LOGINShare
Chapter 62: The Last Insult
Last Updated:
2022-11-29 15:43:11
Related chapters
The Returned Luna Chapter 63: Blood and White
After brunch, they retired to the bridal suite. Delia sat at the back of the room, refusing to help Laurel, though it didn’t seem as though she was expected to help. It didn’t matter to her other than to irritate her. There should have been news about Adolph being ill by now, but since there wasn’t, she could only imagine that Adolph would fall to the poison before the ceremony. She’d used the entire vial after all. She didn’t know what Tina was planning, but she doubted that Laurel would make it long after the ceremony either. With both of them out of the way, she would be the luna. Basil would be king, but the entire plan would be complete. Would Eden be happy? Would he reward her? She grimaced, thinking of Tina. There was no way the woman wouldn’t remember her hint about Basil’s heir. Maybe she should have saved a bit of poison for her as well. Raven watched Delia out of the corner of the mirror as she helped Irene do Laurel’s makeup. Lily and Sarah managed the curling of Laurel
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 64: Call For Blood
“Laurel!” Adolph screamed, drawing her close. His voice trembled as she remained limp in his arms. “Laurel!”Chasel’s blood ran cold as panic and fear rippled through the room. He let the fear pass over him and turned to the nearest knight who seemed frozen in shock. Lynn looked like he was going to be sick. Sam’s teeth were bared, furious and helpless.“No one leaves the castle ground,” Chasel said. Sam’s head snapped to look at him. “Everyone from the guests to the lowest stable boy is to be confined on-premises. Close the gates and every path out of the castle.”“By your order,” Sam said with a stiff nod before running to spread the order. He turned to Lynn who was tense and staring at him, awaiting orders. “Spread the word, the Imperial City is on lockdown. No one leaves the city until the culprit is caught. Don’t spook the citizens. The culprit may attempt to escape during the panic. I want barricades erected and guard posted on every major and minor road out of the city within
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 65: Barely Calm
A shudder went through the room at the mention of treason. The kingdom’s law regarding treason was one of the harshest laws they had: death by drawing and quartering. The last time someone had been accused of treason, the king left their body scattered until the wild beasts consumed every piece of flesh and refused to let the traitor’s family hold any form of funeral rites. In that man’s defense, the traitor had murdered his luna. Chasel knew that if Adolph had to follow in his father’s footsteps in that way, he wouldn’t stop at drawing and quartering. The late king had been a fearsome man, but he had come into the war a lot older than when Adolph had gone in. He hadn’t been so steeped in blood that his aura and scent had begun to smell of it. Chasel shuddered.“So says His Majesty,” Chasel said, calling forth a resounding salute of acknowledgment from the guards in the hall.Chasel approached Adolph slowly, taking stock of how he shook and the glints of red light in his eyes. It
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 66: Panic
Delia and Tina had retreated to Delia’s room after the ceremony, but Delia wasn’t sure how long they had before being brought in for questioning. Tina panted and wrung her hands as Delia tried to figure out where she would manage to hide the empty vial she’d been carrying all day. It might not be poison since Adolph seemed unaffected at the ceremony, but she wasn’t going to chance being caught with it if she could help it. *Eden’s grey eyes glinted through the shadows as he followed Adolph and the priestess up the stairs and Delia rounded the corner trying to reach the stairs to her room.*His expression had been neutral, but his eyes had been furious. She worried her lip. What if he decided to pull her from the mission? It wasn’t her fault! He would understand once she explained the situation. She had no idea what was going on or how Adolph was completely fine! Maybe it hadn’t been poison, and she’d misunderstood what he meant by advance in which case none of this had anything to d
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 67: Adolph’s Questions
Adolph walked into the room where they brought Maria and took a steadying breath, hearing her weep. He sat across from her and offered her a handkerchief. She took it with a little whimpering cry. “Y-Your Majesty… Is she okay?”“The priestess has said she will recover with time.”She nodded stiffly, “That’s… That’s good. I… After this I… I wish to tender my resignation.”Arthur tilted his head, “Have you passed on the recipes?”She sniffled, looking up at him with confusion, “The imperial jam’s recipe is recorded in the archives, of course.”“Not the imperial jam,” Adolph smirked, “*Your* petal jam recipes.”She blinked as he relaxed into his seat, “I’m not prepared to start eating someone else’s petal jam, Maria, so I can’t allow you to resign.”“B-But…” She sniffled. “I… Someone… I… I didn’t see it.”“I’m not worried about what you didn’t see. I’m worried about what you did.”She nodded, “I-I understand. W-Where should I start?”“The poison has been determined to be crimson oleande
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 68: Adolph’s Fury
Adolph stopped at the door of the west parlor and forced himself to take a deep breath before entering. The first thing he noticed was that Tina was nervous. Everything about her movements and the shifting of her eyes said she was nervous. Adolph observed her as he walked to the table and sat across from her. “Tell me what you did today, starting from this morning.”“Y-Your Majesty, for all the years of my service—”“Spare me,” Adolph hissed. “Do not speak if you don’t intend to tell me what I want to know.”She nodded and seemed to steady herself, starting with her duties in the morning. She’d reported to the kitchens and was assigned to manage the food delivery to the lunar and azalea rooms. She’d taken the cart meant for Laurel’s room and pushed it there before serving the food. After brunch, she’d returned to the kitchens and helped with the banquet preparations.“Then, I returned to my room.”Adolph tilted his head, “And?”“That’s all, Your Majesty.”“My knights reported that yo
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 69: Mistake
Basil looked at his father in horror as Tina was dragged into the hall and put before his throne. Tina curled up, sobbing pitifully. “Pl-Please have mercy. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die….”“Father,” Basil said. “Does she not deserve leniency for all of her years of service? It’s probably just a mistake!”Adolph looked at Basil, “Tina. Do you confess to the crime of attempted murder?”Tina sobbed, “I-I… Y-Yes. I…”Basil’s eyes widened. He paled and he closed his mouth in shock. Adolph was grateful that he didn’t need to keep Basil on his list of potential threats. For all of his stupidity, Basil was still his son and heir.“I… I only did it for Luna Olivia,” she cried. “Please, you have to understand!”“What say the ministers for sentencing?” Adolph asked, and looked at Gavin. “Minister Mirabelle as she was once a servant of your house, you may speak first.”Her eyes turned bright and hopeful looking up at Gavin. “No true servant of my family would ever have attempted murd
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 70: The Past and Nightmares
The knight cried out in agony as he landed with a hard crash. Adolph’s chest heaved as he looked down at the man who curled up on his side, clutching his left shoulder. “Your left side is weak.”“My apologies, Your Majesty.”Chasel shook his head as he walked onto the training pitch. He had only taken his eye off of Adolph for a few hours. He had expected him to go and sit by Laurel’s bedside as he had been doing, but of course, he hadn’t. He’d have to apologize to the knights later for his oversight.“Your Majesty,” Chasel called. Adolph turned his head stiffly, his eyes narrowed and too alert.They were sleepless and agitated. Chasel had been lucky to reach him so quickly and know exactly where Raven was in the castle. “Lady Raven would like to speak to you,” Chasel said. “She awaits you in the rose parlor.”Adolph was tense, but he nodded stiffly and excused himself from the training pitch. He watched everyone on the pitch let out a solemn breath of relief. “My apologies,” Chas
Last Updated : 2022-12-01
Latest chapter
The Returned Luna Chapter 174: Jack
His stomach churned but he nodded, walking into the room. Fear filled him, but as he entered the room he started to relax. “You’re so beautiful… you take after your father.”Laurel lay among the sheets, dressed in a loose gown and cradling the baby to her chest.At the distance, he could only see a tuft of honey blonde hair in the swaddling blanket. The wetnurses bowed and stepped aside as he approached. Laurel smiled up at him, “Want to meet him?”“Him?”Laurel beamed at him, “Him… Nimue told me before, but I wanted it to still be a surprise for you.”Another boy. Adolph sunk onto the bed beside her, kissing her cheek before looking down into her arms. He had Laurel’s nose and hair pattern though the coloring was all his. Maybe when he grew up he’d take after his grandfathers, but he wouldn’t be able to tell that for a while.“Can I hold him?”Laurel nodded, offering the child to him. He smelled like fresh water and clean skin as Adolph took him, and held him close. He was so smal
The Returned Luna Chapter 173: Defense and Not
Nimue took a deep calming breath as Basil let out a mournful sob. The air began to warm slowly around them as the path between their world and the afterlife closed. She should have known when her first evocation yielded nothing that Olivia was going to be another troublesome spirit.She hoped Basil would be able to recover and accept the truth in time.“No… mother…” Nimue’s heart twisted with grief as she calmed her powers and Basil’s hand tightened on her ankle. “Why? She… She lifted it.”“She was prepared to sacrifice you,” she said solemnly.“She lifted the curse, Nimue! You didn’t have to!”Nimue looked down at him, “She only did so to save her existence, Basil. That was the test. It wasn’t about remorse towards what she’d done to your father… it was about what she did to you.”His eyes welled with tears as she set her staff aside, allowing it to hover in the air. “She was never your mother.”She kneeled beside Basil, placing a glowing hand near the dagger in his chest as he fell
The Returned Luna Chapter 172: Oblivion
Adolph’s voice was sure and even, but Basil couldn’t believe what he was saying. Didn’t he understand that they had no way of knowing how long that would be? A few months? A few days? His father was the strongest man he knew, but he wasn’t indestructible!“But father—”“You’d let Basil be king?” Olivia scoffed and laughed, “You know he’s not ready. He won’t ever be ready!”The twinge of pain that went through him took his breath away. He pushed it aside. This wasn’t the mother he’d imagined his whole life. He expected his father to say those things, not the woman who died giving birth to him. He winced at the thought. She hadn’t died giving birth to him. She’d died giving birth to a curse. There was no other choice to make.“Nimue, end the séance.”Nimue said nothing. Whether that meant she couldn’t or wasn’t going to, he didn’t know.Adolph shook his head, “Your father tried to make that true, but it’s not. Basil isn’t an idiot. He’s young and inexperienced, but that’s fixable. He h
The Returned Luna Chapter 171: Love and Obsession
Adolph narrowed his eyes down at Olivia. She was just as pretty as she had been before, but he saw the wicked light in her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be greeting our son whom you’ve never met?” Adolph asked. She smiled at him, poisonous and vicious, “I would never put anyone before you dear husband.”“You are dead,” Adolph said, “Speak to Basil.”“… very well.”Olivia turned her head and looked at Basil. Adolph was about to retract his statement at the hopeful look on Basil’s face, but it was too late. “You asked them to kill the man who raised you,” Olivia said, “You asked for the death penalty.”“Mother, they—”“Don’t call me that!” Olivia hissed at him. “All of them. Murdered and for what? What of your loyalty to me?”Basil’s eyes widened, “To you…?”“After what your father did to me?” Olivia said, “What is a bit of money?”“You… You knew?” Basil asked. “But—”“I love your father,” she said, her eyes glimmering with tears. “But… that wasn’t good enough. My love was never good enough f
The Returned Luna Chapter 170: Olivia
Laurel didn’t expect Basil to come quickly, so when the door closed, she was grateful that Nimue made herself a cup of tea and smiled at her. “You were once someone else,” Nimue said. “I am glad that the moon saw fit to bring the white wolf back to us.”Laurel blinked and sat across from her, “You’re… not much like Eden.”Nimue chuckled, “Eden and I have different gifts… He is what we would call an elemental Wiccan. Lightning strikes, fire, flashy shows of power that most associate with real magic. I’m a spiritual mage.”Laurel blinked and made herself a cup of tea, “What… does that mean?”“It means I have a connection to the living and the dead. Hence, I know the body you’re in right now is one you were reborn into. I can only guess how you died, but I assume that Basil knew you in your past life.”Laurel winced, “This… isn’t how I expected this conversation to go.”Nimue shrugged, “You make plans and the spirits laugh, but I’m not concerned about your aura. It’s more than healthy a
The Returned Luna Chapter 169: Mates and Fated Pairs
Adolph watched Basil leave. Nimue winced.“I… would like a moment to speak with my wife,” Adolph said slowly. Nimue nodded, “I’ll… go after him.”She left wincing. That had been a fucking disaster if she’d ever seen one. As she exited the room, she followed the trembling confusion, fear, and anger down the hall and around the corner. The thing about magical compatibility between fated matches was that it worked like a homing beacon. She found him in a parlor sitting on the couch with his head in his hand. He lifted his head and shot to his feet as she entered. “You—You can’t just say things like that!” Basil said, “You can’t just accuse her if you—You’re a healer! How would you know something like that anyway?”Nimue watched him, his shoulders heaving as he held himself still. “I am a healer,” she said. “But I am not just a healer. Sit down and calm yourself.”“Look me in the eye and tell me the truth,” Basil said, glaring at her. “Tell me you know for sure my mother did it. Tell
The Returned Luna Chapter 168: Lady Nimue
Basil had tried to keep his mind focused on the path ahead the next morning, no matter how Nimue’s scent had seemed to take over his senses and make him dizzy with need and desire. She smelled like fresh blooming flowers, fresh earth, and a hint of fresh sweet bread. It was a distracting, comforting, and maddening scent. His wolf growled in contentment and want whenever she grew near, so he took to riding further ahead to try and keep his mind clear. *I hate you*, his wolf huffed and growled. *You and your stupid pride and fear and…**Not now*, Basil thought, stubbornly. *Focus on getting back to the capital, okay?*He huffed, *And your need for distraction instead of facing the truth…*Basil sighed, tuning out his wolf’s whining. This wasn’t the time for thinking about such things. Adolph and Laurel were supposed to be staying at the temple until the baby was born. There was no reason they should have called him back unless the baby was early or something had happened to his father
The Returned Luna Chapter 167: Forgiveness
Taliesin sent the message off with a heavy heart. While his judgment was sound and he knew he wasn’t wrong, the likelihood that it would all go to plan was slim. Curses laid by the dying or the dead were harder to get rid of than living curses and he was not an expert in such dark magics. He had no affinity for creating or breaking them. His late brother and twin, Merlin, had no such limitations, but he had gone into Eternal Repose after his wife, Viviane, had been killed in the war against Morrigan. Merlin could not help them.Taliesin couldn’t blame him. The war had taken so much from all of them and raising the barrier had taxed them both greatly. There was little hope that he would ever wake up, and Taliesin had accepted that centuries ago, focusing on raising Merlin’s daughter as if she were his.“Nimue?” Taliesin called as he returned to the meeting hall. She was seated on the old stone bench, looking up through the canopy of the ancient oak trees that were always in bloom. Hi
The Returned Luna Chapter 166: Cursed Last Moments
Laurel woke up, frozen in terror in bed. The last time she’d had a vision of the moon goddess, she’d been pushed off a cliff. She wasn’t sure if hearing that her husband’s late wife put a curse on him was better or worse. How bad was the curse now? How much longer did they have? Could she break it? If she couldn’t, what would happen to him?Her stomach turned as she turned over to see Adolph sleeping peacefully beside her. The days of his insomnia seemed to have caught up with him all at once. The strain of the days seemed to be gone now as he slept.His scent was just as bloody and lovely as ever, but that blood that she had once found just a bit sexy seemed tainted with danger now. It wasn’t just the scent of someone who had seen a great deal of war, but it was affecting his mind. An alpha werewolf like Adolph could be dangerous if they lost control of their strength. She knew that Adolph was much stronger than the average wolf. Was it anything like going rogue? Would it kill him?
