Chapter 53
How long had it been since she last thought of Roem? She couldn’t even remember anymore. It was pathetic that she was trying to find traces of her brother in a man she had never seen before, one who looked nothing like him.
And yet…
The simple fact that she was speaking to someone who wasn’t Killian comforted her. For that brief moment, she could forget the hell she was living in.
As Adelaide gave a faint smile at the thought of her brother, Fabian let out an exaggerated sigh and smiled along with her.
“I couldn’t very well come empty-handed to meet you, so I brought a gift.”
A gift? Adelaide blinked slowly. Her gaze instinctively swept over Fabian, seated across from her.
He hadn’t brought anything into the audience chamber with him. Did that mean he intended to send something later? She was grateful for the thought, but there was nothing she needed here.
“Of course, I’m aware that Your Highness lacks for nothing while residing in the imperial palace. What I’ve brought is something you cannot obtain here.”
Fabian said with a gentle smile after sipping his tea.
“Let me be direct. How much do you trust Killian?”
The question shattered the fragile illusion of calm, dragging Adelaide back into reality in an instant.
Startled, her body stiffened where she sat, and her gaze darted to the maid standing quietly in the corner.
A servant of the Crown Prince. His person.
She had been there under the pretense of serving tea—but in truth, she was also a watcher, someone meant to report everything that happened here.
“W-what… do you mean by that?”
“I’ve heard that Killian forced this marriage and used your family’s safety as leverage. And yet, since entering the palace, you haven’t been allowed to see them even once. That’s why I ask—how much do you trust him?”
“I—I don’t… that kind of thing, I…”
Adelaide’s voice faded. Fear surged up so violently that, if she didn’t suppress it, she felt like she might scream for him to stop.
Fabian watched her and smiled gently.
Then, in a calm voice, he called out:
“Marcella. Come here.”
The maid whose name had been called stepped forward to his side. Still trembling, unable to grasp what was happening, Adelaide stared at them.
Fabian slowly raised his hand.
Marcella reached into her garments and produced several neatly arranged letters, placing them in his hand.
“My apologies…I didn’t mean to frighten you. But I needed to confirm your sincerity.”
“What… is this…?”
“The gift I mentioned.”
Smiling, he extended the letters toward her, urging her to check them.
Adelaide’s gaze dropped to the envelopes resting on the table and her eyes widened. Familiar names were written on them.
“Th-this is my brother’s…”
“Yes. Letters written in the hand of the young Count Eport himself. It seems he’s quite worried about his sister.”
Before he could even finish speaking, Adelaide tore one open.
It was Roem’s handwriting. There were others, too—letters from the Count and Countess. They were safe and alive. The letters contained nothing but concern for her.
Tears began to spill from Adelaide’s eyes.
She knew that if her makeup was ruined, Killian would hear of it through the maids and question her—but she couldn’t stop.
As she wept, Fabian quietly offered her a handkerchief.
“Ah… I didn’t intend to make you cry with my gift.”
“Th-thank you… thank you…”
Her voice trembled as she thanked him again and again.
Fabian waited in silence until her emotions settled. Gradually, her sobs softened into quiet sniffles. She wiped her tears and lowered the handkerchief.
“I’ll have this washed and returned—”
“That won’t be necessary. Marcella will collect it.”
Marcella gave a small, respectful nod.
“As you may have noticed, Marcella is my person. If you ever need my help, you may pass word through her at any time.”
With that, he picked up the letters Adelaide had just read and rose from his seat.
Before she could stop him, he tossed them into the fireplace. Flames swallowed the precious letters in an instant.
A strangled cry tore from Adelaide’s throat as she watched her family’s letters burn.
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