Rene liked seeing the smaller changes in Adelinde; she didn’t have any point of reference for what she was like immediately after Aurik’s death, but she could tell Adelinde was making improvements.
At the very least, she trusted Rene enough for them to wake up together one morning. She could describe it as nothing less than an honor, to some extent—she didn’t even wonder if that trust might be misplaced until the morning.
Sleepiness never really lasted, leaving her to observe the room while she reflected on why she even met Adelinde—how she was supposed to be here for Matteo, trying to figure out if he was strong enough to take his father’s place.
Maybe when she got back, she could try to convince Lord Dazuz that it would only happen if they were incredibly lucky. It was too late for Rene to back out of the spotlight—even if she told him she was fine in Dakari, unless they found someone to replace her she couldn’t imagine him ever accepting her leaving—but if she sounded logical enough, she could make sure Adelinde and Matteo would be fine.
It was the least she could do to thank Adelinde for actually showing her she had things to look forward to in Dakari.
Adelinde eventually stirred next to her, gently brushing her hand against Rene’s arm. She offered a little smile to the still-waking queen, who opened her eyes and looked up at her.
“…Are you an omyn?”
“I am.” Whether or not she really liked it depended on the day. There was one good thing about it, at least. “Did you sleep well?”
Adelinde laughed, moving a bit closer so she could give Rene a kiss on the cheek.
“Best night’s rest in years,” Adelinde murmured, smiling. “No nightmares, no trouble sleeping. I feel refreshed after waking up for once. Thank you.”
Rene responded with another kiss, only pulling away when remembered her agreement with Lord Dazuz the day before.
Rene offered an apologetic look as she sat up.
“I need to be back before the family has breakfast,” she explained.
Adelinde nodded her understanding, sitting up as well. “You can’t stay to eat with us?”
“Maybe next time,” Rene reasoned. “I still haven’t…actually told anyone we’ve been dating.”
“This isn’t something to keep hidden,” Adelinde insisted lightly. “You’re lucky the staff here don’t pry and don’t spread rumors, but I’m the queen. People will hear, sooner or later—it would be better for your family to hear it from you.”
Rene frowned a bit. She could easily picture two ways such a conversation would go: her being derided as a ‘second Aurik Qrian’ and promptly abandoned if not forced to stay at the mansion, or Lord Dazuz only approving because it meant a second chance on what Aurik had actually promised the group when he fell in love with her.
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She didn’t know which one was more likely, which made her inclined to keep it between them. The main reason the people in the palace had some idea of it was mostly because Rene honestly couldn’t stop smiling when she was with Adelinde, and Adelinde herself had a similar look most of them could recognize from her first love. Rene managed to separate the old nation stuff from her time with Adelinde so she didn’t show any signs of love while she was at the mansion.
Adelinde sighed, offered a small kiss, then got off the bed to get dressed.
“You said earlier your birthday is in May?”
Rene murmured some agreement, standing up to change back into what she wore here the day before.
“The twenty-first,” Rene confirmed.
Adelinde walked over to the wardrobe, opened it, and pulled out a dress. She glanced back at Rene and smiled.
“What would you like to do? It can be the two of us, or I can bring Matteo out.”
“A shopping trip of sorts will be fine, with or without the kid,” Rene said. “If you wanted to get a gift, you could buy it then.”
“You wouldn’t want a surprise?” Adelinde asked, more curious than anything.
“Being able to pick something out together means more to me,” Rene admitted. “It lets me understand the thought process behind getting a certain gift—tells me how I can respond in kind when your birthday comes up.”
Adelinde laughed. “Well, I’m easily satisfied by way of gifts—give me a score book or some music-related trinkets and I’ll be happy. I guess that just means I have to make sure you get something as fulfilling.”
“Time is enough,” Rene reasoned, smiling. Now fully dressed, she wandered over to the mirror just to make sure she wasn’t missing anything; she looked no more or less organized than usual, at least. She tied her hair up as per usual. “I’ll make sure I have a few hours to spend just…roaming. We can figure out the rest on the day of.”
Adelinde nodded, finishing getting dressed and meeting Rene near the mirror. They shared a brief kiss, this one with the intention of being their last for now.
“I’ll try to come to the music district later today,” Rene promised.
“Just tell your family first,” Adelinde suggested. “Then, if nothing else, you won’t have months of dates to explain when they do hear.”
Rene hesitated, then murmured something like agreement. Adelinde smiled, and after a moment Rene left.
…
No one questioned her when she came back. She got there a bit later than she agreed—everyone had finished eating, so she made herself something from the random stuff leftover.
She went to her room after eating, staring at the storybook pictures and the promises thereof, comparing them to the pictures she had of her hometown and the single photo she had of her, Adelinde, and Matteo. Rene reached to take one of the new nation things off the wall when someone knocked on her door.
Rene stopped, pausing for a full second before answering it. Lord Dazuz just frowned at her when the door opened, as per usual.
“You were late,” he noted.
“I stayed up longer than I thought.” It was true—and, being omynic, that typically meant sleeping until later in the day. That morning just happened to be an exception; Rene usually would have woken up after Adelinde. He didn’t seem to believe it though. “Do you need something?”
He shook his head. “I just want to remind you of one of the first things I told you, when I told you to examine the child,” he reasoned, albeit coldly. “Stay focused on the task at hand—no distractions.”
The response came out almost systematically, without thinking; she had the lie rehearsed for whenever she would need to use it.
“We still need connections, don’t we? And, like you said earlier, it’s good for me to get out there and let any allies know I exist.”
He looked skeptical, but he long since tired of trying to get more information out of her. Rene gave vague responses as often as she could, offering half-explanations to muttered comments and it bothered him; despite that, he also seemed unwilling to completely force her, either. She was, in a sense, a guest of honor in their goals—he must not want to give her a reason to leave and abandon the cause.
Lord Dazuz gave her a warning look that lost its threat months ago, more weary than anything, and left.
Rene closed the door again, taking it as a kind of success. She laid out another outfit so she could change and be at the music district before lunch.