Chapter 218 - Off To The Dragon Crypt
Everything changed for Adeline after her appointment as the Future Queen. Her routine was now completely different than what it used to be. She would still wake up early in the morning and would dedicate one hour to go through the matters of the King's Court.
After having a light breakfast, she would go and train with General Osmond. General Osmond was kind and willing enough to continue their personal training session early in the morning. Sometimes, Raphael would also join the two of them and would have a sparring session with Adeline.
After the training session, Adeline would then take a bath and have a heavier breakfast. Hawisa and Osanna would do their best to make the Princess look formal and authoritative. She would then spend most of her day in the King's Court, discussing and listening to important matters with the King and the council.
If there was nothing to discuss then she would go to her assigned workplace and then she would continue gathering proofs against Lillian, and would work on some other pressing matters of the Kingdom.
Her assistant, Bennett, was a few years older than Adeline and was a very kind and handsome gentleman. He was a scholar from a noble family and was of great help to her. He would share his own knowledge and understanding of stately affairs. And as he had more experience working with the King, Adeline would take his suggestions from time to time.
And it would already be evening when Adeline would finish her duties. She would spend some time with Rion, and then she would again indulge herself in reading several materials from her work.
One thing that remained the same was that Theodore would come to her room every night after around 8 in the evening.
It had already been a week since Adeline was selected as the Future Queen. Nigel, Rhea, and Fenris had already returned to Aberdeen, along with Nigel's trusted guards and a few more carriages of souvenirs that the King had packed for them.
And as a week had already passed, it was time for Adeline to visit Azriel in his Dragon Crypt.
King Dragomir was in Adeline's quarter early in the morning and he was instructing Adeline, "I have arranged a carriage for you that will take you to the hill where the Dragon Immortal resides. But the carriage will only take you to the bottom of the Hill. And after that, you will need to climb the hill on your own."
Adeline had clearly told her father why she was going to meet their Deity. And Dragomir was happy thinking that Adeline must have had done something great in her past life to have two Immortals in her side in this life.
Adeline remembered the opening of the Dragon Crypt being at a considerable height so she asked, "How much will I have to walk to get to the Dragon Immortal's residence?"
"It will take you about an hour to reach there from the bottom of the hill." Dragomir sighed and placed his palm on Adeline's shoulder. And he warned her, "The path on that hill is really narrow and steep so make sure that you climb the hill very carefully."
Adeline could see the worry lines on her father's forehead so she gave a reassuring smile and said, "I will be careful. You don't have to worry about me, father."
Dragomir looked at his daughter from top to bottom. Adeline was wearing her training outfit as he had instructed. It was easier to move around in the training outfit than in her fancy gowns. Climbing the hill would be impossible if she was to go there in her fancy outfits.
He then looked at her shoes and asked her, "Are you sure those shoes are comfortable? They give a good grip, right?"
Adeline smiled and said, "Father, I have sparred with General Osmond in these shoes. So climbing a hill in these won't be a problem. Don't worry, I won't fall."
Dragomir laughed at his own over-cautiousness and then apologized, "I am sorry. I can't help but worry about you. I still feel like you are a little kid. I keep forgetting that you are now even capable of leading the Kingdom on your own."
Adeline hugged her father and spoke in a pampered voice, "I am still a kid though. I love it that you care about me so much."
Dragomir lovingly stroked her hair and then he immediately added, "And when returning, Dragon Immortal might offer to teleport you to the carriage if he is in a good mood. Don't deny him if he offers to help you get down the hill because climbing down the hill is really harder than climbing up."
"Sure. I will do that."
And after Dragomir gave her some more advice and warnings, he finally let Adeline leave for the Dragon Crypt.
Adeline was led by her fully armed and armored guards towards the carriage. After she got inside, all her guards mounted their respective horses and led the way. The Dragon's Crypt was located at the Northern Border of Wyverndale, near the Jhomla Pass. And the journey would take around six hours by carriage.
Adeline had never ridden a carriage for that long. At first, she was excited for the comparatively long journey that she had set out for. After crossing the villages, she opened the window of her carriage and watched the beautiful fields and farms.
However, after about two hours, she was bored out of her mind. She was tired of watching the similar fields and being alone inside the carriage was not helping either.
Adeline's eyes twinkled as her eyes fell on the ring that she was wearing. And she mumbled to herself, "Right! I guess I should call Theodore. I have never traveled with him, so it should be fun."
She hurriedly closed the windows of her carriage and sat down properly. Then she brought her knuckles close to her lips and was about to kiss the ring. But she stopped midway because she remembered she had not told Theodore that she was going to visit Azriel. She didn't want to make Theodore angry and jealous for no reason, and she definitely did not want the two brothers to fight because of her.
So she endured her boredom and continued her journey alone.
After six long hours, Adeline and her guards finally reached the hill where Azriel resided. She got out of the carriage and then looked up the hill.. A little sneer appeared on Adeline's face when her glance fell on the path on that hill.