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Chapter X : The Shape of Old Wounds and the Softness of New Trust

Author: Intana Meisya
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-03 22:39:35
Rebecca's POV

It was nearly dusk by the time the tailors finally left, trailing silk threads and unsolicited opinions in their wake.

I collapsed face-first into the bed the moment the door shut, groaning into the pillow like I’d just survived a battlefield instead of a fitting.

I was still recovering—physically and emotionally—when there was a sharp knock at the door.

I groaned. "If that’s another sleeve emergency, I swear—"

But it wasn’t a tailor. One of Gideon’s guards stood in the doorway, spine straight, eyes forward.

“Miss Rosewyn,” He said, bowing slightly. “Commander Malik sends his apologies. He was unable to return to quarters and instructed me to inform you directly.”

I sat up a little straighter, blinking at the guard’s words. “Where is he?”

“Training yard, Miss.”

Gideon had sent word this time. Told me where he’d gone. That was new—and it twisted something in my chest I wasn’t ready to name.

Was it because he didn’t want another misunderstanding?

“Can you take me
Intana Meisya

Finally, Chapter 10. A quieter one—but it’s one of my favorites. Sometimes, the soft moments speak the loudest. Thank you for reading. 💛

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  • The Knight's Claimed Bride    ~Gideon Malik's POV~

    Gideon’s POV — Ten Years Ago The halls still smelled of steel and wax polish. Too clean. Too polished. Too foreign. My father had been buried a fortnight ago, and still I walked as though his shadow were at my back, as though his voice were waiting around the next corner to cut me down. But there was only silence. I was seventeen, armored but unsteady. A knight, they called me now. The blade on my hip was too large, too heavy, yet I carried it as though it could disguise the hollow in me. My father had wanted this, had carved me into this shape, and then left me to bear it alone. And that was when I saw her. A woman striding through the palace corridors like she belonged there, though she wore no crown. Her hair bound tight, her robes dusted with ash and herbs, her hands ink-stained. Isabelle Rosewyn. Mistress Rosewyn, they called her—the potion master who even the Queen begrudged needing. She carried the air of someone who bent the world to her pace, not the other way around.

  • The Knight's Claimed Bride    Chapter XXIX : Of Bitter Wine and a Rose Too Fragile to Last

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  • The Knight's Claimed Bride    Chapter XXVIII : A Bride’s Heart in Ruins and a Commander’s Past in Chains

    Rebecca's POV I finally stood before him, heart hammering in a rhythm I couldn’t control. Gideon stood perfectly still, as he always did, the Knight Commander in full regalia. The armor gleamed faintly under the hall’s light, silver against black, but it did nothing to soften the sharp line of his jaw, the rigid set of his shoulders. To anyone else, he looked untouchable. To me… he looked like the man who had just shattered my world. I couldn’t breathe when I thought of it. Couldn’t look at him without seeing the flames. And yet—gods help me—I still loved him. That was the cruelest part of it all. I kept my eyes low, not daring to meet his. If I looked too long, I would see everything I didn’t want to see. But I could feel him. I could feel the way his eyes lingered, sharp and searching, as if he knew something I couldn’t say. When I lifted my gaze at last, it wasn’t to him—it was to her. The Queen. The woman who had ordered it all. She sat watching, her smile sharp and patie

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