Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Eleanor's POVOn the way here, I'd still been clinging to hope.Cassian had been so good to me. In five years, I had never once doubted his sincerity.I couldn't imagine him deceiving me. I was still making excuses for him in my head.Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe the clerk had made a mistake.But now, everything seemed like a cruel joke.The basic potion I'd bought on the black market could only mask a human's scent for a short time.More powerful elixirs could even conceal a vampire's bloodline, but using one for too long could make it turn on the user.The dealer had warned me repeatedly not to get too close to a high-ranking vampire.So at that moment, all I could do was hide in the trees, watching them from a distance across the carefully decorated courtyard.The living room's floor-to-ceiling windows had their curtains drawn back.Cassian casually scooped up the boy, who looked about four.The child had one arm around his neck, the other holding up a toy airplane, chattering nonsto

Eleanor's POVThe next morning, Cassian left the house just like he had countless times before.He stood in the entryway adjusting his cuffs, then leaned down to fix a strand of my sleep-mussed hair."There's an Elder Council meeting today. I might be a little late getting home."His voice was as gentle as ever.If this had been before, I would have reminded him not to push himself too hard.I would have overseen dinner preparations myself, then sat in the living room that evening and waited for him to come home.Because for the past five years, that was what I always did.When Cassian was busy, I waited.When Cassian was tired, I was there for him.I always believed that being his wife meant understanding his responsibilities and accepting how busy he was.But today, I just stood there, watching his silhouette disappear.I didn't ask when he would be back.I didn't remind him to be careful on the road.I didn't even hug him before he left, the way I always used to.The moment the door

Eleanor's POVAfter coming back from his other home, I didn't bring up Seraphina to Cassian again.Everything stayed peaceful and happy on the surface, the same as always.Cassian was still as gentle as he had been for the past five years.He ate breakfast with me every day.He reminded the servants to look after me.When he came home at night, he would hold me just like before and ask how my day had been.But only I knew that everything had changed beyond repair.During those three days, I secretly contacted my father, Edmund Valerie.When the call connected, I didn't speak right away.I sat in my room, staring out at the perpetually overcast sky of vampire territory.Five years ago, I had sat in this same spot.Back then, I had just married Cassian.Everything here was foreign to me.I was afraid I wouldn't be a good enough wife.Afraid every vampire noble would think a human with nothing but a rare bloodline wasn't worthy of the heir to the throne.But Cassian took my hand and told

Cassian's POVBy the time I raced back to the estate, the fire had already consumed nearly half of it.The distant glow lit up the entire night sky.I stood there, staring at the familiar estate, and for a moment felt nothing at all.I only thought it was an inconvenience.The estate would need to be rebuilt.The Elder Council would have to send someone to investigate the cause of the fire.The servants stood at the entrance, trembling as they greeted me, their faces full of fear.I scanned the crowd but didn't see Eleanor.In fact, the phone call alerting me to the fire hadn't come from her.I frowned.She was probably just hurt.Or the guards had already gotten her out.I didn't consider any other possibility.Because in my mind, Eleanor was simply always there.For the past five years, she waited for me to come home every day. If nothing was going on at Seraphina's, I would stay and be with her.She would wait for me with that happy look on her face. She always did."Your Highness."

Eleanor's POVThree months after leaving vampire territory, I rested peacefully in the sunlight for the first time.The curtains were open.Sunlight streamed through the glass onto my face.The warmth felt almost foreign.I opened my eyes and stared at the bright sky outside for a long, disoriented moment.In five years, I had nearly forgotten what sunlight felt like.The vampire realm was forever cold and dark.The sky was perpetually hidden behind heavy clouds.No lamp in that estate could ever replace the real sun.To stay by Cassian's side, I had forced myself to adapt to everything about that place.I learned to accept the endless nights.I learned to be a poised, elegant wife worthy of standing beside him.Back then, it never occurred to me that one day, simply standing in the sun would make me happy.I looked down at my hand.On my ring finger, a faint tan line remained where the ring used to be.But now, nothing proved I had ever belonged to him.Three months ago, I was the wif