All Chapters of The Grand Tutor's Replacement Bride : Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

Days passed. Weeks passed. Now, five months. I've subconsciously blended in. Even though my marriage wasn't looking so promising, the Grand Preceptor’s servant and guards still treated me with utmost respect. Except, you know who. “Lady Jeanine, it's the end of the full moon in ten days, your blood is still not ready to be sent back.” Nanny Hagar stood beside me. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that she was giving me condescending looks. Sitting on the swing in my garden, I rocked gently, back and forth, letting the evening breeze brush softly against my skin. It had become a habit, me sitting here, in this exact spot, watching the Linnea flowers sway gently in the air, their pale petals catching the fading light of the evening sun. I loved it. It gave me peace and allowed me to taste what freedom could feel like. I kept my eyes closed, my body relaxed against the swing, as though I had not heard her at all. But of course, ignoring Nanny Hagar n

It was Hugo.“Have you been avoiding me or just playing hard to get?”He stood a few steps away, hands loosely behind his back, posture relaxed in a way that didn’t match the sharpness in his eyes.It had been five months since I last saw him, yet that smugness, that arrogant air, was still etched into him like it had never left.I remained silent.Not even sparing him a glance.And that, apparently, annoyed him more than any words ever could.His jaw tightened.“It’s been five months,” he continued. “Five months since I was assigned to be around you, yet this is the first time we meet?”I could feel his eyes moving over me, sizing me up like I was something he had been ordered to watch rather than a person.“Need I remind you why I’m here?” he added, voice sharpening. “Do you honestly think I want to be stuck on this forsaken island with you forever?”Still, I said nothing.Not a reaction. Not a breath wasted on him.That silence made his irritation deepen.He exhaled sharply.“In ca

My fingers tightened against his chest. Even though no one said a word, the silence was louder than any accusation.They knew I was cheating on their master. Or… worse… they accepted it. And I didn’t understand why.Or maybe Talahei had promised them something they couldn't refuse. Maybe Talahei had stolen power with the Grand Preceptor in seclusion. And everyone now answered to him. That must be it. By the time we stepped out of the long corridor, the evening sun was slowly starting to descend. “Talahei…” I tried again, softer this time, my voice strained. “Where are you taking me?”“You’ll see.” That was all he said.No explanation. He didn’t stop walking.He didn't even acknowledge the chaos brewing inside me.Before I could protest again, we reached the stables.My breath hitched.Horses.The smell of hay, sweat, damp wood… and something else beneath it all hit me first, clawing at my throat and dragging me somewhere I never wanted to return to.My body reacted before my mind

“I am the man they bow to,” he whispered. My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t sure if it was from the words themselves or from the way he said them.As if there was no room for doubt. No space for denial.His breath brushed against my ear, warm, sending a strange shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.“I am the authority that governs every voice within these walls,” he continued, his voice low, almost intimate.My fingers trembled at my sides, clenching and unclenching in a bid to not succumb to his alluring voice.“And I am the one who decides what is seen…” his fingers brushed against my arm, “…and what is never spoken of,” he finished softly, his touch lingering just long enough to make my breath falter.My heart pounded harder against my ribs.Not just from fear. But from the way his presence wrapped around me. Suffocating in a way that made it impossible to think clearly.I swallowed, trying to steady myself, trying to hold onto something—anything—that made s