"Lately, the weather has been bad," Ezekiel said as he led Harriet toward his workroom. They left the party that morning after the dance, and Ezekiel let the nobles discuss with themselves.
They walked side by side on the corridor, ignoring people who saw them acting this intimate.
More likely because Ezekiel had never let anyone get close to him since the death of his wife. But now, even his expression was better than the usual empty and dark.
Harriet linked her hand to the man's elbow, letting him follow her walking pace as she looked into the sky outside the corridor's windows. Her vision had been recovered just before she arrived at the Capital, and she was glad for it.
She was glad she could properly see this man's face and her friends' expressions.
"I will take care of them, so don't worry," Ezekiel said softly as he observed this woman's calming smile. He didn't want Harri
RUMBLE RUMBLE!CRACKLE!!The sky was split into two by the bright flash of lighting.Penelope pulled Damian into her arms and carried him into the open corridor. The rain suddenly fell hard and wetted the side of the corridor."Here," Heinrich pulled her hand away from the garden. They walked toward a drier side of the corridor, but Heinrich realized Penelope's sharp stare at him."Why do you want to learn magic anyway, Niamh?" Penelope asked Niamh, who was hugging Heinrich's neck. "You know that after everything... magic should be banned even stricter than before.""That's not true, Aunt Penny," Damian said slowly. "I don't think that's the best solution.""That's right!" Niamh said. "And even if I can't learn magic here, I will still learn magic where it's legal."Heinrich laughed, but he slowly stopped laughing, se
A kiss.For humans and other sentient creatures, a kiss could mean various things. But mainly, it was a way to express love. Well, love itself had many kinds to it.But that kind of kiss was usually only used for expressing one kind of love.Seeing Ezekiel’s hand grasping the woman’s waist, Heinrich and Penelope could only conclude exactly that.As rage burned inside Heinrich. Even if Ezekiel killed him and spit in his dead body, he would not be as offended as this. He walked forward with angry veins popping on his jaw and temples as his eyes started to glow dangerously.But Penelope caught his hand before it was too late.Heinrich turned back to her in his anger. His eyes burned with wrath, and his face was stiff all over. It scared Penelope.The man looked ready to rip Ezekiel apart at that very moment, and Penelope could see how betrayed he felt. Something stung inside Penelope seeing him like this, and she slowly proce
“Tsk!”SLAM!Arai slammed the door shut. She angrily stomped toward her bed, still in her party dress. And then, she dived angrily into the duvet with a loud groan.“Stupid nobles!”Arai wondered if they were truly stupid or if they were just making controversies to appear different from the others while gaining popularity.Arai sighed. She wondered if all of the Empire people thought of Harriet like that. It must be suffocating, even though she didn’t realize it.In a time like this, it was better to share her thoughts with her Zaha. She wasn’t home yet, and Ezekiel provided her a room to stay in the palace for the five days birthday party.Well, it wouldn’t be the same paper as what she usually used, but that would do for now. She opened the room door and asked a servant to bring her paper and pen to write a letter.But when she turned back to her room, she was surprised to see a man
“Your Highness,” Penelope struggled to run after Heinrich’s long and fast steps as he walked back to the place they saw the kiss happen.“Your Highness!” she called once again.The man stopped and turned back to her angrily, making her flinch. “We’ve brought the twins away, so why are you still stopping me?”“And what are you going to do?” Penelope asked sharply as she pulled her dress to widen her steps, walking toward him quickly.Their interaction alerted the servants and workers in the palace, but neither of them both cared. Penelope stared daggers at him, trying to reason with his anger by bravely confronting him.“She kissed him back,” she whispered. “It means it’s something we can’t comment about.”“I don’t care!” Heinrich snapped at her, scaring not only her but also the people around them.“But this is not h
“It’s not.”Penelope leaned into the raven’s flock. Her eyes warmed at him.“I think your feelings are important; it’s just that...”‘I’m upset,’ Penelope continued in her heart.Realizing that she was never a part of his past and might never be a part of his future hurt her.This man was an immortal Archmage.He chose to be alone, spending his eternal life in solitude.She should’ve at least been a good friend to him, but she failed today.She should’ve known, looking at his betrayed eyes and exploding anger. This man, who was always gentle and pleasant, was suddenly turning into a madman.Because, unlike being a friend to the other, she couldn’t do the same for him properly.Penelope’s brown eyes reflected the light of the sun, and her average dirty blonde hair was casting a shadow on his face. As Heinrich peeked from the back of
KNOCK KNOCK!Arai opened her eyes when she heard a knock on the door. She immediately scanned the room and was very relieved when she saw Zaha sleeping with the twins and her on the bed.The twins were fine, and Zaha hadn’t left too.She turned to the door and opened it, finding Harriet standing there with Ezekiel.“Harriet? Your Majesty?” Arai smiled, and Harriet chuckled as she hugged her.“Sorry, Arai, I got so busy just after I came. I hadn’t had the chance to say hello to everyone,” Harriet said, releasing her hug for a bit. She looked inside the room, seeing the twins fast asleep with Zaha.She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, he used the scroll I gave him to come.”“He did,” Arai softly laughed.But then, Harriet’s gaze deepened. “Did you see Heinrich and Penny?”Arai turned back to her, face full of questions. “That! They were with the t
When Damian came to, he was in Ezekiel’s arms. He blinked his eyes, turned his face, and saw Niamh was fast asleep in their Mother’s hug.He called out to his Mother softly, “Mum, are we going home?”Harriet laughed at his question. “No. Let’s have dinner before going home.”“You’re leaving?” Ezekiel asked in a low voice. “I thought you’ll stay longer.”“Your Majesty, now that Zaha is here, my men would be back at Almandine too. I’ll need to prepare for the raid soon.”Harriet’s answer awakened Niamh too. She blinked her eyes open and raised her face. She smiled when she saw her Mother but blinked in confusion when she saw Ezekiel.“I’ll go with you then. You’re going straight to the raid after returning home, right?” Ezekiel asked.“Yes. But is that alright?” Harriet asked back.“I can
Sir Marcus was immediately shocked when he heard that the Emperor wanted to follow the Duchess back to the North that night. “But the birthday party for the late Empress...?” he asked in a low voice. “Let the party going, but I have an important business with the Duchess. So don’t come to find me.” Ezekiel wore his long black coat. His eyes were dim, but he looked better than yesterday. Marcus guessed that the Duchess’ presence was really that influential for him. “May I ask where you are going and what your plans are?” Sir Marcus asked in concern. Ezekiel always had his five days birthday party for the late Empress emptied from all schedules, but now suddenly he left? Then it could be something very urgent, right? Or... “How do I contact you if there’s something I must report, Your Majesty?” Marcus asked once again. “Don’t,” Ezekiel had finished his preparation. He told the servant who packed his things to follow him t