The room Fey referred to as Kieran's turned out to be a large chamber once occupied by his parents. With a heavy heart, Kieran walked down the corridor, inevitably reminiscing about how he used to pass through this place as a child, awake in the middle of the night due to bad dreams.Standing in front of the grand wooden door, Kieran clenched his fists. He used to knock on this door and call out to both his parents. "Pa... Ma..." Two words that would never feel the same unless he said them to summon both of his parents.After steeling his resolve, Kieran pushed the door open. A strange scent of blueberries immediately greeted him, accompanied by the dim light from the bedside lamp on the nightstand. The room was spacious, with three walls lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. On one side, devoid of bookshelves, lay a large, freshly made bed adorned with satin drapes.Approaching the nightstand, Kieran switched on the lamp atop it, casting a bit more light into the roo
Rain cascaded heavily in the skies of Valorus. The temperature plummeted outside, causing the windows to be veiled with a thin layer of mist. Yet, Dravon remained fixated on the droplets clinging to the glass before trickling down. It seemed easier than absorbing the stifling atmosphere pervading the room.His foster father, the King of Valorthorn, sat slouched on his throne, weary, observing the experts elucidate the events that had unfolded. Meanwhile, his foster brother, the Crown Prince, simply savored his wine, lost in thought."In short, Your Majesty, although both patterns drawn in Rainvale failed, they will remain active if His Highness completes the next two magic patterns," said one of the pattern magic experts, quoting from a book even children could read. Dravon struggled to stifle a yawn."Two patterns," the King reiterated after yawning. "But shouldn't there only be one magic pattern allowed to be drawn in a year?"Another expert interjected greedily. "Absolutely correct
Gently grasping the mane of his large, white steed, Dravon relished the raindrops trickling down his face. As they journeyed down the quiet roads towards the distant hill, Dravon lost track of time spent on horseback. Perhaps around three hours. Yet, he felt no weariness. For it was the first time he had ridden in a year.Though Dravon's current mount was but a large white horse rumored to be frail and short-lived, he held a deep affection for the creature. He even bestowed upon it the name Hope, aligning it with Will's name, though Will need not know. Silently resolving to ride alone more often to foster a closer bond with Hope, as he had grown too accustomed to traveling by carriage.For what seemed like an eternity, Dravon finally caught sight of Star Hill. The hill earned its name for its round, modest size, crowned with garden lights and fairy lights adorning its trees. One of the grand estates, a source of pride for the Zephyr family, the oldest and most respected lineage in Val
After two days staying at Manor Nyxshade, Kieran appeared at the breakfast table the next morning looking disheveled. His hair was tousled, with dark circles under his eyes. A foul smell emanated from his unwashed body since yesterday."Oh my, are you alright?" exclaimed a startled Julian. Meanwhile, Serena looked equally weary beside him, absentmindedly tracing her fingers over the soft ham sandwich."I'm alright, Jules," Kieran replied. The next moment, he coughed. However, Kieran simply sat in his chair, at the end of the table. As he passed, he gently stroked Lunabelle's head, who was quietly finishing her sandwich."I feel utterly drained realizing I'll end up like you in the future," Serena muttered wearily. "Imagining I'll become exactly like my father—ugh!""You're all too soft," Seraphina commented sharply. Serena glared at the woman, but Seraphina simply ate her sandwich calmly, using utensils. Yet, Seraphina was right. This morning she was even neat and fragrant in a beauti
"Thank you so much, Fey," Julian expressed gratitude as Fey kindly handed him several cleaning tools he needed to tidy up his father's house. "Let me be the one to move all of this into the car.""Make sure you use all these tools carefully," Fey cautioned him. "But if any of them get damaged, please let me know. So I can call the equipment repairman right away.""Alright, Fey," Julian nodded, watching Fey's back as she walked away from the kitchen and pantry. With no one around, Julian let out a sigh of sadness. He quickly grabbed a large vacuum cleaner and a mop stick, along with a small basin to hold cleaning cloths, floor soap, and other supplies, carrying them all out through the glass door in the kitchen.As Julian crossed the backyard of the manor towards his car parked in the narrow parking lot at the edge of the yard, he thought about how much he didn't want to do this. Cleaning the house and ice cream shop for the last time and selling it, was like saying goodbye to his fathe
Kieran had just finished reading a proposal for the renovation of government buildings and had added some revision notes to the document when suddenly his vision blurred.He hurriedly massaged his temples and reached for his glass. However, since he couldn't see properly, his hand accidentally knocked the glass off the table, causing it to shatter on the floor. The sound was quite dramatic, prompting the door to suddenly swing open and a servant to enter.Kieran felt relieved when he saw that it was Toby who entered, one of the sons of a merchant who had once lived in the Umbravale Orphanage after the dead souls outbreak, just like Kieran. He had initially thought it might be Fey entering. But of course, the old woman was still busy overseeing all the repairs at Nyxshade Manor."Are you okay, Kieran?" Toby asked, casually crouching near Kieran to sweep up the small glass shards with a dustpan and brush."I'm fine, Toby," Kieran replied. "Just feeling a bit tired."Toby had just finish
"The weather in Umbravale is exceptionally clear today," remarked Grand Duke Elios as their car had just left the hotel where they had stayed overnight, passing by two opposing flower shops, on their way to Manor Nyxshade.Lana didn't realize she had been staring at the baby's-breath flowers for too long until the Grand Duke abruptly hit the brakes. Surprised, Lana turned to her master's son. "Why have we stopped here, Your Grace?" she inquired."We must purchase a bouquet of flowers as a token of congratulations for the new Duke of Umbravale," replied the Grand Duke as he stepped out of the car. Lana did the same, eagerly eyeing the baby's-breath flowers she had seen earlier."Which one do you like?" Suddenly, Lana felt a touch on her back. Just briefly, as the Grand Duke stood behind her to see which flower she was admiring.Lana quickly stepped back and turned to face the Grand Duke. Being near the fragrant flowers uplifted Lana's mood greatly. That's why she smiled as she suggeste
For a moment, the villain skillfully wielded the daggers in his hands. Seraphina couldn't perceive magical auras, but she knew that the people of Valorthorn were blessed with various forms of magic, including the enchantment of magical daggers."In my client's request, there's no instruction to harm a crown princess," the man spoke in Varidianth, with a thick Valorthorn accent that somehow sounded intriguing.Seraphina tried to reach for the pistol hidden behind the folds of her billowing gown, but before she could even touch it, the stranger pushed her elbow against the surface of the car door. The next moment, the cold edge of a dagger blade pressed against the underside of Sera's chin."Let's make a deal, Your Highness," the villain whispered. "You mustn't interfere with my work, and I'll let you go unharmed."Seraphina's breath came in shallow gasps. She could have forced herself to fight back and draw her pistol, but there was no guarantee the dagger wouldn't sever her throat fir