A strong wind blew the two shutters in the Queen's private room until they shook and made a very loud sound. The ten servants who were in the room preparing the Queen's beautiful dress looked shocked and nervous. The Queen, however, only scowled."Why are you so afraid of the rain?" snapped Seraphina exasperatedly at the servants. "It's just rain.""Yes, Your Majesty," said one of the servants who was repairing Seraphina's dress, having to modify it by replacing the cape with a more waterproof material. "It's just that drizzle in Remirer is already considered a bad omen. Especially if it gets stormy."The servant was not wrong. The drizzle and rain that fell in the town of Remirer had indeed slowly turned into a quite fierce storm accompanied by lightning. But Seraphina was not willing to postpone her coronation ceremony. She had been bothered about the details of this event by the elders ever since she got her first period-they were acting as if Serena's mother would die young! And n
Unconsciously, as he began to master the fear within him, Vikrant smiled. He approached the window of his room, which was as large as a door, and slid it to the side. The strong wind tousled his hair roughly, while in the distance, thunder began to rumble. The clouds covering the sky of Remirer city were so vast and dark that they turned day into night.A rainstorm was not good for his plans later tonight. Dravon needed the moonlight to draw the magic patterns. Ah, that's if the young man was still willing to draw them.Vikrant quickly sat on the sofa. He started pouring wine into his glass and drank it slowly. It was as if he could see his mother sitting on the sofa across from him, sitting upright with her hands gracefully folded on her lap. Wearing the queen's everyday dress, she looked at him disapprovingly."I know, Mother," Vikrant muttered. "So don't lecture me."Of course, his mother didn't say anything. After all, the woman had been dead for a long time. So she wouldn't under
Dravon slammed the door of the room as he stepped inside. The door nearly hit Will walking behind him, if the man hadn't swiftly halted it with his mastery of wind element magic. Everything was in chaos. Dravon felt his appearance reflected the turmoil within him. So did his heart. So did his past. Everything about him was a mess--"Stop!" Suddenly, Will grabbed Dravon's shoulder. He quickly shrugged it off and retaliated by pulling Will, slamming him onto the bed.The man winced softly, not from pain but from surprise. Dravon suddenly wanted to kiss his lips, just to erase his own pain. But then he remembered Will didn't like to be kissed first, especially in such a non-private setting—even though they were clearly in a bedroom. So Dravon forced himself to lie next to Will, and covered his own eyes with his arm. Feeling exhausted both physically and mentally.He could hear Will sighing beside him. Upon reflection, the sound of Will's breath always calmed him. Although of course, Drav
Something stirred in his heart as Dravon watched his father approach. A spark produced by a mixture of longing and a hint of fear. In addition, his ego seemed to melt away when he saw up close his father's wrinkled and aged face, but with the same smile and gaze he remembered.How could one's feelings remain unchanged even if time had dragged that person far away?As his father stood before him, Dravon unconsciously held his breath. He could smell his father's scent that he recognised. The old man never smelled like cigarettes. Instead, his father always smelled like honey, flowers, and earth. Smells that Dravon remembered as the smells of home.Both of his father's palms had arrived at his face. Stroking his cheeks and hair with a look of disbelief. As if he was dreaming and Dravon was not real to him. And of all the things his father could have said after their long absence, the old man said instead, "They say you died in the dead souls plague that day.""Dad," Dravon touched one of
"You're not going to pretend to be quiet now, are you, Will?" Kieran whispered next to him. "Because I won't hesitate to go further than this."Will didn't answer. He could only force himself to remain calm, not making any exaggerated movements to keep Kieran's dagger from slicing his throat.Besides, he had, since they were teenagers, disliked Kieran. That boy was weird. His clothes, which were a fusion of the two royal cultures, were actually quite cool, and he was quite intelligent because he was the brightest student in Varidianth at that time. The thing was, Will was also the brightest student in Valorthorn. And he was disappointed that Kieran didn't want to be friends with him.Besides, he was sick of seeing Kieran fidgeting like a worm in the heat at high-class gatherings, just because he wanted to meet his commoner friend in Umbravale. And later, when Will realises that the boy Kieran wants to meet is Dravon, he only dislikes the Duke of Nyxshade's son more.And he disliked Ki
Seventeen years ago.Despite the bright fire in the fireplace, with several candelabras lit in every corner of the room, his mother continued to cough violently, so hard that her body seemed to slam against the bed.At that moment, Jace felt utterly helpless. He felt like grabbing the medicines from the drawer, crushing them, and forcing his mother to drink them all. But it was impossible. His mother had already taken enough medicine, and her condition didn't improve. Jace began to suspect that the smoke from the fireplace was making his mother cough, but he wasn't sure. All he could do was sit leaning against his mother's bed, so as not to lose a single precious moment with her.Suddenly, his mother's bony hand brushed Jace's hair. He immediately lifted his head carefully and gazed at his mother. She was too ill even to smile at him. But she still did it for Jace. "Where is your father?" she asked, her voice sounding more like a broken twig being stepped on."Dad is talking to the do
The rainstorm gradually subsided in the city of Remirer. Nevertheless, the Queen still ordered all her guests to leave promptly, accompanied by an apology only given in the form of a small box containing a remarkably large gemstone inside. It was the type of gemstone Elios thought could never be given away freely due to its unusual spectrum of colours, resembling liquid gold swirling within."Elios, what are you pondering?" Lana asked. Elios turned to see his wife meticulously folding their clothes and packing them neatly into their suitcase. "Is there an issue with the gift?"Until now, Elios often wondered why Lana could discuss anything related to Seraphina without any trace of jealousy, despite Lana's previous dislike towards Seraphina. He hastily pushed aside the trivial thought and closed Seraphina's small box of gifts, handing it over to Lana to be kept in their suitcase. "I'm just curious," Elios replied. "The gemstone given is of exceptionally high value. Too high to simply b
Honestly, Serena didn't feel entirely comfortable around Elios. She knew the Grand Duke was cool, laid-back, and what else? Smart and strong. The type of older guy she would have admired if Serena were still young. But in reality, ever since she got to know Jace, who was equally cool but secretly harbored a terrifying and evil side, Serena became somewhat afraid of other men who resembled him. Including Elios Silverlake.Stay calm, Serena. Serena scolded herself as she arrived in front of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Silverlake's bedroom. After steeling her resolve, she knocked three times on the door and waited, nibbling on her fingertips.The door opened a few seconds later. The beautiful face of the Grand Duchess peeked out, gazing at her with genuine kindness and sympathy. "Oh, hello," Lana greeted warmly. "Do you need something, Serena?"It turns out Lana still remembered her name. Serena smiled nervously. "Um, can I come in? I need to discuss something with you and Elios," s