CHAPTER 412: DECEPTIONS

Near the peaceful pond she had settled, watching the thin, meek little ripples that the breeze left behind.

From afar Silas spotted her figure and wished to join her until Ada came into view. The woman was making her way towards her friend at the pace a human would.

And so, he stood back to allow them a moment together but never stopped listening in on his wife’s heart.

As such, the words she exchanged with Ada were naturally, no longer a secret.

When the crunching of grass finally stopped was when their conversation started.

"Did you receive a word from the fairies?" Ada sat next to Arabella.

"Yes, they will be coming tomorrow," Arabella’s voice came muffled as she had plopped her mouth against her knees, "Which fits our needs, really. Since Liriel is a syndicate member, I thought she could get a glimpse of the... Outbreak," the young woman hesitated around the last word.

"Wouldn’t Liriel understand your predicament if you simply tell her the truth?" Ada too gathered her knees and brought her legs to her chest.

"She would, but it would be another burden for her frail back to carry. I don’t want that for her," Arabella shook her head, rubbing her nose against the fabric of her gown.

A deep and loud inhale overtook Ada before the longest of exhales followed. Though her mouth remained shut afterwards, keeping a lid on her thoughts.

Arabella was having none of that forced silence, however, and spoke right up, "Out with it. What’s churning your gears?"

"Nothing... Just something that my brain keeps on tossing and turning ever since you told me about Edna,"

"And?" Arabella nudged.

From where he stood, it was easy for Silas to pick up on the battering that Ada’s heart did. It refused to simmer, no matter how many breaths her lungs invited for that purpose.

"And... Ever since yesterday when you confided in me about your plan, I kept thinking... What if you were right about whoever killed her? What if they truly worked for your father or Dragomir or whoever the hell was pulling her strings?"

"If you are saying what I think you are saying then yes... It has crossed my mind too," Arabella finally leaned back onto her hands and extended her legs on the grounds, "We haven’t told many people about our plan but if they are one of the closest people to us then yes, they would have told Dragomir or my father about it already,"

"Who... Who do you suspect so far?" Ada sounded so reluctant to ask and held her knees to her chest tighter.

"As insane as this makes me sound and as much as it pains me to say it out loud, the one I suspect the most is none other than Allegra,"

Even the sweet breeze went quiet. That name rang like a blaring, deafening siren in Silas’ ears.

It was impossible, was it not? Why would Arabella suspect Allegra of all people? She’s been in their family for... Well almost since her birth. They’d given her everything... Quite literally.

"I... Why?" finally, Ada managed to articulate again, "The Lady won’t be happy to hear that, you know,"

"That is why I am not telling her until I unveil concrete proof of the deception. In the end, I would want to know if the child I’ve raised from infancy were to stab me in the back and why too, at that," Arabella’s tone was oddly monotone as her voice remained steady, "But if I am right in thinking she works for those people then... She can tell them all she wants,"

"How? Aren’t you worried that-"

Arabella immediately cut her off, "What are they going to do about it? Inform the syndicate? Come now, they are business owners. The current state of relationship between our countries, even though strained, still suits their interests. They are doing all of this to preserve their riches after all...,"

"Fine! I understand nothing of this!" Ada huffed, "I still wish to know why you suspect Allegra in particular," Ada had turned somewhat frantic in her motions, "I know you think she killed Edna but only for what she did to her and Katherine... I never in a million years thought...,"

"If that makes you feel better," Arabella put a hand on Ada’s shoulder, "I still think killing Edna was never planned. I still think it was a reaction to what happened to Katherine. Only a small part of me believes she was ordered to in order to burn a loose end,"

Ada held her hands to her chest, breathing deeply and sighing to regulate her rate.

But Arabella did not allow her to wallow on her festering thoughts.

"Speaking of what happened? I haven’t checked on you since... Well...,"

"Me? I am alright. The pain is completely gone, and I am not flinching at the sight of Katherine like I thought I would which is a relief since none of it was her fault,"

That seemed to help Ada simmer a tad.

"Are you sleeping well at night? Have you no nightmares about what occurred at all?"

To that, Ada chuckled lightly and turned away from Arabella, "Sometimes I have these visions of... Katherine chasing me through the halls but, that is all, I promise,"

"I am really sorry," Arabella turned to further face her friend, "It’s not that it had slipped my mind but... I found no time and-"

That time around, it was Ada’s turn to cut her off, "Please. Enough with that already! I know how much you care about all of us really,"

Those words got Arabella to smile, feebly but visibly, "Are you feeling up for it? With the tributes, I mean,"

"Oh yes!" Ada chirped, her demeanor shifting entirely, lighting up like a horizon on a new day, "I never thought I’d be teaching anyone ever... Let alone a class!" she giggled, "I can’t believe there are people willing to learn from me!"

"The knowledge you possess isn’t anything to scoff at," Arabella started, "It is a treasure to be shared if you wish to and anybody would be lucky to have you as their educator. You will be great at this. I know as much!"