Chapter 83

Laurel was nervous. It wasn't as if she hadn't shared a private meal with Adolph before, but this was the first time they would be alone together for a meal since she woke up. Sarah was beside herself, bustling around to help her get ready as Laurel tried to figure out why she was so nervous.

She hadn't been this nervous the day they were supposed to get married. Her hands trembled as she fidgeted.

"All done!" Sarah cried and froze seeing how pale Laurel had become.

Sarah worried her lip and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Miss Laurel?"

Laurel looked up then away, "I-I'm fine. I don't"

Sarah wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, "Should I send word that you aren't feeling well?"

"No," she said, taking her hand. "I-I'm just I'm just being silly. I'll be fine."

Sarah eyed her suspiciously, but nodded and followed her out of the room to where Sam and Lynn were waiting. Sam nodded politely and they led them down the corridor towards the first floor. Rather than turning towards a dining room, they headed toward the gardens, and slowly, Laurel began to breathe easier.

Adolph stood at the entrance of the garden with Chasel, holding a basket and a large blanket rolled under his arm. Laurel let out a shallow breath as he turned to look at her with a soft smile.

"Good evening, Laurel."

"Your Majesty."

Chasel grinned before handing the basket to Adolph and bowing. Adolph offered her his arm with a smile.

"I thought a change of location would be nice...less stressful. Are you okay to walk a bit?"

She smiled and nodded, wrapping her arm around his, "Thank you for this."

He always seemed to know how to make her feel better even when she wasn't sure if there was anything that could help her. How had he known that she would be apprehensive about sitting at a formal dining table again?

The thought made her shudder.

He didn't lead her to the heart of the garden again but to another section she'd never been. The flowers there glowed like the flowers in the moon goddess' realm. He set the basket on a nearby stone and rolled out the blanket, helping her to lay beside him and look up at the night sky.

Stars winked at them and the glowing crescent of the moon hung in the sky, lighting the garden a bit.

"Are you cold?" Adolph asked, pulling a cloak from within the basket.

Laurel slid closer to him, "Not by much"

He smiled at her and wrapped his cloak around her, careful to fasten it and pull her closer.

"I thought we could use a bit of a break," he smirked. "Plotting the downfall of the ministries is hard work."

She laughed, "I was thinking that the minister of agriculture should be next."

Adolph chuckled, "I see, clearing out your side in the beginning, are you? It would get you quite a power boost."

She blinked and shook her head. She hadn't even thought of it that way. If anything, she thought it would help him to know that the people would be taken care of properly with the dissolution of an ineffectual minister of agriculture.

"I didn't, we can--"

"I am only teasing you," Adolph said. "I know you are doing it for the people, and I agree."

Laurel watched him look away from her.

"I want to be sure the people are in a good position before dissolving the ministries Unfortunately, the mess the ministers have made of the luna's affairs and the inner affairs of the kingdom started long before the issues on my side."

She swallowed, "What do you mean?"

He glanced at her, "Stealing money from the agriculture budget is much easier to do than passing ridiculous laws regarding the economy and our dealings with other countries."

She nodded. It was true, but now that he brought it up, she couldn't help but think that the situation was a bit fair.

"I'm going to reopen the orchard, agriculture can wait. We should go after someone causing trouble on the other side."

Adolph pulled out an apple and shined it on his shirt, "I'm already working on that. The minister of commerce if you wanted to know. Tell me about your projects and how they're going. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Laurel smiled, feeling a bit shy, but she told him that the gates would be taken down by the end of the week and she got a preliminary idea of when It would have a tally of how much was salvageable and how quickly it would be possible to expand the orchard for further use. They were lucky and that the kitchens had been keeping the orchard in good enough order so none of the fruit plants had died.

Adolph listened, nodding every once in a while to make sure it was clear he was listening, and he realized that she didn't need his help at all. She was more remarkable than he ever realized, a gift from the goddess.

One he had nearly lost for an old woman's petty jealousies One that a vicious monster of a woman was trying to keep from him at any cost. He had to find the culprit as soon as possible if you meant to have any peace in his marriage with Laurel, but all the clues he had were leading in circles around the castle. Whoever it was, they were much better at hiding than he'd ever anticipated.

"Now that you know how my projects are going," Laurel said, drawing him from his thoughts. "Tell me how your projects are going and if there's anything I can do to help you."

He stared at her for a moment without speaking and blinking it seemed. Maybe she had offended him, but there was something in his eyes that told her that wasn't the case. He seemed shocked and amazed. Maybe he was just shocked that she'd asked. Had no one ever asked if there was something they could do to help him? She was certain that Raven had offered plenty of times. Maybe he just wasn't used to it from anyone else. She remembered thinking that as luna she couldn't afford to ask anyone for help. She couldn't afford to look incompetent or weak. Maybe he felt the same way as the king.

Adolph couldn't think. He couldn't think of the last time anyone besides Chasel or his family had offered to help him. He couldn't even think of anything she could help him with, but the sentiment touched him all the same.

Perhaps this is what his father meant when he talked about the value of having a kuna at his side.

*A luna does more than look after your people.* *She will look after you as well.*

He took her hand and squeezed it, "No, there isn't. Should we talk about something more upbeat now?"

" I'd like that."

They sat under the stars talking about books from Adolph's childhood And all the far reaches of the kingdom he had visited. It was a bit like listening to Eden tell his tales from his trips but better somehow. The light in Adolph's eyes warmed her in the chill of the night. They shared the food Adolph had prepared for them, laughed, and joked as if they would be forever alone in the garden.

Laurel found herself tugged close to him, giggling about an incident from his youth involving a sparrow.

" I cannot believe I am telling you this story"

She left, " I imagine your sister and cousins already know the story so who else would you tell? Your son?"

The thought seemed to give him pause. Had Basil never heard any of these stories about Adolph's youthful antics or his grandparents? She supposed not. she doubted that Gavin would have ever told these stories because Gavin likely didn't know them. If Raven and the others have been allowed to spend more time with him, perhaps he would know his father better, but that wasn't the case either.

"Maybe I should tell Basil that is. I have no way of knowing what he thinks of me now, but I can guess it's not very flattering."

" What makes you say that?"

"... a feeling. I don't think he had the time to speak to anyone who knows me. Between the war and the politics, I'm almost certain that he only sees me as a warrior and has little regard for me as his father."

Laurel sat up and looked down at him, curious about his thoughts. Did he not know how much Basil idolized him? How could he not know? Looking back, it was clear that Basil wanted to be as great of a king as he believed his father to be and likely as great of a king as Adolph was. He had a serious personality issue, but his lack of knowledge could be fixed.

"He seems to trust me to a degree, but that's not the same seeing me as a person, nor respecting me as his father, let alone as his king." He sighed. "He is too old to be attempting to father him like a child but his actions and lack of awareness of the world give me little choice in the matter."

Laurel never would have guessed that he had such thoughts about his relationship with Basil. For a moment, she wondered what Basil thought of their relationship. Whatever she said to Adolph would benefit Basil in some way. She didn't want that, but she didn't want Adolph to carry the feeling of failing his son and heir.

"I think if you gave him the chance to know you," Laurel said. Adolph lifted his head to meet her gaze. "If you gave him a chance to learn from you, you might be surprised about what he thinks of you."

Adolph's lips twitched and he pulled her back into his arms, "Maybe."