LOGINAfter changing back into my dress, Freya helped me put the new dress in the wardrobe. She also reminded me that the festival would be held in a few days. The royal dressmaker never came back to check whether the dress needed any adjustments, but I was almost certain Lucien had given her strict instructions not to return to my chamber. Not that I was surprised. That man seemed to have a problem with everything I did, even something as simple as breathing comfortably in a dress.Not wanting to remain trapped inside my room for the rest of the day, I decided to leave and take a walk around the castle, just as I had been doing almost every day. Walking around was practically the only thing I could do here, and sometimes I wished Lucien would at least allow me to leave the castle grounds and explore the kingdom. But I already knew asking him would be a waste of time. He would never allow it. The thought reminded me of my father, who had never allowed me to leave our palace either because h
Evelyn POVI stared at Lucien in shock, trying to process what he had just said. Did he really mean I should dress right there, in front of him? The moment his words finally sank in, my heart began beating faster. I had never dressed in front of any man before, and if I took my clothes off in front of him, it would be the first time he would see me like that. Just thinking about it made heat spread across my body despite the coldness of the room. My fingers tightened around the dress, trembling slightly as I stood there, caught between fear and nervousness.I stared into his cold eyes for a while before lowering my gaze again. I didn't move from the spot where I stood, secretly hoping he would change his mind and leave me alone. Maybe he would realize how uncomfortable it is. But Lucien remained completely still, his expression giving me no reason to believe he was going to change his mind.“I don't like to repeat myself,” I heard him say coldly.My head jerked up immediately. The lo
The door opened, and a male servant walked into the office. He took a few careful steps until he was standing right in front of me, across the table, before lowering his head.“Alpha Lucien,” he greeted me with a bow.I dropped the file onto the table and leaned my back against the chair, resting one hand against my jaw as I stared at the servant standing before me. He looked as though he was waiting for permission to speak, so I gave him exactly what he needed.“Speak,” I said coldly.“Your Majesty, there is a letter from Prince Ezekiel Vane of the Velmora Kingdom. He wishes to attend the festival,” the man said as he placed the sealed letter on my desk.The moment I heard the name, a deep frown settled across my face, and my eyes slowly dropped to the letter sitting in front of me. For several seconds, I simply stared at it, feeling my patience disappear before I had even opened the damn thing. I already knew whatever was written inside would be nothing I wanted to read. Without bot
Lucien POVSitting inside my office, I stared down at the files scattered across my desk, my tired eyes moving from one paper to another without truly taking in what was written on them. I had been looking at the same page for several minutes, yet I couldn't remember a single word I had read. A long sigh finally escaped my lips as I dropped the paper onto the desk in annoyance and leaned back in my chair. I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to push away the heaviness that had settled inside my head, before closing my eyes for a moment. But the moment my eyelids came together, the same face appeared in my mind again.Evelyn.I opened my eyes immediately and stared at the ceiling, my jaw tightening. I didn't understand why she kept appearing in my thoughts. No matter how hard I tried to focus on something else, somehow my mind always found its way back to her. It was becoming frustrating. She had only been in my life for a few weeks, yet somehow she had managed to occupy my thought
Evelyn PovIt had been another three days, and according to the royal doctor, I could finally walk properly again. The wounds on my knees had closed, leaving behind only faint scars. They no longer hurt whenever I walked, but each time my eyes landed on them, memories of that horrible place came rushing back. No matter how hard I tried to forget, I couldn't. Freya had also told me what happened after the Chief Priest arrived at the castle. According to her, even the Chief Priest couldn't discover who was behind the people disappearing from the castle. That alone made no sense. If even someone as powerful as the Chief Priest couldn't uncover the truth, then whoever was responsible had to be far more dangerous than anyone imagined. The more I thought about it, the more my mind drifted back to the mysterious woman... no, the ghost I had seen inside the Iron Chamber. Deep inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was real. I had a strange feeling she was somehow connected to all of t
Inside the hall, everyone had gathered together, filling almost every corner of the massive room. The atmosphere was unusually heavy, and not a single voice could be heard among the crowd. Everyone present wore the same troubled expression, their eyes filled with worry as they stood quietly waiting. Why wouldn't they be? One after another, people inside the castle had disappeared without leaving behind a single clue. No one knew where they had gone. No one knew who had taken them. It was as though they had simply vanished into thin air. For the past few years, four people had mysteriously gone missing without anyone discovering the truth. Search parties had been sent countless times, yet every search ended the same way, with nothing. Then, only a few days ago, another maid disappeared, making everyone in the castle fear that they might be next.Everyone remained gathered inside the hall, waiting anxiously for the arrival of the Chief Priest. Many silently prayed that this old man woul







