LOGINShare
40
Last Updated:
2025-06-15 10:29:33
Latest chapter
Shadow's Essence 45
Chapter 45: The Discarded AdvisorThe packing had taken less time than Kaelis had expected. Fifteen years of loyal service to House Nox, and everything he was permitted to take fit into three modest trunks and a leather satchel. The irony wasn't lost on him—he'd helped orchestrate the downfall of noble houses whose accumulated treasures had filled entire warehouses, yet his own possessions amounted to little more than clothes, a few personal effects, and carefully hidden documents that might prove valuable to future employers.Former employers, he corrected himself, folding his ceremonial advisor's robes with the meticulous care of a man who understood ritual even in defeat. The deep blue fabric, embroidered with House Nox's silver shadows, had once represented power and influence. Now it was merely expensive cloth, impressive to those who didn't understand its current worthlessness."Your services are no longer required." The words echoed in his memory with the clinical precision Ela
Shadow's Essence 44
Chapter 44: The Broken WidowThe townhouse was quiet in the way that only comes with the absence of servants, of visitors, of any life beyond the solitary occupant who counted every copper piece and rationed candles like a miser hoarding gold. Vionna Kress sat at what had once been her breakfast table—now her only table—staring at the latest correspondence from the Ministry of Debt Collection with the detached fascination of someone watching their own execution.Eighteen months. Eighteen months since Cassian had died pursuing his obsession with that cursed fated mate, leaving her to face the consequences of his political miscalculations alone. Eighteen months since Lord Elaric had begun the systematic dismantling of House Kress with the methodical precision of a surgeon removing a cancer.The irony wasn't lost on her. She'd spent years playing the perfect wife, supporting Cassian's ambitions, maintaining the social connections that kept their house relevant in court politics. And what
Shadow's Essence 43
Chapter 43: The Exile's ShameThe rain leaked through the cracked ceiling of Sereth's cramped quarters, each drop landing with precise malice on the threadbare carpet that served as her only barrier against the damp stone floor. She'd positioned three tin cups to catch the worst of it, but the rhythmic ping-ping-ping of water on metal had become a constant reminder of how far she'd fallen.One year. One year since that cursed slum girl had vanished, taking with her the last vestiges of the world Sereth had spent her life learning to navigate. One year since Lord Elaric had begun his methodical dismantling of everyone who'd dared oppose his marriage, saving her for last as promised—a deliberate cruelty that had allowed her to watch the destruction of the Zoryns and the Kresses before her own turn came.The irony wasn't lost on her. She'd spent so much energy trying to reduce that "worthless drab" to nothing, only to find herself living barely above the poverty line she'd once scorned.
Shadow's Essence 42
Chapter 42: The Fall of FrostThe crystal spires that had once crowned the Zoryn estate lay in ruins, their shattered remains catching the pale winter light like tears frozen in time. Lady Miren Zoryn stood at what had been her grand ballroom's panoramic windows, now boarded with common pine planks that did nothing to keep out the bitter wind that whistled through gaps in the hastily patched walls.Six months. Six months since that slum girl had vanished like smoke, and their entire world had tilted on its axis. Six months since Jorik had died in that cursed attack on House Nox, his water magic no match for whatever primal force had torn through their ranks like divine retribution.Six months since Lord Elaric had systematically dismantled everything House Zoryn had built over three centuries."My lady." Her steward approached with the careful footsteps of a man who'd learned that sudden movements could shatter what remained of his mistress's composure. "The... demands... have arrived
Shadow's Essence 41
Chapter 41: The Burned LetterThe morning light filtering through the study's tall windows felt different somehow—sharper, colder, stripped of the warmth that had softened these rooms for the past months. Kaelis paused outside the heavy oak doors, his hand hovering over the brass handle as he steeled himself for what he might find within.Three days. Three days since the slum girl had vanished like morning mist, leaving only whispered rumors and a handful of servants who claimed to know nothing about divorce papers or royal seals. Three days since Lord Elaric had locked himself away in his study, refusing audiences, meals, and the countless demands of governing an increasingly restless alliance.Kaelis had expected grief. Perhaps rage. Certainly the kind of emotional breakdown that would require careful management and delicate political maneuvering to prevent the other houses from sensing weakness. What he found when he finally entered the study was infinitely more terrifying.Elaric
Shadow's Essence 40
CHAPTER FORTYThe Silvyn SealCold.The first sensation that pierced through wine-hazed consciousness was cold—not the pleasant coolness of morning air, but the devastating absence of warmth that should have been there, that had been there when he'd fallen asleep with her wrapped in his arms like something precious finally claimed.Elaric's eyes opened to emptiness.The bed beside him lay vacant, sheets still bearing the impression of her body but long gone cold, shadow magic reaching automatically for presence that no longer existed. No warmth, no breathing that wasn't his own, no gentle stirring of chaos magic that had become as familiar as his own heartbeat.Gone.The word hit him like physical blow, like void-enhanced weapon cutting through defenses he hadn't known he'd lowered. She was gone. Not in the washroom, not on the balcony, not somewhere within reach—gone with completeness that made the chamber feel like tomb.Gone, and the bed is cold. How long has she been gone? How lon
You may also like
Let Me Go, Mr. Hill!
Shallow South6.4M viewsRude Awakenings
Turquoise Grace1.1M viewsIn Love With The Hot CEO
Tula568.7K viewsBegin Again
Val Sims987.7K viewsWaking Up As the Villain's Mother
Sam Velasquez362 viewsThe Billionaire's Secret Heir
Bamy Writes375 viewsValentine's Vows; Love, Lies And A Fake Engagement
PRECIOUS PEN3.4K viewsLAST REQUEST AT MY HUSBAND'S WEDDING
Major_Canis93 views
