Lahat ng Kabanata ng No Longer Your Puppet, Duke : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The main dining hall of Valthorne was more crowded than usual. Candles cast a warm, golden glow across the room. The steam from the hot soup rose slowly, carrying the rich aroma of spices and meat broth, subtly mingling with the sweet scent of beeswax candles. Tonight coincided with the annual family meeting, which had been refashioned into a gathering dinner. The relatives had assembled, their laughter and conversations murmuring low. Some discussed the internal affairs of the territory, others exchanged news, and a few even whispered about private scandals. However, all of it vanished in an instant. Roselyn stepped into the hall in the middle of the gathering. The heavy doors opened with a soft creak. The conversations died out one by one, like candles blown out by a sudden gust of wind. Even the clinking of silverware ground to a halt. Kaelus pulled out the chair to his right. "Please sit, My Lady." Roselyn sat with her back straight and her fingers neatly clasped in

Former life. The third year of being the Duchess D’Arest.Roselyn still remembered the exact color of the gown she wore that night—a deep crimson. Chosen by Derrick because he claimed the color made his wife look "exquisite to show off." She stood outside her husband's study door, waiting for nearly an hour before finally being permitted to enter.Inside, Derrick sat behind his desk with an unlit cigar between his fingers. Beside him, a man unknown to Roselyn stood with his hands folded behind his back."Do you know why I called you?" Derrick asked."No.""I heard an interesting rumor." He finally opened his eyes after leaning back with them closed moments before. "They say you married me not out of love, but because you wanted to be a Duchess."Roselyn froze. "That is not true.""Prove it."Two words. Though spoken in a low, flat intonation, Roselyn's body began to tremble."How?"Derrick slid a small box to the edge of the desk. Dark mahogany, devoid of any ornaments. "Open it."Ins

Roselyn felt her entire body instantly go rigid, as if the icy Northern air had just frozen her blood in a single heartbeat.Aira Belladonna. The woman Derrick had once dismissed as a ‘toy for when he was bored,’ yet the very figure who remained a thorn in the memories of Roselyn’s past life."What are you doing here?"Aira did not answer immediately. Instead, she let her gaze sweep over Roselyn from head to toe. Her eyes lingered for quite a while on Roselyn’s lips, which were still slightly swollen and flushed crimson. Then dropping to her left hand, where the deep ruby of the first Grand Duchess gleamed intensely. The next second, tears began to well up in her clear, pale-lavender eyes. Pristine droplets spilled over, dampening her porcelain-white cheeks. With a movement that was utterly graceful and fragile, she clasped her hands before her chest. She then looked at Roselyn as though she had just discovered a final safe harbor after surviving a horrific storm."Rosie... thank g

As far as the eye could see, the northern territory of Valthorne offered nothing but a silent, deadly expanse of white. The wind howled fiercely, whipping up fine ice crystals that bit into the skin like needles. In the middle of that frozen wasteland, the convoy stood waiting.At the very front of the line, two mounted men appeared to be losing their patience. The luxurious fur cloaks they wore were completely inadequate against the piercingly brutal temperatures.Derrick D’Arest and Vogard Sirius. The two men narrowed their eyes in unison, straining to catch sight of a silhouette approaching from the direction of the castle.“The coward finally shows his face,” Vogard spat.“Let us leave the moment our business is concluded, Count.”“Of course, Duke. I have no desire to linger in this wretched place either.”TAP. TAP.A moment later, the heavy thud of a pitch-black stallion's hooves broke the stillness of the ice fields. Emerging from the shifting veil of snow, Kaelus Valthorne app

Derrick's footsteps echoed softly along the quiet, desolate corridor of the castle. The blue-eyed man walked alone. The piercing cold of the night was sharp, but it was nowhere near enough to cool the frustration that had been burning in his chest for the past two days.It had been two nights since he and Count Vogard arrived at this fortress, yet he had not managed to catch sight of even a single strand of Roselyn's hair. Every time they gathered in the dining hall, the seat next to Kaelus remained infuriatingly empty."Damn it! What could she possibly be busy with for two whole days? That bastard must be hiding Roselyn on purpose," he muttered, his fists clenching tight.He did not love Roselyn—at least, that was what he chose to believe. To him, that woman was far too submissive, entirely predictable, and easily possessed without any effort. Yet, that was precisely why her sudden, drastic change left him feeling so intensely uneasy.Derrick continued to walk aimlessly through the u