The King's Artist

Ch 27: Discovering an Unrecognized Dream

After departing from Kayden, Adelaide's hectic mind took a semi-hiatus and calmed down. For the moment, it was allowing her to focus on other matters not pertaining to Henry or their situation. Her thoughts initially strayed to the conversation she had had with Kayden. For the most part, Adelaide wasn't surprised by his revelation. There had always been something about Kayden that had given Adelaide the uneasy feeling he knew and saw more than he let on.

His revelation, did, however, lead Adelaide to wonder if anyone else had figured it out and just not confronted her. Regardless, she couldn't say she really cared all that much if people knew or talked about it behind her back. The only person Adelaide had truly cared about offending or misleading was Henry and now that he knew her secret, other people's gossip didn't matter to her. She was no longer concerned, for instance, that one of the servants would discover evidence of her monthly visitor and discreetly inform Henry of their suspicions. Furthermore, minor fears like her chest wrapping coming undone during training had disappeared.

The idea of not having to hide anymore was gradually becoming intoxicating to Adelaide. She daydreamed what it would be like to wear frilly and beautifully sown dresses of varying colors that fanned out elegantly whenever the wearer moved or turned. She wondered how people would react to her growing her hair out and tying it back with ribbons and bows and braids. Adelaide had never worn makeup, either, and the thought of how it would transform her intrigued her.

Oddly enough, Marian's face jumped into Adelaide's mind as her thoughts wandered. She hadn't thought about the other girl in years, mostly because very little reminded her of her past companion. For Adelaide, everything refined, pretty, and delicate was associated with Marian in her mind and those were things she very rarely encountered due to her current lifestyle. She could recall a number of times, though, when she was younger, spying on the older girl as she did her hair and makeup. Adelaide had always been envious of how beautiful Marian was, and it wasn't a surprise to anyone when a line of suitors appeared asking for her hand as soon as she came to a respectable age. Marian had refused all of them, though. When Adelaide had asked her why she didn't want to marry, Marian had just brushed her question off and gone back to her cleaning. Thinking about it know, Marian probably knew a husband would never allow her to spend her money on supporting a stray like Adelaide, and Marian was never strong enough to willingly abandon Adelaide.

Knowing the amount of stress she had caused Marian made Adelaide feel a little guilty. She was somewhat reassured, though, when she reasoned that Marian was probably happily married by now, most likely even had a kid or two. The thought, for some reason, made Adelaide a little jealous.

Adelaide had never considered having kids before. She hadn't even really thought about what it would be like to get married. She had given up on those fantasies the moment she had decided to stay by Henry's side. However, now that Adelaide was thinking of the future she had unintentionally robbed herself, she couldn't picture a greater dream than creating a family of her own one day. The idea sent tingles down to her toes.

Adelaide's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She had expected Jasper or Kayden, so seeing Anthony standing in her door frame was a surprise. She didn't know Anthony very well. She knew he had a younger sister that adored him, but other than that piece of information, the man was practically a stranger.

"Arthur," he greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Anthony," she returned. "Is something going on?"

"Nothing worth worrying about," he answered. "Henry did send me, though, to let you know that Duke Francis has sent word that he's recovered from his illness and has subsequently punished the advisors who tried to turn Henry over. We're all a bit at ease now knowing we're not facing any more imminent threat anymore."

Relief flooded Adelaide. A weight she hadn't noticed lifted from her shoulders and she released a heavy, shaky sigh. Anthony didn't stick around to chat longer and quickly dismissed himself. Adelaide, shutting the door behind him, sunk to the ground and placed a hand over her rapid but relieved heart.

She was torn, though, once again as she replayed the message in her head. The relief from earlier gradually faded and another weight moved in to now settle onto her heart. It was wonderful news to hear that Brittany would be supporting them again, that Henry was once again shielded and safe. How the great news was delivered, however, was devastating for Adelaide as she considered what it meant.

Henry had chosen to send a stranger, rather than deliver the message personally. The implication felt like a knife in Adelaide's back. She could practically see the wall he was building form between them, brick by brick.

However, Adelaide decided very quickly that she was done crying. More than anything, she was angry. She got to her feet slowly, and with her hands balled into fists, stormed from her room.

If Henry was going to insist she was a different person, she saw no reason as to why she should continue her little charade any longer. Besides, Henry had forcibly killed off the persona of Arthur.

Unexpectedly, the idea of returning to being Adelaide sent a shiver up her spine. As a result, Adelaide couldn't help but smile at the sensation.

~~~~

Hello beautiful readers,

Sorry for the short chapter update. I'm unfortunately still not feeling all that well, but I really wanted to give you all another chapter this week since I'm trying to be more consistent.

Hopefully, you guys liked it despite its length. Please do vote and comment if you enjoyed. By the way, I really love reading what you all have to say about my writing, it's incredibly encouraging and motivational. However, I would just like to say that I usually only reply to comments if there's a question directed at me specifically, so I hope I haven't insulted anyone by not responding.

On another note, I'll try to update next weekend as well if I can. In the meantime, I hope you all have a good week and I'll talk to you all later!

Sandie <3