LOGINMarcus arrived back at the palace earlier than he expected. He returned his horse to the shed, then started walking towards the royal quarters.He saw Maxwell's head guard approaching, and he tried to ignore him, but the guard stopped him before he could walk by."Your Highness." The head guard blocked his path.Marcus raised a brow at him. "What is it?""The guards at the gate said you were going to the nobles' tavern.""Yes, and so?""However, when I went there to inquire, they told me you had never arrived."Marcus narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together."And why would you go there?" His voice was clipped. "Is that now the duty assigned to you? To monitor wherever I go?""Not at all, Your Highness. I was just worried about His Highness's safety, and that was why I went to the tavern."Marcus snickered. "Worried? Since when have you been worried about me?" Marcus squared his shoulders, a sneer on his face. "Look here." He pointed at the head guard. "You better stay out of
Adriana clenched her hands tightly and bit her lip hard as Kallias twisted the doorknob and left the room. The door slammed behind him, and his footsteps thundered away. Her body shook as she tried to keep the tears in, but when she couldn't any longer, she scrambled to the ground, her chest tightening as she struggled to suppress a cry.She couldn't believe she had done that to him. She had hurt him and broken his heart.The look on his face had almost broken her resolve, almost made her believe they could truly be together.But who was she kidding?Accepting the King's love would be like driving a sword into his chest all over again.She had been the reason he had lost the throne; she couldn't afford to let it repeat itself.And that was why she had rejected him even when all she wanted to do was tell him she felt the same way.She hated that they were in this situation.Her chest tightened, and tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, her body shaking in despair.The door creak
Kallias didn't let go of Adriana's face immediately. He waited for her to speak, but she remained silent.She stared at the door, then back at him.Silas's footsteps were already approaching."Adriana..." Kallias urged her."You should go. Prince Marcus is here." She said quietly, and Kallias' lips tightened in disapproval."You haven't...""Your Majesty." Silas was already at the door, and he knocked gently.Kallias glared slightly at the door. "I'm coming." Then he looked at Adriana. "I'll be right back."The tears on her face had dried, leaving faint streaks, but he saw something in her eyes that he couldn't fathom.He wished he had time to hear her response, but Marcus was outside.Kallias let go of her face, and with one last glance, he opened the door and followed Silas out of the hut.The moment Kallias stepped out, his emotion changed. A profound sense of affection overwhelmed him.Marcus, on the other hand, didn't move; his hands trembled as he stood at a distance, staring at
Kallias had followed the path Silas had taken, and now he stood at the far end of the mountainside leading to the streets.He had been there since morning, and it was now midday.Kallias was waiting for Silas. He had noticed the worry on Sonya's face and offered to wait for her husband, hoping it would ease her concernsSilas was still not yet back, and Kallias wondered how far the palace was from this side.His thoughts were cut short by the sound of hooves coming towards this path, and he ducked behind a rock, not sure if it was Silas coming or someone else.Kallias peered out and spotted Silas in the distance. He stepped out from behind the rock and waved.Silas spotted him too and slowed his horse.Kallias walked up the remaining path to meet him."How was the journey?"Silas hopped down. "Successful, Your Majesty. I saw the Prince."Kallias smiled a little. "Was there any obstacle on the way?"Silas nodded. "I was almost unable to get into the palace, and when I eventually did, I
Marcus turned away from the head guard and folded the letter. He hid the letter inside his tunic and tried to act naturally.He took his time walking away, and he could feel the guard's eyes on him all the way.As he rounded a corner, Marcus picked up his pace and hurried away.Kallias has awakened. His brother was alive.He wanted to scream the news from the rooftops, to shout at the top of his lungs that Kallias was alive. But he couldn't.He could only do what the letter told him.Marcus went to the shed and took out his horse, mounted it, and rode to the gate."I am going to the nobles' tavern." He said before he could be questioned, and they let him through.As Marcus rode away, Maxwell's head guard came to the gate."Where did the Prince say he was headed?""The nobles' tavern." The head guard stood there for a second longer, then he went back into the palace.Something was going on. That strange man he had caught in the royal quarters had handed something to the Prince, and he
At the break of dawn, Silas was already on his way to the palace.Last night, he had had a little argument with his wife. Sonya was scared about him going into the palace even though she didn't want to admit it.But he had to go. He was the only one who could have access to the palace. He had also turned down Sonya's offer to go with him.He didn't want anything else to worry about.Silas patted the side of his tunic to make sure the letter was still there. Kallias had given him a letter for the Prince. Silas tightened his hand around the leash and urged his horse forward. He had been riding for hours now, and he still hadn't arrived at the palace.He wondered how Adriana had always coped every night she went out to the streets and even to the palace.After some minutes, he finally saw the towering gates of the palace, and he rode faster.Guards were lurking around the gate, and they straightened when they saw him approaching.Silas stopped his horse a short distance from them and di
Adriana fought against the hand clamping heavily on her mouth but Ton was stronger and he succeeded in forcibly dragging her away.Adriana's hands came up to the hand on her mouth and tried to remove it but it came down only an inch and she bit down hard.Ton snatched his hand away mumbling curses
Adriana held the wall for support, feeling like her world had come crashing down.She couldn't deny what she had heard within this door.Xavier was having an affair with her sister.The realization hit harder than their words and her despair turned into rage.How dare they?How dare he deceive her
Footsteps echoed on the marble floor as people bustled around with trays of food, drinks, and flowers. The air was misty with the scent of the delicious food being prepared and mingling with the flowers hung on the walls.A woman with grey hair tied into a tight bun barked out orders and tapped her
Adriana's eyelids fluttered open and she opened her eyes slowly.The first thing she saw was the moon nestled between the clouds, its silver light shining down on her face. This was a beautiful night and on a normal day Adriana would have enjoyed gazing at it feeling at peace, but now peace was far







