Chapter 51- Cool to the touch

EDINA POVI could barely see another soul in this place.It was too quiet—almost sacred in its stillness. A few steps down the corridor, the sound of my own footfalls against the polished marble felt like an intrusion. Every now and then, I caught a flicker of movement—pixies, tall and lithe with skin like deep midnight, wings transparent as glass. They moved silently, dusting ornate frames, trimming glowing vines, adjusting candle sconces with the precision of ritual.No more than three of them had appeared so far. In a house this large, it was unnerving.Valen’s palace had been teeming—ten people at every corner, always someone watching, whispering, judging. That place had been all light and echoing footsteps and the weight of court expectations.This?This felt like shadow and stone and the kind of quiet you could sink into and never come back out of.I turned another corner, pausing beneath a towering arch. The hallway was carved of pale, veined stone, smooth as silk, almost cryst

Last Updated : 2025-06-20

Chapter 52- Inside link to Lyria

EDINA POVI wake to soft tickles against my skin—like feathers brushing my arms, my neck, my collarbone.A smile curves my lips before I even open my eyes. I stretch, lazy and slow, my arms sliding above my head. The silk sheets whisper around me. Warm. Heavy. Too soft for my own good.When I finally blink into the room, there’s no feather in sight.No one perched at the edge of the bed watching me with a smirk. No green-eyed menace standing smugly in the corner. Not like I was expecting one.Still.A flicker of disappointment curls in my chest before I shove it aside.I sit up slowly, the velvet covers falling into my lap, and glance toward the windows. The twilight beyond is still unchanged—lavender skies painted with stars, the moon hanging full and pale like a glowing pearl over the distant mountains. The Twilight City below is just beginning to stir, lanterns dimming, rooftops catching the earliest hint of dawn’s haze.My eyes shift to the right, catching movement.A raven sits o

Last Updated : 2025-06-20

Chapter 53- Playing tyrant

EDINA POVThe wedding dress was beginning to weigh me down in more ways than one. The silk bodice clung too tightly, the skirt dragged like regret at my heels, and the smell of spilled wine still lingered—ripe and sour, rising with every breath.But I wasn’t taking it off.Not yet.If I had any control left in this gods-damned situation, it was the choice to sit here—in Baelorin’s stone-arched hallway, draped in ruined lace and rebellion. My own little act of protest.Pissing him off? That was only the beginning.I sat curled into a velvet-cushioned bench carved directly into the side of the hall, tucked just beside one of the open balconies. A single pillar framed me. I had no book, no drink, no distraction. Just the view of the mountain mist curling beyond the estate and a sour weight in my chest I didn’t know how to name.Then I heard footsteps—unhurried, boot and familiar.Baelorin.He appeared from around the bend, loose curls tousled as always, a goblet of dark wine in his hand,

Last Updated : 2025-06-21

Chapter 54- Better me than you

MAERWYNN POV“It’s too dangerous,” Valen said, his voice low and hard, his hands splayed across the ancient war map stretched beneath him. Candlelight flickered across the etched runes and valleys, casting dancing shadows that mirrored the tension in the room.His brows lifted as he looked up at Thalen, who stood opposite, arms crossed, face unreadable.“We’re still watching the development,” Thalen said with a shrug. “But the water level keeps dropping. It’s like the sea’s retreating on purpose. A drought may be coming.”“I’ll raise the tides when the time comes,” Valen replied, jaw tense. “But we cannot risk the humans reclaiming land again. If Kyante strikes through Ferngrove, we’ll lose more than territory—we’ll lose lives we can’t afford.”“What if she doesn’t?” I said, rising from where I’d been quietly seated all this time. “What if she doesn’t go through the sea? What if she breaks through the barrier?”Valen’s gaze snapped to me, his frown deepening. “Impossible. Kyante can’t

Last Updated : 2025-06-22

Chapter 55- Three rites of passage

MAERWYNN POVThe great chamber was quieter than usual.No courtiers. No echoing arguments. Yet. Just the crackle of the fire in the corner hearth, the subtle rustle of Caelora’s silk robes as she paced behind the central table, and the sound of Valen’s thumb drumming once—twice—against the edge of the map stretched beneath our hands.I stood opposite them, arms folded across my chest, trying to still the unease that had coiled into my bones since the decision was made.We were going into the Cidron. I was going into the Cidron.And if I didn’t do it exactly right, I might not come back out.Caelora finally stopped pacing and turned to face us both, her silver hair falling like water over her shoulders, her expression unreadable—but her eyes were sharp and focused. “There are rites,” she said, and the gravity in her voice made the air pull tight. “It’s not just a matter of walking into the Cidron and expecting her to welcome you like an old friend. You’re going into a god’s sanctum, M