His Majesty's Devious Sins

Elias could not properly concentrate. He was physically taking down everyone in his path, dodging the silver bullets as it raced towards him. 

The only thing he saw was Adeline. His poor, innocent little pet, surrounded by assassins, all of whom she could not take down. 

He believed Adeline had forgotten what exactly she was. Forgotten the lessons her parents taught her, forgotten the skills her father made her learn, and abandoned the techniques her mother taught her.

"Adeline!" he demanded, running forward only to be blocked by two more irritating assassins. He smashed their head to the ground, like squishing a bug.

"Don't just stand there. Run!" he roared, dashing towards her.

Elias expected better. He thought she'd remember, for he had most definitely did. He thought she would be able to protect herself. He had seen it before, the face of a young girl as she took down men twice her size, and triple her age. He had seen the twirl of her feet when she effortlessly dodged.

All of that was the forgotten past.

Perhaps they were part of the bad memories he wiped from her thoughts. 

"Your Majesty! Worry about yourself first!" Weston cried out, as he slammed one of the bodyguards down. He picked up their assault rifles, tossing it at the King who didn't need it.

In a battle of guns, His Majesty chose his fists.

"Your Majesty!" Weston shouted, urging the King to take the guns. 

But the King was focused on something else.

A loud bang rang out. A body dropped dead.

"ADELINE!" Elias roared, dashing forward.

It happened in slow motion, the turning of heads, the twins who were pale faced, and Lydia who screamed. Amidst the bullets, the assassins, they realized exactly who shot the gun and whose body dropped to the floor, blood pooling everywhere around them.

"Worry about yourself," she had softly said just as the second bullet went off at incredible speed. One after the other, assassins dropped like flies.

Elias suddenly remembered a vivid memory. He had been invited by Duke Claymore to a stupid tournament. The Duke had convinced him for days that the tournament was urgent, and that His Majesty had to personally witness it himself.

In a whirlwind of bullets and gunpowder, anticipating crowds, plates shooted in the air, and animals soaring high, was a young woman, no more than the age of fifteen or sixteen. She wore a helmet over her head, twin guns in hand, as she spun the guns around.

Adeline had twirled like she was dancing, the bullets ricocheting, her footsteps quick, her hands the speed of light. 

Adeline Mae Rose shot a gun like she was a mass of rose petals in the wind. She was the epitome of beauty and grace, even with the animals that dropped dead and the plates that shattered. She dominated the battlefield, as if she owned it in the first place.

"Mr. Claymore, is that your daughter, the prodigy you speak of? The one with the helmet and dominating the entire match? You must be very proud of her!"

Elias had overheard those words from an irritating human besides the Duke. Everyone had chimed in agreement which irritated him further. 

What was he doing here watching a demonstration for Lydia Claymore? At that time, he had never met the young woman, except in a glimpse he didn't bother to remember.

But what caught him by surprise was Duke Claymore's next words.

"No, that is my best friend's daughter, Adeline Rose. She's quite the genius when it comes to weapons."

Elias had been absolutely floored. When the young woman took off the helmet, her blond hair flying in the wind, like a majestic stallion in an open field, his interest was piqued. 

Adeline had held a helmet in one hand, an aloof expression on her face, and wordlessly, walked off the battlefield.

Adeline Mae Rose was the sharpest shooter of Kastrem. A prodigy, even at the tender age of five, when her father first taught her how to use a gun. There was a reason she was so unruly. 

When most Princesses took etiquette lessons, she was in training. When young ladies learned to dance, Adeline did the waltz of guns. As maidens did embroidery, Adeline assembled guns.

"Your Majesty." Weston eyed the unmoving bodies slumped onto the ground, and the bloodied Princess.

Elias snapped back to reality. 

Weston swallowed hard. He had never witnessed something like this. With just eighteen bullets in her Desert Guns, she had taken down every person standing in front of her. 

He had blinked once, and she had already shot two or three men dead. Another blink, and more bodies dropped.

"The Princess shot faster than they could react." Weston didn't think this was humanly possible. For it to be fathomable, one had to be trained from a young age, the skill must be honed, and she'd need to be a prodigy.

"That's my Adeline!" Lydia hollered, clapping her hands as she stepped over the bodies of the assassins she killed.

Easton exchanged a look with his twin brother. They were both wary of Lydia Claymore and Adeline Rose. Just who exactly were these women? And why were they so good at weapons?

"S-she did the same," Easton managed to stutter out, referring to Lydia who had shot faster than the assassins could react.

Adeline dropped the gun in her hand, her face blank and aloof. The item squished on the blood-pooled ground. Her nostrils burned with the disgusting stench of dead bodies, but she didn't seem the least bit bothered.

"You should have faith in me, Elias." Adeline stepped over the bodies, her foot still bare from running out of her room with the guns in hand the second she heard multiple footsteps approaching her room. 

She knew it was suspicious that many people were coming, thus she had grabbed her gun holsters and strapped it to her dress before coming out.

"We should give this one a proper burial," Adeline said, pointing to the one besides her feet. "I used him as a human shield."

Weston cringed. He had recalled her picking up the fallen body, stealing his assault rifle, as she used him to save her body. When he was of no use, she shoved the deceased man toward his comrades. As they were caught by surprise, she shot them to the ground.

"Of course, darling." Elias wryly smiled at her. He had underestimated his own wife.

Adeline didn't seem fazed by the bodies piled at her feet. She walked through it, her gown soaked in crimson blood. She stopped directly in front of the King, and touched his face, her hand still stained with blood.

"How is your face so clean even after hurting so many people?" Adeline muttered in disbelief.

"Talent." Elias glanced down at her bare feet and sighed. "Couldn't you have at least put on some shoes?"

"I was too busy finding the guns…" 

Elias narrowed his eyes. In a fell swoop, he lifted her into his arms and sighed. "You're a Princess. Who even walks around barefoot and in blood, darling? Someone needs to teach you proper manners."

Adeline opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted.

"You care for each other, I get it," Weston sniped. "But can we focus on finding survivors to interrogate? Someone will have to clean up the bodies, and we'll have to report this as ultimate self-defense and—"

"I'll leave that to you and the twins," Elias clipped. 

Easton groaned. "But—"

"Someone has to escort the Princess to safety, including Duke Claymore's daughter." Elias turned to Lydia and cast her a disgusted look. "Or, we can just forget about the latter."

"Rude!" Lydia gasped. "I took down some of these people too, you know!"

Elias rolled his eyes. He tightened his grip on Adeline when she tried to step down. "Just follow me, you damn brat."

Elias threw a pointed look towards the twins. They'd know what to do, including the servants who were used to assassinations by now. This wasn't the first time the floor was littered with guts and dead bodies.

"Where are we going?" Adeline mumbled whilst swinging her feet, hoping to get down, but he ignored it. "And why is Lydia here?"

Lydia Claymore cast a disappointed glance at Elias. "You really didn't tell her? What did you think keeping Adeline in the dark would do? Do you know how easily misunderstandings can form? Were you trying to get in between our friendship?!"

"Quite a set of lungs you have there." Elias shook his head in disapproval. He pitied the Claymore parents. As a baby, this one must've screamed her head off in the crib.

Elias felt a tug on his robe. He glanced down, and instantly, his scowl disappeared. She was peering up at him, naive and lost, her brows tugged together.

"What's happening, Elias?"

"Nothing your pretty little head should worry about." Elias bent down and pressed a loving kiss upon her forehead. He smiled down at her, as she continued to look at him.

Adeline was troubled. She wanted to ask more, but knew he wouldn't tell her until he wanted to. "I want the truth once I'm cleaned."

Elias raised a brow. "No."

Adeline struggled to get out of his grasp.

"After your meal," he settled.

Adeline stayed still and hid a smile. "Deal."