Mag-log inLucien's POV Alice glared at me. "I am going to become Evander's second wife one day," she said. "I still need Princess Liora's help to make that happen."I looked at her for a moment, sure I had misheard."Say that again.""You heard me," she shrugged, and there was a confiden
Lucien's POV The answer was yes. I understood completely. I had understood completely for longer than I wanted to admit, and understanding had not been enough to make me do the right thing at the right moment. That was the torment of being the kind of man I was. Clear enough to see the damage. Not strong enough, at the crucial moments, to stop causing it.I picked up the IOU from the desk one more time and looked at Astrid's signature then I went to her room.
Lucien's POV I had been staring at the same report for twenty minutes without reading a single word of it.That was where I was when the knock came. Sitting behind my desk in a study that had not felt like mine for longer than I could honestly account for, pretending to work, pretending the house around me was not in the state it was in."Come in," I said.
Ravena's POV When the gate was closing, I heard the scrape of something on the ground half a second before I realized what it was.Suddenly Celeste was in front of me.She had moved without thinking and threw herself sideways before the rock had even left Astrid's hand. And the rock hit her square across the cheekbone with a sound that turned my stomach. She let out a short, sharp sound and staggered, her hand flying to her face."Seize her," I immediately ordered, and my voice came out in a register I didn't entirely recognize. The kind of voice that doesn't need to be raised to be obeyed. "Bring her inside. Now."The guards moved before I even finished speaking.Astrid had not run. She was still standing in the road, her arm extended from the throw, her expression shifting through several things very quickly. Boldness first. Then the realization of what she had just done. Then, as the guards reached her and she felt their grip close around her arms and understood that I was not sen
Ravena's POV "You did not care enough to find out," I spat. "That is the same thing."I let that sit for a moment before I crouched down in front of her so we were at the same level, and I looked her directly in the face."And on top of everything," I whispered, "you let your jealousy consume you. For years. Constantly targeting me. Constantly pushing at me over Lucien, as though that man was the center of everythi
Ravena's POV Astrid opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't let her.My hand suddenly connected with her shoulder and I shoved her hard. She went down to the floor with a sharp sound that rang through the receiving room like a statement.The maidservants standing by the walls froze in place.
The news spread like wildfire through the kingdom.Victory in the north. Lost territory reclaimed. The enemy defeated.And at the center of it all were two names, Prince Evander and the female general.In taverns and market squares, people gathered in clusters, exchanging stories they had heard fro
Ravena's POV "Do you think I'm scared of you?" I asked back.Astrid's face twisted with rage. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and she looked like she wanted to lunge at me again. But she had learned her lesson. She knew what would happen if she tried.So instead, she just stood there.
Astrid's POVPain was the first thing I felt when consciousness dragged me back from the darkness.Excruciating, bone-deep pain that made every breath feel like swallowing glass.I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. My limbs felt heavy, useless, like they belonged to someone else.Slowly,
Ravena's POVI looked at him for a long moment, my expression calm.Then I shrugged. "She is not wrong."His mouth fell open, shock flickering across his face."You..." he started, but the words seemed to fail him."You made your choices, Lucien," I said quietly. "You chose Astrid. You chose to ign







