MasukEvelyn POVI watched my husband walk away with another woman to dance with her. When Seraphina turned and stared at me, I knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to make me feel bad, and Lucien had given her the perfect chance by agreeing to dance with her.Not that I cared about whom he decided to dance with.At least, that was what I kept telling myself. But deep down, I knew that wasn't true.When Lucien had held me in his arms earlier and made me look directly into his eyes, something strange had happened. For those few moments, I had forgotten everything. I forgot the suffering I had gone through in this castle, the pain he had caused me, and all the reasons I had once wanted nothing more than to escape from him. All I could see was my husband standing in front of me. The man who had held me so carefully when I almost fell. The man whose eyes had looked into mine and made the entire hall disappear for a moment.I must be out of my mind to think that way.How could I forget ev
Lucien POVAs I placed my hand around Evelyn's waist and began guiding her across the dance floor, my eyes remained fixed on her face. The music slowly faded into the background until I could barely hear it anymore. The hundreds of people surrounding us became nothing more than blurred figures, and the only person I could clearly see was the woman standing in my arms. I couldn't explain what was happening inside me. It was a strange feeling, one I had never experienced before, and I didn't like it. This was the first time I had ever danced with my wife. None of my previous brides had lived long enough to see another sunrise, let alone stand beside me at a festival while music played around us. They had all died before they ever had the chance to experience something as simple as this. Yet Evelyn was still here... alive, breathing, standing so close to me that I could feel every small movement she made. She looked so fragile in my arms, and somehow that made the moment feel even more u
The moment I heard what Lucien had just said, I quickly turned to him in complete shock, my eyes widening as I tried to process his words. Did he really just say Ezekiel could have me? Was he being serious right now, or was this some cruel joke? My mind refused to believe what I had just heard. I was his wife... wasn't I? Even if he didn't love me, how could he simply give me away to another man as though I were some worthless object?No. I couldn't go with him. Not now. Not when I had already made plans to escape from this castle.Just as tears began gathering in my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks in front of everyone, I suddenly saw Lucien slowly rise from his throne. His face remained cold and unreadable, but there was something different about the way he carried himself. Without saying a single word, he began walking toward me with long, steady steps. I didn't know what he was planning to do, but I remained frozen where I stood. I quickly blinked back my tears, refusing
I quickly turned toward Lucien, who looked completely unbothered by the priest's sudden request for me to speak. At that moment, I wished I had enough courage to walk over and slap some sense into his stubborn head. Just one slap. How could he sit there so calmly after putting me in such an embarrassing situation? He could have at least warned me that I would be expected to address everyone. But then again, I knew better than to even think about raising my hand against the Alpha King. One wrong move and I would probably be back in the iron chamber before I could even regret it. So instead, I could only glare at him for a few seconds before swallowing the words burning on my tongue and turning my attention back to the priest.At least he could have told me beforehand. I would have spent the past few days thinking about what to say, maybe even asking Freya to help me prepare something. Instead, I was sitting there like a frightened rabbit waiting to be thrown into a den of hungry wolves
For what felt like forever, I forgot how to blink. His fingers were still wrapped around my wrist, holding me firmly in place, while his face remained only inches away from mine. The entire hallway seemed to disappear around us, and for those few seconds, it felt as though there was nothing else in the world except Lucien and me standing there. “Stand on your feet,” his cold voice interrupted my thoughts, and I blinked at him several times. Only then did I realize that one of his hands was still holding my waist, keeping me from falling. The realization sent heat rushing to my face, and I immediately pulled away from him, then lowered my head, hoping he wouldn't notice how embarrassed I was. “Are you intentionally bumping into me? Huh?” he asked, and I could feel his eyes fixed on me. I quickly shook my head, but before I could explain myself, he stretched his hand toward me. “Your hand.” I looked at him in surprise. For a moment, I thought he was going to hit me for walking i
Evelyn POVToday was the Harvest Moon Festival. Just thinking about so many people gathering in one place made my stomach tighten. I had never liked crowded places because having too many people staring at me always made me uncomfortable, and the thought of having to sit among hundreds of people while everyone watched me made me want to hide inside my room and refuse to come out. But no matter how much I wished to stay hidden, I knew I couldn't. As the wife of King Lucien and the Queen of this kingdom, I had no choice but to attend the festival beside him, whether I liked it or not.The last time I had seen my husband, Lucien, was on the day he had ordered me to change my dress in front of him. Even though several days had passed since then, the memory still found its way into my mind whenever I least expected it, making my face feel warm all over. Since that day, I hadn't seen him even once. Freya told me he had been extremely busy preparing for the festival, meeting with officials,







