All Chapters of Auden’s Blessing: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

On the night of the engagement ceremony, a cold moon hung in one corner of the snowy sky, half veiled by a few thin drifting clouds. The palace courtyard was already covered in a blanket of pure white snow. Inside the palace, lamps were lit one after another, their glow joining with the snowlight and the moonlight outside, stretching toward the horizon like a long silver river across the vast heavens.We had just sworn our vows at the altar, and Freyr, acting as the presiding high priest, had placed the binding of the oath upon us. It was a rather powerful spell: if either of the betrothed were to be unfaithful, the other would immediately know, and a resonance would be triggered. In other words, if Loki were ever to fool around with another woman in the future, images of them together would appear in my mind. In the next few seconds, if I flew into a rage or even hurt myself, Loki would do the same.Although it was Loki who had proposed this requirement, for his fiancée it was undoub

Because of the rain, her red hair had darkened a little. The originally fluffy, soft strands now clung to her cheeks, making her look somewhat disheveled. Yet when she saw Loki, an indescribable sense of familiarity rose in her heart. I immediately ran toward him.“Loki…”He took my hand and pulled me against his chest, then looked coldly at the black-haired man in front of us.“We’re about to be married. What more do you want?”The man gazed at us quietly and said nothing.I turned my head and asked in a low voice, “…Are you really Odin?”“Yes, I am.”At that moment, the golden light faded, and everything returned to its original state. The heavy rain continued to fall, pattering endlessly. On the crowded street, countless splashes of water blossomed on the ground. A few elven girls passed by with umbrellas, staring at us in astonishment, yet not daring to come closer.Once again I remembered that sweet yet bittersweet dream before dawn, and the gentle gaze that had accompanied my ch

At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the weather started to warm up. Loki had slept in a daze for more than twenty hours. Even after waking up, he still refused to eat anything. I bustled around the kitchen for more than two hours, and finally managed to make a bowl of soup that I was barely satisfied with. Carrying it to the bedside, I said, “Have some soup.”He acted as if he hadn’t heard me at all, lying with his back to me. I called his name a few more times, but there was still no response. I walked around to the front of him and crouched down. “No matter how little appetite you have, you should still eat something. If you don’t have the strength, I can feed you.”His eyes stared blankly ahead. His lips were pale and cracked, and his red hair seemed to have lost its vitality, lying limply and messily on the pillow. Without the usual spirited arrogance, Loki now looked like nothing more than an ordinary boy seriously ill.After waiting for a long time and seeing him r

Early in the morning, I received a reply from Shia:What exactly are you doing? You just left without saying a word to me? I don’t care what happened between you and Loki, but is it really worth giving up your career, your life—even your friends—for him? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, then our twenty years of friendship is over!The handwriting was wildly cursive and badly distorted; the tip of the pen had even torn the paper at the end of the last character. There was no signature.I put the letter away and stood in front of the mirror to comb my hair, only to notice that black roots had started to grow out again. Looks like I’d have to touch up the roots this afternoon. After putting on makeup and slinging my bag over my shoulder, I headed to Mimir’s alchemy workshop.But perhaps it was just my imagination—there seemed to be far fewer people on the street outside the workshop that day. Normally, scholars and craftsmen would be coming and going, but today even the cus

After the award ceremony ended, Loki dragged me back home. He dropped me off, told me to have something to eat and rest a bit, and then left without going upstairs, saying he had something to attend to and would be back later.When I got to my door, I tried to unlock it with my key, but no matter how hard I turned, it wouldn’t budge. I suspected Sia had changed the lock. There shouldn’t be anyone inside anyway, so I decided to wait for Loki outside. But just as I was halfway turning the key, the door suddenly swung open. I was yanked inside so violently that I nearly fell flat.Before I could even steady myself, countless vials of liquid, mixed with magical bubble spheres, exploded in a burst of color. Water sprayed in all directions, confetti flew through the air, and petals scattered across the floor… A crowd surged around me, lifted me up, and tossed me into the air.“Woman, you’re finally back!”“Ena, Sia’s been missing you so much my head was about to explode…”“The boss is back!