Chapter 11
When the Flowers Bloom~
The scandal is fresh. Adrien has been stripped of his battlefield command. Ophelia is under scrutiny. Their every move is being watched.
And what do they do?
They disappear.
Day 1: They're spotted at a lakeside teahouse.
A noble's wife swears she saw His Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Ophelia laughing over plum tea and sugar-dusted pastries, feeding swans like they were some countryside couple.
Nobleman (furious): Didn't he just get punished?!
Official (sweating): I thought he would've returned to the front yesterday…
Day 2: A garden stroll—in broad daylight.
Ophelia wears an unmarked lavender gown. No imperial seal, no crest. Adrien doesn't wear his command sash. Yet they walk openly through the public botanical gardens, hand-in-hand.
Courtier (to a steward): They've been stripped of duties. So what are they doing?
Steward (dryly): Apparently? Nothing.
Day 3: Music, wine, and silence.
At sunset, music drifts from the old observatory tower. Locals say Adrien rented it for "a quiet evening."
There are no guards posted. No war maps. Just two people dancing in candlelight while the empire groans.
Meanwhile the Court is in flames
Emperor's Chambers
The Emperor, pale and sick, slams a report shut.
Emperor: Where is my son?
Minister: …Which one?
Emperor (gritting teeth): The one who wins wars!
Minister: Out to lunch, we believe. With Lady Ophelia. They were seen at a poetry reading.
A silence. Then a long, violent coughing fit.
Killian: Sleepless, Irritated, Drowning in Reports
Killian hasn't slept. Adrien's withdrawal left every military report, dispatch, and foreign envoy response on his desk. A mountain of crises that he was not trained to handle.
He flips through a report, dark circles under his eyes.
Killian (mutters): He left us with everything. He left me with everything.
His quill snaps in half. Ink stains his cuffs.
He should be angry at Adrien. But he's not. He's angry at himself for letting Adrien leave. For letting him take her. For making her need to be saved.
Chaeri: Furious, Confused, and Absolutely Spiraling
She thought Adrien's punishment would break Ophelia. Humble her. At least create some desperation. But instead?
Ophelia is glowing.
Adrien is glowing.
They look happier than ever. She hears servants whisper the phrase "honeymoon phase" and nearly throws her teacup.
Meanwhile, on a beach far outside the capital…
Ophelia dips her toes into the sea, her skirts hitched up slightly. Adrien leans against a rock, watching the waves—and her—with the kind of peace that's rare on his face.
Ophelia (teasing): Do you feel guilty yet?
Adrien (grinning): Not even slightly. The empire deserves a break from me.
Ophelia: They're breaking without you.
Adrien (softly): They should learn how to stand without me. Just in case.
He reaches out and gently tucks a windblown strand of hair behind her ear.
Adrien: Let's stay here one more day.
Ophelia (smiles): Just one?
They both know they'll stay longer.