Chapter 283: A Will
Adeline sat on her bed, fingers clenched around the edge of her blanket, her exhaustion threatening to drag her under. But despite the overwhelming tiredness settling into her bones, she couldn’t sleep—not yet.
She needed answers.
At least now she was hoping to get them. Things have co so far, what was the point of hiding?
"Why did you bring
here?"
A pause. Then, the Goddess answered, her voice quiet but firm.
"So that you can change the ending."
Adeline’s eyes snapped open.
That wasn’t enough.
That wasn’t the answer she wanted.
She shook her head, her frustration bubbling up.
"No. That’s not what I asked." Her voice was sharper now, filled with sothing dangerously close to desperation. "Why did you bring
here?"
The Goddess didn’t respond.
Seconds ticked by.
Adeline’s fingers curled tighter around the blanket, her breathing shallow.
Of course. Silence.
Adeline let out a bitter laugh. "Right. You don’t even know, do you?"
Finally, the Goddess spoke again.
"You are special to ... That is why I brought you here."
Adeline’s frown deepened.
Special?
What the hell did that even an?
"How?" she demanded. "How am I special? We only t when I ca into this world. I don’t know you."
There was another pause. Then—
"No, Adeline... You just... You are special to ."
Adeline’s frustration only grew. "That’s not an answer."
The Goddess’s voice was hesitant now, uncertain. "And as for our relationship... I cannot tell you. These are things I can’t reveal just yet."
Adeline felt her throat tighten.
That was it? That was all she was going to say?
She could feel her hands trembling. Whether it was from anger, exhaustion, or sothing else, she wasn’t sure.
Her chest ached.
She wanted to scream. To demand real answers. To force the truth out of this damn deity who kept throwing riddles at her like she was supposed to just accept it.
But she didn’t.
She was too tired.
So instead, she shut her mind off, ignored the Goddess entirely, and let her thoughts wander elsewhere.
She thought about the banquet.
About how wrong everything felt.
The entire event had been extravagant, filled with music, laughter, and endless toasts to the soon-to-be-wedded couple. The Empire had been celebrating Annora and Cassian’s engagent as if it were the greatest blessing in the world.
But Adeline had only felt sick.
She had watched as Cassian stood beside Annora, he looked happy as if this engagent was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Annora had been glowing, smiling sweetly, playing the perfect role of the Empire’s future Empress.
And the Emperor?
The Emperor, who had always been wary of the Holy Temple, who had made it clear that he had no intentions of ever bowing to them, had suddenly changed his stance entirely.
He wanted the wedding to happen as soon as possible.
Adeline clenched her jaw.
Why?
Why had he changed his mind?
As far as she knew, the Emperor wasn’t under their control. He wasn’t soone who could be easily manipulated—not like Cassian, not like the nobles who blindly followed whatever benefitted them.
So what happened?
Had sothing shifted behind the scenes?
Or was this a decision the Emperor had made of his own free will?
Adeline didn’t know.
And right now?
Right now, she was too damn exhausted to figure it out.
She let out a slow breath, pushing the thought aside.
She just wanted a good night’s sleep.
Alaric sat in the dimly lit study, flipping through reports with a detached expression. His patience was already thin from dealing with Richmond and Carl’s uninvited presence in his ho.
He knew they were up to sothing—they were always up to sothing—but he hadn’t expected them to approach him again so soon. They did not bother keeping up the act for a few more days.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
Without waiting for permission, Richmond and Carl entered.
Alaric didn’t bother looking up.
"What do you want?"
Richmond smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "We want to offer you a deal."
Alaric finally glanced up, unimpressed. "You have nothing I want."
Carl chuckled, taking a seat across from him while his father remained standing. "Oh, we wouldn’t be so sure about that."
Alaric narrowed his eyes. "Get to the point."
Richmond stepped forward, placing both hands on the desk as he leaned in slightly. "We have sothing that belonged to your mother."
Alaric’s fingers stilled against the page he was holding.
So this was their ga.
Alaric let out a quiet scoff. "That’s the tactic you’re using?"
Carl smirked, too self-assured for his own good. "It’s not a tactic. It’s the truth."
Alaric leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze assessing them. "What belongings of my mother do you have?"
Richmond and Carl exchanged a look. Then, Richmond straightened and shook his head. "We won’t reveal that unless you agree to help us."
Alaric sneered. "So you expect
to blindly promise my assistance without even knowing if you have anything of worth?"
Carl sighed as if Alaric was the one being difficult. "It’s not sothing trivial, Lord Alaric. It’s sothing that should concern you deeply."
Alaric drumd his fingers against the desk. "If you were telling the truth, you’d have no problem showing
proof. The fact that you’re playing gas makes
believe you have nothing at all."
Richmond’s jaw tightened. "Watch your tone, boy—"
"Or what?" Alaric interrupted coldly. "You’ll throw another empty threat my way?"
Richmond’s hands curled into fists. His temper had never been the most stable.
Carl, however, remained calm, watching Alaric carefully before speaking again.
"We have her diary."
The words sent an unpleasant jolt through Alaric’s chest.
He kept his face neutral. "Is that so?"
Carl nodded. "And her will."
Alaric frowned.
His mother’s will?
That was impossible. Her will should have been here... Not with them.
Alaric didn’t trust them. Not for a second.
But—if there was even a sliver of truth to their words...
He needed to see it for himself.
He exhaled slowly, feigning indifference. "You expect
to believe you sohow got your hands on my mother’s personal belongings, including her will?"
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