All Chapters of Shadow Of Noctis: In The Cruel Prince’s Grasp: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ZadeThe silence in the room was so thick you could almost cut it. Only the sputtering of the candles and Eira's heavy, feverish breathing served as a reminder that she was still alive. I sat beside her, my hands trembling from exhaustion as I wiped her face with a cool cloth. Every single one of her features had burned itself into my mind over the past few days. The defiance that lingered at the corner of her mouth even in her fever dreams, and the vulnerability she only allowed to be seen now, in the grip of the poison. Deep within my consciousness, Noctis stirred restlessly; my dragon felt every ounce of the girl's pain, and this double burden nearly consumed me.Then, the silence was shattered not by a knock, but by an explosive crash.The door was thrown open with such force that the heavy oak panel slammed into the wall. Caspian burst into the room. His face was flushed red, his eyes flashed wildly, and the stench of wine rolled off him from across the room. He didn’t look at th

EiraThe following days passed in a strange blend of silence and throbbing pain. The bruise on my face turned from dark purple to toxic green and dull yellow, but I still felt the weight of Zade's punch in my bones. The prince barely left the room. He sat over his maps or compulsively cleaned his sword, but his gaze lingered on me every minute.I was no longer terrified of him; Noctis's comforting purr in the back of my mind suppressed the visceral panic, but the tension hadn't disappeared. It merely transformed into something heavy and unspoken, stretching between us with every bowl of food and every bandage change.That evening, I sat in the armchair by the window, wrapped in a warm blanket. The fire in the hearth danced on the walls, and Zade took a seat opposite me. Not chivalrously, but like a wild beast ready to pounce even while resting: his legs stretched out, whittling a piece of wood with his dagger."You should eat your soup," he spoke softly, not even looking up from his w

Zade The dawn was still gray and relentless when I stepped out onto the private training terrace. The wind whistling from the mountains was ice-cold, but I did not feel it. The fire inside me, fueled by Noctis and my own restlessness, was enough to keep the chill at bay.I was swinging my customary heavy sword, but my thoughts were not on the arc of the strikes. The memory of the night haunted me. The moment I handed the weapons to her. The silence that followed. I did not know what to expect this morning. Would she come out? Or would she lock herself in her room and let the walls consume her again?Noctis was watching tensely from the depths of my consciousness. "She is coming," the dragon murmured, and I felt his anticipation, which ran through my spine like a shiver.The heavy, iron-bound wing of the terrace door creaked.I turned around. I was prepared for the defiant gaze, the baggy trousers, the thief's rags I had seen her in until now. I was prepared for the resentment.But no

EiraThe world blurred into a dense, dark mass. I couldn’t tell where my dream ended and reality began. My ears rang as if I had shoved my head into a beehive, and my eyelids felt as heavy as lead.I was dazed. The final, desperate wave of poison and exhaustion crashed over me. The last thing I remembered was Zade lifting me into his arms on the terrace. After that, reality shattered into scattered fragments inside my mind. I felt someone’s hands touching me. Not roughly. Firm, yet careful fingers peeled the tight black combat suit from my body, the fabric already glued to my skin with sweat.I wanted to move. I wanted to fight against the touch. My instincts had always told me to. But my muscles had turned to jelly. A soft, cool linen nightgown was slipped over my body. Then a scent drifted through the haze of half consciousness. Leather, ash, and pine. Zade. Or perhaps it was only his pillows carrying his scent. Either way, the mere illusion of his presence was enough to drive the p

ZadeTiny splinters were still falling from the shattered doorframe onto the stone floor, but the silence in the room was so thick it almost choked me.Eira trembled in my arms. She pressed herself against my chest, her fingers clutching my shirt as if she feared the darkness would swallow her again if she let go.The adrenaline slowly began draining from my blood, replaced by something much darker and heavier.Raw, paralyzing guilt.She almost died, Noctis growled inside my head.My dragon’s voice was not accusing. Only factual.That hurt most of all.I had left her alone.I had believed the palace walls and a locked door would protect her from the monster who shared my blood.Carefully, as if she were made of glass, I lifted her. Eira did not resist. Her head fell against my shoulder. Her breathing was still ragged and uneven, a faint rasp escaping her throat with every inhale.I placed her on the edge of the bed, far from the overturned furniture and broken glass.Only then, in the