KAIST:
After the firework show ended, everybody knew that the party had reached its highlight, and so they began to leave the garden in throngs.
I was still looking at the sky, transfixed. This had been a long night…
I pulled my hood closer to my face. I used it as a disguise when I entered the villa, but my interactions on this fateful night had made me forget I that I should hide my face well.
Thankfully, I did not attract a lot of attention. The people were too busy wondering why the count and countess had periodically disappeared from their own party to pay attention to me in the shadows.
Before anyone could throw me any suspicious glance, I slipped by the side gate of the villa where Pelle and my coachman would be waiting for me.
I was still thinking of how Pelle would lecture me on how I never kept my promise to just stay for a few minutes when I saw another person slip by the shadows before me. Based on the fluff of her ball go
DAHLIA:“Countess Abell?... What in the world are you doing here?”Lady Livia’s jaw was hanging wide open as she said this, and I understood her perfectly. Surely, she did not expect me to come. I didn’t expect to find her soon too at the heart of the city.“Lady Livia,” I said, smiling at her more as an instinct rather than reflective of what I truly felt. Appearing at the middle of the street did save me some time. At least now I don’t have to look for her. “I’m glad to see you here. Are you busy?”“Busy,” her face gave an alarmed look. “Did you perhaps come here for me?”“Well,” I said, nervous whether she will buy my excuse. “We came here to give out some food and medicine. We will need some help. Are you perhaps free?”I can’t possibly tell her that I sought her because I heard someone she knew was sick. I really took a chan
DAHLIA: It was already dusk when Lady Livia and I had a chance to speak. “Go ahead and ask it,” she said. True, I wanted to know her relationship with my husband. I think the term ‘friends’ do not quite fit them well. However, looking back at the relationship that Kaist and I had and how we almost married each other even though we were just friends made me feel that maybe such a relationship could exist for Tristan too. “Lady Livia… Why are you staying here and not in your father’s house?” Lady Livia’s face once again drew a surprised expression at my sudden question, but it went to being expressionless in a few seconds. She sighed heavily before she spoke. “To ask what others shunned to ask… you really are something, Countess Abell… “Father - Count Jeteris - isn’t really my biological dad. He registered my birth and gave me his last name, but he is more like my owner than my father,” she continued after a few moments of silenc
KAIST:It has been a month since the banquet where I had becoming acquainted with the mysterious and haughty daughter of Count Jeteris. Since then, I had been doing my best to find out about what she said.“Pelle, is there anything you have to report to me today,” I told my secretary, who also happened to be my loyal escort.“Unfortunately, sire, there’s nothing. Count Abell has been doing his business as usual. He is meeting traders and business partners in the morning and then going home in the afternoon to his wife.”“How about Lady Jeteris? Is she doing anything suspicious?”“No… Ever since she started working alongside Count Abell, she hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary so far…”I tossed Pelle’s report at the top of my table in the study. “Very well. You may go.”“Alright, sire.” He bit his lower lip for a while before bo
KAIST:Dahlly’s dream was to become a doctor. In the past, I had somewhat discouraged her to pursue it because I thought she was frail, and I didn’t want her to waste her health on too much studying.However, after what happened in our engagement and during our last talk, I realized that I may have been part of the reason why Dahlia felt caged. When we were together, she did not get to do the things she wanted to do. She was always restricted, always controlled.Perhaps the surest way into her heart was to become a more supportive person to her, and that’s what I shall do starting just about now.“Come on. Let’s go to the investigation site. I’m sure you can find plenty of clues that could help us there.”Just as I thought, the smile on Dahlly’s face when I said this was priceless.It took us less than thirty minutes for me to help her on my horse and gallop our way towards the crime scene.
DAHLIA (WALKING WITHIN CORLION’S MEMORY):Seeing the great, black werewolf before me, I immediately fell into my knees and started to beg.“H-Have mercy! M-My daughter, she needs help! Have mercy!”I tried to cover Cara’s head further, shielding her from the massacre that was happening before my very eyes…At the background, I saw countless vampires being slain by werewolves left and right. They were shooting blessed arrows towards my kind, turning them into ashes in an instant.I shivered. This wolf before me had no blessed arrows anywhere within range, but I knew he could still snap my head away in a second with his sharp paws or those raw, jagged teeth of his.“Please… My daughter is still young! Let her live!” I begged the wolf before me.He only looked at me with a fierce stare. Suddenly, I felt my heart ac
DAHLIA:My heart stilled as Kaist’s words sank into me…He was right. That wolf bearing a dark violet rune on his forehead could only be a wolf from the Shadow Rune Pack.But how can that be? Didn’t the whole pack go extinct twenty years ago? Did they not mysteriously vanish out of thin air over night? Why would they reappear now then and wreck havoc towards those they allied with before?“I-It doesn’t make any sense, Prince Kaist… Why would the Shadow Runes return, and why would they attack their own allies?”Kaist’s face was also distorted in disbelief. “I don’t know too… But whatever their reason was, we must investigate further. For now, can you keep this a secret, Dahlly, even to your husband?”I looked around and realized that I was the only one outside of the palace’s official people who had witnessed what the memory projection crystal contained. Kaist wo
DAHLIA:It can’t be, right? That black wolf couldn’t possibly be my husband!“What on earth did you do to Dahlia? Where did you take her,” his voice thundered.“We just went for a stroll. She felt sick on the way back,” I heard Kaist said in response.“Prince Kaist, I pray there won’t be a next time to this surprised excursions of yours, especially not after my wife comes home feeling dreadful like this!”Tristan turned around. My head felt slightly dizzy again, and I closed my eyes.“Dahlia, are you alright?...”I opened my eyes in response to his voice. It was still my Tristan, but this time, the look in his face had already softened.“T-Take me to the bathroom please…”He nodded his head, and in a few minutes, he eased me down gently on the tiled bathroom floor.I threw out the rest of whatever was in my stomach by the sink.
TRISTAN:Dahlly was behaving strangely… Just now, did I hear her request correctly?...“Show me your wolf… Let’s mate together in your wolf form.”“Dahlia,” I said, unable to hide the surprise in my voice and perhaps in my whole face too. I thought she’ll end up laughing and telling me it was all a joke, but she went closer to my right ear and swiveled her tongue while biting on it lightly.“Let me see him… Let me see your wolf.”“Dahlia… Are you sick?” I ran my hand into her forehead, but it was useless since my hand was already wet.Dahlly’s flushed face came into my view again, her seductive lashes fluttering beautifully. “Don’t you want it?... Don’t you want to make love with me?”Damn it, of course I did! Her sultry voice alone was making me weak all over as she spoke.I have not held her in my
Hello! Thank you so much for coming to this journey with me in Revenge of The Shadow Heir! I started this story with a completely different story arc in mind, and I can't believe I've already reached the end of Dahlia and Tristan's love story. I dedicate this novel to the person who inspired me to take on writing again (and write romance stories, which wasn't really the genre I honestly saw myself writing).Here's to more meaningful memories together, sweetie! :). And to all those who have ever dreamed of being a writer or of being anything else - chase that dream! You were made to lust after it for a purpose. Glory to God always! I might take some hiatus after this story, but I assure you this won't be the last I will write. Thanks a lot again, dearests, and happy reading! - Ellie Love -
DAHLIA:“Dahlia, I have confessed everything to you before. I don’t know how much you remember of it after your accident though, so I am sorry for hurting you again,” Tristan began.“It was true. I casted a spell that was why the mate mark appeared in your body after our first night together. I was sure you were not my mate, and I was not yours. I casted a different spell on myself a few years ago to suppress finding my own mate, so I was confident when I approached you.”“However, the more I stayed beside you, the surer I had become that you were my destined mate… There wasn’t any day that I didn’t regret doing that…”Tears flowed from both our eyes. I knew it from my memory. We did have this conversation before, but it was still heartbreaking to hear Tristan’s side of the story.“When you had switched appearances with Samalah, I was foolish enough not to recognize you
DAHLIA: I was in a dark and suffocating place that I can’t even see my own hands and feet. I tried standing still, but nothing was happening, so I decided to move around. I started calling to my wolf. ‘Eva!’ Again, I shouted, ‘Eva!’ There was no answer. I was running wildly, or at least I thought I was. No one can say that this was all happening in my head. Goddess, I couldn’t even see if my body was still intact! I tried to touch my cheek just so I could verify I am still alive, still seeing, still feeling. The last thing I could honestly remember was King Helion Cosco drinking the blood off my neck. I felt around my neck. There weren’t any wounds of any form of punctures. Am I still existing in the real world, or is this all just a dying person’s dream? Just then, I heard an anguished voice. “Dahlia!” It was the voice I had longed to hear for a long time. “Tristan!” I started ru
TRISTAN: Irvan, that scoundrel that caused Samalah to get into an accident and had caused Dahlia’s agony, was a conjurer! Perhaps that was why they had left the dead bodies here instead of burying or burning them. It wasn’t just for show after all. The animated bodies started to close in on us. I thought it would be easy to defeat them since they were dead. However, they have the faces of people whome we had once seen or knew… It was a bit fortunate that most of them were just people whom I have casually met at Talandor, but I could only imagine that this battle must be too hard for Kaist. As we tried to knock out the dead bodies, the dragon bones swoop down on us, trying to pick on the flesh on our back. Even without a rider, the dragon bones were agile. This was really a dangerous thing. I just finished hurling a corpse somewhere far away, when suddenly, I looked up to see a dragon bone aiming to pluck my eyes away. I
TRISTAN: I galloped towards the edge of the plain leading to the Great Temple where I could smell my Dahlia’s scent. In the past, I had loved this walk from the forest towards the temple where my father would regularly burn an offering to the Moon Goddess Selene. Now, this same path was packed with vampires, attacking me from left and right. It was a hard fight. I felt like I was a bug trying to battle out hordes of ants to get to the other side. The more I stayed here, the more endangered Dahlia could become. Suddenly, I heard a voice roar. “Get down!” My instincts kicked in, and I followed it. As soon as I ducked down, bolts of fire started to rain down on my path, burning the Blasted Ones that crowded my way. I looked back sharply to discover a non-familiar wolf. It was golden brown with a stone in its head that shone like the midday sun. So this was how Kaist’s Shadow Rune wolf looked like. He must have already acce
DAHLIA: I rested my hope that if Count Jeteris himself or the people from Talandor could see me, they’d try to help me out. After all, I was someone they knew, someone who interacted with them, and someone they had sworn to protect as knights of Talandor. Surely, they wouldn’t let anyone from the Vampire Clan kill a she-wolf they had once known... But all those hopes were crushed when I saw what awaited us at the temple. The outer courts of the temple were nothing but mere rubbles of stones and sands now, but one could still gain the impression that it was a grand structure once. I had seen the tumbled-down appearance of the temple in a distance as King Helion dragged me to it, but as we entered its vicinity, I was shocked beyond belief. All around, corpses of werewolves lay lifelessly on the ground. “W-What did you do,” I asked in horror. “The foolish count wanted my help, but he didn’t agree with taking you as my queen, so…”
TRISTAN: “Brother, look out!” I swerved to the right by mistake, which ended up being good as I had dodged a blow against my skull. Livia and I had been fighting against the Blasted Ones for hours now, but they do not seem to be depleting. How in the world can the Apricus King call in this many of his men? Worse of all, Livia’s state was getting worse and worse as time went by… I hate to admit it, but I don’t think I could last fighting against them for a long time too. I struggled to get on my feet, thinking of how wretched I was to have sent the one person I loved the most towards her death. Memories of when I first saw Dahlia flashed by my head as I attacked one vampire after another. Lady Dahlia Hurst – the gentle rose of the kingdom – the person people looked up to and envied… My first thought was that such a person would be nothing more than a spoiled brat. She had been under the spotlight since she was yo
KAIST:It was a call to help Count Abell. Wolves from the White Fang Pack immediately tore their shirts and started transforming into their wolf form.“Prince Kaist, do you mean to say Tristan and Samalah… I mean Dahlia are in danger,” Thesla hurriedly asked.I nodded. “Yes. We will be going now. Get the women, children, elderly, and the sick inside the town hall. Bar the doors, and don’t let anyone inside the village. I will return here for the lady when everything is over,” I told the villagers.There was a murmur around the villagers.“Prince Kaist, I couldn’t speak for everyone, but I will come with you. Dahlia has become a friend and a family to Efiro and I. I don’t want to just sit and do nothing when I know she’s in danger!”“Very well.” I turned to the crowd. “Everyone who wishes to join us may come. As for the rest of you, please secure the village.
TRISTAN: “No, take her back! Give Dahlia back to us,” I shouted. The vampires around us poised themselves for an attack and smiled. They could sense the blood palpitating in my veins as I tensed up. They were getting excited on the prospect of violence as their true nature dictates. “Finders keepers” was all I heard from the damned king of the vampires. Maybe this was all a lie. Maybe the king of the Blasted Ones was toying with my sanity… How did I end up in this? Why did I give Dahlia to them? It felt like I was in a sort of reverie. Everything felt hazy. It was as if things were coming at me in slow motion. I could only watch as Dahlia’s golden brown hair billowed in the wind. King Helion towered over her. He clutched her by the wrist, and when she refused to tear her eyes away from me, he grappled at her shoulders and took her away more forcefully, twisting her face away from mine. I could only watch as trails of te