Caelan caught her hand, gently pulling her to sit in his lap. "It's quite alright, darling" He said softly, wrapping his arms loosely around her. "She keeps me around to distract my father from her. Those scars on my back would have been on my mother's if I hadn't been there and had just ran off. My father needs something to hit--to hurt--when he gets angry. Just sometimes...I wonder why he has me at all. He could have killed me and replaced me by now with either his own kin or an adopted one and faked royalty status. My mother only cares that I get a wife, money, and power. That's all she wants for her husband too. Money and power."

"No, he is. He's growing sick and only able to look even half well in front of public. Outside of meals and meetings, he's in bed, wasting away until I can take over"

Caelan felt like he had done something wrong from the way she was acting. "Are you alright, Adele?" He asked softly, concerned a bit and trying to think ofhow he may have upset her. His mouth pressed into a thin line and he mounted Aurora

"I want my mother free of him...And me to be free of him. I owe it to myself and the kingdom"

"Unless you'd like him to live, yes. I asked the doctors recently to help him stay alive for a bit longer so my mother doesn't pressure me more into marrying some random girl or something..." He said, trailing off as his eyes darted to her ad away again, not even meaning to