Chapter Twenty-One Liana’s POV The whispers did not fade. They thickened, pressing close like smoke, each one wrapping me tighter in the net Kael had cast over me. I tried to step back, but his grip on my wrist held me in place. He wanted me here, displayed, half-trembling and half-burning, while their eyes devoured every flicker of weakness. From the cluster of nobles, Lady Marcelline stepped forward. Her gown was pale gold, her hair coiled like fire, her smile a blade disguised as sweetness. She curtsied, but her eyes never left me. “Your Majesty,” she said smoothly. “You speak of bleeding, but do you not fear that some creatures bleed too easily? One must take care not to waste one’s time on fragile things.” The court tittered, cruel little sounds hidden behind jewelled hands. My chest tightened. The words were not only meant to wound me but to test him, to see how far his favour truly stretched. Kael’s thumb pressed harder into my skin. “You think her fragile?” he asked,
Last Updated : 2025-09-26
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