Aaron was furious with her, he refused to talk to her. She had to coax him with apologies and flowery words before he forgave her.
"You have no idea how worried I was! Father would beat me up if something happened to you."
"Is that the only reason you were worried?" Adeline's expression quickly turned pouty.
Immediately the situation flipped, Adeline who was doing all the cajoling was now being coaxed by her brother.
"Of course, not! You're my little sister, I don't want you getting lost."
"..."
She secretly admitted to herself she loved being treated this way. The world seemed far more colourful. When she looked back on her previous life she would describe it as bleak. Watching her father come to pick them up made her smile more than she ever did in her past life. Her father who always put on a stoic expression softened immediately upon spotting his children.
He picked Adeline up immediately and carefully took Aaron's hand. He had a chat with the Emperor which really opened his eyes. Aaron who was not used to his father being affectionate this way was startled.
He looked up and saw his father's expression, he had a small smile on his face while his sister smiled ear to ear. She urged him to hold his hand.
The Emperor was his friend in the academia, when he took over the throne he was his ally, the one who helped facilitate it. But once he was on the throne, they grew distant over differences in opinions, especially when it came to raising children.
The Emperor was the image of his cruel father who pitted his children against each other, the Emperor killed his brothers and 'sold off' his sisters using political alliances. Now, he was doing the same thing to his children.
The Marquess was the only noble to get a private invitation from the Emperor. Although they disagreed with each other they were still old friends. One talk with him was enough for the Marquess to realise he never wanted his children to feel the same. His late wife would never approve and perhaps haunt him if he did.
Seeing Adeline, the spitting image of his wife, his spirits rose. Seeing how Aaron took care of her he thought to himself, 'Despite my bad parenting the children turned out well. Elizabeth, I hope you forgive me. I promise I will try my best from now on.'
"How did the gathering go? Did anyone ask you to do anything?"
Adeline shook her head to say no, she didn't want to worry her father too much, "I just made new friends!" She exclaimed.
"Oh? And you Aaron? Did you have fun?"
Aaron was still adjusting to the new changes his father made so he was still surprised. He was able to mutter an acknowledgement to his question. He was excited but also a little nervous. He wished this version of his father stayed.
Ignoring his awkward son he carried out the interrogation, "So... Who are these friends?"
"Just other children from the gathering."
He was no fool, his daughter was avoiding naming names on purpose. Just who did she meet? Was it the Crown Prince? I specifically asked Aaron to keep her away from him. Still, he was just a young boy, he must have tried.
Cassian and the Empress planned to lure in Adeline, it wasn't unknown to him. He was just worried she would be forced to do something she didn't want to, or worse, be manipulated into doing something.
The power struggle in the palace is an ugly phenomenon. He would never involve his daughter in it. If it were up to him, he would rather she marry someone beneath their station for love than marry someone solely for political reasons.
He wanted her to have everything he had with his wife, Elizabeth.
She was just a simple Count's daughter but they fell deeply in love, although his family opposed their union, he fought hard and married her.
To say she was the most beautiful woman in society was not enough. Everyone wanted her, and some even tried to possess her by underhanded methods just because they were higher in ranking. But of all the people, she chose him. And to him, that's when his life changed for the better.
He would be lying if he said he had been a father that his wife would be proud of. After Elizabeth passed away, he would lock himself up for long periods of time. His eldest son had to knock some sense into him.
A young boy pleading with him to step up was like a punch in the gut. He missed most of Adeline's firsts. The first word, the first step... He never forgave himself. There was always an invisible distance between them. He pulled himself together but the damage was done.
He didn't want that to happen again, the change in Adeline's behaviour and the Emperor's words opened his eyes. He had to be their father and mother. He could never live with himself if he disappointed his wife.