The Soul Reborn: From Silence to Sovereignty Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Where I Draw the Line

Noah kept holding me, his voice low as he whispered that I was safe and he had everything under control.

But I wasn’t listening… Not really.

Because all I could see was Livia bleeding, Elowen unconscious, and a blade meant for my child less than ten feet away from where I sat.

My body hasn’t stopped shaking since it happened. I’ve experienced similar situations before, but this one felt different.

I felt something boiling up inside me.

“Noah.” I said in a flat tone.

He looked down immediately. “Yes?”

I pressed against his chest, not to push him away, but just enough to make sure he knew I was serious.

“You’ve said before that I was being paranoid when I was accusing maids of being moles.” After that statement I remained silent as I watched Noah try hard to say something, opening and closing his mouth.

His brows furrowed. “Sera, I didn’t mean…”

“LOOK AT THIS!” I shouted, gesturing to the blood and corpses in the room. “DOES THIS LOOK LIKE PARANOIA?!”

I’ve never once raised my voice at Noah since the first time we met, but I was so incredibly annoyed because of how often he wrote off my crazy theories about maids.

Sure, he would play around with my words, thinking I was just joking, not understanding how thoroughly I distrust them.

Noah went completely still, expression blank, but I could see the guilt pooling behind his eyes.

"Livia's hurt, Noah. Elowen could’ve died, and me… our baby girl…" My voice cracked. I had to pause just to breathe. "They almost got us."

I pulled myself upright in his lap, gripping his collar, glaring at the man who wouldn’t release his hold on me.

“FIRE THEM ALL!” I yelled with vindictiveness in my voice. “Every single maid and kitchen staff—I don’t care if they’ve worked here for twenty years and know your childhood nickname. FIRE THEM!”

Noah stayed silent as he just buried his head into my shoulder; every time I raised my voice, I felt him flinch.

So I continued.

"For any new hires in the future, vet them as if they were marrying into the royal line. Conduct thorough background checks, enforce loyalty oaths, and implement observation periods. The moment even one of them seems suspicious..."

I drew a finger across my throat.

“Gone… I don’t mean to kill them, but at the very least throw them out of Coldmere.”

Noah finally got the courage to speak after those words; he sounded as resolute as he could be: “As you command.”

After he spoke, silence lingered between us as I collapsed into his arms, breathing hard, my body trembling with adrenaline and the crashing emotions only pregnancy could summon in tidal waves.

"I don’t ask for much," I murmured against his shoulder. "But this… this is where I draw the line."

He rested his chin against the top of my head as his grip around my body became firmer.

“Then the line will be enforced.”

I felt him signaling behind me… silent hand gestures only his elite guards would recognize.

Before the night was over, the entire domestic staff was removed from the castle.

Noah reassured me that he wouldn’t ever hesitate again.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should’ve been more vigilant.”

I didn’t say anything.

He had struggled with his words ever since my outburst. Aside from the occasional reply, Noah only sat with me, as though if he loosened his hold even a little, I might slip through his fingers.

Fury wasn’t new. He had seen me righteous, commanding, and unyielding, but never like that. The worst part was… it was aimed at him.

When I would take quick glances, he looked wounded. It was affecting him in ways I’m sure he doesn’t even understand.

“Seraphina,” he whispered his voice rough. “I should’ve listened… I’ll never write off anything you feel fear from ever again. Never! Just… please don’t be angry with me.”

After that, we resumed our conversation in the infirmary, where Livia and Elowen were recovering. Thankfully, they had both survived, though they would need time to heal.

I had been quiet the whole walk over, not just because I was mad, but because I was just tired.

To his credit, he did everything he could to steady my emotions.

Eventually, I spoke in a soft voice, like I was sharing a secret by the campfire.

“I don’t fear maids without reason, Noah.”

He pulled back just enough to see my face.

I didn’t meet his eyes, only stared past his shoulder, caught between a hundred half-forgotten pages and feelings I hadn’t dared to voice since this life began.

“In my past life, every fantasy novel I read had at least one maid who turned out to be evil. They were spies, murderers, or manipulators hiding behind aprons and bows. That cursed noble house you saved me from was full of them too. Always watching, always judging. One even helped lock the door on me while I screamed from hunger.”

I blinked quickly, trying to ignore how wet my eyes felt.

“It’s like they’re cursed across worlds. Loyal until Gold starts talking or someone threatens their family; it’s just that easy.”

Noah said nothing, simply letting me pour out everything I was holding inside.

Seeing he had no intention of interrupting, I continued on.

"What do we even pay maids? A hundred gold coins a year, maybe two hundred? So what happens when someone offers a thousand? Do they slit my throat while I'm sleeping and call it a promotion?"

My voice cracked, but I kept going.

"Loyalty is fragile, Noah. It's so easily bought by the highest bidder, especially from those who stay close, who dress you, feed you, and walk through your doors without even knocking."

I finally looked at him, eyes dark blue and glinting with emotion.

“How do you ever know who’s truly on your side?”

Noah cupped my cheek gently.

“They’ll be willing to bleed for you,” he said softly, glancing towards the injured Livia across the room. “Even if all the gold was gone, I have a feeling Livia would stay loyal.”

That nearly broke me because he was right, of course.

Livia was someone who I'd grown attached to, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.

“Still,” I whispered my voice shaky, “I don’t care if I sound insane. Fire them all. I’m not gambling my daughter’s life on a stranger with soft shoes and a silver tray.”

Noah nodded.

“I will handle it.”

The room had grown quiet once again, both of us deep in thought. This was also the first moment since the attack I fully exhaled and calmed down.

I rested my head back on Noah’s chest, his heart beating fast under my cheek.

He took a large breath and also exhaled slowly.

“I think my soul actually left my body for a moment earlier.”

My brow rose at his comment, confused.

“What?”

He gave me the faintest smirk, “When you yelled at me.”

I stared at him, with a slight smile spreading across my face.

"I’m not joking. It felt like an out-of-body experience. Just sitting there, watching my very pregnant wife yell at me for the first time. For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe."

A laugh escaped my lips, having no other choice but to enjoy this scene.

Noah grinned a little. “I never want to feel that ever again.”

"You're so dramatic," I said with a soft chuckle, wiping a tear from my eye. "I didn’t mean to traumatize you. I still love you, you big idiot. I was just mad and emotional. Honestly, my hormones were probably the main culprit. They’re all over the place right now."

I sighed, voice softening.

“Seeing Livia hurt like that… Noah, she’s always just been there. The idea of losing her was unthinkable; I just snapped.”

He stroked my hair gently, listening.

I looked over at the other girl, who was still unconscious. “Also Elowen… I was finally starting to trust her and let her in. Now she’s hurt because she was too close to me.”

My emotions spilled out again as I spoke about my two closest female friends.

Noah did the only thing he could and held me, occasionally whispering sweet nothings.

“You’re not wrong for feeling that,” he whispered. “Sometimes bad stuff happens to those close to you. I’ve been in many similar situations in the past.”

I gazed up at him with intrigue.

“Since you brought up the past, what about your parents or siblings?” I watched on as his eyes widened. “I know I’ve never asked you anything about them before, but I can’t say I’m not curious.”

I’ve always just let it be because he never brought them up, so I thought there was a reason.

It was clear how painful this was for him; he stayed silent for a long while. I simply waited to see if he would open up.

Then he sighed as he looked me in the eyes and started speaking.

“My mother died when I was very young,” he said at last. “I remember her in fragments. The way her hair smelled when she held me. Her voice when she hummed to calm my brother’s nightmares. But it’s all broken fragments now. I think part of me let those memories go just to keep from feeling anything.”

I could feel my heart clench. I reached for his hand, taking it into mine.

"My father was a different kind of man. Cold, brutal, and obsessed with everything you despise." He gave a faint smile before continuing. "We were raised like soldiers, not sons."

There was a pause.

"My brother, Caelum, was the golden child, a true heir to Coldmere."

I noticed Noah’s eyes become fierce as he talked about both his brother and father.

“He died in a battle we never should've fought. Some whispered it was betrayal; others insisted it was only an accident. My father never grieved. To him, it was nothing more than failure, and he moved on as though Caelum had been nothing but a flawed blade.”

The thought of just throwing your own child aside because of such a reason—Lyra will always be my whole world no matter what happens.

“And you?” I asked quizzically.

“I was all that was left,” he said. “I didn’t want the title or Coldmere. But when my father fell, I stepped forward because someone had to.”

I reached up and placed a kiss on his lips and cupped his face, giving him the moral support I feel like he needed. It’s too bad I couldn’t hug that boy, who was probably extremely afraid when his whole family died on him.

“You’ve carried that all alone,” I said softly, “all this time.”

He nodded once and then leaned into my touch like he hadn’t realized how cold he was until now.

“Not anymore,” I whispered. “Not ever again.”

I couldn’t help but ask, “So… what happened to your father? You don’t have to tell me if…”

Noah placed his lips over mine, stopping me completely. Then after some bonding time, he spoke.

"After Caelum died, something in my father fractured. He had always been cold and controlling, but losing his heir made him even worse. He blamed weakness for Caelum’s fall and redirected all that pressure onto me. Grief wasn’t permitted. Questions weren’t tolerated. I was forced into brutal training, surrounded by spies posing as mentors, and shaped into the weapon my brother had supposedly failed to become."

Noah’s voice quieted, but the edge remained.

"While the North began to fracture under his rule, rebellion spread. Years of cruelty and neglect finally reached a boiling point, and the nobles began to rise. My father refused to bend. He clung to the old ways, convinced that fear and force would hold everything together. I was expected to fight for that, to kill for it. But I didn’t."

He glanced toward the window, then back at me.

"I pulled back our forces when it mattered most. The rebellion crashed through his lines. In his final hours, he called for me. But, I never went."

I couldn’t speak. He continued, steady but distant.

"Whether he died in battle or was executed by his own men, I don’t know. I never asked.”

He looked at me then. There was no pride in his expression, just resolution.

"People say House Velmoure only survived because I stepped over his corpse to rebuild it, and maybe that’s true. But I did what I had to do, not what I wanted.”

“So the very nobles I’ve been putting in their place staged a revolt against the old archduke?”

I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous as Noah just shrugged his shoulders.

“You've got nothing to worry about; I’ve got strength that my father could only dream of possessing.”

We sat snuggled together in the infirmary waiting for both of them to wake up for a while.

For now, until we bring in vetted workers we could truly trust, Noah took over.

He summoned his personal war unit, the elite soldiers who had always accompanied him in times of conflict. These were men and women he could truly trust. They followed his orders with discipline, showed deep respect, and served with unwavering loyalty.

They were stationed throughout the castle.

One took up watch at the gates. Others handled the kitchen, skilled with both blade and pan. A few even swept the halls without a single complaint. Their presence lacked elegance, but it brought safety, and that was all that mattered.

Meals were simpler, cleaning was rougher, but the air… was finally clear.

Noah stood beside me one evening after overseeing the last security shift. The scent of iron was gone, and the halls no longer whispered with paranoia.

He turned to me with a serious expression.

“I swear, Seraphina,” he said, taking both my hands in his, “I will never let a spy slip through ever again. Not one, ever.”

I searched his eyes, the weight of his promise clear in every word.

“Once we hire more workers, if you ever get the slightest uneasy feeling about one of them, they’re gone. No questions or debate.”

My chest tightened with the care Noah always showers me with. To think this man was once cold to the world—it's something hard for me to imagine.

“Good,” I whispered. “That’s all I ask.”

Noah was extra gentle with me that night.