All Chapters of Betrothed To Six Lovers: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

Lila's P.O.VThe moment the maid fled, something primal took root inside me.Not fear.Not panic.Something colder.The understanding that Blackwood was tightening around me faster than I was tightening around its secrets.I stood frozen in the center of my quarters long after Madam Lavinge had rushed after the eavesdropping servant. My pulse had become unbearable, each beat hammering against my ribs with suffocating force.How much had she heard?The pendant?Lucian?The children?Diane?Every possibility felt catastrophic.I turned sharply, pacing.My gown brushed violently against polished floors as my thoughts spiraled into dangerous terrain. Blackwood had always been alive with hidden agendas, but now—Now it felt sentient.Listening.Watching.Waiting.I could no longer rely solely on reaction.I needed answers.Real ones.Ancient ones.Answers buried before Ma Felicia’s rise.Before Lucian’s manipulation.Before Serena’s theft.Before even Shay.And then—A memory surfaced.Not

Lila's P.O.VBy the time I fully returned to my chambers, I had composed myself enough to breathe without trembling.Enough to walk without visibly collapsing beneath the weight of what had just happened.But not enough to feel whole.My mother’s face still haunted me.Not in fear—But in longing.In ache.In unbearable absence.I could still hear her voice with agonizing clarity.Love will ask for your life.One lover was never meant to survive.My shadow will guide you.Each phrase had rooted itself deep inside me, wrapping around my ribs like invisible vines.And yet—The moment I stepped through the doors into the warmth of my private chambers—Reality demanded something else from me.Motherhood.Madam Lavinge was the first to notice.Of course she was.Her sharp gaze swept over me instantly, taking in every detail with unsettling precision.The dust clinging to the lower edge of my gown.The faint strands of cobwebs caught in my hair.The slight disarray I had failed to fully cor

Lila's P.O.VBy the time I stepped out of the palace that evening, the air had changed.It carried something quieter than the chaos of the day, something softer than the weight I had been holding in my chest since morning. The sun had already dipped low, leaving behind a fading wash of gold and amber across the sky. The stone beneath my feet still held the warmth of the day, but the wind had begun to cool, brushing against my skin in gentle, restless currents.I needed that.The space. The distance.The silence that wasn’t entirely silent.My steps took me instinctively toward the high towers—the half walls that overlooked the entirety of Blackwood. It had always been one of the few places where I could breathe without feeling watched. Or at least… where I used to believe I wasn’t being watched.Now, even that felt uncertain.Still, I went.The climb up the narrow spiral path was slow, deliberate. My gown trailed slightly behind me, the faint whisper of fabric against stone echoing so

Lila's P.O.VThe following morning, I went to the compodium without fear.Not in secret.Not hidden beneath cloaks and cautious footsteps.I walked through the palace halls as queen.Every servant that crossed my path bowed deeply. Guards straightened the moment they saw me approaching. The whispers that usually floated quietly through Blackwood’s corridors died almost instantly as I passed.I noticed it all.The fear.The caution.The curiosity.Perhaps my decree after the disappearance of the relic book had finally settled into their bones. Or perhaps word had spread that something inside Blackwood had shifted.Either way, nobody questioned me when I announced where I was going.The compodium stood at the eastern wing of the estate, isolated from the busier halls of the palace. Ancient stone climbed high into the gray morning sky, its walls weathered with age and memory. Vines clung stubbornly to its sides, wrapping around the old structure like skeletal fingers.The place always fe

Lila's POV The realization nearly stopped my legs. I watched him knock twice against the hidden side entrance instead of the main door.A servant opened immediately.He slipped inside.My entire body went cold.No.No.My throat tightened painfully.I moved closer to the door, careful not to make a sound. The hallway was empty except for the distant flicker of torchlight. My pulse hammered so loudly I feared they would hear it through the wood.At first I could only hear muffled voices.Then clearer.Ma Felicia.“And the queen suspects nothing?”Kai laughed softly.That laugh.That disgusting laugh.“She suspects everyone these days,” he answered. “But she’s drowning in too many secrets to know where to look first.”My hand trembled against the wall.“She sent the children away,” he continued.Silence.Then Ma Felicia spoke sharply.“To where?”“We’re still tracking it.”We.We.The word sliced through me.My breathing became shallow.“She’s becoming difficult,” Kai added. “Especial