Chapter 140: Phase One Complete

Adeline’s POV~

"Nothing happened!" I blurted out instantly. Way too fast. I forced a quick, high-pitched laugh. "Why on earth would you think something happened to me?"

"Because you never call me completely out of the blue and ask to hang out at night. You just don’t do that," Sierra pointed out, her voice dropping into a serious register.

"Even back when you were having the absolute worst, most soul-crushing days at the academy, you’d just say I’m fine and then vanish into your room for hours." She paused, her breath hissing softly through the speaker. "So tell me the truth. What’s wrong? Is someone bothering you?"

Say something normal, Adeline. Give her a normal excuse right now!

"No, no, nothing like that," I lied, forcing myself to smile even though she couldn’t see my face. I pushed that manufactured smile straight into the cadence of my voice.

"It’s just... my head is a complete mess right now. There’s so much in this house. And I’ve been locked inside this bedroom all day long. I just desperately need to go for a real walk, breathe some actual fresh air, and talk about something, anything, that isn’t mates, curses, or royal politics. You know how it is."

The line went completely quiet for a moment.

Then, Sierra let out a long breath and gave a soft, understanding chuckle.

"Oh, girl. Yes. I completely know," she said. "You’ve been dragged through absolute hell lately, you more than deserve a break."

My shoulders dropped a tiny, microscopic fraction.

"So? Do you want to come walk with me?" I asked, holding my breath.

"Are you kidding?" Her voice shot right back up, bright and excited once more. "Of course I’m coming! Give me ten minutes to throw on something decent and I’m walking right out my door. You can’t tell me you want a midnight stroll and expect me to say no to you."

I let out another laugh, but this time, my eyes stung with hot tears for an entirely different reason.

"Thank you, Sierra. Really."

"Don’t you dare thank me, girl. Just tell me where you want to meet."

I hesitated for a second.

Where? Adrian didn’t give me a specific location. He just said to get outside the estate.

"How about somewhere just outside the main estate grounds?" I suggested carefully. "Somewhere quiet. Not too close to the front gates where the guards are sniffing around."

"Hmm." Sierra hummed in thought for a moment.

"What about the old stone bridge on the east road? You know the one, right near the river, just past the royal rose gardens? There’s a secluded little wooden bench tucked right there, and at this hour, absolutely nobody goes near it. Plus, the moonlight on the river is actually really pretty at night."

I let out a slow, steady breath of relief.

The east road. Past the rose gardens. By the river bridge.

"That sounds perfect," I murmured.

"Great! I’ll be there in thirty minutes flat."

"Okay. See you soon, Sierra."

"Hey, Adeline?"

I froze, my hand tightening around the phone. "Yeah?"

"Whatever is actually going on inside that stubborn head of yours..." Her voice suddenly turned softer, incredibly gentle in a way that made my throat burn painfully tight. "You know you can tell me absolutely anything, right? No matter what it is. I’m your best friend. Always."

My eyes filled up with hot tears all over again. I blinked them away furiously, biting the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

Don’t trust her, Adeline. Remember what Adrian said.

Don’t tell her a damn thing.

"I know," I whispered, my voice shaking just a little bit before I hastily covered it up with a small, brittle laugh. "I’ll talk to you at the bridge, okay?"

"Okay. See you in a bit, Adeline."

"Bye."

Click.

The call ended.

I lowered the phone slowly from my ear and stood completely motionless in the center of the quiet, luxurious room, staring down at the dark, dead screen.

Sierra. My best friend. The only person in this entire province who never turned her back on me when I was nothing.

And I just lied straight to her face.

Or maybe I’m just playing it smart to keep her safe? Or maybe I’m just turning into a paranoid fool? God... I don’t even know what the truth is anymore.

My eyes drifted slowly back toward the table lamp, toward that tiny, sinister red dot still blinking rhythmically in the dark. I took one deep, grounding breath, squared my shoulders, and turned my back to it.

Okay. Phase one is done. Now I have to go find Gwen.

I have to walk down those grand hallways, look the dowager luna straight in the eyes, flash her a warm, innocent smile, and lie to her face about going out to see my friend.

Which is actually true.

And I have to force myself to pretend that I don’t know she might be the person who put a wire in my bedroom.

What if she says no? What if she looks right through me and sees the terror bleeding out of my pores? What if she knows that I found that little listening device?

What if she’s the one who ordered it?

I walked slowly over to the massive wardrobe standing in the corner of the room and pulled open its heavy double doors.

The sight inside made my breath catch in my throat.

It was completely full of clothes, but not a single piece looked like anything I had ever worn in my life. Long silk gowns in deep crimson red and dark emerald green. Soft velvet dresses stitched with shimmering gold thread along the edges.

Dresses in rich, beautiful colours I didn’t even have names for. Every single piece was gorgeous, and every single piece looked like it cost more than my entire miserable existence.

I ran my fingers gently along the soft fabric, but I pulled my hand back fast, as if the silk might burn right through my skin.

"I just want a simple pair of jeans and a hoodie," I muttered under my breath into the dark wardrobe.

I searched frantically through the shelves, pushing aside layer after layer of soft silk. Everything was too fancy, too expensive, too soft, too bright. I felt like a filthy thief standing in a queen’s private dressing room.