His Majesty's Devious Sins

"Dad?" Lydia called out, snapping her finger in front of his face.

Shortly after Lydia had asked her question about whether or not her Father would let Adeline reside in the Claymore's main estate if she ran away from the castle, her Father had a blank look on his face. She noted his eyes were glazed over. He was physically sitting with her but was not mentally present with her.

"Sorry," Leonard instantly responded. "What did you just say, Sweetheart?"

Lydia frowned a bit. "I asked if you would take Adeline in—"

A loud buzz interrupted her.

Leonard held up a finger, pausing her. He pressed the call button near his phone, and instantly, the stoic voice of his secretary was heard.

"President Claymore, the eastern subsidiaries meeting will begin in less than ten minutes."

Lydia's shoulders sank in disappointment.

"Understood. I will be there in less than five minutes," Leonard instantly said. He rose to his full height and turned to his daughter, giving her a nod.

"Your younger brother will be there. I would recommend for you to join as well, Sweetheart," Leonard suggested.

Lydia glanced up at her father. He was tall and lean. She had remembered riding on his shoulder, feeling as if the world belonged to her. When he carried her with ease, she thought he was the strongest man in the world.

Reality came crumbling down, shortly after she turned the age of five, and something unexpected happened. Soon, the strongest man became the weakest.

"Alright, I will join," Lydia said in a cold, unhappy voice.

The unpleasant memories soured her mood.

"But don't prolong it, I have somewhere to be later," she added on.

Leonard opened his mouth to comment but closed it. He would give everything in the world just to have a glimpse of what went inside of her head. He held back a sigh and walked out of the office with her directly behind him.

- - - - -

Adeline stepped into the bedroom. She couldn't call it hers yet, for this place did not feel like home. It had been a while since something sincerely felt like home. She was told by Elias that he had something to tend to, but the maids are already waiting for her outside of her bedroom.

"Jane, Jenny," Adeline greeted with a polite smile.

Jane was caught off-guard, but instantly bowed her head and greeted. "Princess," she respectfully addressed.

Jenny happily smiled back and performed the same greeting as Jane. "Princess!"

Soon, Adeline was ushered into the spacious bathroom. There was a large sink meant for two people, with a pretty granite countertop. There was a shower on one side of the room, whereas an enormous bathtub was the center focus. Without a doubt, the bathtub could fit three people easily.

"Which scent would you prefer, Princess?" Jenny eagerly asked. She brought the basket of bathing soaps forward, revealing all sorts of scents.

Adeline was bewildered. The maids back at the Marden Estate were respectful, but never this welcoming. She was surprised, but on high alert. It was difficult to trust people, especially those who were unconditionally kind to her without a specific reason to do so.

"Whatever you deem fit," Adeline responded in a pleasant voice.

Adeline wondered if they were human or vampire. Nowadays, it was too impolite to ask that right off the bat. And since neither of her maids had shown their fangs, she could only imply they were human. That is, until Jenny pulled out the Damascena Rose scent.

"This smells like you the most, Princess!" Jenny happily said. "It will be a great complement to your usual scent!"

Adeline didn't realize she had a signature scent. She didn't wear perfumes or the likes.

Adeline wryly smiled in response, knowing Jenny did nothing wrong. Though, she was surprised. It seemed Jenny was not human… it wasn't natural for humans to have such a strong nose.

"Damascena Roses it is," Adeline responded whilst playing with her necklace.

- - - - -

After a long, but refreshing bath, Adeline was ushered to the bathroom chairs, where Jane dried her hair and Jenny painted Adeline's nails. It was a spa treatment, and an unexpected one. They pampered her even more than the maids back at the Rose Estate in Kastrem.

It brought back a strange sense of nostalgia, one that moistened her eyes a bit. Sometimes, if she closed her eyes, she could still remember her mother gently combing through her unruly, blond hair.

Adeline was envious of how silky Lydia's golden hair was. It was bright, like the teardrops of the sun, and her eyes reminded her of a ripe, green apple.

"Princess?"

Adeline jolted back to reality. Without knowing it, Jane and Jenny had finished blow-drying her hair and painting her nails. Now, she was standing before the large mirror, with a light pink dress slipped onto her.

She was breathless.

The dress was one of the most beautiful pieces she had ever laid eyes on. Silver flowers bloomed from her waist up, hugging her body, forming an effortless ring to the off-the-shoulder dress.

The gown was a shade of setting sunset, mingling between a tinge of subtle orange and peony pink. The sleeves were sheer and puffed out, flowing like the rest of the dress that seemed to be made up of tens of layers. It took a single blow of the wind to look like a fairy tale princess.

"You look so wonderful, Princess!" Jenny blissfully sighed, whilst clasping her hands together. She wished she could effortlessly pull off a dress like this.

"It's backless…" Adeline noted.

When she turned around, a long train of fabric was noticed. It was a decent train of a flowy fabric that would not get caught in anyone's careful walking.

The silver flower branched to her back as well, forming a small link towards her lower back. There would be many women with extravagant gowns like this, so she knew no one would dare to walk upon her dress, even if it was longer than expected.

"And your heels, Princess," Jane gently said as she offered the Princess a guiding hand.

Adeline gratefully took it and stepped into her white heels. Gold coiled up the back of the heels, forming delicate swirls. But she bit down on her tongue, knowing this was going to hurt once she took a few steps.

"Princess, His Majesty ordered this gown just for you!" Jenny said. "It arrived just this afternoon! Luckily, it fits you so well."

This afternoon?

Adeline's brows tugged together. Was this the actual surprise that he was referring to? Better yet, how did he get such a beautiful dress delivered so quickly? Wouldn't it mean he ordered it yesterday? If she guessed correctly… her eyes widened.

All along, had he expected her to stay in this castle? It seemed this dress was prepared too far in advance.

Before she could entertain the thought, a knock echoed through the room.

It was not Elias. He was too prideful to even knock.