Chapter 81- Comforting Things

EDINA POVThe Starlight Waltz was in two weeks.Which meant I had only two more weeks left in Baelorin’s estate—until his Absolute wore off. Until I’d be free to go wherever I wanted. Back to the Court. Back to… whatever waited for me after this.I didn’t know if I felt relieved.Or disappointed.But there was an ache in my chest that hadn’t quite settled.Feena was fussing with some delicate gossamers, her hands dipped into a golden jar that shimmered like liquid sunlight. “We usually decorate a little late for the Waltz,” she said, twisting a silver ribbon between her fingers. “But since I’m here this year, I figured I’d start earlier.”She smiled—light, easy. “Baelorin’s not really the festive type, you know.”“I can tell,” I said dryly, catching a flicker of my reflection in the curved belly of the golden vase.Pointed ears. Purple irises. A face that still didn’t always feel like mine.The gold was polished enough to show me clearly—too clearly. Sometimes I looked at myself and s

Last Updated : 2025-07-12

Chapter 82- The kind that lasts

EDINA POVI crouched as another child handed me a daisy crown, a little crooked but still intact.“For you,” she whispered, shy but proud.I took it, my throat tightening. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”“You’re very shiny,” said a wraith boy nearby, blinking up at me. “Your eyes are strange.”“Wraith manners are a work in progress,” Feena called over her shoulder, already busy sorting a stack of medicine bundles. “Just nod and smile.”I did exactly that.We walked farther in, weaving through the small village paths where homes were carved into trees, nestled into earth, or floating just above shallow ponds on lily-thick waters. Some homes had ropes of bones and herbs hanging from the doors. Others had polished glass beads and old starlight charms.And the more I saw, the more I understood.They couldn’t leave.This place wasn’t just a home. It was their body. Their breath.The trees bent toward them like guardians. The air shimmered differently here, thick with earth-magic. Wraiths ling

Last Updated : 2025-07-13

Chapter 83- Even in my nightmares

EDINA POVAs we head for the carriage, the air shimmers with late afternoon sun spilling over the trees. The soft crunch of gravel under our boots is drowned by the growing sound of footsteps—light and many.The folks are gathering again.They line the edge of the narrow path—wraiths with their translucent skin glinting in the light, forest-dwelling fae with moss in their hair and flower crowns resting over pointed ears. Children run out with hands full of petals, tossing them into the air with cheerful whoops.“Until next time!” one calls.“Thank you, Lady Feena!”“And our thanks to Lord Baelorin!”Baelorin?My brows pinch. I pause on the carriage step, glancing back at the sea of kind faces—so many smiling, nodding, eyes full of gratitude. And not one of them had forgotten to mention his name.I turn to Feena. “Why are they thanking Baelorin?”She’s already climbing in beside me, gathering her skirts. But she pauses and looks up at me, a soft smile curving her lips. The kind of smil

Last Updated : 2025-07-13

Chapter 84- I'd be haunted

EDINA POVFeena and I step off the carriage, our skirts brushing the grass as we touch the familiar pathway leading back to Baelorin’s estate. The late afternoon sun splinters through gnarled branches overhead, casting dappled shadows against the mossy stones. The distant laughter of pixies and rustle of leaves feels like an echo of the countryside’s warm embrace — and not-so-distant, the hollow clink of approaching footsteps.I glance up and spot Baelorin striding toward us — his posture rigid, dark hair catching the sun, and those green eyes narrowed like I’d been caught doing something cruelly wrong. He turns to Feena just as we approach, long-legged and tense.“You took her to the countryside,” his voice is low, controlled — but there’s a growl in it.Feena straightens, basket of gifts in hand. “She wanted to see it,” she says plainly. “She was fine. She’s a big girl.”He tilts his head, jaw clenched. “And if there’d been an Algoth attack? A demon ambush? Dozens of fae wicker rest

Last Updated : 2025-07-14

Chapter 85- Choosing

EDINA POVI kissed him back, fierce and desperate.My fingers tangled in his hair, tugging him closer. He groaned into my mouth, and the sound sent heat sparking down my spine. Every inch of him was solid and fire-hot and mine.He backed me into the edge of the desk, lifting me onto it without breaking the kiss. His mouth moved over mine—lips and teeth and tongue, all heat and fury and want. Like he’d been waiting lifetimes to touch me.He broke the kiss just enough to speak, his lips brushing mine.“You’re going to ruin me.”My breath hitched. His eyes—gods, those green eyes—burned into mine like wildfire through snow.My fingers tangled in his hair, then slid around his neck, pulling him down to me again. “Good,” I whispered.His smile curled, slow and devilish. Then his mouth met mine again—hotter this time, hungrier. His kiss was not sweet. It was possession. A claiming. Every sweep of his tongue against mine was a promise I wasn’t sure I was ready to keep, and still—I gave in. I