CHIEF KEIRAN Arin was sitting comfortably on a couch inside a luxurious cabin beside a similar-looking petite woman. The girl, who was around her age smiled at Tori the moment she stepped foot in the room. The chief looked behind her, and when he saw that the second prince was not with her he visibly let out a breath of relief.The royals and the northern tribes have a strained relationship, huh?Tori curtsied in front of the two who were relatives. "Blessings to the northern tribe, Chieftain Keiran Arin, and his companion.""Please take a seat, lady of the empire. You must have heard how savage the northern tribe folks are."Sitting gracefully before them, Tori took notice of the lack of tea at the center table. She missed Lily's concoction."Nonsense, Your Grace. If we're talking about nasty rumors, then I am a contender myself."The girl perked up from Tori's answer which made the chief flinch as if he knew it would happen. "My brother is such a paranoid, yeah? My name is Akasha Ar
"YOU CAME prepared, yeah?" Akasha nudged her which startled Tori. What Akasha meant was Tori's outdoor dress and winter coat paired with winter gloves, a thick scarf, winter boots, and a very thick winter hat that covered her ears. Even a bullet can't pierce me right now with how thick I'm covered."My handmaiden strategically prepared this one. I just hoped that this would not be a bother in the journey." Judging from the lack of carriage around the quiet port, Tori could guess that they would be riding a horse individually. And the way how she was dressed, could impose quite trouble for Tori.Akasha seems to notice her momentary rigid reflex followed by her worried scanning of the area for carriages. "Carriages can't enter the Arin Tribe territory with the state of our land and climate. The steep mountains will endanger us if we ride the carriages. You do know how to ride a horse, no?"Tori smiled and nodded as an answer. Even from her get-up, she could still feel the chilly breeze
CLUTCHING HER furred scarf around her body, Tori opened the small window of the cottage she was staying inside the Arin Tribe's territory. The moment she opened her window, the raven immediately flew inside her room. Around its neck was a message holder.Only the Information Guild uses this type of communication. Mostly, nobles use owls to convey long-distance messages. What could it be? Tori pondered.The raven tilted its head as it seemingly looked at her which was weird enough for Tori, who was not yet used to this type of message. In her past life, she was used to the internet. And as Victoria Rozenreff at the capital, she was used to Lily or Rowan conveying her messages even the secret ones. For Tori, it felt so… so primitive.Tori opened the message holder and saw a small rolled-up parchment. Upon reading it, she realized that it was indeed from Lady M who informed her that the king delayed the Vesta challenge just like Tori intended. In exchange, she only had one week to unify
CHIEF KEIRAN TOOK THE SILENCE as a signal to start the war council as he stood up which drew everyone's attention including hers. Standing proud at the head of the table, the young chief pointed out the northern territory.Tori did not fail to notice that instead of a map focusing on the northern region. Instead, the map focused on the entirety of the Eckrett Empire. Oh ho, what do we have here? "Our warriors from the southwestern area reported that the Noshin Tribe's main force marched to the south. In the northeastern area, the Teiwar also sent their main force to the south. With their recent activities, their rendezvous point is the Tekaran Tribe of the south. They will march forward with their renewed forces and attack us." Chief Keiran moved the pawns of the three tribes together and pushed them slowly towards the borders of the Arin Tribe on the map. Tori listened but her eyes were on the Arin Tribe's territory with her finger on her chin. No, they are too obvious. The oppos
TORI WAS now getting used to the wintery state of the Arin Tribe in her third morning in the place. She was in the middle of brewing her Chamomile Tea when a familiar firm three knocks interrupted her. Not bothering to open the door, she continued with what she was doing as she replied. "Come in!"Tori poured another round of tea into the second teacup for her favorite guest. She did not glance at the person who entered the premises of her room. Instead, she proceeded to sip her kind of heroin. The familiar thud of the footsteps became closer until the silhouette stopped in front of her. Finally looking up, Tori greeted her guest with a polite smile. "Please have a seat, Your Grace." Tori gestured to the empty seat in front of her.Chief Keiran, who had a solemn look on his face, took the seat in front of Tori without even bothering to glance at the served delights and tea on the table. "Your messenger brought a message from the warriors last night."My dearest new pet has finally com
WALKING AWAY WITHOUT looking back, Tori together with her pet, Talia, left the land of the north.Tori was led to a similar-looking cabin, but unlike before this one had a small glass window. She discarded all her fur clothes and changed into her usual outdoor dress, the ones with fewer ribbons and frills. She took off the pieces of jewelry gifted by Akasha to her while she was in the north.I am now going back to the capital. It is funny how the north was said to be dangerous yet I felt so secure in that place. Unlike the wretched capital, adorned with lavish activities yet her head could roll in the plaza any minute.She lay on the bed and closed her eyes as she let the waves lull her to sleep. Tori was about to surrender her body to sleep when a series of loud and rude knocks disturbed her. "What is it?"But the knocks continued and grew harsher as minutes passed until the door opened forcefully. Looking outside of the window, she saw an enormous ship sailing right beside the merch
Tori felt the heels of Merilla's sandals piercing her scalp as the lunatic traitor added brute force to her head. She closed her eyes but Tori never yelped in pain. Instead, she let out an insulting laugh as blood from her wounds flowed to her forehead and then to the floor. "Did I hit your sore spot, Lady Merilla? With your wit, you can be an asset to the first prince yet you stayed in the aristocratic faction. Before I arrived, Prince Corean's candidacy to the throne was almost close to none yet you did not leave him for Prince Lauren. You had a lot of chance yet you remained by his highness's side. You love the second prince so you chose to be his aide. You wanted him to recognize you. And perhaps, you are hoping to bring back my head as a prize to be recognized by both the aristocratic faction and your beloved unrequited love. Poor Tessa, she won't see what's coming until it hit her until you betray her too."Afraid that she could crush Tori to death, Merilla kneeled to grab her h
A Month before Victoria Rozenreff's Seventeenth BirthdayPRINCE COREAN Shuia Eckrett tasted the first whiplash of pain after the cherry red eyes of Victoria Rozenreff rejected his heartfelt confession. The winter breeze numbed his aching heart, but all he could feel was the glacial look of the lady he dared to love. In his almost eighteen years of existence, no one woke the curiosity in his core. No one until she stepped into the secret room of the Turvy to dare persuade him to fight for his right, something he never once cared about.Cory could still remember Victoria's flaming cherry-colored eyes. She looked so fragile for him yet she could display the courage that no knight in the empire could master. She was quite a curious thing and he was drawn to her unpredictable actions.The next thing he knew, he was already following her every move. The thoughts of her touching other men disturbed something primal inside him. It was almost a taboo feeling for the second prince who was known