LOGINRavena's POV
Queen Seraphine leaned forward slightly, her expression gentle but serious. "Marriage, Ravena. It is time to think about marriage."
My heart immediately sank and everything inside me went cold.
"Marriage?"
"Yes, you are at the perfect age. You have status. You have influence. A strategic marriage could strengthen your position and secure your family's legacy for years to come.”
I was taken aback, my thoughts swirling.
Lucien'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.
Ravena's POVLucien's eyes met mine just for a second, but all I saw in them was regret. His steps faltered, and his lips parted like he wanted to say something. Maybe he wanted to tell me that he was sorry.But I didn’t want to hear it.I held his gaze, then looked away first as I reminded myself
Ravena's POVI took another sip from the cup in my hand, letting the warmth of the wine coat my throat. But the moment it settled on my tongue, I frowned.There was barely any burn. Just a sweet flavour that reminded me more of juice than wine. I stared down at the liquid, wondering if the bottle h
Astrid's POVAs soon as we neared our tent, the anger in my chest boiled over. I didn’t wait and turned to face Lucien.“This is a joke,” I spat. “Did you see what just happened in there? Did you see how he gave her command? Like she earned it?”Lucien didn’t answer right away. He just adjusted the
Ravena's POVAstrid tilted her head, a proud expression on her face like she had just won something cruel. I saw the way her lips twitched like she was about to smile, and that smug look made me want to tear her apart.But when I looked to the side and saw Evander watching me, his gaze calm but loc







