Bloodied Lilies

Chapter 17

Adelia leaned heavily on the wall as she walked carefully from her room. She was almost at the lobby now. Her leg muscles were weak from prolonged disuse and her healing wounds twinged every time she moved a little too sharply. But she took each step forward with determination. Adelia would need to regain her strength again soon since the duke's life was still being targeted.

She clutched at the filigrees on the wall to hold herself steady when she reached the lobby. She had hasn't gotten further than this in her previous walks but today, Adelia planned to go further. At least a good way into the east wing, at least.

Her breathing was laboured from exertion and her legs were sore but Adelia persisted. The gloomy candlelight encouraged her forward and the shadows called her forth. Her grip on the wall decorations increased.

"Adelia?"

She turned to look down at the lobby staircase and saw Leo walking up them. He was dressed in elegant finery of a burgundy coat with silver buttons and silken, black dress pants. His hair was combed back. He had just returned from his outing to Cyrene.

Adelia hadn't see much of him since the day he abruptly left. He did visit every now and again but didn't say much and gazed at her blankly a lot. He didn't look away when she caught him staring and because Adelia never knew what to say, they usually ended up in a stilted staring contest of sorts until the duke got bored.

"...Leo." She still had to think hard in order to remember to call him that.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He frowned.

"Walking."

"Why?" he asked, in a tone that implied walking was a forbidden practice that no one sane should ever attempt. He climbed the rest of the steps to reach her. "You are injured, you're aware?"

Adelia didn't reply because it was obvious she was aware. You had to be a special kind of idiot to not know you had a hole in your stomach.

He soon realised she wouldn't reply – he was getting used to her too – and sighed, moving close enough to wrap a hand around her waist and take some of her weight onto his shoulders.

Adelia flinched away instinctively before she managed to halt herself. Leo gave her a strange look for it. She looked down at the floor tiles with renewed determination and ignored the increased beating of her heart.

He was not being kind, she reminded herself, he was being strange.

"How far are you planning to go?" he asked.

"Just down the east wing."

"Alright."

He held her tighter and began to walk with her slowly. Adelia followed blankly, her mind empty because she had removed its contents to stop herself from feeling anything.

"You're heavier than you look," Leo complained.

Adelia was too caught up in herself to answer. She hoped that Alcoy or Reeves would suddenly appeared down the hall and tell the duke that he had some dire business to attend to immediately.

However it was not to be for no one bothered them the whole way.

It was easier to walk with Leo's support but her exhaustion was beginning to grow steadily as they made it further down the hall. This was her second walk of the day and now her energy was running low.

She had begun to lean into him heavily, clutching the lapel of his coat tightly.

"You need to sit down," he said when her grip was beginning to choke him. "Over here."