Todos os capítulos de The Duchess of Frostmane: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

The sharp crack of wooden swords echoed across Frostmane as I crossed the courtyard with Nella beside me. Blow after blow blended into a steady rhythm that rolled across the snow-covered fortress."You'll find His Grace there," Nella said, pointing toward the training grounds ahead. "Captain Astrid said he would be supervising the recruits this morning.""I only wanted a few minutes to ask about the repairs.""You might have to wait your turn."As we drew closer, the reason became obvious.Several groups of recruits were already training, their boots carving deep tracks into the packed snow. Veteran warriors moved among them, correcting stances, calling out instructions, and occasionally sending someone back to repeat an exercise from the beginning. Despite the cold, no one seemed eager to stop.A recruit swung his practice sword with all the strength he could muster. Evren stepped aside, avoiding the strike with barely any movement."You've committed your entire weight," he said, han

"The numbers don't balance," Cedric said, studying the ledger with a frown.Magnus, halfway through the office with a basket of bread tucked against one hip, paused. "Whose numbers?""Ours."That got everyone's attention. A clerk leaned over Cedric's shoulder. Another began searching through older records while I set down my pen and watched the whole office slowly turn into a confused committee."The western storeroom hasn't appeared on an inventory report in years," Cedric said finally.Kael looked over from the doorway, arms crossed. "How many years?""The last full inspection was recorded before His Grace inherited the title."Nobody looked surprised. Somehow, that was worse.Magnus scratched his beard. "I always wondered what that key by the door was for.""You never asked?" I said."I assumed Cedric knew.""I assumed you weren't interested," Cedric said."I wasn't."He shrugged without embarrassment and reached for a second piece of bread."I am now."I couldn't help smiling. A s

Sleep never came easily in this castle, but that night it refused to come at all.I lay in bed for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling until the shadows stopped looking like anything at all. Finally, I gave up and pulled a robe over my shoulders. The halls had settled into the particular silence only very old stone buildings manage, where silence seemed to have weight instead of simply being an absence of sound.Crystal veins running through the walls glowed faintly as I passed, pale blue light pulsing at some rhythm I never fully understood, brighter near the archways and dimmer in the long stretches between them. Nella once told me the crystals answered to moonlight, drawing it in and holding it through the night as though they were alive. Whether it was true, I couldn't say. I only knew that walking those halls alone felt like moving through the inside of something that breathed slowly around me.I didn't have a destination. I just needed to move.My footsteps echoed again

"They've brought flowers, Your Grace. Fresh flowers. In this weather."Nella sounded personally offended as she peered through the tall window at the line of golden carriages winding up the frozen road toward the gates. I joined her, tugging my sleeves over my wrists, and watched the procession gleam against the snow, silk banners the color of ripe peaches snapping brightly beside Frostmane's pale silver standards."House Caelrin," Cedric confirmed from the doorway, already scanning a list of names. "Lady Seraphine Caelrin leads the delegation herself, accompanied by her trade minister and a small retinue. Twelve carriages in all.""Twelve," Agnes repeated flatly, as though the number offended her personally."Eleven for the delegation. One for the wine.""Of course there's a wine carriage."By the time the gates opened, the courtyard carried a scent I hadn't encountered since arriving at Frostmane: orange blossom, warm beeswax, and something spiced lingering beneath it all. Lady Sera

"If you plant frostmint too close to silverroot, one of them wins and the other sulks for an entire season," Nella said, kneeling in the dirt with far more confidence than her gardening skills deserved. "My grandmother used to say silverroot holds a grudge better than most people.”"Plants don't hold grudges, Nella.""This one does. Ask Magnus. He lost an entire tray to its spite last spring.”Magnus, elbow-deep in a crate of seedlings at the far end of the greenhouse, did not look up. "I lost it to poor drainage, not spite. But I stopped correcting her because she enjoys the story more than the truth.”"The story is better," Nella said cheerfully.Over the past month, the greenhouse had become my favorite place in the castle. The glass panels fogged with condensation, keeping the warmth trapped inside against the bitter cold beyond the walls. Rows of frost-resistant herbs stretched beneath them, plants Magnus swore would keep the kitchens supplied through even the harshest winter. I