Lahat ng Kabanata ng His Regret, The Crown's Claim : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

The silver flames didn't die out as I crossed, it settled into a low sweet scenting smoke, surrounding the dais like a protective ring of starlight. I stood at the center of the hall, my chest heaving, the air around me still vibrating with the echoes of my own howl. The suffocating weight that had lived on the back of my neck for five years, that invisible chain Cade had used to drag my spirit into the dirt was finally gone and I was no longer tied to him. In its place was a cool, tingling sensation, as if the Goddess herself had breathed onto my skin.The High Priest rose slowly, his maroon robes rustling in the stunned silence of the large hall. He looked at me, then at the silver-blue crest glowing faintly on my skin, and then finally at Kael."The past has been consumed," the Priest announced, his voice ringing with a newfound reverence. "The Silver Fire has judged, and it has found no rot, only a spirit forged in ice and tempered by shadow. Risa of Ironwood has walked the path

~ Cade’s POV ~I had to stop Risa from being bound to Kael no matter what it might take me.The moment the ritual peaked, I felt it in my core, a violent, electric snap that vibrated through the marrow of my bones. For a blissful, searing heartbeat, I thought I had won. I felt the old tether to Risa flare like a dying star, a hot connection that tasted of her scent and the cold Northern wind. I screamed, my back arching off the stone floor as my blood in the basin began to boil as soon as I felt the bond between us snap.“She's free from your bond,” the elder echoed. “But she'll never get to be bound to the king. The fire must reject her.” He rasped as he tapped his staff on the ground.“She can only be mine,” I thought through the haze of pain. “I’ve pulled her back and I'll keep her with me forever. Even if she has erased my mark, I can always mark her again.”Yes. I can always mark her again. She was destined for me. She can only belong to me. But then, the counter-strike hit me a

~ Risa’s POV ~As per Kael's orders, Axel had grabbed me immediately and led me to where Kael had ordered.The Black Wing was a place of cold stone and heavy silences, a fortress within a fortress. Axel had practically carried me here, his hands never leaving mine until the heavy iron doors were bolted behind us. He was wounded, but he didn't care about the blood that had stained his clothes, he just wanted to make sure I was okay.“We'll be safe here.” He said, looking dead into my eyes and I nodded. I was trying to breathe slowly, but it wasn't easy. The power had been cut off by the explosion and Kael was still out there. Were the true bloods really this cruel? All those nobles just kill like that. It was horrifying.Now, I stood by the narrow window, watching the flickers of torchlight in the courtyard below. The palace was a hive of frantic activity now and I could hear the distant shouts of the Guard and the low, rhythmic chanting of the healers tending to the wounded.I reach

~ Risa's POV ~The silk handkerchief felt like fire in my hand.I sat on the edge of the massive four-poster bed in the Black Wing, the small handkerchief spread across my lap. The pattern was unmistakable. I had spent weeks on that embroidery when I was little, my fingers pricked and bleeding as I tried to perfect the interlocking vines my mother had taught me.I closed my eyes, and the memory hit me all at once.It was almost the winter of the Great Frost and father had wanted to give back to the people in the borders by providing basic necessities for them.That day I had cried and thrown a big tantrum because I wanted to go with him, so when he finally agreed, he told me to stay in his sight by all times.But after I got there, I had been exploring the edge of the territory, away from the watchful eyes of my father’s guards. I had found him in the dirt, a boy who looked barely older than me or maybe he was just malnourished. He was covered in blood and and shaking uncontrollably i

"Risa!" he gasped, taking a staggering step toward me. "You came! You heard me…see,” he said to the others.“I told you she'd come.” He laughed like a maniac as he pointed at me. “You told me you were waiting. You said to me the King was hurting you.""What the hell are you talking about," I said, keeping the dagger between us. “Look at yourself. You look like a mess and you’re destroying yourself for a lie. How could you fight along side the true bloods when you know they are an enemy of the whole realm?” I spat at him."A lie?" Cade laughed. He gestured to the air beside him. "She’s right here! She’s wearing the blue dress, Risa! She says she forgives me. She says if I just mark you again, we can go back to the beginning. We can go back to how things used to be."Who is her? What the hell is he talking about?He lunged forward with a speed I didn't expect from a man in his condition. I ducked, my dress snagging on a stone urn as I scrambled back."Don't you dare touch me!" I screame