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Dragomir pulled away from the hug and then suddenly he had this intimidating look on his face. It felt as if he went from being a father to being the King.

Then he raised his voice and asked sternly, "Where were you, Adeline? One of the guards at the gate told me just a while ago that you had gone out of the back gate alone... That also yesterday night! Where did you go for the whole night? And why didn\'t you take any of your guards with you? How can you be so careless when you are the Future Queen?"

Adeline\'s face turned red. She had ordered the guards at the gate not to tell anyone, but they couldn\'t keep her secret when the King was involved. She looked down at the floor and she replied in a low voice, "I am sorry for being careless. But I… I really needed to get a few things out of my head."

She took a deep breath in. For a second, she was so tempted to tell her father about Theodore. She wanted to tell him that she had gone out to meet someone special. But she shoved that thought in some corner of her head. If she was to tell the King that she had spent the whole night with her lover, then it would be really scandalous.

Though King Dragomir was very progressive when compared with the other rulers of other Kingdoms, he was not even that progressive to stay quiet when his unmarried daughter went to meet and spend the night with her lover.

So she made up something else in an instant and then told a half-truth to the King, "I had been feeling very frustrated and very sad for no specific reason. I thought that if I drowned myself in the Royal works, then I would not be feeling that way. But I guess that pushed me to the edge even more. I just wanted to run away from everything and spend some time alone. So, I went out for some fresh air."

She then bowed to the King and asked for forgiveness, "I would like to apologize for my childish behavior. I promise that I will never repeat this kind of behavior again."

Adeline was expecting the King to be mad at her for longer but maybe the father side of Dragomir kicked in again and thus he said while lovingly caressing Adeline\'s cheek, "I am sorry for raising my voice at you earlier. I should know more than anyone else how lonely and frustrating all these responsibilities can be."

Dragomir almost looked as though he felt sorry for his daughter. He placed his hands on Adeline\'s shoulders and then said in a soft voice, "We are only humans so we are allowed to want to run away from such overwhelming responsibilities. But you should know well that we cannot run away no matter what."

He shared his wisdom with his beloved daughter, "Our freedom is the price we have to pay for sitting on the throne. The whole Kingdom and its people\'s fate are bound to our actions. So, every time you feel like running away, think of those innocent faces who look up to you and depend on you. And always come back."

Adeline gave a mirthless smile. Yes, she had already accepted the fact that she would not have much freedom for her whole life now that she was bound to the throne and ultimately to the people. But sometimes, she couldn\'t help but want to throw away everything and run away. But she just wanted it to be limited to her fantasy. She wouldn\'t be able to abandon her people, she could never be that selfish.

Dragomir then patted on Adeline\'s shoulder and lovingly said, "You must have been tired. You should take a leave from the work today and rest in your quarter. Take as many days as you want. I can handle the tasks on my own."

Adeline was tempted to agree to her father but she could not bear to let him work on his own. His health was not that great like before and if she made her father do all of her jobs as well, then she was sure that he would get sick in no time. So she just shook her head and denied, "I already feel great, father. I don\'t need to take leaves."

"But didn\'t you just say that you feel exhausted? I insist that you-" King Dragomir stopped mid-sentence because his eyes fell on someone who had just entered the hall.

Adeline followed the King\'s gaze and turned around to see who it was. And almost in an instant, her face looked as though it was covered with dark clouds.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Your Highness."

It was Prince Edwin. He looked somewhat different from before. Of course, he looked a little mature than before, but he was now leaner. He had cut his hair shorter and those two years of not seeing the sun had made him look a bit fairer than before. If it was not for his voice and clothes, then he looked almost unrecognizable.

The duration of his house arrest had ended yesterday night. But King Dragomir wasn\'t yet ready to talk to the Prince. And as though his mood just went sour just by seeing his face, he turned on his heels and headed to his inner office.

Now it became really awkward for Adeline. She also didn\'t feel like talking with Edwin, even more so, now that she remembered everything that he did in detail. But she also didn\'t want to come out as a rude and arrogant person by just leaving him standing there.

So she turned completely to face Edwin and then greeted him, "Brother Edwin. It is good to see you again."

And contrary to what Adeline had expected, Edwin walked a little closer to Adeline and gave a smile. He smiled! Adeline couldn\'t remember the last time she had seen him smile. And to surprise her even more, he spoke to her in a very polite voice, "It is good to see you too, Princess Adeline."

Adeline still could not believe that that was just what Edwin was going to say to her. She waited for him to vent his anger on her for revealing his crimes and punishing him, or threatening her saying he would take revenge on her. But he just kept on standing there awkwardly with a soft smile on his face.

So Adeline asked him, "Was there anything that you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes.." Edwin inhaled deeply and then blurted out, "I would like to serve you wholeheartedly, Adeline. Will you give me a chance to prove myself?"