Asty smiled sheepishly at him and withdrew her hand. She scratched the back of her nape and looked away. "It is late already. I should head back home now, my mother must be so worried. And probably, Noelle too." Chaol nods. "Of course." Thoughts swarmed inside his head. Asty was dangerously close to him. He could easily take her away if we wanted to. It was annoyingly irritating for him to see Asty's small figure all for himself. It was like, at any moment he would lose his mind. His urges, the feelings. They were uncomfortable for him. He had always been a patient man. But this time, he was itching so hard to control himself. Everything about her was just so damn irresistible and he was not sure if he could contain himself for much longer. "Let's go

 "Asty." the woman in a brown duster called keenly. Mrs. Pickinns walked towards Asty and Noelle with the two palace visitors behind her. They looked at each other for a good number of minutes until Noelle decides to break the tension. Asty hid behind Noelle, he glanced back at her and attempted to cover her. He then asked. "Mrs. Pickinns, what is going on?" The two visitors whispered something in Mrs. Pickinns' ear. She nodded a bit and closed her eyes as an expression. Noelle stood in front of Asty, covering her from them. His brows furrowed in an uncertain way.  He then spoke lowly. "May I ask what you are here for, kind Sirs?" "Noelle, isn't it?" the captain of the Palace Guards acknowledges

Asty had never felt so suffocated before in her life. Every time she moved her fingers she was in a constant fear of doubt. Thoughts invading through her mind like there's no tomorrow. Why did the King invite her to a dinner? What is inside the envelope she had given him?"Nervous, aren't we?"It was now a common feeling for Asty these passing days. That feeling of an unusual and pining sense of danger. That feeling of uncertainty and having no knowledge of your environment. She was scared of it. She was so unsure that it frightened her.She pauses a while and looked at him a bit. "I-I am, I'm sorry Your Majesty, I can't help it.""Quite the honest one, you are." The King had finished his meal. The maids drew closer and took his used plate away.Seeing that he was done, Asty immediately rushed to eat her food. Every grain, every leaf, every chunk of meat. She gobbled them up. She wanted to finish to

"I need you Asthenosthene, Chesterfawn needs you." His words resonated in her head for a few seconds. She felt the heat of his hands swarm around her palms. As if she could almost feel the burning desire of saving his country. She did not respond as her brain pondered more and more.  The looked down. "It is all right if you do not agree." he pauses for a while. "But do know that the Count will destroy Chesterfawn," he glanced over to her. "including your loved ones." Asty placed her palms on her mouth. Her legs started to tremble and balls of cold sweat formed on her forehead.  She could not believe it.  Chaol. The man h

Athena waited patiently near their cabin's doorstep for her daughter's arrival. A few minutes ago, a chaperone from the palace had visited her while she was doing her laundry and told her a few disturbing things about why her daughter was summoned into the Palace. The chaperone was an old man dressed in blue and white silk, the Palace's signature palette.  She could see the moon rose from behind the haunting trees. Suddenly, she hears a faint galloping of horses from the distance. From behind the trees, she could see a carriage coming towards their cabin.  She sighed in relief as she recognizes that it was the same carriage that had taken Asty into the Palace. The navigator of the carriage hopped down and opened the door, to which her daught