LOGINHey guys, please leave comments!
LaylaThe hot water embraced me, scented with the soothing fragrance of essential oils and the delicate perfume of flowers. I sank deeper into the porcelain tub, the warmth leaching the tension from my muscles. A faint, earthy aroma lingered. It was a result of my recent "experiments." What were initially meant to be potent, nefarious concoctions and some failed poisons, in truth, had surprisingly yielded beneficial, if unintended, results. These experimental oils, though useless for my original dark purpose, were remarkably good at keeping my skin soft, hydrated, and deeply moisturized.A soft click of the door latch startled me from my daze. It had to be Daisy. I had insisted she join me as I was urging her to take a much-needed rest. The poor soul had been relentless in her study. She was surrounded by reading spell books. Her exhaustion was visible, and I had practically ordered her to set aside her work and relax in the comforting heat of the bathtub."Come inside," I called out,
LaylaSora raised an eyebrow. “How many slave girls do you know who can read and write?”Her question struck deeper than I expected.I looked away, memories rising uninvited.When I was sold, I was a fat child. The man who bought me became my master. He taught me how to concoct poison. He taught me reading and writing. Whenever I did something wrong, he made me read books. Hundreds of pages. Philosophy, history, medicine, and whatnot. I used to find it torturous yet I would not deny that it taught me many things I know today. If I look back now, with a different gaze, it almost feels like he was training me.But training me for what?When I escaped the marshes and my master was killed, I came to the capital. My life there was hell. It was sheer luck that I met a half-elf, half-werewolf who knew magic. It was luck that I met Prince Lucian, who married me as he turned out to be my mate. It was luck that I met Ser Lewis. It was luck that I could start a large-scale business. I turned t
LaylaSora accompanied me to the construction site that morning. The sun was soft, but the air still carried the coolness of the early autumn night. The crystal clear lake lay before us reflecting the sky like polished glass. Along its edges, neat and orderly wooden barracks had already been raised, and beside them a larger wooden structure was slowly taking shape.Sora stopped walking.She stared at the lake, then at the buildings, her eyes wide with surprise. “It’s beautiful,” she said honestly. Then she pointed toward the half-built structure. “What is that for?”She clasped her hands behind her back and walked ahead, studying everything carefully. There was curiosity in her steps, not the dull obedience I usually saw in servants.This girl was supposed to be a servant in a noble house. Yet she didn’t walk like one, didn’t speak like one, and didn’t look like one. Yes, she worked alongside the other helpers in the Prince’s mansion after Daisy brought her here, but something about h
Layla“The world does not break people with cruelty alone; it breaks them by convincing them they deserve it. Rebellion begins the moment that lie stops working.”— LAYLA“I heard what happened with the Prince,” Daisy said as we sat in the courtyard, the morning sun barely warming the stone beneath us. “I still cannot believe the Hawthorne family refused to send a healer. How can they do that?”She shook her head, her long hair falling forward. “The Prince fought every battle for the kingdom. He bled for them. And now it feels like they are punishing him for losing just one.”“It was horrible,” I said quietly. “I thought I was going to lose him, Daisy. I swear, my heart nearly stopped when he didn’t wake up.”I swallowed and added quickly, “He is fine now. He is alive. That’s what matters.”“But why?” Daisy asked. “Why would they refuse help?”“Political drama,” I replied bitterly. “The nobles love it more than their own children.”Nearby, Sora, the new helper, paused mid-sweep. She
Lucian“A kingdom does not fall when it is attacked from out,but when it devours its own from within.” — Lucian Stark“It has happened for the first time in one hundred and fifty years,” Prime Minister Ashbourne announced, his voice controlled and sharp as it echoed through the Great Court of the Lunaris Empire, “that an alternate government has been established within our sacred borders.”The court reacted at once. Lords leaned toward one another. Some whispered in anger, others in fear. A few stayed silent, their eyes cold while already measuring profit and loss.Ashbourne waited for their answers. “This is not a rumor,” he continued. “This is not a border clash or a short-lived rebellion. This is not a problem that will solve itself. What we face now is a direct challenge to the authority of the Great Lunaris Empire.”He turned slowly toward the throne.“My King,” he said, lowering his head just enough to show respect, “the royal army led by Prince Lucian suffered a severe defea
LucianThe underground chamber smelled of iron, damp stone, and blood.Alpha Pierce Blackwood stood straight before me, his broad shoulders tense and his jaw clenched. His armor still bore marks from the last battle, dried mud mixed with dark stains that no one bothered to clean anymore.“We caught her when we attacked the caves in the middle of the forest,” Pierce reported. “From what we have gathered, she is the daughter of a commanding officer in the Remnants’ forces.”Beside him stood Rupert Greyson.Rupert had personally led the mission in the marshes after I was injured. His face looked sharper than usual, eyes sunken with exhaustion and anger. He had always been calm in battle, but today, there was something bitter in his voice.“We were fooled, Prince Lucian,” Rupert said. “The rebels in the marshes were never the real enemy. They were bait.”I narrowed my eyes.“They let us defeat them easily,” Rupert continued. “We poured our army and energy into that battle. We believed we







