She Belongs To The Devil

Hawisa and Osanna were preparing Adeline for her Gift Receiving ceremony that was going to take place in the Palace Hall. All of the Royal members, council members, high-ranking officials, and the heads of the powerful families were coming to the Palace to present birthday gifts and birthday wishes to their Future Queen.

While the two of them were giving beauty treatments to Adeline, Theodore was silently sitting in one corner of the room. He was reminded of Adeline's sixteenth birthday when the maids began to pull out the body hair of Adeline.

He reminisced how he had played the trick on her maids just to have some alone time with Adeline. His lips curved up remembering about the good old days.

After the maids were done preparing Adeline for the day, she stood in front of her dressing table's mirror and took a final look at herself.

She was wearing a wine-colored gown that was fitting on her upper half while fluffy below her waist. The puffed sleeves were made out of shimmery fabric making them shine when the light fell on them.

Osanna had tied Adeline's hair into a beautiful half-bun. And Hawisa had made her face look even more beautiful by applying some colors to her eyes, lips, and cheeks.

Adeline hummed for a while as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. And then she asked, "Osanna, will you put on the hairpin that you two gifted me?"

Hawisa and Osanna glanced at each other with delighted eyes. "Sure," Osanna replied very enthusiastically. Then she secured the phoenix hairpin on Adeline's bun.

Adeline looked satisfied with her look and she smiled at her own reflection. Then she asked her maids, "How do I look? Decent enough?"

And Theodore thought to himself, "Decent? You look like an aged wine that I would love to taste!"

Hawisa glanced at the Princess's reflection in the mirror with a huge smile on her face. "You look like you were born to rule the land as well as the hearts of all the people of Wyverndale."

Osanna giggled and added, "Yes, our Princess was especially born to rule the hearts of all young gentlemen."

Theodore, who was listening to the conversation of the three of them got furious when Osanna mentioned that. "How dare you try to corrupt my Adeline's pure heart with your vile thoughts?" he thought to himself and he threw a needle made out of his mist right on Osanna's neck.

"Ouch!" Osanna winced and clasped over her neck.

"What happened?" Adeline asked in a concerned voice.

"Something stung me!" Osanna turned around and showed her neck to Hawisa. Then she asked her, "Will you take a look? I felt something sharp piercing my neck."

Hawisa squinted her eyes and checked Osanna's neck. "Where did you say you were stung again? I cannot find a thing here."

Osanna pointed at a spot and replied while still in pain, "Right here."

"Hmm… there is nothing here. Not even a red dot or a rash of some kind." Hawisa then pushed her aside and said, "You are just over-reacting."

"No, I am not. Something really did sting me!" Osanna tried moving her neck and she was stunned, "Heh! It's gone now."

Hawisa gave a corner-eyed look to Osanna, and Osanna hastily defended herself, "I swear to God I was stung by something."

Adeline suddenly heard a fleeting whisper in her head, "Don't take my father's name and my name in the same sentence." She tightly shut her eyes and grunted as she could feel a sudden headache.

"Adeline! Are you okay?" Hawisa noticed Adeline's grimacing face and sprinted to her side to support her.

Adeline blinked her eyes several times and replied, "I am fine now. Just got a little headache."

Before Adeline could ponder upon what she just heard, there was a knock on the outer door. Osanna ran outside Adeline's private chamber and went to see who that was.

After a while, she returned back and relayed the message to the Princess, "It was the message from His Majesty. He has asked you to head towards the hall for the ceremony."

Adeline nodded and smiled. "Okay, I will go then."

Adeline walked ahead and Hawisa and Osanna also followed after her. And so did Theodore.

The well-wishers of the Future Queen had already gathered in the hall to wish her a happy birthday. After the guards at the hall announced her arrival, Adeline gracefully walked inside the hall and made her way towards her seat that had been prepared by the King's side. She stopped in front of King Dragomir and bowed to him, and she carried her feet towards her own seat.

Theodore couldn't be any prouder seeing her walking that confidently in the hall full of people. He remembered how timid she used to be. He also quietly walked up the platform and stood behind Adeline as if he was her guard.

King Dragomir initiated the ceremony by addressing all the Royals and the dignitaries of the Kingdom and gesturing them to meet the Future Queen.

The ceremony started with the Royals presenting their gifts to Adeline. As per seniority, Lillian was the first one to climb the platform. She was carrying a wooden box in her hand with utmost care.

As soon as Theodore saw Lillian walking up to the platform, he clenched his fists tightly so that he would not want to kill her right then and there.

Adeline also tightened her grip on the armrest of her grand chair when she saw that woman climbing up the stairs. Though Adeline had forgotten seeing Lillian's memories, she still remembered jotting down each and every record of her crime. She had talked with the witnesses and victims of some of Lillian's many crimes in order to cross-verify her own writing, and the crimes turned out to be true.

Adeline had also written on that record that Lillian was the one to kill her mother and also kidnap her when she was a toddler. Though she had forgotten the actual source of Lillian's crimes, she knew that those were also true. And she hated that woman from her core.

When Lillian reached in front of Adeline, she faked a smile and said, "Happiest birthday, Princess." She handed over that wooden box to Adeline and said with a smug smile, "I have prepared a few vials of medicinal herbs for you that will help you to rejuvenate your stamina. I hope you will make good use of it."

Adeline also faked a smile and answered, "I will." Adeline passed that box to her trusted assistant, Bennett, who was standing beside her.

Without Adeline asking him, he knew what to do with that box. He kept it in one corner of the table so that he could dump that fishy vials of 'medicine' later on.

"Azriel made everyone forget about me, right? He did one good thing. Let me scare this witch again." Theodore's hand was itching to do something to Lillian. And when she was climbing down the stairs, he released a ball of mist at Lillian's feet.

Lillian got stuck in that mist and tumbled down the stairs. And she landed right on her face.

The whole hall was filled with loud gasps.

A few guards rushed to help Lillian get on her feet but she slapped those hands away and grumpily rushed out of the hall.

Adeline felt really good and was trying hard not to laugh.. Theodore, on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face.