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Chapter 67 - Lost His Mind

Easton didn\'t understand the importance of watching over the Princess as she ate. Her hair covered half of her face when she ate. It created a curtain that blocked his view of her mouth.

However, she ate well, bringing the fork to her mouth multiple times before focusing on a different dish.

Easton was never one to question His Majesty\'s decisions. He remained by the grand walls of the dining room, staring at the Princess.

Eventually, she settled her utensils down and gingerly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. He never realized it before but she was quite elegant. Her sitting posture was straight and her legs were planted perfectly upon the ground.

Easton supposed there were different sides to her than the demure and dreary one.

"All finished, Princess?" Easton asked once she rose to her feet. She did it in a way that the chair did not scrap behind her.

"Yes."

Easton glanced at her plate. He was surprised to see it was quite messy, with sliced up food, as if she had been playing with it. His attention shifted to the spring salad where the portion was halved. He didn\'t make a complaint, for he believed she ate.

Easton wondered if he should tell her that a lady shouldn\'t have such a messy plate. Then again, who would focus on her dish when she was the epitome of grace?

As if noticing his dubious stare, Adeline shifted the handkerchief over the plate, covering its remains.

"Would you mind preparing a car for me?"

Easton snapped back to reality. His eyes befell over her, widening in surprise. He quickly caught his composure and smiled again.

"What for, Princess?" Easton asked.

"It has been a few days since I\'ve last seen my family," Adeline said. "I-I\'d like to see them again. I heard my Aunt is bedridden."

Easton warily glanced upon her. He wondered if he should tell her that His Majesty had forbidden her from leaving the castle. A crystal cage was still a cage.

"I\'m afraid that is not within my abilities, Princess," Easton said. "I\'m not a butler, but just a good friend of His Majesty."

Adeline didn\'t realize she had offended him until now. Of course, he wasn\'t a butler. His brother was a politician, serving in the government.

"I apologize for insulting you," she muttered.

"That\'s alright, I\'m quite forgiving, Princess," Easton said with a smile. He noted she had stammered earlier. But what for? His eyes flickered to her fingers, where she was anxiously fiddling it with each other.

"Perhaps you can ask His Majesty once he returns," Easton said.

Adeline lifted her head a bit more. She saw his sympathetic expression, like a relative turning the child away and directing them back to their parents.

"I\'m sure he will be more than willing to accompany you anywhere that you wish," Easton warmly added on. His smile became more friendly, in hopes of convincing her to behave.

"I see."

"I\'m happy that you understand, Princess—"

"So I am caged in this castle."

Easton\'s smile instantly dropped. His eyes widened. He shook his hands in front of her, warning her to not overthink.

"No, no, Princess. It\'s not like that!" Easton hurriedly reassured, even if it was the truth. He didn\'t think she was this blunt! Did the Princess say whatever came to mind?

"Then what is the reason?" she curiously asked with a tilt of her head.

Easton saw she meant no harm. Her gaze was innocent and brimmed with curiosity. She didn\'t seem offended by his words, but she also wasn\'t happy with it.

"It\'s just, I don\'t have the power to let you leave the castle, Princess. Please, you must believe me—"

"What is this ruckus?" A frigid voice demanded.

Easton\'s shoulders sagged in relief. In his panic, he didn\'t realize the King had walked through the dining room.

"Elias," Adeline addressed.

She turned on her heels to catch a glimpse of him. As always, he was handsome. This time, in a disheveled manner, as if he had just woken up from a nap and was cranky about it. There was a cold, distant look in his eyes and a deep scowl.

"Is she refusing to eat?" Elias clipped as he approached them.

"No, Your Majesty," Easton quickly answered. "She ate well."

Elias glanced at the plate. It was covered by a thick white handkerchief. He reached forward to lift and examine how empty it was. Before he could even move the handkerchief, Adeline grabbed his hand.

"Adeline," he said with an edge to his voice.

"There\'s blood on your hand," she muttered.

Easton\'s eyes went wide. He looked horrified by her discovery, as he looked down. Sure enough, there was a single droplet of blood on His Majesty\'s pale hand.

"Who\'s is it?" Adeline asked. She was holding the King\'s hand with two of her own. There wasn\'t worry in her gaze, which meant she knew it wasn\'t his.

"A woman."

Easton gawked at the King in disbelief. This man…! Did he know how to talk to a woman? Did decades of not entertaining one made him stupid?!

But then Easton was surprised by faint laughter.

"As if," Adeline mused.

Without another word, she dropped His Majesty\'s hand. Then, she took a step back and seemed the least bit offended by his response.

Elias saw her slowly retreating from him. Panic seized his heart. He grabbed her wrist, yanking her even closer to him than before. He saw an image of her disappearing from his life again. The very thought terrified him. He had never felt this emotion before—the fear of losing someone.

"Where are you going?!" Elias growled, his grip tightening over her wrist.

Adeline was startled by his rough behavior. He rarely raised his voice at her before. "What\'s wrong?" she worriedly asked, stepping closer to him.

Bewilderment flickered on his handsome face. His thick brows wrung together in response, just as his arm wrapped around her. His palm rested on her lower back, whereas the other held her wrist. He was preventing her from leaving.

"You seem upset today," she said.

"I\'m not upset," he hissed.

He heard a burst of stifled laughter. Turning around, he threw a harsh glare at Easton. "Your brother is waiting for you downstairs. Go."

Easton didn\'t need to be told twice. He hid his smile and left the dining hall without looking back.

"If you\'re going to throw a tantrum, at least tell me how I can fix it," Adeline mumbled. She wriggled her wrist out of his grip, and grab the same hand with a single droplet of blood.

"I know it\'s not a woman\'s," she added on. "So, who is it?"

"Don\'t worry about it, my sweet," he said with resignation.

Elias had rushed here the second he was finished with Asher. He needed to personally witness that she ate something. If he missed the dining time with her, he wouldn\'t be able to gouge how much she consumed.

Adeline ate the portion of a baby bird. He was worried she\'d faint in the middle of the hallways. It was a likely scenario, given her gaunt silhouette.

Just then, he remembered his purpose here. He turned towards the plate, but she spoke up again.

"Why are there two holes in your right shoe, Elias?" she asked.

Elias cursed inside his head. He was in too much of a hurry to remember the mutt had tried to bite him. He glanced down. Sure enough, there were two punctures on his perfectly tailored leather shoes. They resembled the bite of vampire fangs.

"What\'s happening, Elias?" Adeline asked.

"It\'s nothing."

Instantly, she slipped away from his grasps.

Elias\'s gaze darkened. The temperature in the room dropped in response.

"Where are you going, my sweet?" he said like a teacher disciplining a child that stormed out of the classroom.

"It shouldn\'t concern you," she vaguely said.

Adeline hoped he enjoyed a taste of his own medicine. Without another glance back at him, she approached the door. Her heels clicked upon the ground, like little firecrackers.

She yanked the doors open with a disgruntled expression. Adeline took one step out the door before she was pulled into a hard surface. Her back slammed against his c.h.e.s.t. Her breath hitched, just as his hand came around her throat and forced her head up.

"Elias—"

"Don\'t walk away from me, my darling Adeline."

Adeline\'s heart trembled at his stare. He was furious, his eyes the brightest shade of red she had ever seen. Any bit brighter, and jewelry craftsmen would think his eyes were the rarest ruby. His grip disappeared from her throat, his fingers shifting to softly c.a.r.e.s.s her chin.

"Ever," he growled.

"You\'re very toxic."

Elias\'s eyes flashed in a warning. He slammed the doors shut and attempted to press her against them. If she wanted to see toxic, he would show it to her.

"I don\'t like today\'s Elias," she suddenly said in a disappointed voice.

Elias\'s brows tugged together. What the hell was she talking about? He did not care if she liked her or not. He didn\'t\' care about anyone\'s opinion. Despite that, his heart clenched, as a twinge of pain spread upon his c.h.e.s.t. What did all of this mean?

Adeline turned around to face him, just as his hands settled on either side of her waist. She gave him a sympathetic, yet understanding smile. Reaching up, she gently touched the side of his face.

"My sweet," he murmured, his mood instantly changing.

Elias leaned down to touch his forehead upon hers, only for a split second before his lips brushed against her ears. He was suddenly regretful of treating her so roughly when she touched him so kindly. He was momentarily blinded with fear and acted upon his emotions. This rarely happened.

But for a split second, Elias thought he was losing her. He was terrified. He could not go through the motions of living without her. She was beginning to make a permanent mark in his life again. But this time, if she left him, he would never be the same.

His patience could only last so long before he lost his mind.