The days after the poisoning passed like smoke. Slow. Suffocating. Every hour dragged, and every sound in the castle felt amplified, a servant’s whisper, the clatter of plates, even the wind against the stone walls.They said I needed rest.That I was lucky to be alive.But what they didn’t say, what no one had the courage to say aloud, was that I had looked weak.Helpless.And that was what truly poisoned me.I’d spent the first two days confined to my chambers, under the pretense of “recovery.” Maren made sure I ate. Nolan made sure I didn’t leave. Every time I tried, there was a guard posted conveniently outside my door, pretending not to be watching.It was suffocating.I hated the way they looked at me, like a fragile thing that might shatter if touched too hard. I wasn’t fragile. I wasn’t broken. But the pity in their eyes made me feel like I was.So on the third morning a week later, I threw the blankets off, ignoring the wave of dizziness that followed, and stood. The room til
~Aliyana POV~The castle had a strange rhythm at night, too quiet to be comforting, too alive to be peaceful. Every whisper of wind through the corridors sounded like breath, every flicker of candlelight like eyes that followed you.I’d never noticed it before. Maybe because I hadn’t needed to. But tonight, the silence felt different. It wasn’t safety. It was a warning.I hadn’t touched the tea.It still sat on the table where Calista left it, the surface gone cold, the faint red swirl still visible when I tilted the cup toward the candlelight. I didn’t need to test it to know it wasn’t safe.I was done being anyone’s fool.Maren had slipped in after sunset with a tray of fruit and a quiet look of concern. She hadn’t asked questions, but I’d caught the flicker in her eyes when she saw the untouched tea. That was enough.Now, hours later, I moved through the west corridor barefoot, every step measured. My head still throbbed faintly from the poison, but I forced it away. Pain could wai
~Aliyana POV~The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn. It fell in thin, silver sheets against the glass, a steady rhythm that scraped against my thoughts. My body still ached, heavy and slow, like someone had poured lead into my veins.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the marks on my wrist, the faint shimmer that caught the dim light. The “mark” Nolan mentioned. Whatever the poison was, it hadn’t been simple. I could feel it still, crawling under my skin, a whisper I couldn’t quite silence.But I wouldn’t let it show.I refused to look weak. Not after everything.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dirt of the training yard, Nolan’s shadow moving toward me as the world tilted. His voice cutting through the haze—sharp, angry, afraid. My name, not bride.That was the part I hated most.That it still lingered.I rose from the bed, moving carefully. My legs trembled with the effort, but I forced myself to stand. I’d been poisoned, nearly killed, and still, I was alive. That meant I
~Aliyana Pov~The antidote burned down my throat like liquid fire.I could taste the bitterness long after I swallowed it, a reminder that poison had once snaked through my veins. The thought alone made me grip the vial tighter until it nearly cracked in my palm.Nolan thought this was about protection. About control. But I knew better. This was war now, and I wasn’t waiting around to be someone’s next experiment.The morning air outside was heavy with mist when I slipped out of my room. My head still spun a little, but I pushed through the dizziness, keeping my steps light. The corridors were quiet, too quiet for a house supposedly crawling with guards and servants. It made my stomach twist. Whoever had poisoned me had to be confident enough to walk these halls unbothered.I passed the training yard where yesterday’s humiliation replayed in my mind like a cruel echo. The dirt still bore faint traces of my fall, and I hated how much that image haunted me. Weakness wasn’t something I c
~Aliyana Pov~Sleep was a shallow, restless thing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dirt of the training yard rushing toward me, the echo of Nolan’s voice snapping through the haze. My name on his lips. Not bride. Aliyana.I hated that it lingered.When I woke again, the sun had barely risen, bleeding pale gold through the curtains. My body still ached, every muscle stiff as if I’d been beaten. My throat was dry, but worse than that was the heaviness pressing down on my chest, the knowledge that what happened yesterday wasn’t just exhaustion.I’d been poisoned. I knew it. My body wouldn’t crumble from lack of sleep alone. The dull throbbing behind my eyes, the unnatural weakness in my limbs, the sluggishness in my blood, someone had slipped me something. And the bastard timing of it made sense. The day I faced Nolan.I pushed myself upright slowly, wincing as my head swam.Voices drifted from outside the room, muffled but close.My heart stilled.Careful not to creak the floorbo
~Aliyana Pov~The first thing I became aware of was the ache. Not sharp, not stabbing, but a deep, dull heaviness that seemed to press down on every muscle in my body. It felt like I had been carrying the weight of the world on my back, and finally, my body had given out.The second was the silence.Too heavy, too still, broken only by the faint crackle of fire in the hearth. No sounds of swords clashing, no voices drifting in from outside, no laughter from soldiers in the yard. Just silence that stretched until it felt suffocating.And then, when I dared to peel my eyes open, I saw him.Nolan.Seated by my bed as if he had every right to be there, arms crossed over his chest, silver eyes locked on me with an intensity that made my breath hitch. He looked carved from stone—hard, unyielding—but the storm swirling in those eyes gave him away.He was furious.I shifted slightly, trying to sit up, but my arms trembled with the effort. Instantly, his gaze sharpened, his jaw tightening.“Yo