Chapter 58

Laurel left the parlor after having a light meal and several stories about Adolph in his youth that made her reel. It was hard to reconcile a little boy chasing frogs in the garden with his sister with King Adolph the Vampire Destroyed. She had tried to avoid thinking any more about Olivia and Adolph's relationship, but Raven's words were echoing through her mind.

A marriage of convenience? How could a marriage of convenience have such a love story around it? What about the portrait in the office?

*Easily made and easily broken* It sounded a lot like her marriage and bond with Basil. When Olivia died, had Adolph felt it at all?

She walked with Lynn quietly around the grounds, just trying to get some fresh air until she reached a pair of gates that hadn't been there when she'd been in the castle as Laura. She looked up at the gates. They were heavy iron and new.

"Where do these gates lead?" Laura asked.

"To the late Luna's orchard."

Laurel gasped. She knew Basil issued a decree against accessing it, but she never imagined he'd placed a gate at the entrance. Why would he do that? She could smell the fruit of the orchard, overripe and rotting on the ground between the trees. The vegetable patches and fruit bushes were probably overgrown with weeds and rotting as well.

It was such waste, and for what? To feel that he was right? To erase Laura's existence from the castle so he could move on with his marriage to Delia?

She gripped the gates and rested her head against the iron. She still had to speak to him about it. There was no sense in letting all of Laura's hard work go to waste for his pride.

"Laurel?" She turned her head to see Adolph approaching them. "What are you doing out here?"

Laurel swallowed and pulled away from the gates, "I just wanted some air."

Adolph nodded, "Would you walk with me? It's a lovely night."

She nodded and looked at Lynn who grinned at her and bowed respectfully.

"I will take my leave," Lynn turned and left as Adolph offered her his arm. He was warm and his clothes were slightly damp. His hair seemed heavy with water as well.

"Why are you wet?"

Adolph's lips twitched, "I was out for a hunt earlier and bathed. I didn't think it was that noticeable."

Laurel number and they walked in silence through the castle grounds without any real direction.

"So what did Raven tell you about me?"

Laurel chuckled, looking up at him, "A lot of horribly embarrassing things."

A light flush dusted his cheeks and he scowled, "Of course, she did. Did she tell you about the frogs?"

"That you used to try and hop around with them?" Laurel laughed, watching the flush spread to his ears. "Yes, she told me."

"You would think that as my twin there would be some form of fidelity," he grumbled.

"Wait, she's your twin?"

Adolph nodded, "Older by a handful of minutes."

Her mind was reeling, "She didn't mention that at all"

"I didn't expect her to There's a lot of political contention about it."

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

Raven married into a nearby pack. She and her husband were very happy, but there was a time when there was a question about her and her children's right to the throne when she had a child before Adolph had.

"It was a mess," Adolph sighed. "The ministers were up in arms. Raven was panicked because she never wanted her son to be in line for the throne We didn't have a chance to speak for a long time because of the politics."

"Why?"

"I had to send her and her family away for their safety," Adolph said and lifted an eyebrow at her. "You don't think the vampires were the first to try and kill a member of the royal family, did you?"

She dropped her gaze, "I suppose I never thought about it."

"Hopefully, you'll never have to think about it again." His voice seemed so certain and it gave Laurel a bit of peace of mind. "Have you given any thoughts about the invitations?"

She shook her head and smiled, deciding to tease him, "I was too busy hearing about you and your love for petal jam."

"That woman" He grunted with a flush on his cheeks, "What didn't she tell you?"

"How you got your hair to stop smelling like roses."

She giggled as Adolph scrubbed his face and lifted his head defiantly, "That is the last time you get to be alone with my sister, cousins, or nieces."

"They were all very nice," Laurel said, looking up at the sky. "They're not at all what I expected. Why didn't you say you had other living family members?"

"Generally, when you marry out of the royal line and decide to give up ties to the throne, you are no longer considered family, but subjects." Adolph shrugged, "I've never really subscribed to the idea and write them often, but for the sake of public appearances, I've become accustomed to not talking about them."

Laurel nodded. It made sense if there was a chance that they would be used to alter the line of succession.

"They told me a lot," Laurel said.

"Other than my jam escapades?"

"Raven hated Olivia," Laurel said. "And Irene doesn't care for Delia She thinks Basil is an idiot."

Adolph nodded, "They're quite blunt when they want to be."

"Does Prince Basil write to them?"

Adolph shook his head, "It's doubtful. Minister Mirabelle is invested in his relationship with the throne and probably discourages it. Just as well, they don't live in the castle and Minister Mirabelle would have never taken Basil outside the castle to visit them or let them come visit while I was away It wouldn't have been safe."

Laurel hummed. It seemed rather sad to have been separated from his family like that. Laurel only had her mother and father as neither of them interacted with their family or had a family to interact with, but she could imagine that Basil would have grown up to be a very different person if he'd been surrounded by Adolph's side of the family.

"I assume you've worked out all the other traditions? Gotten measured and all that?"

"Yes," Laurel said. "I told Raven I wanted fewer roses."

"What?" Adolph asked, stopping them. She sighed and looked up at him to meet his gaze.

"I don't want there to be any confusion about it is all."

"How many less? Less than what?"

Laurel grimaced, "I was thinking four at most."

"No."

"Raven already said I had to have at least seven"

"No," Adolph shook his head. "You should have all nine."

"That's not necessary."

"I think it is."

Laurel glowered at him, "Then you carry the bouquet."

He lifted an eyebrow at her then narrowed his eyes at her as if he was trying to read her thoughts.

"Why?" He asked. "Why are you so against nine roses? Against the seven at least?"

Laurel looked away from him, gathering her courage and straightening her spine to meet his gaze. She'd thought about it and realized that until she could be honest with him about why this was so important, he would likely never tell her. If she told him the truth and he still didn't tell her, at least she had been honest with him.

"I can't" She shook her head. "I won't give you my heart until I know for sure that you can give me all of yours."

Adolph frowned.

"I don't I won't live my life at your side chasing after you if you're chasing a ghost."

Adolph's eyes widened, blinking at her in shock, "You You think I was in love with Olivia. That's It's more than just what Tina told you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Adolph closed his eyes with a little murmur of a prayer. He didn't know what to say to such a ridiculous notion.

"Can we sit for a second and talk about this?" Adolph said. "I think I need to hear what started all of this before I can tell you what you want to know."

Laurel nodded, following him to a parlor to sit. She took a deep breath before telling him about growing up with the story of his relationship with Olivia as an ideal relationship. The fact that he hadn't gotten married in the years since Olivia's death only fed into the mythos.

"But I told you none of it is true," Adolph said, taking her hands. "What is it?"

Her jaw trembled as she looked up at him, "It feels like you still have feelings for her because you won't tell me what the truth is Like you're protecting the story too."

Adolph was shocked, flinching at the words and squeezing her hands gently.

"I never wanted it to feel that way," Adolph said meeting her gaze. "There is nothing I want to protect about that marriage... except maybe my pride."

Laurel frowned as he sighed.

"Let me start from the beginning."