Chapter Twenty-six: “Draco”
As Adora dismounted her horse back at the castle, she sighed. Wiley had told her not to tell the king of her plans to visit Maluntatis and to not tell him about Wiley. For some reason, she had agreed.
The king looked up as she entered the throne room. “Hello, my dear, Adora!”
“Hello, Father!”
“How was your ride?”
The girl giggled. “It was fun. I got to see so much of the countryside. And, if it is no trouble, I would like to go out tomorrow. I had a lot of fun and I would like to explore more out of the land outside the city walls.”
King Ansaldo looked at her for a moment, studying her. The girl could almost feel his eyes peering into her very mind and heart. Could he know her true intentions? Ansaldo nodded, “I would rather you stay here, but the decision is up to you.”
“Th-thank you, Father.” The girl bowed and went up to her room. As she sat down on her bed, a small wave of guilt swept over her. If she was asked to hide this from her father, then was it wrong? Maybe, he just wanted to keep her inside, but maybe he was protecting her.
But, how could she know? But, even if she wanted to back out, she agreed to go to Maluntatis and see Wiley there, and she refused to go back on her word. So, her true intentions would have to remain hidden for now.
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Adora rode out, following the instructions given to her by Wiley. After an hour of riding, she found herself looking down a hill at a large city. “This must be Maluntatis.”
She rode into the city, leaving her horse at the public stable. Una did not seem comfortable there, but Adora didn’t really notice. She was too busy making sure that she didn’t stand out. Today, she wore a servant’s outfit she’d pilfered from the washroom.
It wasn’t stealing. She would return it that night.
Wandering around the city, Adora saw merchants selling some strange wares, people dancing, people laughing, and people doing uproarious activities all around her.
She walked around for a long time, just looking at everything, but as the noon sun hit its peak, she began to feel hungry. Stepping into a small building, she slid into a chair near the door.
“Hello!” A handsome young man slid into the chair across from her, his pearly white teeth shimmering in the sunlight which poured in from the windows. “I’ve never seen you around here, and I know everyone. So, where’d you come from, and what’s your name?”
“Uh, my name is Ad… I mean Alene.” Perhaps it would be best for people to not know whose daughter she was. “As for where I am from, it doesn’t matter. I’m just here to look around the city; I was looking for a friend named Wiley, but I can’t find him.”
The boy sat up. “Hey! I know Wiley! He told me about you, but he said he was meeting a girl named Adora here, not Alene.”
“Oh… well, I have two names: Alene and Adora.”
“Well, my name’s Draco. And may I just say, you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” He laughed as Adora blushed. “Mind if I buy you dinner?”
Adora coughed slightly, nervous about all the attention. “Uh, no, I don’t mind at all.”
They sat at the table for hours, talking and laughing. As the sun began moving towards the horizon, Adora stood up. “Hey, I have to go. My father will be waiting for me.”
“Of course,” he took the girl’s hand. “Hey, will you come see me again tomorrow?”
“Of course!”
Adora snuck into the castle as darkness fell. She changed out of the servant’s clothes and dropped them into the washroom as she snuck up to her room.
As she closed the door, a voice spoke. “So, are you going to tell us where you went?”
“Huh?” Adora turned around, to see Isa. “Brother?”
“Father and I know you were lying this morning. So, where did you go?”
The girl twiddled her fingers, biting her lip. “I-I was invited to go to a place called Maluntatis.”
Isa nodded slightly. “I thought as much. You know, Father will tell you what he knows is good for you or not, but he will give you the choice to do as he says or not. Maluntatis is a bad place, and the person you met is dangerous.”
“How did you know about Draco?”
“Father and I know more than you think,” He sighed. “You should not go back to Maluntatis and you should not go and see Draco again. Understand?”
“I understand.”
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The next morning, Adora borrowed another servant outfit, mounted her horse and rode out for Maluntatis before the sun rose that morning.
[Next Chapter: Adora spends time with Draco, and he tries to make her leave home.]