Chapter 50: Shipwreck
The setting sun hung in the west, and the daylight gradually dimmed.
But more and more people were coming and going at the manor gate. The gravel path, which had rarely been trodden by outsiders in the past, had been flattened by the passing carriages in a single day.
Luxurious carriages were lined up in a row, stretching so far that the end could not be seen. As twilight fell, lanterns were hung on the carriage shafts, forming a dazzling “light strip” in the gray-blue dusk.
Dilys’s left eye was on the reception at the gate, her right eye on the transport of the congratulatory gifts. The quill pen in her hand never stopped.
She listened to the servant in front of her report the gift list, thinking to herself that her young miss had really made it.
The gift lists were more and more valuable.
“The Ministry of Finance… five sets of crystal wine glasses, a pair of gilded bronze mantel clocks, a gold pocket watch…”[1]
“The Religious Academy… a pair of emerald coronets, a pipe organ music box, a number of freshwater pearls…”
“The Guard Department…”
The corners of Dilys’s lips were crazily upturned. She tried her best to keep them from reaching her ears.
We’re rich!
We’re really rich!
The cold and charming metallic smell of coins simply intoxicated her.
Adele walked out of the castle and stood alone in the desolate twilight.
Lina had not been home for ten days.
Six days ago, news came from the royal family that the former king, out of guilt for his elder sister, had committed suicide to atone for his sins after passing the throne to the Grand Princess Huaguang. The queen, deeply in love with her husband, had a sudden heart attack in the early morning and died.
On the second day of Huaguang’s succession, a riot suddenly broke out in the palace. The little prince accidentally fell from a building. The Minister of Finance and the Undersecretary of State for the Home Department were wounded by the rebels in the turmoil and later died after a failed rescue. There were many casualties that day, and the specific list has not yet been fully compiled.[2]
Lina had sent a letter home in the morning, saying that she was safe, but her return date was uncertain.
Adele watched as the gifts were carried in by the servants like a flowing stream, knowing that Lina was no longer the same.
A new noble of the dynasty, her fame was unparalleled.
Those people outside the manor, to put it nicely, were congratulating her. To put it bluntly, they were fawning over her.
Adele walked to Dilys’s side and asked, “Is it not over yet?”
Dilys was in full swing. “My lady, it will probably be until the early morning.”
Adele looked down at the gold and jewels before her, but her heart felt as if it were filled with lead, sinking to the bottom.
The status between her and Lina had been completely reversed, at least on a realistic level.
The original Adele was an elder of the Sacred Cult. Even with this status, she was far from being as prominent as Lina.
A chasm had been drawn between the two of them.
The evening light was completely extinguished. The hypocritical congratulations made Adele feel cold all over.
“When will Lina be back? Did she tell you?” Adele’s voice was very light, shattering with a gust of wind.
Dilys was still immersed in the ocean of wealth and did not notice Adele’s abnormality. She said, “The young miss didn’t tell me. She’ll be back when she’s done with her work.”
A “just as I thought” expression flashed across Adele’s face. She nodded silently, turned around, and walked back along the path that had been completely swallowed by the darkness, step by step.
The hustle and bustle and the light behind her did not belong to her. But the desolation and loneliness of tonight might last until tomorrow night, and even every day after that.
She could only wait blankly for Lina to come back, for a vague return date.
…
Adele’s steps were unsteady. She didn’t even turn on the lights after entering the door.
The cold moonlight squeezed in through the gap in the heavy curtains, barely bringing a sliver of light.
Adele first sat on the sofa for two minutes, then suddenly stood up and walked around the room. She walked to the round table, picked up the thermos, and poured water into a cup, but the thermos was already empty.
It took her a long while to react. She slammed the cup on the table in frustration and then walked toward the wardrobe.
After a few moments of hesitation, she pulled open the wardrobe.
The clothes she had made for Lina were still hanging inside, but they had been squeezed, pushed to the sides and the back of the wardrobe.
In their place, occupying the most central and conspicuous position, were several gorgeous palace gowns she had never seen before.
They must have been sent from the palace. A maid had come in to tidy up in the morning.
The palace gowns still had an undeniable faint glow in the dim light.
Every detail showed their expense and authority.
Scarlet, deep purple, royal blue…
These extremely aggressive colors were too intense. They were hung one next to the other, making people not dare to touch them casually.
On the hangers of these palace gowns were also hung several gem necklaces. There was no need to check their quality. Just the dazzling fire was enough to prove their pricelessness.
Adele’s gaze fell back on the clothes she had made. They suddenly seemed so dim, so shabby.
The soft, skin-friendly materials were all rare goods she had found from traveling merchants. The colors were also carefully blended by a master she had found. The fashionable patterns were all hand-stitched, thread by thread. The dense stitches, the well-fitting cut—all had only one purpose: to make Lina comfortable.
She had once been proud of these clever ideas. Lina had also always said that she liked to wear the clothes she made.
But at this moment, in contrast to the dazzling palace gowns and the cold jewels, she only felt that her efforts were worthless.
What’s the use?
Does Lina still need the clothes she made to get softness and comfort?
Whatever she wants, she just needs to say the word…
Adele abruptly raised her hand and slammed the wardrobe door shut!
A muffled “thud” exploded in the deathly silent room, shaking off some dust.
Her chest heaved. She avoided the wardrobe as if it were a plague, as if by getting away from it, she could get away from those terrible conjectures.
She was so panicked.
Adele began to walk around the room again. Finally, she found the toy box by the bookshelf.
She needed something familiar to steady herself, to soothe this apprehensive heart.
Adele took out the building blocks from the toy box.
Her memory went back to that night.
In a daze, the room seemed to have brightened a little.
She seemed to see Lina sitting opposite her, her two fluffy ears drooping at her sides, very focused on building with the blocks.
The rabbit ball at that time, her eyes were not as deep as they were now… cold, and with a hint of a cautious fawning.
Adele touched her own face. Lina had once drawn three turtles here.
She had played with Lina many times…
Adele couldn’t help but curve her lips. A short, real smile flashed across her face.
Suddenly, the sound of the servants discussing the jewelry and gifts came from downstairs.
“That’s a pigeon’s blood ruby, right!”
“It should be! It’s so big…”
“I’ve never seen so many pearls!”
The smile on Adele’s face suddenly froze, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared completely, leaving only a deeper emptiness and sourness.
That’s right…
What can’t Lina play with now?
How could she still be interested in a broken set of building blocks?
She must be wearing gorgeous clothes at this moment, mingling in a feast she couldn’t even imagine. Maybe she would even meet some more beautiful people, some people who matched her status…
The dim, empty room infinitely magnified the helplessness in a person’s heart.
Adele threw the building blocks aside, as if all her strength had been drained. She dragged her feet to the bed and collapsed directly.
She had been sleeping on Lina’s side these past few days.
The scent of the lop-eared rabbit was long gone, only a coldness that had been vacant for a long time.
But Adele still buried her face in the pillow, trying to catch that vague scent.
Separation during the honeymoon phase is so hard.
Lina was right. 10 minutes is also very long. 14,400 minutes was about to drive the wolf mad.
Adele hugged the pillow, pretending she was hugging Lina. Suddenly, her fingertips touched a fine curl.
It was a golden rabbit fur.
Adele picked it up. She carefully wrapped it around her finger, tighter and tighter. The pad of her finger felt a slight pull and restraint.
She closed her eyes and imagined this strand of fur as Lina’s finger.
Lina was gently hooking her hand… the soft fingertip sliding over her knuckles… sliding to her palm… stopping on the warm, soft flesh…
They would intertwine their fingers.
They would hold each other’s palms.
They would hold each other, pressing their trembling hands on the bed, on the wall, or in the slippery bathtub.
Anywhere was fine.
As long as it was the other person, it was fine…
Snap—
The illusory touch was the only tangible thing Adele could grasp in this cold loneliness.
She suddenly felt very wronged. A sour feeling welled up in her throat. Her eyes quickly grew hot and red. Just as tears were about to burst out, the sound of the door hinge creaking abruptly sounded.
“Click.”
No knock. Not like a maid.
Is it Lina!? She’s back!
Adele shot up and looked out, her face filled with an expectation she hadn’t even noticed. Tears were still sparkling. The corners of her lips were already raised high.
“My lady?”
Dilys, holding a gift box, was stunned at the door, her face full of surprise.
The two of them looked at each other for a moment. Adele hastily averted her gaze. From joy to disappointment, this series of micro-expressions were all taken in by Dilys.
The air froze with embarrassment.
“Uh… sorry, my lady.” Dilys was the first to react. She squeezed out a relatively natural smile and explained incoherently, “I thought… I thought you were in the kitchen at this time, so… I thought the room was empty, that’s why I didn’t knock…”
When Lina had just entered the palace, she would come back late. Adele was afraid that she wouldn’t eat well in the palace and would be hungry at night, so she made her soup every night.
Dilys’s gaze swept over the empty room, and her words abruptly stopped.
Lina hasn’t been back for a long time! Who was Adele making soup for?
The air was even more frozen than before.
Dilys felt like she was suffocating. She just wanted to rip her own mouth apart!
Always bringing up the sore spot!
Adele lowered her eyes. Her long, curled eyelashes hid all her emotions. When she looked up again, she had become very composed. “It’s fine. What did you come for?”
Dilys carefully placed the gift box in the room and said, “This is the snow ginseng from Your Majesty. I thought it wouldn’t be safe in the storeroom, and it would be hard to explain if it was lost, so I brought it up.”
“I know.” Adele didn’t look at her, and certainly not at the gift box.
Dilys opened her mouth, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere, but in the end, she said nothing.
She just bowed slightly and said, “Then… I won’t disturb your rest.”
The room fell into a dead silence again.
Adele stared at the gift box on the table, her eyes cold.
The so-called queen’s reward was more like a silent reminder, a reminder of where Lina was at this moment, and with whom…
Lina had a life that she could not reach.
The distance between them was growing further and further.
Adele sat by the bed for a long time, motionless.
The forced, composed smile had long since disappeared, leaving only a numb emptiness.
It wasn’t until the early morning that she slowly lay back down, curled up on Lina’s side.
She lay with her eyes open, tears silently rolling down, wetting her expressionless face.
The world outside the window was completely dark.
On the tenth day, she still hadn’t waited for Lina.
Perhaps she never would.
…
Adele lay alone on the bed, her consciousness floating between sleep and wakefulness.
She heard a carriage stop abruptly at the manor gate, heard a clear and penetrating sound of footsteps approaching.
She also heard Lina’s voice, talking with the servants.
It must be a hallucination.
But—
The next second, the door was pushed open.
The person who came in still didn’t knock.
Adele opened her eyes in a daze. By the time she reacted, Lina was already standing in front of the bed.
She had lit the wall lamp when she came in.
The candlelight illuminated the clothes she was wearing.
A scarlet velvet base with silver thread trim, custom-made gold buttons that were imposing, and black trousers tucked into long boots of the same color, the leather surface shiny and spotless.
After ten days, Lina seemed to have matured even more, her aura also becoming noble and cold.
She had also changed her hairstyle. The long hair that was usually coiled at the back of her head was now loose, with small curls at the ends.
She bent down, her body carrying a frosty chill, and a faint scent of wine mixed with perfume.
A hint of wickedness was hidden in her beauty.
Adele sat up and squeezed out a smile. “You’re back…”
Lina brought out her ears and nuzzled Adele’s face affectionately with her two ears. “Look what I brought!”
Before Adele could answer, she held up a luminous pearl in her hand, as if presenting a treasure.
Lina said proudly, “It’s a treasure from the eastern emissary! There’s only one in the whole country!”
As she spoke, she stuffed the pearl into Adele’s hand. “There will be more in the future. Just tell me what you like, and I’ll bring it all back for you.”
The luminous pearl was cold to the touch. It looked beautiful but had no warmth. Adele held it, the cold halo reflected in her eyes, but it couldn’t shine into her heart.
She only felt cold, from her palm all the way to her heart.
Adele shook her head.
Lina noticed her abnormality and asked, “What happened?”
Adele put down the luminous pearl and hugged Lina’s waist tightly, forcefully. “I don’t want any of it.”
She wanted to press herself against Lina’s warm, soft belly, but what her cheek touched was cold gold thread. The strange, expensive perfume covered the scent of the lop-eared rabbit.
Adele’s voice was muffled in the thick fabric. She choked out, “I don’t want the luminous pearl, and I don’t want gifts… I just want you. Stay with me more… okay?”
Lina was stunned by her sudden, intense reaction.
She instinctively hugged Adele back. “I know, I know…”
Adele said, “I really missed you.”
Lina said she understood, but her tone had a hint of an imperceptible perfunctoriness. “I had time tonight, so I came back. It’s a critical period now. I really can’t get away sometimes. Her Majesty the Queen just…”
She paused, then quickly led the topic to the coup. Her voice was filled with an undisguised, almost cruel excitement. “You didn’t see it, Her Majesty she…”
Adele let go of Lina and instead reached out to touch the rabbit’s lips.
She didn’t want to hear it!
She wasn’t interested!
She had no yearning for the world of fame and fortune!
Lina stopped speaking. She finally saw the tears in Adele’s eyes.
But she was still immersed in the great joy of her own status rising. Those fawning, flattering faces had temporarily made her forget her former humiliation.
She enjoyed this feeling.
She had found an absolute sense of control over her own life in the world of fame and fortune. She finally got a moment’s respite, no longer having to worry about not having enough to eat, no longer having to worry about being beaten and frozen…
And, she no longer had to rely on anyone’s protection. She was her own harbor. This made her spirit no longer tense.
Power was really too wonderful.
Lina was excited by it. Her ambition was burning wildly.
The feelings of the two of them were completely out of sync at this moment.
Lina did not pull away Adele’s hand. Instead, in this position, she suddenly opened her lips and held her fingertip.
This was an extremely bold and suggestive action.
After a few days, Lina’s aura had become even more flamboyant. She knelt on the bed with one knee and said, “I missed you too. I will definitely spend more time with you…”
A hint of a tease was hidden in her promise. Her tongue licked over the pad of her finger. It was not a solemn guarantee, but a frivolous evasion.
Career and love, Lina valued the former more at this moment.
“I promise… I love you. Don’t worry…” She held the fingertip in her mouth, her voice becoming muffled. “We…”
Let’s do it.
But Adele, as if burned, abruptly pulled her hand back.
She vaguely sensed Lina’s avoidance.
“No…” Adele shrank back, avoiding Lina’s subsequent closeness, and said, “I… I’m not in the mood…”
This was the first time she had refused so clearly and stiffly.
The tenderness and desire on Lina’s face faded, bit by bit. In the blink of an eye, a hint of impatience even subconsciously flashed across her face.
Who dares to refuse her!?
Aren’t they all coaxing and fawning over her!?
Why does she have to look at someone’s face when she’s home…
These thoughts flashed quickly. Lina was startled.
She suddenly realized her own change.
How could she think of Adele like that… that’s her lover…
The light of the luminous pearl, instead of illuminating anything, only made the surroundings seem dimmer. A dull, awkward silence spread between the two of them.
Lina noticed the palace gown she was wearing. She was silent for another moment, then forced a smile. “It’s fine. I’m tired too. I’ll go change out of these clothes first, take a shower, and then come back and stay with you.”
Adele’s lips moved slightly. She had a thousand words she wanted to say, but in the end, she only stared at Lina’s back as she walked into the bathroom.
She couldn’t say anything.
What could she say?
She couldn’t stop Lina from pursuing a better future.
