And I am, despite everything, a part of that House right now. A knock at the door makes my thoughts come to a halt. A maid opens it, bowing away from the newcomer instantly, and allowing him to come inside. Zen and I meet eyes once, while the maids and Freya bow their heads in greeting, before my
“Ah, a blessed morning indeed!” Hugo gives me a good natured smile “My word, you look like a different person today, little Lady!” The compliment instantly lifts my spirits. See? The clothes make the girl. I give him a humble smile “It’s thanks to your staff, who are not only kind but also very ef
I look around at the saddled horses and spot Sparrow. Thank God for the snow. It’s light, but because of it, we avoided having to take a carriage. I don’t want to sit in a rattling space for hours. I’d much rather take chances with not feeling my legs or lower back. I’d only taken a step forward wh
I really hate winter. I sniffle for the thousandth time since we’ve started our journey. It’s the end of season, and still, it’s so darn cold in this place. Hell, it was even snowing a little bit last night. Is this world alright? Is this global warming? Something needs to be done about this. I h
The sound of our footsteps is loud in the silence. Well, my footsteps. Zen moves like a shadow, and I wonder how someone a head taller than me can move through grass and past wide trees so quietly. The sun is nearly set, and it’s getting increasingly hard to see where I’m going. My gaze flickers t
I shift my gaze back to Zen “Hey— “Are you still upset with me, My Lady?” Zen stands to his feet Huh? I blink up at him. I thought my behavior would’ve told him I’m not. What he said last night still hurts, but only because I’d put too many expectations on him. It would be childish to be angry wit
This feels more important that his vow, which was made on the biases of pride on his side and distrust on mine. But this, a partnership for an indefinite period of time, is only going to work with trust. “Who knows?” I put my hand in his, hold tight as we shake. “It could turn out to be for the bes
The sound of cackling fire never ceases to put me on edge. After a quiet dinner, I find myself moving away from the campsite and towards a plain covered with moss. This far, the sound of fire and the occasional laughter of the soldiers seems distant enough for me to tune out. I breathe in the cold
I barely manage to find a waste bucket before everything I had for breakfast retches out. My throat burns. My vision is blurry. I dry heave every single thing in my stomach, warmth seeps out of the corners of my eyes. I can’t breathe. The smell of blood is everywhere. I sit there, holding the edges
The smell of rotting flesh is disgusting. Its muscle memory to pull the gloves over my hands, pick a scalpel off the medical tray. The body on the metal table in front of me has no head. ‘You have to take a sample of flesh, a sample of blood and take a look at the internal organs.’ Aunt Cynthia’s
How adorable. Apparently, I’m the only one who thinks so, since when I turn back around, everyone from the fourth prince and the first order to passing strangers and our coachman is looking on in disbelief. Is it so difficult to imagine Zen would get along with children? “Don’t leave your mouth ha
“My Lady, am I mistaken or is the fourth prince avoiding me?” I look up from knotting the satchel to my belt to face Zen. There’s a slight furrow in his brows, and he looks at Lukas, standing far, far from us and talking with the first order soldiers. The fourth prince has indeed, been avoiding Ze
I need to move. But even as I think that, I cant bring myself to move. He’s holding me too firmly, I think, entirely reasonable. I won’t be able to slip away like this. Even the most critical part of me can’t find that to be entirely an excuse. After last night, I doubt there’s anyone who would lik
I wake up to the sound of a door knock. My sleep hazed brain registers the sound, recognizes it, and promptly ignores it in favor of cuddling into the warmth of my bed once more. I don’t want to wake up just yet, since last night I fell asleep so late— Last night? My eyes open, blurry with sleep,
But he’s looking at me now, as if the answer might crush him, as if he’s bracing himself for it. I reach out to drape my arms over his shoulders gently, they hang down in front of his chest lightly. “Why? Because you did your job?” I ask quietly, hold his gaze “Or because you didn’t hesitate to do
“Lift your arm, please.” I say, and my voice comes out soft If we weren’t sitting so close to each other, I would’ve missed it. His shoulders tense up, the even breathing stilled into nothing. “You don’t have to do that, Dinah.” Zen finally says My brows furrow. Zen might be a warrior among warri
On the second floor hallway of the hotel, my eyes drift to the room where Zen is supposed to be. My room is just at its side. I wonder if I knock on his door right now, would he be annoyed? He did ask not to be disturbed. The image of his bloodied arm flashes in my mind. Just a moment. I just want