The King’s Relentless Desire のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 161 - チャプター 170

Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Six Liana POVI stay on the floor for a while, because standing feels like pretending that nothing is happening. And something is. I feel it in my stomach, in my shoulders, in the way every sound in the hallway makes my breath pause.I keep seeing that man’s face.Or the lack of it.Because I never got a clear look. It was just a shape in the corridor, steady, patient, like he had all the time in the world to wait for me.And now Kael has him.I push myself up and walk to the window. The courtyard is dark, torches moving like restless eyes. I can’t see the lower tunnels from here, but I know the sound—heavy gates. Metal dragging across stone.I imagine it opening right now.I pace the room, slow, palms warm. I don’t know if I want that man to speak or stay silent forever.A hundred questions swirl, but one stays sharpest.Why me?I light a candle because the air feels too heavy without it. I sit on the edge of my bed and rub the inside of my wrist, the place

Chapter One Hundred Fifty-EightLiana POVKael walks ahead of me, fast and silent. I try to keep up, but my steps drag. My legs feel heavy, like they know something I do not. The halls feel tighter the deeper we go, like the walls lean closer with each turn. I keep waiting for him to slow down or look back at me, but he doesn’t.He only says, “Do not speak when we enter.”His voice hits my spine, cold. I swallow hard.We reach a locked iron door. I have never seen it before. Kael enters a code on the wall panel, then another one. Metal shifts and something inside the door clanks loose. He pulls it open and steps aside so I can walk in first.I hesitate.Something is wrong.The room is large and dim, with one light hanging from the ceiling. There is a table in the center. Someone sits in a chair, hands tied behind them, head down, hair over their face. Their breathing is loud enough that I hear it as soon as I step forward. Sharp, uneven breaths, like they’ve been crying or choking.My

Chapter One Hundred SixtyLiana POV I wake to the sound of boots stopping outside my door.Kael is already on his feet. I didn’t even see him move. One moment he is in the chair, the next his hand is on his sword, body tense like every muscle is waiting for a signal I can’t hear.I push myself up slowly. My chest tightens even before I understand why.Someone is breathing on the other side of the door. Slow. Heavy. Not like a guard standing still. More like someone thinking about entering.Kael doesn’t look away from the door when he speaks.“Stay behind me.”The words run straight through me. I move without thinking, feet on the cold floor, the blanket falling away. I stand close enough to touch him, ready to cling if the door opens.The breathing outside stops.Then a voice I don’t know whispers through the wood, low and rough:“She won’t be yours forever, King.”My throat goes tight.Kael steps forward like he might tear the door off its frame. But the footsteps are already fading

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-TwoLiana POVI stay on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, trying to force my thoughts into a straight line. I keep telling myself that I imagined it, that grief is a strange animal and it bites in different ways. But I know what I heard. His voice didn’t sound like a memory. It sounded like him standing too close, saying my name the way he used to when he wanted my attention without anyone else noticing.I push my hands through my hair and stand. The room tilts for a second. I haven’t eaten. I haven’t really moved. Time feels broken. I cross to the window and unlock it. Cold air moves around me fast, like it wants something from me too. The torches outside burn against the dark sky. A few guards shift in place near the courtyard gate, and I wonder if they knew what I did. If anyone suspects.I close my eyes, just for a second.Liana.I turn fast like someone is behind me. No one is. I grip the stone window frame. My breath won’t slow down. I know the s

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-FourLiana POVI sit on the bed and stare at my palms like they might tell me what to do next. Nothing about them looks different, but I feel different. My heartbeat won’t settle. It rushes through me like I’m being chased by something I can’t outrun.I pull my knees up and wrap my arms around my legs. I close my eyes and wait. I don’t know what I’m waiting for, but I feel something building, like a door inside me hasn’t fully opened yet.For a few seconds, there is only my breathing.Then he is there again. Not a vision. Not a voice coming from the room. It comes from the inside, like a memory that isn’t mine.You are stronger than you think.My eyes fly open. I look around the room even though I know he isn’t here. My fingers dig into the blanket. I don’t answer him. I don’t want to feed this connection, but my thoughts push against his like gravity.Why can’t you let me go?There is a pause, like he is deciding whether to speak.Because you didn’t let me d