ログインThe wood splintered violently as Zachery kicked the door off its iron hinges.The loud crash echoed like a canon blast through the private royal bloc. Bettoni jumped, dropping her small teacup onto the expensive rug, and spun around, furious and ready to scream for the royal guards.But every word died in her dry throat.Zachery stood in the ruined doorway breathing heavily. His dark iron armor was gone. Thick white linen bandages wrapped his lower abdomen, and they were soaked through with fresh blood. He looked exhausted, pale, and broken. His eyes burned with raw desperation. He stared at her body. noticing the small visible bump rounding out her stomach beneath her thin silk gown. She looked beautiful yet devastated."Get out of my room, Commander," Bettoni whispered, but her voice shook.Zachery took two heavy steps forward, and Bettoni raised her small hands defensively to push his broad chest away. But as soon as her soft, warm fingers touched his bare skin, his body gave
"The Commander has returned from the North!" the royal guards shouted, throwing the golden courtyard doors open.Zachery rode his black war horse onto the clean cobblestone. He looked terrible. A thick layer of white linen bandages wrapped around his lower abdomen, soaked in dark dried blood. His normally tan, handsome face was pale, and his burgundy eyes were sunken into his skull. He looked exhausted, but he was miraculously alive.He slid heavily off the tall horse and his heavy boots hit the ground, his knees buckling from the fatal wound. Two guards rushed forward to assist him, but Zachery shoved them away with a rough grunt.He looked around the bright courtyard. The royal palace felt different today. The air was thick and too quiet, and there were no arrogant nobles gossiping near the fountains. But Zachery did not care about the shifting political tides or the missing highborn lords. His sole focus was his pregnant wife.He marched through the grand halls, bleeding onto t
"Hold the iron line!" Zachery roared furiously, swinging his broadsword through a northern rebel's chest.The iron blade sliced through thick bone and frozen leather with ease and blood sprayed flimsily across Zachery's freezing face. The Northern Blood Plains were a bloodbath. Freezing wind whipped violently around the fighting soldiers, blinding them with thick snow.As the chaos continued, Zachery caught sight of a young family huddled behind a collapsed stone wall; a mother covering her small child from the spray of steel. A sudden memory of Bettoni pierced through his battle rage. He saw her standing in the library, her hand resting protectively over her stomach where their own child grew. The thought of them waiting for him in the palace acted like a jolt of lightning to his veins, giving him the strength to shove back three attackers at once.He realized then that he was no longer just fighting for a crown or a border; he was fighting to ensure that his own child would never
"This golden goblet of sweet wine is specifically for the Commandress," Lady Reya instructed the servant, her eyes glowering maliciously. "Make sure she drinks the cup during the final royal toast tonight."The terrified servant bowed and rushed out of the dark private parlor holding the tray.Lady Reya turned her cold gray eyes back to Angelika. The blonde politician sat gracefully on the sofa, sipping her own cup of clean water, having perfected playing the wronged victim beautifully. She placed a delicate hand gently over her magically swollen stomach and let out a sorrowful sigh."I'm so terrified for the royal baby, Lady Reya," Angelika whispered, her green eyes shining with fake tears. "Bettoni's taking over the Sovereign Showcase. She's manipulating the judges with her dirty Gamma tricks. She wants to steal power and destroy your royal legacy."Reya clenched her wrinkled hands into tight fists. She was also terrified of Bettoni gaining too much political power."Don't worr
Frostina woke up in an extremely good mood that morning.She opened her bright blue eyes and stared at the canopy above her bed. She did not think about the royal crown or the gossiping court ladies. She only thought about the bleeding old peasant man she dragged out of the freezing rain last night. She saved a human life. She actually did something selfless and good.A foreign warm spark fluttered inside her chest.She jumped out of her soft bed and ignored her young maid. The maid stood near the doors holding a tray of fresh hot bread and sweet jam."You must eat your breakfast, Lady Frostina," the loyal maid begged softly, following her mistress across the rugs. "The royal baby needs constant nourishment.""I'm too busy right now," Frostina dismissed her, waving her hand happily.Frostina threw a simple blue riding dress over her shoulders and rushed out into the bright morning sun, her heart thundering against her ribs. She was eager to brag to Buck about saving the old man.
Bettoni sat quietly inside her private canvas tent, listening to the heavy rain beginning to pound violently against the thick fabric. Her mind was consumed by the damp mud staining the bottom of her leather boots. She spent three straight hours crawling through the dark Eastern gardens last night using only a tiny lantern as she searched desperately for any physical clue or torn fabric to prove Bimby was innocent of the horrific crime. She found nothing but wet leaves.She pulled a fresh piece of thick parchment from her small wooden desk, dipped her sharp quill into the black ink, and wrote a brand-new, desperate letter to the freezing North.Zachery, the storm's cheeky today. The royal showcase begins in an hour, and I'm entering the complex apothecary trials. My lower back aches constantly with the weight of our growing child. The palace is a terrifying trap without your broadsword protecting my bedroom door. I'm fighting a war on three different fronts to save my innocent brot







