Chapter 269 - Deserving?

Adeline was in her own workroom, going through paperwork to catch up on what she had missed the last two days. She could not afford to get distracted by the sweet moments she had shared with Theodore anymore. So she was trying her best to focus her attention and actually get things done.

She heard a knock on her door when she was already immersed in the file that reported how the trade with Frostford was declining lately. Following the knock, the Princess heard Lord Bennett's voice from the other side of the door, "Your Highness, may I come in?"

Adeline diverted her gaze from the report to the door and ordered, "Come in."

Bennett entered the Princess's room and informed her, "Prince Edwin is here to see you. I have asked him to wait in the waiting room for now. Shall I send him in or shall I say that you are busy?"

Bennett was well-aware of the bad blood between Princess Adeline and Prince Edwin. And he had also noticed the awkwardness between them yesterday. So he was willing to cover for the Princess if that meant she would get out of the discomfort of facing her supposed enemy.

Adeline was grateful to have such an understanding person as her assistant. He was capable of using his own judgment and making decisions on behalf of the Princess in situations where she would be unable to openly order him.

So she thought that it was necessary to be open with him about the recent development with Prince Edwin. "Bennett, Prince Edwin and I have already reconciled with each other. I will tell you everything in detail later on. But for now, I want you to know that he will be working for me from now on."

Bennett nodded his head though just those lines did not quench his curiosity. But he trusted the Princess's decision to suddenly trust her brother. He was sure that the Princess would not make that decision if she was sure that they were against her favor.

"I will send him in then," Bennett bowed to the Princess and left the room.

After some time, Prince Edwin entered the room and then bowed to the Princess, "Your Highness."

Adeline, on the other hand, felt really weird seeing Edwin bowing to her like that. Yes, her other half-siblings would also bow to her now. But she wouldn't see the others that often. Edwin was insisting on being by her side and she did not want him to bow to her every now and then.

So she pursed her lips and said, "Brother Edwin, I don't think you should be bowing to me every time you see me. Please just limit that to the formal ceremonies."

Edwin smiled because he could sense the discomfort in her voice. So he replied, "If it makes you uncomfortable then I will do as you say."

Adeline smiled and gestured Edwin to take a seat in front of her, "Please." And when he settled down, she leisurely started the conversation, "You said that you wanted to act as my personal bodyguard but I already have enough guards following me around. And as you are a Prince, it would be disrespectful to give that title to you."

Edwin gave a polite smile and expressed his view, "I don't need any titles to work for you. It will be enough if I can just be by your side."

She placed her hands on the table and leaned a little forward, "But I was thinking of appointing you as my Personal Advisor. It is a fact that you have more experience in handling the official affairs of the Kingdom than me. Though you were punished for the wrongdoings that you did against the Kingdom and its citizens, I hope that you can use your experience for good this time. Can I trust you with this position?"

Edwin was speechless for a while. He had thought that Adeline would be happily taking him as her bodyguard and making him do all sorts of odd jobs just to get back at him. He had never even imagined in his dream that she would be benevolent enough to take a criminal like him as her Personal Advisor.

And his mouth involuntarily voiced his disbelief, "Why would you want someone like me as your Personal Advisor? All I have done is tortured and extorted the villagers, betrayed the King and his order, and…" he lowered his gaze and whispered while digging his nails on his palms, "…and didn't even back down from hurting whoever stood in my way."

Adeline already knew all this information so she simply said, "But didn't you come to me saying you wanted to change? That you wanted to repent for your mistakes?" She gently smiled and said, "I am giving you that opportunity to atone for your sins."

Edwin suddenly had this urge to come clean about something. And he blurted out, "I don't think I can ever atone for stealing other people's lives. I was an accomplice in my mother's crime. I didn't even try to stop her from killing those maids."

An overwhelming rage filled Adeline's heart when he confessed to being an accomplice of the murder that Lillian committed. "How could you let that…" that was all she could say as she was consumed by her rage.

Edwin was still lowering his gaze out of shame. But he still continued to explain, "You remember that I was on my deathbed before the test, right? How do you think I became healthy overnight? My mother somehow managed to transfer the life of two of my maids to me. And I was so greedy that I happily accepted their lives."

Adeline had a flashback of Lillian's memory. She had saved Edwin the same way when he was a stillborn baby. But she had never thought that the same dark spell could be used to save the same person more than once.

And she was forced to question if Lillian would even die. Who was to say that she would not use the same magic and be immortal by sucking countless innocent lives?

Adeline was then lost in her own thoughts, "I should research more on this matter. Maybe I should ask the witches of the Mystic Coven. I don't want that witch to be an immortal. If that is possible then she should be killed before she becomes the Devil on Earth."

She was brought back to reality by Edwin's voice, "That is why…"

Edwin whispered in a voice filled with guilt, "I am not even remotely deserving of holding such an important position. In fact, I don't even deserve to be anywhere near you after all the things I have done."

Adeline glared at Edwin while gritting her teeth. She wanted to get up and kick him right in his gut. And she wanted to shout that he was right, that he did not deserve to hold such an important title. She wanted to drag him back to his quarter and lock him up in his bathhouse for another two years.

But she controlled her anger. She tried to rationalize Edwin's action saying that he was desperate.

She clutched her hands on the armrest of her chair and thought, "If someone came to you while you were on your deathbed and said that you could live for some more years, I guess everyone would be tempted to accept the offer even if it meant that you would end up killing someone else in the process."

She finally breathed out and let go of her clutch.. She didn't think that she would actually be saying this to Edwin but she said it anyway, "And that is why I think you are every bit deserving."