Rogue and Riveting

Chapter 18 One Has to Survive

The next day was especially busy for the married couple. Enoch had personally gone with King Yusef to the place where the Rogue Man virus was found, while Adelia went ahead to plan their weekend getaway with Martha. Adelia would have no qualms going with them to that dangerous place, but the two men in her life were strongly against it.

"Why can't I go with you?" Adelia asked her husband hours before the two left. "Is it because I am a woman and you see me as weak? Do you really think I can't be as good as---?"

But Enoch didn't even let her finish her question. "Silly wife, it's absolutely not that," he whispered to her ears. They were still in her room and she was helping him pack his clothes for the mission that they were about to do. "Why would I think of you like that? You are not weak to me. And absolutely not in your father's eyes."

"Then why don't you let me join you? If you really see me as an equal, then shouldn't you let me join you since I am the Queen? Please, Enoch. I want to go there with you and my father."

Enoch took a deep breath before he replied. "Baby, it's not like that," he explained with patience. "We are not letting you go with us because someone has to remain here."

"But that's not right! Why should I be the one who should stay here? Father could be the one, he's old---"

"Yeah, that's exactly why he wanted to go with me instead of you. because he says he's old enough to die, in case something bad happens. Do you get what I mean? Someone needs to survive that the throne here in Sanjolia will not get empty. It's about the succession, Adelia. We can't afford both you and your father to be in the same perilous situation. Someone has to survive."

That just made Adelia feel worse. It's not that she did not understand what her husband explained to her, because she perfectly understood since it made a lot of sense. Not letting her join the mission to save her own country because someone needs to survive to feel like a punishment to her because what if they don't survive? She will be all alone. For Adelia, dying together if that means no one would be left alone sounds better. But f course, her father would not want that to happen. And Enoch too.

"Your father would rather let you survive than him if he has to make a choice, my lovely wife. And I hate to choose too, but I also agree. I would want you to survive. Who knows what we are going to find there. The Noble Service hadn't found the infected people yet. So it's best that you stay here, my wife. Don't worry, we will be back safe."

"That's what I'm worried about," Adelia confessed. "How could I not want to join you when I will have no updates from you?"

"We will be safe, Adelia. I promise." Enoch had to kiss her on her forehead, her nose, and finally, on her lips before she could calm down. She knew that this was a matter of life and death if Enoch and her father are not going to be careful.

"You should be," Adelia told him. "I will not forgive you if you die," she added, and Enoch laughed hard at that.

"Of course, my dearest wife. Do you really think that I would want to leave you alone? You are the Queen. If I die, you will need to have a new King, and I will not permit that. Not in my watch," he said and then winked so Adelia assumed that he was just joking. But Enoch was actually serious when he said that, proof was the fact that he found it hard to leave his wife again when they finally left. King Yusef could not even believe how smitten the young King of Romeodel is with his daughter. It was making Adelia's father feel a little bit guilty.

"As he should be," said Martha when Adelia told her that important detail about her father. They were on their balcony having tea and pudding while browsing on the Internet on their phones. They were supposed to look for good vacation spots for Adelia and Enoch but of course, they ended up gossiping. Martha finally met Enoch in person, so she became very interested in him because she found it amusing that someone like Enoch was head over heels over her cousin.

Not that Martha thought that Adelia wasn't beautiful enough or that she doesn't deserve someone like Enoch, but she always find it curious that Enoch was acting like he was in love with Adelia all along. 

"If I can speak again, Your Highness, His Majesty, your father, should just drop the plan that he devised for you. Look at King Enoch! It's not bad being her wife, does it? It's every woman's dream! How could His Majesty do that to you? You should not divorce your husband once the problem gets solved!"

"Yeah, I know. Because Enoch is such a good man. I don't want to hurt him."

Martha's eyes glinted. "See? You know that he will get hurt. So it means that you two are already so much in love with each other. There is no need for a divorce. Unless one of you is just faking your affection to the other?"

Adelia shook her head immediately. "No, that's impossible, Martha. You know how I feel about Enoch. And I can say with confidence that he feels the same way about me too."

"Right? King Enoch's actions towards you... That's something only a man who fell in love with you would do. Just look at where he is now! Why on earth would someone that high up will be willing to go to a dangerous place when he could be ambushed there? That's love, what he is doing! No one can deny that! Everyone knows he really loves you, Your Highness!"

Adelia's whole body warmed up by what Martha said. Because it's true. Someone as important as Enoch should have feared for his life more, but he's not making any excuse. He is determined to help them solve their own country's problems, and if that's not a show of affection towards her, Adelia doesn't know what is. It's just an act of pure love. 

"By the way, I hope they catch those serial killers, 'no? King Enoch must be confident enough with his information about them that he was not scared going to that place. That is one messy place to be in these days. II hope he catches them red-handed!" Adelia was not able to comment on that because she had to act like she doesn't know a thing about the mysterious serial killers. Martha is unaware of what really is there in that place because Enoch and her father forbid her to tell anyone else about the Rogue Man virus. 

Martha's phone then suddenly rang, and when she looked at the caller ID, she gasped when she saw who was calling. "Your Highness! Clarence just messaged me! He's on the way here to the palace!"

Adelia suddenly smiled. "Really? Finally! The two of us will meet again after a long time!" she said happily, as the last time she saw her childhood friend was ages ago, back when they were still both teens. He and his mother moved away from the Capital since his mother retired from being her court servant years ago and they never met again ever since.

"And he says that he wants to talk to you about the results of the blood samples," Martha told her queen cousin. "Your Highness, Clarence is saying that something is wrong!" Martha added, and that made Adelia more confused than ever.