Capítulo 323: Mother Knows Best
"Cecilia," Adeline called softly as she rapped on the ornate door to her daughter's room. "You haven't eaten in three days. Open the door."
From within, Cecilia's voice drifted out, clipped and defiant. "Will you send me to the East?"
Adeline sighed, already weary of the cyclical exchange. "No."
"Then no," came the sharp reply, a verbal drawbridge lifted against any further intrusion.
Adeline had finally reached the end of her patience. Her finger hovered over the control panel of her smartwatch, overriding the lock with a sharp tap. The door slid open with an unceremonious hiss.
"Why are you coming in?" Cecilia's glare could have scorched lesser opponents. She sat perched on her lavish king-sized bed, clutching a pillow tightly against her chest like armor. Her red eyes burned with indignation as she stared at her mother.
The room was every inch a royal sanctuary—plush carpets, an expansive TV mounted on the wall, a cozy living area, and a private bathroom worthy of an emperor's estate. Yet, its occupant sat hunched in stubborn isolation, as though the opulence around her had turned to ash.
Adeline stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. "Because my daughter has refused to eat for three days over a boy," she said, exhaling heavily.
Cecilia hugged the pillow tighter, her glare unrelenting. "It's not just a boy," she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
Adeline folded her arms, her expression softening, though irritation simmered just beneath the surface. She had been young once too—foolish and in love, with all the consuming, reckless passion that entailed. But watching her daughter waste away over someone, especially someone with two other princesses by his side, lit a fire of maternal protectiveness in her.
"Enough, Cecilia," she said firmly. "You think I don't understand? I was a girl once too, you know. But letting yourself spiral like this won't change anything."
Cecilia's glare wavered, and she averted her gaze, biting her lip. "You don't understand," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "He's different."
Adeline sighed again, softer this time. "Different or not, he's not worth starving yourself over. Now, come on. Eat something. You'll need your strength if you're going to keep fighting for him."
Cecilia's fingers tightened around the pillow, and for a moment, it seemed she might refuse again. But then, grudgingly, she nodded, her eyes still downcast.
Adeline rested a gentle hand on Cecilia's shoulder, her voice soft yet purposeful. "Good. And for what it's worth, you don't need to go to the East to see him. They're ending student conscription now, thanks to the reinforcements your father and I sent."
Cecilia's eyes lit up, her usual steely demeanor melting into something almost childlike. "Really?"
Adeline smiled, a warmth spreading through her chest at the rare sight of her daughter's unguarded excitement. 'I haven't seen that look in years,' she thought, unable to suppress her own smile.
"Yes, really," Adeline continued. "He'll likely return to Avalon soon. You'll—"
But her words trailed off as Cecilia had already snatched up her phone, her fingers flying across the screen with the kind of fervor reserved for only the most urgent of messages.
'Young love,' Adeline mused, watching the scene with a mixture of nostalgia and amusement. Cecilia, so often Quinn's spitting image in temperament and reserve, was now a girl in the throes of affection—a side of her Adeline rarely glimpsed. It warmed her heart more than she cared to admit.
However, as Adeline observed, Cecilia's radiant expression began to falter. Her brows furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line, and a storm seemed to gather behind her pale blue eyes. Adeline tilted her head, curiosity piqued.
Deciding discretion was the better part of parenting, she quietly masked her presence with a touch of mana and leaned closer to glimpse the source of Cecilia's distress.
The phone's screen displayed a flurry of images on social media. There was Seraphina, smiling radiantly, her arm hooked around Arthur's as they posed together. As Cecilia scrolled, more images appeared—this time Rachel, her expression warm, her proximity to Arthur even more intimate.
Adeline straightened, concealing a wry smile. 'Ah, so that's what's stirring the pot.'
Cecilia continued scrolling, her frown deepening with each picture. Her grip on the phone tightened, as though she could will the offending images to disappear through sheer force.
For Adeline, men who courted many women simultaneously were, by principle, nothing short of trash. Most men at the top—whether emperors, archdukes, or kings—had only one wife. Not because they lacked opportunity but because the exceptional women they married demanded undivided devotion.
And yet, as Adeline considered Arthur Nightingale, she found herself amused. 'Trash, perhaps, but remarkable trash.'
Arthur had achieved something Adeline deemed borderline impossible. He had not only won Cecilia's guarded, possessive heart, but he had also managed to navigate relationships with Rachel and Seraphina—two equally strong-willed princesses—without being torn apart by their rivalries.
'Quinn's daughter, agreeing to share?' Adeline thought, shaking her head in amazement. 'He must be either exceptionally charming or an unparalleled fool. Perhaps both.'
Adeline's gaze lingered on Cecilia, who was still glaring at her phone as though its very existence was an affront. She shook her head, amused despite herself. T'his is one storm I'll let her weather alone—for now.'
But just as she was about to leave, Cecilia turned her fiery crimson eyes toward her.
"Mother," Cecilia began, her tone layered with suggestion. "For my birthday, I want to do that."
Adeline blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "That?" she asked cautiously, her voice carefully neutral.
Cecilia's expression didn't waver. "I want him," she clarified, her eyes shining with a fierce intensity that made Adeline momentarily pause.
Adeline raised a hand to her lips, blinking rapidly as she tried to process what she had just heard. Her daughter's bluntness was impressive, if nothing else.
'Well,' Adeline thought, 'at least she's upfront about it. Better this than sneaking behind our backs.'
In the modern age, even for royals, youthful indiscretions were far from rare. Princes and princesses fooling around had become practically commonplace. Still, Adeline had to admit she preferred Cecilia's directness over clandestine trysts that could spark even more drama.
"But… didn't you already…?" Adeline ventured, genuinely confused. She recalled a report from the guards stationed at the Chase residence during Cecilia's last visit. The three princesses had apparently all shared the same bed with Arthur. That incident had nearly driven Quinn into a fit of rage, prompting him to march over to the Chase estate himself.
Adeline had to intervene to prevent disaster. Had Quinn stormed in and dragged Arthur away, Cecilia would have despised her father forever.
Cecilia shook her head firmly. "No. Arthur wanted to wait."
Adeline blinked again, this time in mild surprise. 'So the boy has a shred of decency after all,' she thought. That unexpected bit of self-restraint nudged her opinion of Arthur ever so slightly upward.
"So what exactly are you asking of me?" Adeline asked, though she already had a good idea.
Cecilia's answer came without hesitation. "Keep Father from finding out," she said. "Do something about your husband."
Adeline's lips twitched, suppressing a smile. 'The audacity runs strong in this one.' She exhaled softly, leaning back slightly as she regarded her daughter. This was going to be one of those conversations.
"Are you not worried I might act like your father and try to stop you?" Adeline asked, her voice calm but laced with curiosity.
Cecilia regarded her with a look that bordered on incredulous. "Why would you? You were young once—you understand how I feel. You're not stupid."
Adeline raised an eyebrow at the bluntness but said nothing. Her daughter's confidence was as admirable as it was alarming. Still, she couldn't deny Cecilia's point. There was a deep truth in her words, even if they were delivered with a touch too much brazenness.
"Fair enough," Adeline replied with a nod, though a flicker of disapproval crossed her mind at Cecilia's tone toward her father. She had learned not to intervene in that particular dynamic unless absolutely necessary.
"I'll handle it, and thank you for being honest with me," Adeline said as she turned to leave. She paused at the door, glancing back over her shoulder. "Just… remember to be responsible. Use protection."
Cecilia's muttered response stopped her in her tracks. "Of course. I don't want to get pregnant yet."
Adeline froze for a moment, feeling a chill run down her spine. 'If Quinn were to hear even a fraction of this conversation, Arthur would find himself in an underground cell faster than he could draw his sword.'
She exhaled and shook her head, silently marveling at the sheer audacity of youth. There was no time to dwell on it now. She had a familiar job to do—the eternal role of mediator between a fiery daughter and an overprotective husband.
And perhaps, somewhere in the chaos, find a way to maintain her own sanity.
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