로그인The king acknowledged several nobles along the way before eventually approaching Adrian."My son.""Your Majesty." Adrian immediately rose."You seem distracted." King Reginald smiled.For a moment he had forgotten the king was standing before him.His eyes had drifted toward Cecilia once more.The king noticed but he said nothing. Instead, he simply smiled knowingly and continued toward his seat.Rudieloff came to greet his cousin with a brief, firm clasp of the hand. Adrian leaned in before he could step away, his voice dropping to a murmur low enough that only the two of them could hear it."That girl," Adrian said, and there was no need to point. "The one they say is Vivienne's sister. Have you ever seen anything like that in your life?"Rudieloff glanced toward Cecilia once then returned his attention to his cousin. The corners of his mouth curved into the faintest suggestion of a smile. He said nothing. Instead, he patted Adrian once on the shoulder and moved away, already scann
The atmosphere within this royal preserve continued to shift as the night deepened. The anticipation among the gathered wolves had become almost tangible. Every conversation seemed shorter now, every glance more focused toward the center of the grounds where the hunt would soon begin.Yet Prince Adrian found himself paying very little attention to any of it. He could not help himself. His eyes drifted repeatedly toward Cecilia.She stood beside Monera near the edge of the gathering, completely unaware of the effect she was having on those around her. Or perhaps she was aware and simply chose to ignore it. There was something effortless about her appearance. She was not adorned in jewels nor wore any expensive gown. Yet, somehow, she commanded more attention than many noble ladies he had met throughout his life.Adrian could not remember the last time he had seen someone so beautiful. His eyes kept returning to Cecilia, drawn without permission, as though the very act of looking away
Her feet moved on their own, carrying her through corridors she had walked a thousand times before as She walked beside the guards in silence towards the slave’s quarters. Her thoughts were scattered everywhere, unable to settle on any one thing for long. Everything that had happened in the library replayed itself repeatedly in her mind.No matter how many times she tried to make sense of it, it made none. Each event felt disconnected from the life she had always known, as though she had somehow stepped into someone else's story. She could not understand why any of it was happening.Her mother had clearly been watching for her return. She always seemed to know when something was wrong, some quiet instinct passed down through years of survival, and the moment Vivienne stepped through the door, Monera rose from her seat and hurried forward, relief and worry battling openly across her face."Vivienne." Monera crossed the room in a few short steps. "What happened there?"Vivienne lowered
The warmth of the food should have brought comfort, yet for Vivienne it did little more than quiet the sharp edge of hunger that had long been ignored. She sat at the table in stillness. Her posture rigid and her movements restrained as though every gesture might be watched, judged, or punished. The rich aroma of the meal wrapped itself around her senses, yet her mind remained unsettled. Drifting uneasily between the present and the ghosts of what had come before. She ate because she had been told to eat, because refusal had never been an option she could afford, and because deep within her, instinct whispered that defiance here would not end well.The sound of the door opening was soft almost polite, yet it sent a ripple through the fragile stillness of the room. The faint shift of air was the only warning before Theodore stepped inside. His presence was markedly different from the self-assured figure he often presented before others. There was a hesitation in his posture, a slight s
Rudieloff appeared in the doorway without warning, his presence filling the entrance through the quiet weight of authority that seemed to bend the very air around him. He did not announce himself with the commanding thunder of a man accustomed to obedience. Instead, he simply stood there with his gaze fixed on the unfolding scene before him with a calm that was far more unsettling than a reaction would have been. His eyes moved slowly across the scene, observing rather than reacting, absorbing every detail with a stillness that felt far more dangerous than anger. He observed quietly, taking in every detail; the broken plate on the floor, the trembling form of Vivienne still kneeling on the hard stone floor, Monera bowed in desperation wishing a miracle could happen, and the faint smirk still lingering on Gwen’s lips. It was a silence that pressed heavily upon everyone in the room, one that made even the crackling of the fire seem too loud.Vivienne’s posture became rigid from both ex
The kitchen was in its usual rhythm, a rhythm that never truly changed no matter what storms brewed beyond its walls or within the hearts of those who worked inside it. Fire cracked beneath large iron pots, the flames licking at their undersides while steam curled upward in soft clouds that clung to the ceiling. The scent of boiling meat filled the air so thickly it seemed to settle into the skin. Vivienne’s hands were submerged in a basin of water as she washed plates one after another. Her movements were slow, almost mechanical, as though her body was present but her mind was elsewhere.Around her, voices rose and fell, some light with conversation, others sharp with instructions from Honoria, who moved through the kitchen like a commander on a battlefield, ensuring that every task was completed without error. The boys carried sacks of grain across the room with strained shoulders, balancing trays and stirring pots, the girls moved between stations, and outside, through the open ar
Vivienne did not know when sleep took her, nor did she know when the quiet of the night began to twist itself into something restless and heavy. At first, there was a subtle unease pressing into her chest as her body lay still upon the bed while her mind wandered elsewhere. At first, there was not
Oliver left the slaves’ quarters with steady steps, though his mind was far from steady. He felt better now after confirming that Vivienne was doing better. Her bruises had healed and her appetite was as good as always. And, although he sensed some hesitation from her, he understood her situation,
Without waiting any longer, Oliver went and washed up, dressed up for his appointment with the king, mounted his own horse and followed the royal guard. Taking one last look at the golden sea around him. The wind tugged at his wavy dark-brown hair as he spurred the horse forward, the rhythm of hoov
A few moments later, Oliver came back with S. Monera. Two trays of Food in both their hands. He handed one to Cecilia. Instead of giving another to Vivienne, he sat where she was, helped her to sit up and started to feed her. Vivienne hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to eat,







