Helena hid behind a wall and peeked from the distance. She was right. The person Helena saw was Adham. He looked left and right before leaving the orphanage.
Adham walked further out from the church. Helena's heart beat fast. She put down her hooded cloak and pursued him from behind. Adham continued striding into Angles Street and turned left to an alley. Helena followed him but lost sight when she stepped on the same path. Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her from behind.
"Who are you? Why do you follow me?"
Helena looked behind her. Adham was there. "Whitesmithe, it's me!"
"Lady Blackmoore?" That young man was surprised to see her. He released his grip. "Why are you in here?"
"That's my question. Where have you been? Everyone is worried about you."
"I'm just taking some of my belongings." He clicked his tongue. "Why did you care about me so much? Leave me alone and mind your own business."
"No!" Helena grabbed his arm. She forced him to stay still. "I'm not going to let you go this time!"
She abandoned Adham in her second life while he grieved for her in her first life. Helena refused to make the same mistakes in this timeline. Her eyes filled with determination. Adham did not understand her behaviour. He was not close or related to her, but she was desperate to keep him with her.
She pleaded with a wistful face. Helena held her swelling tears and spoke in a brittle voice. "Whitesmithe, please talk to me."
Adham gently pulled his hand from her grasp and avoided her gaze. His face was filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, Lady Blackmoore. After what happened, I just can't trust you anymore. You work for the nobles. They are my enemy right now. The Second Prince has been executing people. Many people lost their beloved to them."
"Don't tell me you have joined the rebels." Helena was terrified. Her fear had come true. "They've been telling lies to other people. You should not trust them."
He sneered. "Does it matter if it is the truth or not?"
"But what about the people who have been hurt?"
"I don't care about them!"
He repeated the same mistake as Helena in her second life. The old her indulged in revenge using her power and wealth. She was blinded by resentment to see the pain she brought to others. Adham only indulged in violence to drown his sorrow and grief. He allowed emotion to take control of him without any regard for others.
Helena gritted her teeth and slapped him.
He touched his stinging cheek and stared at her. Adham was shocked to see her crying. The tears Helena held so much finally broke. Anger and disappointment swole inside her heart.
"Do you think Siegfried died for this? Do you think he will be happy to see you like this? Breaking stuff and harming people won't fix the situation, Whitesmithe! Think about the children in the orphanage and the people in the church! Didn't you say you want to repay them?"
Adham was stunned. "How do you know about that."
Helena did not answer him. She remained silent while sniffling. Adham told her about it in his first life. They spoke about their dreams while lying on the grass and staring at the sky.
"Helena, do you have a dream?"
"A dream? What is this about?"
"Nothing. I want to know what dream a noble lady will have."
Helena closed her eyes and thought about it. "I have no idea. Most noble ladies usually want to marry a rich man. Instead of getting married, I prefer to preserve my current life." Helena looked at him. "How about you?"
"I only tell this to my master, but you are another exception." He smiled at her. "I always want to repay the people who raised and helped me."
He spoke about it with sparkles in his eyes. Helena did not ask further. Adham was always uncomfortable talking about his background. They continued staring at the blue sky while talking about their day.
That Adham felt distant from her right now.
Helena's words dragged him back to reality. Adham felt ashamed of his behaviour. He did not think through when he joined the riot. What was he thinking? Adham forgot what he was supposed to protect. He did not assist the church or orphanage when they needed him.
"You are right, Lady Blackmoore. I should return home with you."
Before they went back, some men holding weapons walked toward them. They wore the same armband as the previous provocateur at church. Helena was scared. Violet was not here to protect her. She did not even bring her whip to defend herself.
A man walked forward from the group. Helena assumed he was the leader. "Isn't this Lady Blackmoore? Give her to us, Whitesmithe. We will take care of her."
Adham blocked them from coming near. "Mind telling me what are you going to do with her?"
"What's wrong with you, Whitesmithe? She's a noble! She is probably involved with the Second Prince and the royalty. They're going to kill us all!" shouted one of the rebels.
"Lady Blackmoore won't do that! She has been good to people in Angles Street. Didn't you remember what she has done to us?"
The group became hesitated. Some of them recalled their memories of Helena's kindness. "That's right. Lady Blackmoore aided me when I was sick before."
"She helped me find a better job."
"She made Angles Street better. I would have left if the street had not changed."
The leader of the group yelled. "She just uses you for her good!"
"Like what?" Adham glared at him. His opponent could not refute. Helena never asked for a reward for her charity. She assisted the people in the street on her own accord. Everyone began to doubt their leader. She couldn't be related to the Second Prince's plan. Helena was far too good to do such atrocities.
Yet, it won't quench the anger of people who lost their families.
A young man shot her. Helena was lucky the bullet missed her head because the gunner was amateur. It only grazed her cheek. She glared at the culprit. It was a fifteen-year-old young man. His whole body was trembling while holding the firearm. Tears were flowing down his cheek.
"My-my father... He died because of the Second Prince..."
Their subsided fury once again lit by the boy's action. Once again, they raised the weapon they held. Adham would not be able to keep them all. There were too many of them. He looked at Helena and screamed.
"Blackmoore, run!"
Helena hesitated to leave Adham, but she fled away. Unfortunately, her path was thwarted by a dead end. Helena turned around to see her pursuer had caught up behind her.
The leader sniggered at her. "Give up before we kill you."
"Pretty sure you'll kill me if I give up."
Helena pulled her tongue out and mocked them. She jumped across a two-meter wall. Helena used some loose bricks in the wall as stepping stones. She had gone from their sight in the blink of an eye. The rebel's jaws were on the ground when they watched it. They did not expect a noble lady to do that.
"Uh... Should we also climb the wall or run to the other side?"
The leader facepalmed himself. "Let's just run to the other side..."
The rebels raced to catch her. However, Helena had already returned back to the church. She was lucky to run into a familiar street, or else her blind direction would screw her. Helena did not want to disturb sleeping people and tiptoe silently. She fell asleep right after she got back. Nobody knew about her mishap at night.
Helena woke up late the next day. Her family saved her bread for breakfast. She ate in silence while thinking of a way out of this problem. Helena must visit the Vermillion. She had to ask the Duke about this baseless rumour.
Her mother was anxious when Helena was leaving. "Do you need to go? It's dangerous.
Why don't you stay with us?"
Lord Navy offered the Blackmoore to stay in his mansion. It was safe from rebels because of the high number of knights. Lord Navy did not mind providing the family a place to stay as his gratitude. She assisted him in escaping the death penalty after all.
His father only chuckled. "Honey, your daughter saved my ass! If that's not proof of how dependable she is, I don't know what will!"
"But still..."
Helena's mother abided by her decision. Preventing her daughter from leaving was futile. Helena would find a way to sneak out. Astrid Blackmoore permitted Helena to go with a heavy heart.
Riding a carriage would make them an easy target. An Angles Street resident let Helena borrow their horses. Violet frowned when she saw Helena hopped to ride the animal.
"My Lady, when did you learn to ride a horse?"
Helena had dumb plastered across her face. Adham taught her how to ride a horse in her first life. No wonder her companion was suspicious. Violet had been attending her this whole time. She had never seen Helena touch a horse before.
"Uh, I learnt it when I sneak outside."
The maid knew her master was lying but just sighed. "I see."
Duke Vermillion was shocked by her unexpected visit. He thought Helena had escaped from the capital with her family. Helena told him about her story and the purpose of her visit. The Duke was stunned listening to her explanation."
I am sorry. I have not been in touch with Prince Sapphire lately. I don't want to leave my wife yet since she is still weak. I only knew about Prince Ruby's rumour from my servant. Forgive my lack of information."
"It's all right, Your Grace. I understand you want to focus on the Duchess recovery."
Duke Vermillion felt bad for Helena. She went through many hardships because of them. A young girl like her should stay safely in house instead of lurking in danger. Perhaps she would remain normal girl if they never used her for their benefit.
"You should visit the palace."
"Huh?" Helena was surprised and puzzled. "But Your Grace, I can't just go there without invitation."
The Duke stood up from his seat and rummaged something through his desk. The Duke took out a box and gave it to her. Helena opened the present and was dazed. It was an eagle badge, the symbol of Prince Sapphire. Only the closest person to the Crown Prince could get it.
"Can I use this?"
"It is yours to begin with. Prince Sapphire agreed that you were too involved in this matter. The emblem will give you access to enter the palace. We believe you won't misuse it."
Helena could not believe how much trust they put in her. She bowed down to Duke Vermillion. "Thank you, Your Grace."
That man smiled. "Please say my apologies to Prince Sapphire. I am sorry this old man is not doing his job."
Helena clenched the emblem tightly in her hand. She got out of the mansion to continue her investigation. Violet noticed the new badge on her master's chest. It was a sign of respect from the higher nobility. Helena wore it with pride on her face.
"Congratulations, Lady Helena."
"Thank you, Violet." Helena smiled at her maid. "Let's go. It's time to visit the Crown Prince."