13

Adelie felt scrutinized from all sides. Some young girls remained discreet but others did not bother in the least.

The young woman took refuge in a corner of the room, praying that Gustave would come back quickly.

A few minutes later he reentered, visibly agitated. Adelie only wanted one thing, to run to him but she couldn't, he was the King and she...she didn't know who she was now.

All the ladies seemed delighted with the return of the Sovereign. But he didn't look at them and went to sit on his throne.

Adélie kept her eyes lowered to be forgotten, she was only waiting for one thing: an escape.

She awkwardly smoothed the folds of her magnificent ivory dress. Her mind wandered, she wondered that this young woman would be chosen to become his Queen. Maybe the little brunette laughing over there or the big freckled redhead. Adelie felt a pang in her heart that she couldn't explain.

The festive music accompanied the young ladies in their dance. They were all trying to get Gustave to notice them. A chuckle here, a dance step there, but the King wasn't looking at them, he was staring like elsewhere far from this reception.

Indeed, he was thinking of his mother's words, of her undeniable attraction for Adélie or even of the revolts that were brewing. Gustave was lost, what would his father have done in his place?

Between heart and reason he did not know what to choose.

While night had fallen for a while and the twelve strokes of midnight had already rung, the Sovereign finally rose from his throne.

“Ladies, he began, first of all I wanted to thank you for your visit to the palace, you made this reception memorable and warm, I apologize to the one I was unable to accompany for a dance. »

They were all staring at him, holding their breath.

“Tomorrow I will announce which of you will become my wife, so see you tomorrow ladies”

A few disappointed ones huffed and the party resumed. Gustave returned to his apartments exhausted.

Adélie took advantage of the King's absence to go through the back door. She walked down a long, dark, damp hallway. She knew these corridors by heart, they led to the servants' rooms. The click of his shoes echoed down the stone stairs.

She slipped stealthily into her old room which she shared with Flore.

The room was plunged into darkness but Adelie heard her friend's sleepy breathing.

“Flora? Flore, wake up, it's me, Adelie,” she whispered.

She stood up abruptly and lit her candle.

"Adelie! I was waiting for your news!

-Shh, don't talk so loud we might hear us

- My god you are beautiful, you were at the ball that the King had organised? Flore was ecstatic

-Oh don't talk to me about it Gustave looked pissed...

-...Gustave? »

Adelie thanked the darkness for hiding her blushing cheeks. She took off her dress.

"- But what are you doing ? asked her friend who had hastened to help her.

-It's silk, it's worth a fortune! Take it and sell it, she said handing him the dress

- No Adélie, I can't... keep it there, you'll give the money to your parents...

-Flore please, I know that your family needs it more than mine, your mother has six children to feed on her own..."

Flore threw herself into her friend's arms, Adélie had always been there for her and she always will be. With tears in her eyes she hid the precious dress at the bottom of the trunk under her bed.

Adelie had put on an old dressing gown that she had left under her bed.

"I have to go, you shouldn't notice my absence, I promise to come back soon"

They hugged each other, their eyes moist.

Adelie came out of the room, the corridor of the rooms was so silent that she had shivers in the back.

How was she going to get back to her room unnoticed? Especially in this outfit.

She went back up the stairs and as she went along the same dark and damp corridor a hand grabbed her wrist.

Adelie let out a shrill little cry. The light of a candle illuminated it.

“What are you doing here girl?! it was a woman's voice, an embittered old woman's voice.

The young woman remained silent. The candle finally illuminated his interlocutor, it was the big servant, an old woman in charge of order and discipline among the servants. She must have taken him for a maid in that dressing gown.

“You're not in your dorms?! And... what is it?! »

The woman had grabbed the finery that Gustave had given her

“You know what we do to them, miss, little thieves?! cried the old woman

Adelie wanted to cry and run away from here, but the tall servant's fingernails dug into her wrist.