Rebirth Of The Witch Queen

Chapter 7 - Garden Full Of Flowers... and Surprises

Adeline paced around her room, glancing at the grandfather clock by the wall as the hands slowly crawled towards the top. She had made an excuse to skip dinner last night and she hadn’t left her room all morning, afraid that she’d run into Lester and he’d open the topic again. But now she had to go down and face him and just hope that Kaden would come before it was too late.

A knock came from the door and she called for them to enter. Millie slipped in and gave her an excited smile. Before Adeline could ask what was going on, her maid opened the door, ready to leave again.

“Please follow me, Miss. Sir Lester requests your presence in the drawing-room.”

Millie stepped outside, looking at her impatiently until Adeline finally followed her.

“Is he…” Adeline started, but Millie was faster.

“He is here, Miss.” She whispered with a broad smile. “He is with sir Lester right now. They have been talking for a while.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Adeline hissed back, looking around to make sure there was nobody there who could have heard them. “What if he says something wrong? You heard what he was like yesterday!”

“I was attending to them until now, so I couldn’t leave,” Millie replied with the same smile. “But from what I heard, I don’t think there is anything to worry about. You’ll see for yourself.”

Adeline was just about to ask her what she meant when they reached the corridor leading to the main drawing room which they usually used for receiving important guests. One of the wings of the door was left slightly open so she could hear voices coming from inside. Just as Millie was opening the door for her, Lester’s laughter echoed through the room, almost making Adeline trip on her skirts.

The moment she walked in, her eyes stopped on the two men sitting across from each other on two of the comfortable couches. Lester was facing her so even before Millie closed the door, he was on his feet, putting down his teacup. The second man rose as well, his hands moving as if he was straightening his jacket before he turned around.

He looked even more handsome today in his well-fitting dark blue suit, his hair styled back to reveal his striking features. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on his suit and his cravat with a broch in the form of his family crest wasn’t askew like the other day at the restaurant.

A dashing smile appeared on his lips as their eyes met and for a second she almost got fooled that he was actually excited to see her.

“Adeline.” He said unexpectedly, and she almost goggled as her name rolled off his tongue. He circled the sofa without delay extending his hand towards her. She gave hers almost instinctively, staring at him as he bowed down to kiss it. “I’m sorry I am late.”

Smile, he mouthed silently and Adeline realized she was still staring at him without saying anything.

“It’s alright,” Adeline said quickly, giving him her sweetest smile. “I wasn’t informed you had arrived, I would have joined you earlier.” Kaden got up to his feet, guiding her into the room without letting go of her hand. Adeline stole a glance from Lester only to find his smile from earlier turning into a tense expression.

“Please forgive me, I wanted to speak with sir Lester first and we got carried away,” Kaden said, finally letting go of her hand. Adeline eyed the seats for a second, wondering which one she should pick. She usually sat by Lester or by herself when they had guests, but considering the reason for Kaden’s visit, it might be best to take his side.

Before she could make her decision, Lester cleared his throat.

“This reminds me that lunch should be ready now. Would you care to join us, Duke Knox? Serious matters should always be considered on a full stomach.”

“It’d be my pleasure,” Kaden replied in a respectful tone, inclining his head.

“Good, good.” Lester nodded, circling the table. “Adeline, you’re joining us too, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Alright, please follow me,” Lester said, heading for the door. Millie opened it for them and waited for everyone to exit before following close behind. Adeline kept her eyes on Lester’s back even though he didn’t turn to look at them until she felt Kaden moving closer to her.

“Stop looking so uncomfortable, will you?” He whispered, barely audible. “We are supposed to be madly in love, remember? I can’t be the only one trying.”

“I know. You just took me by surprise.” She mumbled back, ignoring the amused look he gave her. “I am not used to seeing you act like a proper gentleman.”

“I look forward to showing you more sides of me then.” He said with a cheeky smile and thankfully, they arrived at the dining room, so she didn’t have to reply. Lester took the head seat as usual and Adeline sat on his left, watching Kaden nod thankfully at Millie as she led him to Lester’s right side. The servants brought the food a minute later, setting it down in front of each of them and filling the room with the pleasant aroma of fresh bread, stew, and spices. Adeline was glad it was something so light, since she wasn’t sure her stomach could handle anything more than that.

Lester started asking Kaden questions about his estate and business and the latter replied readily, but with a calm and respectful tone, all while slowly eating his meal. Adeline watched him when she thought he wasn’t looking, only somewhat surprised he used all the proper cutlery, held himself in a proper posture, and didn’t break a single etiquette rule the whole time.

Once they exhausted the topic, the two of them grew quiet, each of them focusing on the second course of the meal, which Adeline had already declined. She wondered if she should start a topic herself, but her head was completely blank. Once Lester cleared his throat, which was the usual cue that he was finished, she looked up, her heart doing a quick somersault.

“I just remembered I have an urgent work-related matter to attend to. Why don’t you show Duke Knox the garden? Your mother groomed them with great care so I am sure he’ll appreciate them.”

“I’d love to.” Adeline smiled at him, receiving an awkward nod in return.

Lester rose to his feet and Kaden immediately followed.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, sir Lester,” Kaden spoke first. “I hope you’ll consider my sincerest request.”

“Uhm, yes, I will,” Lester replied gingerly, pushing his chair towards the table. “I’ll speak with you again, Duke Knox. Adeline, I’ll see you at dinner.”

Adeline nodded, listening to his steps fade as he walked out of the dining room. She let out a quiet sigh of relief before looking at Kaden, who was wearing his usual smirk again.

“Shall we?”

They got up at the same time and even before they had stepped away from the table, the servants were back to take away the plates. Kaden stopped next to her, offering her his arm. She glanced at him with exasperation before taking it. She got that they were pretending to be in love, but with so much touching, people would think they were already married.

She led him out of the dining room and towards the back of the mansion where the door to the gardens was, noticing that Millie trailed behind them. Kaden kept his eyes forward, looking around curiously, but she was positive he had noticed too.

Not that it was unexpected though, she was still unmarried, and being left alone with a man who was courting her on top of all, could be detrimental to her reputation.

“You act really different in front of others,” Adeline said once they were out of the house and slowly strolling through the carefully arranged paths of the garden, surrounded by colorful flowers. Her mother had gathered flowers from all over the world and took care of them herself when she was still alive. Unfortunately for her, Adeline never got the sense or the interest in tending the flowers, so it was up to the servants to maintain the breathtaking garden.

“Well, I am a Duke after all. I had manners beaten into me years ago.” Kaden laughed. “And it’s not like I can’t act in accordance with the established etiquette, I just find it immensely tedious and constraining.” He looked down at her with a strange smile, moving his free hand over hers. “It’s not like people’s attitude will change if I act properly or not. I am a Duke, even if they despise me or ridicule me, they will still bow to me and greet me with a smile when we meet. It really makes it hard to tell who is genuine and who is not.” She didn’t say anything, so he moved his eyes forward. “So I don’t see the reason for trying to please people who don’t have my wellbeing at heart. Might as well live the way I want and not care about them either, don’t you think?”

Adeline looked down thoughtfully, not sure how to answer. She had cared so much about her image and her presentation in front of others before she went back in time, but in the end, all of that didn’t matter, just as he said. But breaking the habit to act in a way that others approve of wasn’t as easy as she thought. And she had her family legacy to consider.

“Is this garden facing your Guardian’s office?” Kaden suddenly asked and Adeline raised her head, looking at him.

“Yes, we’ll pass under it in a few minutes.” She replied, creasing her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Do you think your Guardian believed we were madly in love?” He asked as if he hadn’t heard her. Adeline’s frown deepened. “You are a terrible actress, by the way. I am surprised he asked you to show me around, I thought he’d send you to your room because he felt how uncomfortable you felt. I think we’ll need more to convince him.”

“What do you mean more?” Adeline asked, just as they took another turn, leading them closer to the house.

“Are we close to his office now?” Kaden asked, his eyes locked ahead. Adeline glanced up for a moment before looking ahead as well. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he was about to do something again, and it made her excited and terrified at the same time.

“Yes,” she said breathlessly and he suddenly stopped, turning to face her. “What…?”

“Follow my lead.” He whispered, reaching out and cupping her face. She was just about to ask what he meant when he leaned down and kissed her. Her first instinct was to push him back, so her hands moved to his chest, ready to shove him away when she noticed his eyes were open and he was staring at her with a look that said ‘Don’t.’ loud and clear.

She remembered where they were, she remembered Millie was right there and who knows who else was watching them from inside the house. From… Lester’s office.

Adeline forced herself to relax, hesitantly returning the kiss and sliding her hands to Kaden’s waist. He froze for a second, as if surprised by her reaction, then she felt his lips curve into a smile. He pulled away a second later, leaning his forehead on hers.

“Good job.” He whispered, and she looked up at him. The smile he had on his face looked nothing like the usual smirk or the polite expression he wore in front of Lester. He looked like a man who had just tasted the most delicious wine in the world. “My, that blushing face is really cute.”

Adeline gritted her teeth, stepping away from him and glancing at Millie, who was staring at the ground, fighting a smile.

“This was very inappropriate.” She said, trying to keep her smile up in case somebody was still watching.

“Who cares? People who are in love often show their love through affection. We don’t have much time to convince your Guardian that we truly have feelings for each other.” He said, offering her his hand. Adeline considered refusing it, but then reminded herself she can’t and took it as lightly as possible. He continued along the path that was going to take them around the house and towards the front gate. They walked a few minutes in silence, which Adeline welcomed with open arms, giving her the chance to compose herself.

She couldn’t remember the last time she was kissed so gently and with so much affection, and she had been married for years. It only made her wonder how many women Kaden had kissed before to be able to do it so well, even with someone he barely knew.

“I have some work to do so I must leave early, but I will be back to discuss the engagement and wedding arrangements with your Guardian.” He said, and Adeline switched her focus to him. “I expect he’ll call me back within a day or two.”

“How are you so sure he’ll call you and not the crown prince? Because of the kiss? Knowing Lester, that probably made him angry, not like you more.” Adeline pointed out, imagining her Guardian’s startled expression, that had probably turned to anger.

“Of course not,” He laughed and for a second she wondered why then he had kissed her if he didn’t think that would work. “But I have something the crown prince doesn’t.”

“And what is that?” Adeline frowned, receiving a dashing smile in return.

“The heart of the woman I am trying to marry.” He said with a wink. “It’s time for you to play your part too, my dear. I already showed myself to be the lovesick fool who couldn’t wait to marry his beautiful beloved. Make sure to tell your Guardian just how deep your feelings go and how much you want to be married to me.”

“And what if that doesn’t work?” She asked with a sigh.

“Well, then,” he said, leaning down and lowering his voice. “I can always take your virginity and he’ll have no choice but to let you marry me.”

“Like hell.” Adeline heard herself saying and Kaden chuckled, taking a step backward, then another.

“Then, my beloved, make sure you’re very convincing. It’s only your future that depends on it.”