Chapter 68 - Saying Goodbye

Adeline had just returned back to her private chamber from her personal training with General Osmond. She was covered in sweat and dirt from the intense hand-to-hand combat training with the General. As the test was approaching soon, the General had increased the intensity of the Princess's training.

The General was hell-bent on making Adeline the next future Queen. When Adeline shared the secrets of the test with the General, he took a mental note about it and promised Adeline that from tomorrow, he would customize the training by focusing on the actual components of the test.

And for today, the General made Adeline use all of her strength and fight him. Though Adeline had super-human strength, the General was also no less than her. He was known as a Devil Incarnate after all, because of his ability to annihilate 100 men in one fight all by himself.

Hawisa and Osanna prepared a warm herbal bath for their Princess and let her soak her sweat and pain in the bath tub.

Adeline's stiffened and sore muscles started to get relaxed after staying in the herbal bath. She glanced at her bruised knuckles and tried to open and close her fist. "Finally… I can feel my fingers. They don't feel so numb anymore."

She splashed some water on her face and dipped her hair in the tub. And after playing in the water to her fill, she got out of the bath tub and changed into her comfortable gown.

As she walked into her private chamber, she found that Prince Nigel was sitting on a chair, waiting for her.

"Brother… I hope you didn't have to wait for long time. Why didn't you ask my maids to inform me? I would have finished faster." Adeline sat down on her bed, facing her brother and started to dry her hair with a white towel.

Nigel shook his head and replied, "No, I didn't wait for long. I just arrived a while ago."

Nigel had actually arrived right after Adeline went in to take her bath. But he didn't feel like asking the maids to announce his presence because he himself needed some time to prepare himself to break the news that he was going to Aberdeen tomorrow morning.

Adeline had always been close to him ever since they were little kids. They had always trained together, laughed together, fought together, and had been each other's support. And he could not bring himself to tell her that from tomorrow he would not be training with Adeline early in the morning. And he wouldn't be there to take their horses on a race in the evening. So he just needed some time to prepare himself.

Nigel was puckering his lips and was looking around Adeline's room as though he was searching for something. He would normally jump around, tease Adeline, or pull her out of her quarter to go somewhere in the Palace. But he was not saying anything, nor was he doing anything goofy.

And it did not take long for Adeline to discern that something was troubling her brother. She stared at her brother with a troubled look on her face and inquired, "Is there something wrong brother? You don't look so well."

Nigel took a deep breath in and then ran his hand through his silky black hair. Though he did not want to say goodbye to his dear sister, he had to do that, no matter how much pain it would cause to his sister and him. "I umm… I have been invited to Aberdeen by King Conall. And I will be leaving tomorrow. I will probably be staying there until the test."

Adeline sneered and asked him, "What? Why would you be going there all of a sudden?" Adeline did not believe in what Nigel was saying. She was thinking that it was some kind of a joke from her brother.

"I was told that they wanted to train me and prepare me for the upcoming test." Nigel reluctantly answered his sister.

The sadness in Nigel's tone and the seriousness in his eyes made Adeline realize that Nigel was not lying at all. And needless to say that Adeline was stunned by this news.

She instantly felt a burning sensation in her heart and a lump in her throat. Before she could even think properly and process what Nigel had said to her, a drop of tear fell down her cheek.

She immediately wiped that drop of tear but some more drops started to roll down like waterfall. So she looked away. She did not want her brother to see her like this, crying like a fool.

Nigel had expected Adeline to throw some tantrum or scold him or try to stop him from leaving. But instead he saw Adeline crying. He knew that she was going to be sad but he never expected his sister to be so emotional about it. It was only a month after all and he would return back to Wyverndale after that, at least that was what he believed.

Nigel pulled his chair closer to where Adeline was sitting and demanded her to speak. "Adeline! Say something. You are making me even more nervous about going there. How can I leave when you start crying like this?"

Adeline did not want her brother to feel bad so she wiped her tears with both of her hands and looked at her brother. She smiled slightly and said, "So, I see that you're finally getting serious about this test."

Then she put on a brave face and asked a lot of questions that were bothering her, "But is it necessary to go to Aberdeen? Won't it suffice if you just train with General Osmond? And if Aberdeen insists on helping you then can't they just send someone here to train you?"

Nigel let out a small sigh of relief after his sister started talking. But then he went on and revealed the bitter truth, "Our father already ordered me to make preparations and leave for Aberdeen. It is an order from the King so I cannot really decline from going there."

Nigel cleared his throat and continued, "And I don't think that their major purpose is to really support me for the test. After talking with my mother, I believe that they want to teach me…" he spread his fingers as if they were claws and snarled "…how to be a werewolf. I know I am already a werewolf but they will teach me the proper way, I guess."

Nigel blinked and then grinned goofily. And Adeline finally chuckled at his stupid joke.

"At what time are you leaving for Aberdeen then?" Adeline wanted to know so that she could at least see her brother before he left for a whole month.

"I will leave in the morning at 7, I think." Nigel puckered his lips and went silent again. It was clear that he was not going there willingly, but was going just because of the order.

Adeline nodded her head and said, "I hope you learn the entire trick and tips about the werewolves. And return back as soon as possible. You don't want to be tired from the long journey right before the test."

"I know. I will try to be back as soon as they allow me." Nigel smiled at his sister for being so caring.

Then he got up from his chair and straightened his clothes. He wanted to go back to his quarter before he made Adeline cry again or he himself would end up crying. "I will get going then. I have some arrangements to make."

Adeline also got up and then clung onto her brother. She hugged him tightly and said, "Take care of yourself. I will miss you brother."

Nigel smiled and hugged her back. "I will miss you too. And make sure you don't go near Lillian. Stay alert for anything. And don't slack just because I am not here. Practice on your own."

Adeline chuckled and teased him for saying so many things to her, "Are you my mother or what?"

Nigel pinched Adeline's ears and tugged them slightly, "I am you brother, and brothers are allowed to be worried for their sisters."

"Ahhh! That hurts." Adeline complained in a pampered voice.

Nigel ruffled Adeline's wet hair and finally bid goodbye, "Alright, I'm off now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye", Adeline puckered her lips and was sad again.

They were inseparable since their childhood and it was obviously hard for Adeline to part ways with her brother for a whole month. Her every morning would start by sparring with her dear brother and the thought of having no one to spar with her made her heart shrink.

She was also thinking of sharing the insider details of the test that she got from her father with Nigel. That way, she was thinking that there would be lower chance for other contenders. She trusted Nigel and knew that he had grown stronger now that he was a werewolf.  So she had thought that if any two of them were successful to become the future ruler then there wouldn't be much problem in dealing with Lillian.

And she was thinking that they both could attend the personal training with General Osmond. She thought that they would support each other and motivate each other to perform better.. But all her plans were shattered by this sudden departure of Nigel.