Chapter 6: The Power Stone
The dining room is on the first floor, located on the right wing of the castle. There is a long dining table with dozens of chairs. The memories that Adriana could remember there were shameful things. When she was 5 years old, she was first brought into the house and when she was 15 years old, it was his father's first child's birthday who did not deserve to be called a brother at all.
Two male servants stood at the door, stiff, not a smile on his face at all. They called for her arrival before opening the door.
"Princess Adriana has come!"
Adriana's whole body immediately stiffened instantly. Not calm. The bad feeling she had when she was told that she would meet in the main dining room grew stronger. In her head many questions swirled: What will happen? How bad is it compared to past events? Can she handle it on his own?
As the door swung wide open, the first face she saw was that of his stepmother, Eleanor. Then the son of the woman who had greeted her earlier on the stairs, Ferdinand, last in the single seat, glared at him, Adriana's real father, Count Affonso.
Adriana reminded herself of who she was. Then walked with her chin raised to the chair beside Eleanor. However, none of the maids pulled out a chair for him.
Immediately Adriana knew that she was not invited here at all. She just stood there, chin up, and smiled instead.
"So… what did Count Affonso want to tell me?" asked Adrian.
"Sit down!"
Adriana was still smiling, glancing at the chairs that were still arranged.
"It seems I have misunderstood the invitation! So you'd better tell Count Affonso what's the need for you to call me here?" Adriana could hear her stepmother mutter softly something painful. However, not interested in hearing more clearly.
"We haven't started the dinner yet, so can you wait for it!"
Adriana was muttering in her heart that what her father had done was a childish humiliation. Inviting, but not serving the invited. What do you want to show Adriana? Domestic harmony. Stupid thing.
Even though Adriana knew very well that what she saw was only a shadow, not the real thing. If it is true that the relationship between her father and stepmother is so harmonious, then Adriana will not be born into the world at all.
"Then I'll go back to my room. Have a very pleasant dinner!" Adriana twisted her body very gracefully, her skirt spun beautifully too.
"You bitch!"
Adriana could hear Ferdinand cursing. She stopped walking and the silence of the main dining room returned to the way it had been when she entered. Ferdinant really only dared to insult Adriana behind his back like this.
"I will return to the capital tomorrow morning, before that I hope you will immediately tell why I was summoned again!" said Adriana calmly, looking one by one at the people in the room, starting from her stepmother, father, and Ferdinand.
"I need your power now!"
Suddenly her father's words made Adriana stop walking again, turned back to stare with a frown.
If only those words were said by her father a few years ago, then Adriana would definitely feel very happy, feel so needed and without thinking will do everything possible to be able to grant it.
But now the new thing heard is nothing more than a curse. An order that is for Adriana.
"Didn't father previously say that my power is of no use to the family at all?" asked Adriana. She couldn't possibly forget her father's words when she sent himself to the capital.
"Well, it's still like that! But now your power will be of help to your brother and I."
Adriana glanced at Ferdinand. She sighed. There's no point in following the father's plan. It will only fall. When one of them made a mistake, her father would make Adriana a scapegoat.
"I can't help without the permission that the Prince started!" Adriana gave the most logical answer.
Then she actually left the main dining room this time. As soon as the door closed behind him, she could hear the hum of Ferdinand's voice starting to curse at him. Adriana was not there long. She quickly reached his own room.
"Prepare for our departure tomorrow morning!" Adriana said to Bella.
The maidservant who had been with him for quite a while was moving restlessly. The look on his face was scared.
"Princess, shouldn't we listen to Master's request first?" She asked.
Adriana was curious about what her father had promised Bella, so her servant was against it.
"Why should? You don't remember how my father decided to send me to the capital. At that time he put me in the house of an old baron who was very fond of young girls."
Adriana won't forget the abuse she received, but that doesn't mean she will take revenge either. If only his mother was still alive, then his father wouldn't have done such a bad thing. She knew how her father loved her mother.
"Then I'll do it myself!" Adriana stood up and dragged the chest of clothes herself, the contents were not much because she was suddenly called by her father.
"I will, my lady!" Bella cried out in panic, taking the crate of clothes from Adriana's hands.
That's when the door to Adriana's room opened and Ferdinand stood there with two unfriendly looking knights.
"Is this a new kind of manners, Brother?" asked Adriana disapprovingly.
"You're not going anywhere, Bitch!" cried Ferdinand.
Adriana's eyes widened at that. She looked at Ferdinand then the two knights behind her brother. "You really….!" Adriana didn't really understand what she was going to say.
Her decision to return to the capital was perfect. She would only feel heartache if she was near her family like this.
"I will be back! I don't need your permission to leave… you can't go against me!" cried Adriana stifledly, trying to keep herself under control even though the limits of her control and anger were very thin now.
"I told you not that you're not going anywhere!" Ferdinand smirked.
He grabbed Adriana's wrist. He pulled hard when Adriana tried to fight back.
Adriana's wrist hurts, and looks red. Her strength is clearly inferior to Ferdinand, who is a male.
Bella also screeched behind him. When Adriana turned around, Bella had the sword of one of the knights that Ferdinand had brought to her neck.
"You… let my servant go!"
"I know it's pointless to hurt you, but it's a different matter if I hurt your maid, right? What's her name?"
"Bella, Young Master!"
Ferdinand nodded. He still gripped Adriana's wrist tightly, but stepped closer. When he was just a step away, he stopped. "Father just wants you to look for a power stone. You know that, right?"
Of course Adriana knew. It was a type of magic stone to awaken one's magic power. Most such stones have had owners and are no longer useful.
"Should I look for it for you? You asked your little sister to find a power stone?"
"Why not? You have magic and the crown prince on your side! Why can't I take advantage of all that?" said Ferdinand, laughing.
He quickly walked over and pulled Adriana's hand back, leading her through the halls to the pavilion at the back of the house. Once there, he pushed Adriana in, alone.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone