LOGIN~RAVENNA~“Excuse me?” I stared at him in shock, wondering if I heard him wrong.He ignored me, leaving the room.When he returned, he had a first aid box in hand.“Remove your clothes.” He said again, gently lowering the box on the nightstand.I swallowed. “That won’t be necessary, King Kaelion. I can take care of myself.”His eyes met mine then, cold, searching. For a moment, I almost forgot to breathe.“Don’t make me repeat myself.” he whispered calmly.I looked away, “I don’t want you to touch me. et me a doctor instead.”He didn’t respond, instead, he sat down before me.Then he dragged me closer. I gasped in shock when his cold hand brushed against my skin.Then he began unbuttoning my shirt.My eyes widened and I tried to turn away from him.“What are you—?”He glared at me sharply, and that was enough to shut me up.He unbuttoned my shirt and then turning me around as though to avoid seeing my front, he slowly slid the shirt off my shoulder.I winced in pain.Then, slowly, he
~RAVENNA~For some strange reason, the anger in his voice made me move away from Luis immediately.I could feel Luis tense up beside me.King Kaelion stepped further into the room, every step feeling like a storm was brewing.But recalling how maltreated and starved Luis was, my anger took over.I got up to meet him halfway, anger filling my heart.“Why is he bound like that? What did he ever do to you for you to starve and treat him badly?” I asked in anger.He paused in front of me, eyes hard, then grabbed my shoulders roughly.“I get to ask the questions. Why are you here? Who let you in here?”I scoffed, but before I could respond two women rushed forward—Madame Brown and the other malicious lady.“My king,” they said, bowing.I stared at them in confusion. Why were they even here to begin with?“I am sorry for this. My second-in-command overheard her planning to come here to free the prisoner. By the time I arrived, it was already too late.” Madame Brown said in a rush.I frowne
~RAVENNA~“Rave… is that you?” The voice was painfully familiar.I turned slowly to get a better view at the figure.“Luis?” I muttered painfully. I couldn’t be sure.“Yes,” he sounded like he was smiling now. “It’s me, Ravenna.”I let out a choked sound of joy and rushed toward him. But when I saw him, I stopped.He was bound, his two hands stretched on both sides with chains, and his legs bound together.I swallowed the painful lump forming in my throat.“Who did this to you?” I managed, my voice betraying my fake composure.Luis look pale—cold, maybe. And the thought of him being kept in this dark room, while I was given the luxury of a bed and warm room, made me feel even more terribly guilty.He smiled warmly at me. “I am fine now, Princess. I am so happy to see you are well.”I could see his face clearly now. I rushed forward to him, tugging roughly at the chains to free him.“Princess, stop—” he called out weakly, but that only made me want to get him out of there.I pulled, th
~RAVENNA~My whole body was practically shaking. I had never been overworked in my entire life.From washing countless plates and utensils used by the warriors to mopping the entire hall. I needed rest more than anything now.But that wish was cut short when one of the girls came and dumped a heavy box beside me.She wore an arrogant expression. “Madame Brown ordered you to take these documents to the storage in the other building.”I stared at the heavy boxes, anger rushing through me.“Why do I have to do it? Shouldn’t this be done by men?”She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Our men are busy, so the task falls to you. Do you defy Madame Brown’s orders?I clenched my fist on both sides, biting hard on my lower lip.“I’ve had enough of your bullying, all of you. I won’t do it. You may as well kill me right here.”I couldn’t stop the angry words from flowing out. But she leaned in, a smirk on her face.“Let me tell you, she has the king’s order to punish you if you disobey.”I frowned,
~KING KAELION~The courtroom felt too tight and uncomfortable. With the elders gathered all around, I felt everything but calm at this time.“My king, we have to act fast. Last night, there was a strange attack in our subsidiaries. Several deaths were recorded.” Elder Joan, the head of the elders reported, his eyes grim with fear.I pursed my lips. “What happened?”The elders exchanged glances, uneasy ones.“No one knows for sure, my king,” Elder Hans responded lowly, “it just happened at the same time during midnight. It was like a plague.”Gasps echoed through the room.My stomach clenched uneasily. What was really going on?“Investigate it further, I need answers by sunset.”They all nodded, but Elder Joan kept mute.“King Kaelion,” he began after a while, “we were wondering if this is one of the works of the shadow bride.”Everyone fell silent, some exchanging glances.“What if she has begun her mission? We will all be in danger if we wait any longer.”I swallowed hard, thinking h
~RAVENNA~I stood by the roadside, clutching my jacket tightly to keep out the cold.Dad stood not far away with another man; they were speaking in hushed tones.I couldn’t understand how my 18th birthday we had all waited for, suddenly turned into horror.“No one must know about this.” Dad sounded scared for the first time since I knew him.He looked at me then, his eyes sad, misty, like he had a lot he wanted to say but dare not say it.“Dad, is everything all right?” I asked. But I knew everything was not.He forced a smile onto his face. Suddenly, he seemed to have aged a lot.He caressed my cheeks softly. “Everything is fine, Rave. But I need you to go with this uncle for now. Stay there until I send for you.”I frowned, the fear in my heart. I stole a glance at the man who stood waiting, almost impatiently.“Dad, I don’t want to go with him. I want to stay with you.” The thought of being away from him was a nightmare.Pain flashed through dad’s eyes for a moment. He pulled me in







