Kapitel 17: Prince Adrien

Adrien had half-expected Selena to come to him, seeking his support or at least trying to manipulate him into taking her side. But the days passed, and she did no such thing.

This, more than anything, unsettled him.

Selena's silence was out of character. She was like a storm—always swirling, always moving, always leaving something in her wake. For her to disappear from his sight entirely was… unusual.

Adrien set the letter down and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He didn't like being left out of the loop, especially when it concerned someone as unpredictable as Selena.

He decided he would visit her himself.

The carriage ride to the Whitlock's estate was uneventful, though Adrien's mind was far from calm. He replayed what he knew of Selena's recent actions, trying to piece together her motives.

Was she simply lashing out after years of humiliation? Or was there something deeper at play? When he arrived, he was greeted with the usual pomp and courtesy expected of a Crown Prince.

The Devereux household was lavish, its staff well-trained, and its gardens meticulously kept. Yet there was an air of tension that Adrien couldn't ignore.

The head maid, an older woman with sharp eyes, escorted him to the drawing room.

"Is she expecting me?" Adrien asked as they walked.

The maid hesitated. "No, Your Highness. Lady Selena has been… Preoccupied."

Adrien raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew she had always been a wilful person. Even if he sent the letter, she wasn't ready. He sighed and didn't say anything.

When he entered the drawing room, he found Selena seated by the window, a book in her lap. Her posture was relaxed, her gaze focused on the gardens outside. She didn't seem surprised to see him, though her lips quirked in a faint, amused smile.

"Your Highness," she said, inclining her head in a mock bow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Adrien studied her for a moment before taking a seat across from her. She looked… Different. The sharpness in her eyes, the perpetual tension in her shoulders—both were absent. Instead, there was a strange calmness about her, as though she were no longer playing the game she had once mastered.

"I've been hearing quite a bit about you lately," he said, leaning back in his chair. "It seems you've caused quite a stir."

Selena's smile widened, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I wasn't aware I'd become such a topic of interest."

"Don't play coy," Adrien said, his tone firm but not unkind. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Your little performance at the pastry shop has everyone talking."

Selena shrugged, looking entirely unbothered. "Let them talk. It doesn't concern me. And it certainly is not the first time."

"That's where you're wrong," Adrien said. "It concerns all of us. Your actions have ripple effects, Selena. The court thrives on gossip, and right now, you're feeding it enough fuel to last the season."

Selena met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "And why does that bother you? Aren't you supposed to be above such trivial matters?"

"Normally, yes," Adrien admitted. "But you're not acting like yourself, Selena. This isn't the calculated cousin I know. This is… Something else."

Selena leaned back in her seat, her gaze drifting back to the window. "Maybe I'm tired of calculations. Maybe I'm tired of playing a role that gets me nothing but scorn and misery."

Adrien blinked, caught off guard by her honesty. Selena had always been a master of deflection, but there was no mistaking the sincerity in her voice.

"What are you planning?" He asked, his tone softening.

Selena laughed, though it was more bitter than amused. "Planning? That implies I have some grand scheme in mind. I don't. For once, I'm simply doing what I want, consequences be damned."

Adrien frowned, leaning forward. "Selena, this isn't like you. If something's wrong—"

"Nothing's wrong," she interrupted, her tone sharp. "I've just realised that I don't owe anyone an explanation for my actions. Not the court, not the Duke, and certainly not you."

He studied her for a long moment, his mind racing. This was a new side of Selena, one he wasn't sure how to handle.

She wasn't the cunning villainess he had grown up with, nor was she the broken woman he had occasionally pitied. She was something else entirely, and that unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

She repeated it slowly for him so that he would get the message, "Whatever I do, it will be none of your concern. I don't need my cousin to clean my mess. And I will certainly not let you use me as an excuse anymore." She got up. Looked him up and down and left.

He stayed alone in that room for a while. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Whatever game Selena was playing, he would keep a close eye on her. She may have claimed to abandon her calculations, but Adrien knew better than to trust appearances.

Selena Whitlock was many things, but she was never simple.

Just like the others, they didn't believe that she changed. How could they? They experienced too much. An overnight change in Selena's behaviour was impossible.

But she didn't care. She didn't intend to prove herself to anybody. What she wanted to do was to live her own life. And that is what she will do.