After a long journey, their carriage finally reaches the borders of Hapsberg. Initially, they had planned to stop at an inn for the night but Ezra used a shortcut through the mountains which cut their journey short. A few guards stop them at the borders but upon seeing that a Lycan has arrived, they instantly let the carriage go. Ezra leads the carriage into the capital of Hapsberg while Roseanne looks out of the window.
She is awed by the tranquil lands of Hapsberg which lay ahead. There is a mystical vibe in the air which is almost mesmerising her. The town is quiet and peaceful, a serene beauty which is almost breathtaking. Unlike Ezealyra which is mostly deserted and Sloria which is quite lively, Hapsberg is calmer yet, not lonely.
The mountains of Hapsberg ooze warm steam which engulfs a lot of the surrounding areas. Several small huts are lined up along t
Ezra stops the carriage in front of a small lake which encases a large mansion up ahead. Dmitri gets out of the carriage and fixes the hat on his head before heading towards the lake where a thin man in his seventies is waiting for him.The man is staring at the lake, his white pupils blank and unfocused. He is wearing a mauve suit with a small bow hat and carries a cane. His hair is of a snowy white colour and he is one of the oldest living Dukes in the continent.He sniffs the air and slightly turns towards the young man who stands next to him.“Hello, Duke Elthezar,” Dmitri greets him warily. “You summoned me.”“Why are you here, Duke of Sloria?” Elthezar quietly demands. Elthezar lost his eyesight long ago in the war but his senses
His lips are dominating her in a fierce urgency, meshing with her tongue. She moans loudly and kisses him back, softly biting his lower lip. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she presses their lips tightly together, both drowning in a moment of passion. Dmitri’s senses are engulfed by his mate’s scent, intoxicating and intimidating. He cannot let her go because everything about her is like a drug to him. Her lips, her scent, her smile, her body. He wants it all and the beast in him is howling to mark her. Roseanne is also overwhelmed by the sensation, craving for more closeness. She is too weak to fight but there is no will in her to fight him off. Her fingers are caressing his neck and she feels his hands all over her body. A sizzling feeling is bursting in her and she presses her body against his. In he
Footsteps descend down the stone staircase which leads to a room underneath the castle. Eduard Visserion’s face shines up under the dim lamp he is carrying. He hurries towards the place which he locked up many years ago but now, he needs more information.He stops in front of a large metal door. Sniffing carefully to make sure he is not being followed, he pushes the door open.Behind the door is a large room with thousands of shelves lined in straight lines. Each shelf has over hundreds of books which are thick with dust and cobwebs. A strong scent of sewage and fungi is in the air but Eduard is not bothered by it. He holds the lamp higher and walks ahead.Mice scurry off as he approaches a shelf in the farthest corner. Scanning through the dusty shelves, he finally finds a thick leather bound book
Dmitri has summoned his men to a private hall inside the inn. Roseanne is sitting next to him while Timur is on his left with Aryan and a large group consisting of their soldiers. Josephine is on the opposite end, fuming at Roseanne who pointedly ignores her.Aryan stands up to address Dmitri.“There has been some unusual activity in this area,” he begins. “Several people have gone missing over the past few weeks and someone mentioned that they saw a strange creature which was dragging away an unconscious body. The description of the creature matches the description of the Undead.”“The Undead do not live in the snow?” Dmitri frowns.“That is a misconception, Dmitri,” Aryan reveals. “Stories depict them as creat
Dmitri and Roseanne walk along the marketplace of Hapsberg. They are disguised as an ordinary couple who are casually strolling through. To hide her scent as a human, Roseanne is wearing a perfume which is made by Iriana. It masks her scent for a short while, for an hour or two.She stays close to Dmitri, holding his arm.The marketplace is crowded with people, haggling with the sellers or looking around. Small stores with thatched roofs are lined along the streets. The roads are rough and hard to walk on because of the uneven stones. A greyish cloud is looming over the town as if it will rain that night. They pass by the series of slanted houses which are emitting soft puffs of smoke from the chimneys.The roads are a little damp due to the nearby steam from the water which engulfs the whole city at times. Roseanne
Dmitri and Roseanne are staring at the girl in wonder. They stopped at a small tea shop nearby for snacks and found a table for themselves.“She can eat a lot,” Dmitri remarks, feeling amused at the child who is on her fourth helping of Shepherd’s Pie. She single-handedly finished a three course dinner and the poor diner owner keeps on losing track of their orders. Cassandra devours all the food in front of her and is still hungry.“Can I have more pie?” she requests.“Another pir please!” Dmitri orders. The store owner groans in dismay and starts preparing another one. Roseanne slightly smiles at his generosity because if it was anyone else, Cassandra would have been beaten to death for daring to even ask for food.D
Roseanne is giddy with excitement. She takes good care of her looks, pouting a little.“I look haggard!” She bemoans. Her hair is too tangled and her skin is too pale for her liking. Thankfully, Aria had packed her a few nice things which Roseanne might need during the trip.She quickly finds a simple yellow dress and changes into it. Dabbing light powder on her face, she untangles her wild hair. Finally, she looks at herself in the mirror.“Am I looking too plain?” she sighs. Roseanne scowls as Josephine’s face comes to her mind but she has to admit, Josephine has an exotic appearance which will entice many men. She is surprised that Dmitri feels nothing for that woman and admittedly, it makes Roseanne feel good.She fixes her neckline and
Aria is in Dmitri’s study, cleaning it up. Other maids have been strictly instructed not to enter and only Aria is authorized to clean his study at a set hour. She puts away all the documents in a drawer and is about to close it when the door to the study opens and Leo enters the room.As soon as he enters, Aria becomes stiff. Leo knew that she was in the room because of her intoxicating scent but he entered it anyway. His mate is still awkward but she takes a deep breath and smiles at him.“A-are you here for work?” she asks.“Yes,” Leo replies with a small smile. Ever since her talk with Roseanne before the banquet, Aria has been taking small steps to mend her relationship with Leo. She is still not fully ready but seeing him smile makes her heart flutter like a butterfly. He is also