marks of a vampire's bite always disappeared within a day. But Dorothy knew the King drank from his wife. Poor little Adeline didn't realize she had become food for not only her husband, but also her children.
"My mother was happy," Adeline coldly said, her lips digging downwards. "Who are you to determine the works of fate?"
"Stupid, stupid girl," Dorothy sighed again, before gesturing for Adeline to take a seat.
"Did you guide me here?" Adeline asked, ignoring the suggestion. "It happened before."
Dorothy paused. She shifted her gaze towards Adeline, who stood by the door with an apprehensive expression. "Elias inherited the trait to warp perspectives from me. I was the one who taught him all that he knows."
Adeline suddenly remembered that part of Elias. He had done it before, on the dance floor, where only people of his kind witnessed their first dance. She swallowed. What a terrifying power. No wonder they were the family that ruled Wraith.
"Perhaps your children will inherit the same traits," Dorothy said. "Though, it'll be unfortunate as I wouldn't be here to teach them, and their father would despise them too much to even look at them."
Adeline had so many questions. Who and what exactly was Dorothy? "H-how did you know—"
"I hear four heartbeats in this room," Dorothy listlessly said.
Adeline felt like Dorothy was staring directly into her soul, those blood-red eyes filled with too much wisdom for this world. If Dorothy heard those heartbeats, then did that mean Elias heard it too? Most likely not, if he seemed surprised during the check-up.
"Obviously two belongs to us, then… who would the other two belong to?" Dorothy added on. Seeing the child's disapproval, she chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Why don't you sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea with me? It is a full moon, and my tower has the best view of the sky," Dorothy said, nodding to the chair beside her.
Adeline felt like she should return to her bedroom, but she was too curious about the knowledge that Dorothy possessed. Thus, she obliged, took a seat, but didn't touch the warm cup of tea placed in front of her.
"Cautious that I poisoned your drink?" Dorothy teased.
Adeline remained aloof. She turned her attention to the window, and sure enough, the view was breathtaking.
"You and my grandson are going against fate as well," Dorothy stated, taking a sip of the soothing chamomile. "The King was supposed to be with the Golden Rose."
Lydia.
Adeline's heart raced at the thought of her best friend in the arms of her husband. It ached at the thought of Elias softly c.a.r.e.s.sing Lydia's face the way he did to her whilst teasing Lydia for whatever she said. Her c.h.e.s.t burned with jealousy.
"And now, both of you are paying for the consequences of your actions," Dorothy muttered, glancing at Adeline's stomach. In the white gown she wore, her stomach was showing a bit more now.
"How long have you lived?" Adeline asked, turning to Dorothy. "Enough to know the first Queen of Wraith?"
Dorothy paused. "I was just a child," she admitted. "When the Queen was crowned, but she was a lovely little human with the face of a goddess. It was no wonder men went to war for her."
Adeline remembered snippets of the First War. It was before the Species War in the modern era. The First War occurred centuries ago, when carriages ruled the streets, and men would kill when they found their wife warming the bed of another.
"Her pregnancy," Adeline murmured. "Do you remember how—"
"It was a complicated birth," Dorothy said. "Much like the one you'd go through, but the child lived. Though, I do not know or remember how she did it."
Adeline's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She was hoping to learn how the first Queen did it.
"With how advanced technology has become, I thought I'd have a better chance," Adeline said, trying her best to hide the hurt in her voice.
"Well, not many Pure-Bloods in this world were foolish enough to breed with a human. You are probably the second recorded case since the first Queen," Dorothy mused. "How amusing would it be if you and my grandson were the reincarnations of the first Queen and King of Wraith?"
Dorothy glanced at Adeline, with her beautiful face that could've launched a war. Dorothy heard Weston had been looking around for Pure-Bloods with O blood, and of course, they've located two in the East. With Elias's nature, war would be waged if need be.
"They say the first King and Queen had the greatest romance in history," Dorothy added on, highly entertained by the thought. So many love stories were written about them.
"And that they were the template for love stories. Every other relationship after them was trying to imitate theirs," Dorothy concluded.
Adeline knew that as well. As a child, her mother would read her bedtime stories about the fantasized version of the first Queen and King's romance. There is not a single little girl in Wraith who had never heard of their great tale of love and war.
"Then, did the First Queen live?" Adeline asked.
Dorothy remained silent.
Adeline's heart dropped. She thought the Queen did, but the records weren't well-kept. All of the books spoke about how virtuous the Queen was, how powerful she was for a woman, and her wits that knew no bounds. None of them spoke about her pregnancy or the events afterward.
"I don't remember," Dorothy finally said. "I was less than five years old when I met her, and I've lived for centuries, watching carriages turn into cars, dirt roads into pavements, and housewives into employees."
Adeline frowned and continued to look out the window. She didn't think she'd sit here with Dorothy, over a cup of tea, discussing history.
"Seeing you so adamant to walk down the path of your mother humors me," Dorothy added on, her lips curling upwards. "History is repeating itself before my very eyes."
Adeline calmly turned to Dorothy, knowing that was a provocative jab. "We'll see if you'd live long enough to witness it repeat."
Dorothy suddenly laughed, the sound old and ripe like an ancient tree in the forest. She didn't expect the little human to have the guts of her grandson. How intriguing.
"I still do not support your relationship with my grandson," Dorothy said. "His parents died when he was just a boy. I've raised him like my own, and I'd like to see him not go through pain."
Adeline remembered hearing about Elias's parents. His mother had been terrified that he didn't have any powers, despite being a Pure-Blood. She had experimented on her young son, resulting in his loss of loving emotions that stemmed from the heart. His mother got what she wanted—a powerful son, but one that didn't love her, for he had lost the ability to love.
"But seeing his rebellious stage, I wouldn't mind a little bit of pain," Dorothy deadpanned. She turned to Adeline, knowing this small thing was the harbinger of his agony.
"You will not survive this birth, Adeline," Dorothy said. "But your children might. Even if they do survive, I wouldn't be surprised if Elias murdered them out of retaliation."
Adeline was terrified.
"Perhaps the pain would be too much to bear with," Dorothy noted. "And Elias would erase his memories of you, which meant he'd forget this complication, and how hard you've begged to keep the child. He'd view his own children as strangers, ones that he'd kick out of the palace, to be left wandering the streets."
Dorothy lifted the cup of tea to her mouth and smirked. "Then all of your hard work would be futile."
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