Aria slightly smiles at Roseanne and bows in front of her.
“Welcome, my lady,” she says respectfully. But Roseanne is staring at her scar, unable to believe her eyes. It is Aria Semenov, a former servant at the Ezealyran Royal Family and one of Roseanne’s closest friends.
She was also the Crown Prince’s mate.
If Moon Goddess was unfair to Roseanne, she was completely ruthless to Aria. Two years ago when Aria turned of age, she felt the mate bond with Ivan. The Crown Prince was enraged that a lowly servant was his mate and rejected her. But that was only the beginning of Aria’s nightmare.
Ivan had her smuggled out of the palace one night and Roseanne never saw her again. News came the next day that Aria had killed herself out of grief of being rejected but
The children outside were playing merrily in the garden without a care. Their laughter was echoing throughout the castle, filling its empty walls with happiness. There were three girls who were chasing each other. One of them was around seventeen years old with long dark hair and scarlet eyes. Her snowy complexion was glowing under the soft rays of the sun. She was the only one who was sitting under a tree, reading a book while the other two girls played in the garden.The second girl was around fifteen years old with short, cropped hair. She looked a lot like her sister with the same scarlet eyes and snowy skin but she had a more boyish charm. Her face was square and she was more muscular as if she had been training to fight. The youngest of the girls was vastly different with blonde hair and amber eyes. She was around nine years old and was the shortest of the lot.
Thick white smoke is emitting from the sauna. Roseanne’s skin feels the heat from the hot water but it is surprisingly relaxing. She is in a small spring which is attached to a private garden next to her chamber. The spring is surrounded by large rocks which are oozing out the hot water. Roseanne is not sure how it is doing that but she can hear the rocks humming.Is there some kind of magic attached to it? She wonders. The whole castle is brimming with fae energy and she is sure that some kind of magic exists in that place. Her senses are tingling.Fae magic is not as powerful as a witch’s but they are quite useful in constructing architectures and buildings. Moreover, faes are physically quite strong with acute senses which can detect enemies approaching from miles away. Unlike witches who are humans and have a short lifespan, faes liv
Somewhere in the castle of Ezealyra, a group of people have gathered to discuss a grim matter. Venus is at the head of the table while the privy council surrounds her. Ivan is sitting on her right side while on her left is Stefan. Next to Stefan is the Minister of Treasury, Vlad Levy. Beside him was the Royal Bookkeeper, Tristan Hameen. Opposite to them were the Prime Minister, Antonio Arselan and the Minister of Economy, Brandon Ofelia.Antonio stood up to address the council. His red eyes glare at all of them with disdain but he has no choice other than to accept these fools into running the country. His snowy white hair is tied into a low ponytail and the lines on his face harden.Tall and proud, Antonio has been the Prime Minister of the Ezealyra for over two decades, serving under the Former Emperor as well. He was not in the country when the coup took place and when he returned, the country was in shambles. Eduard was forced to retain him as the Prime Minister because Antonio was
The first rays of the sun touch her eyelids in a light manner. Roseanne stirs in annoyance because she wants to sleep but the light is irritating her. For some reason, her mind feels light and relaxed. Her body is warm and she has never felt so comfortable. A sweet scent engulfs her nostrils.Honey. Something smells like honey.Subconsciously, she sniffs the aroma, nuzzling against something warm. Her arms are wrapped tightly around a comfortable bolster but it feels a little strange. The bolster is hard instead of being soft and fluffy. A warm heat is radiating from it, completely wrapping her in its midst.“Good morning, my darling.”A deep, husky voice makes Roseanne snap her eyes open. She looks up to see that Dmitri is already awake and is tightening his arms around her. To her shock, she is also hugging him like a pillow!“Ah!” She screams and
Venus is in her garden, tending to the large blue roses which have bloomed that season. She is focused on her work, preferring her plants to the people in the castle. Her heart is troubled because her husband had slept with another woman last night. The pain she felt was unbearable and Venus thought she was going to die. Her chest was erupting in agony and no one came to her for help.Why should they? There is no cure to the pain a mate feels when they go through betrayal. Only sadness and grief engulf them.She touches the mark on her neck. Her husband was drunk the night he was forced to mark her. Unlike other people, their union is not something he desires. He wants a mate who is strong and from a good background. A Lycan princess of another country or perhaps a noblewoman who has an Alpha’s bloodline.
The forest is dark and haunting at this time of the night. A young girl is shivering in the cold and stares at the starless sky. There is no light because it is a moonless night and the path ahead is thickened by the shadows of the trees. She is trembling in fear, her thin clothes doing nothing to keep her warm.Looking back, she feels helpless. The soldiers have separated her from her family and forced her to go with them. Her parents are poor human slaves at the Royal Family. The girl is barely sixteen with a frail, thin frame and dull hair. Her heart is beating fast and she has no idea what to do. She thought the soldiers were going to do something worse to her but they simply left her in the forest without any instructions.“How will I get out of here?” She moaned. Taking a step, she began to walk slowly along a narrow path.
Roseanne’s heart freezes in fear at Leo’s words. An Undead?“But they are supposed to be extinct!” She exclaims. “They are merely in stories-”“We have confirmed the scent and there have been random attacks up North along the border of Ezealyra,” Leo states. “We thought the attacks were by the rogue from Moonlight Pack but everyone in the pack was...blinded.”Roseanne gasps in horror while Aria feels sick to the stomach.“The Duke is away which puts you in charge of this region, my lady,” he goes on. “Please advise us accordingly.”“I…” Roseanne hesitates and looks at Aria. She is unsure of what to do in this state. Ro
Roseanne is tired. She wandered with Aria all day long, surveying the castle but they were done with only a quarter of it. The whole castle is so big that it is going to take her a month to tour it and years to memorize it.She shuffles into her bedroom, ready to sleep. Her muscles are sore while her eyelids are laced with sleep. The thought of a warm bed is comforting.“Hey,” Dmitri greets her. Roseanne merely nods at him and is walking towards her bed when she pauses in shock. For a second, she is frozen to her spot and slowly turns to face him…“AHHHHHHH!” She screams and covers her eyes. Dmitri merely tilts his head, curious about her reaction.“What happened, darling?” he asks. “Are you liking what you are