The bid to visit a loyal Vassal

Adelia followed her father in silence as they traversed the long, echoing hallways of the castle. Her mind was occupied by the events that had happened earlier.

'Will Father still punish me?' she anxiously wondered while maintaining a respectful distance behind him.

If only she had known how the day would turn out, Adelia might have considered taking the secret passage Meryl used to escape. However, she was all too aware of the trouble such a choice would have brought her.

Though the secret exit would have allowed her to slip away unnoticed, she reasoned that using it would have been risky given that lunch time was approaching.

Instead, she had opted for a quicker journey on horseback; taking Meryl would have been considerably slower.

Adelia couldn't fully regret her decision, despite the consequences it brought her. She knew that returning in the state she was in after taking the passage would have drawn unwanted attention to it.

Relief washed over her as they finally reached the imposing double doors of the Duke's study; the silence had begun to make her increasingly nervous.

Her father pushed the doors open, and they entered the cozy room, a medium sized room from the large castle exterior.

The study was adorned with large bookshelves on both sides, an intricately designed table and cushioned chairs in one corner, and a magnificent mahogany desk at the far end, bathed in the soft glow of daylight from a large window.

Taking a seat behind the desk, the Duke fixed his gaze on his daughter, his eyes carrying a mix of concern and disappointment.

"You didn't think I would be so lenient with you, did you?" he began, his words caused Adelia to hold her breath.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Father," she apologized, her voice wavered slightly. "I did promise I wouldn't repeat it."

Aldous sighed and massaged his forehead, a visible display of exasperation. "Do you know how many knights went out to look for you, thinking you were in the city?"

Adelia pursed her lips nervously, shaking her head. She wasn't aware of their search parties; she had made an effort to avoid the open areas of the city on her way back.

The Duke sighed again, his concern deepening. "I heard the condition you came back in," he mentioned, causing Adelia to gulp nervously. "Does your mother know?"

"No, she doesn't," Adelia assured him. "But she does know I went to the forest…"

Aldous' brows furrowed, his expression weary. "And how did she react?"

"She… she didn't worry too much," Adelia admitted.

"It's a good thing you had enough sense to change out of those rags before seeing her," the Duke remarked with a small sigh of relief, studying his daughter thoughtfully. "What in heaven's name put you in such a state?"

Adelia gripped the folds of her dress in frustration. Her father spoke as if he had personally witnessed her disheveled appearance, but she was sure she didn't appear that bad.

The servants of Veldon Castle had a tendency to exaggerate every little detail.

"I… I wasn't in that bad a state, Father," she tried to defend herself.

Aldous raised a brow skeptically. "No?" he questioned. "With your clothes tattered, your hair utterly disheveled, and your bow completely broken?"

"My clothes weren't tattered!" Adelia protested, in an effort to clarify the situation.

"Silence!" The Duke commanded sternly, causing Adelia to flinch and take a few steps back. "You are in no position to defend yourself, Delia."

Feeling vulnerable, Adelia quivered slightly, her head hung low as she bit at her lower lip. She hugged herself as if to shield herself from her father's frustration.

Adelia had never liked his anger, he was usually so loving towards her that rare moments like this seemed to put her in a terribly shrunken state.

Seeing her reaction, Aldous softened both his gaze and his tone. "You don't seem to realize how much danger lies in that forest," he explained gently. "And the power you wield makes it all the more dangerous for you… Veldon has many enemies, Delia."

Adelia remained silent, unable to meet the Duke's eyes. She replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I… I know, Father and I'm sorry, I truly am."

Sighing again, her father relented, "I will keep my word and not punish you this time. But you must ensure something like this never happens again."

Adelia nodded slowly. "I… I promise it won't."

Aldous huffed, his face weary as he observed his daughter again. "You were crying," he stated, his voice gentle but firm.

The young lady raised her head to face him briefly but quickly averted her gaze. "Yes," she admitted quietly.

Aldous fought the urge to sigh again and exhaled instead. "You would worry her if you keep crying like that," he gently reminded her.

"It's been a while since I've cried like that, Father," she defended herself. "I don't cry every time I go to see her."

"I suppose it can be justified," the Duke agreed, "But that doesn't mean you should cry for her sake in front of her. It only weighs her down even more."

"...I understand," Adelia responded softly.

The Duke offered a small smile at her answer. "I truly hope you do," he told her. "Because my experience with you says otherwise; even if you do understand, you tend not to listen."

Adelia sputtered, feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "I... I don't do it on purpose!"

"Says the daughter of a Duke who escaped from her castle like a fugitive on the run," the Duke teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Adelia's lips twitched slightly; though she still appeared shaken by her father's outburst, she appreciated his efforts to make her feel better.

The Duke chortled and waved his hand dismissively as he regained his composure. "Anyway, all this is besides the point," he redirected the conversation. "I didn't call you here to lecture you about what you did today."

"You didn't?" Adelia asked, puzzled. "Why then?"

"Hmm... where do I begin?" the Duke mused, leaning back on his chair, he sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "...Kaiser has fallen terribly ill."

Adelia's breath hitched at the sudden news.

Kaiser Donvark, the reigning count of the Varihm county, a small territory encompassed within the Veldon duchy in the large trade city of Lavim.

He was a battle-hardened warrior and the former commander of Duke Veldon's order of Knights.

He was one of Veldon's most loyal vassals but he had grown old and was forced to retire, despite the fact that he wanted to continue serving until his very last breath.

Though Adelia did not know him well and they had only met a few times in passing when she was little, she knew how much Kaiser meant to her father, and hearing he was ill made her feel a pang of sadness.

"Are... are you alright?" she managed to ask, concerned for the Duke's well-being.

"I would be lying if I said I was," Aldous admitted truthfully. "But it is a part of life I must accept. People come and people go."

Adelia pursed her lips, worried for her father's distress. "Are you telling me this because you want me to come with you?"

The Duke tilted his head thoughtfully. "Yes, I am," he said, "If you want to, that is..."

"Of course, I want to!" Adelia responded immediately. "I might not have known him well, but from what I've heard from you, he has served House Veldon faithfully. It is only right to go and see a loyal vassal on his deathbed, is it not?"

Aldous smiled warmly at her, feeling a sense of pride. "It is," he affirmed. "It seems that I have taught you well."

Adelia suppressed a smile, then a moment later, a hopeful idea struck her. "He is sick, is he not, Father?"

The Duke looked puzzled for a moment, studying his daughter's face before his expression turned serious.

"Yes," he confirmed, "Kaiser is indeed unwell."

Adelia's eyes quite literally sparkled. "I... I know I might be asking for too much, but can't I… can't I try to heal him...?"

Her father's face softened, then he shook his head gently. "No," he said firmly, "You may be able to cure regular injuries and illnesses, but you cannot cure old age..."

Adelia's hope instantly vanished, feeling like someone had just doused her in cold water.

"I know you mean well, Delia, but Kaiser's sickness is caused by his age, and besides, I cannot risk revealing your ability to anyone else," the Duke explained. "As dear as Kaiser is to me, you are far more important."

Adelia took a deep breath, accepting the reality of the situation. "... I understand." She said again.

"Good," the Duke concluded. "Then you should start getting ready to leave. We will be going to visit the old Count tomorrow."