Ailn’s niece was standing in front of him. He’d only found out she existed two days ago—and by all rights she should be two days’ ride away.
“...Béatrice?” Ailn uttered in disbelief.
His niece tilted her head in confusion. “My name’s Bea… Like a bzz.”
“Help me out, Bea,” Ailn said, reaching gently to make sure she was fine with him picking her up. Her legs—and stuffed animals—dangled as he talked with her face-to-face. “Where’s your ...
2025-05-27 13:17:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-25 17:18:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Camille arrived at the ark-Chelon estate not long after Ailn—by way of a Gren carriage, insisted upon by her father. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of dissonance after leaving his household.
In Varant, her noble blood felt almost incidental—she was a knight, first and foremost, who happened to be Ennieux eum-Creid’s child. But here, she was a viscount’s daughter. Lady Gren. The life she led protecting the northern wall was nothing more than a polite curiosity to the d...
2025-05-25 17:17:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-22 15:19:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
This was the first Ailn had even heard of an echo stone.
“Tonight?” Ailn blinked. “You’re telling me there’s an artifact that can communicate hundreds of kilometers away instantly?”
Havrek gave Nisé a curious look, his brow furrowing. “Have we not already dispatched envoys to Varant?” Then, turning to Ailn, he added, “They’ve become popular within the capital this last year.”
“I believe we have sent envoys to three other major duchies,” Nisé repli...
2025-05-22 15:18:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-20 06:06:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
As he walked through corridors of rooms reserved for visiting nobility, Ailn briefly considered retiring to the barracks instead of the suite prepared for him. His eyes were still throbbing, the pain about as bad as a lingering migraine.
If Ailn had trust issues before, getting burned by Ashton certainly didn’t help. As much as he wished to blame naivete for his failure, however, he’d simply been outsmarted.
“Jewel pollution, huh?” Ailn muttered irritatedly, re...
2025-05-20 06:05:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-18 15:51:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ailn found himself instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. His body was in a cold sweat, and his breathing was unsteady. The pain searing through his eyes was enough to put him into fight-or-flight.
Even in his agony, however, a moment’s thought was enough for Ailn to realize it made no sense for Ashton to attack him in his own office, or with his own hands. Nor did any of Ashton’s body language suggest aggression.
Not that he could trust it at face value.
<...
2025-05-18 15:50:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-15 18:21:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Ashton…” Ailn eyed the proffered handshake warily for just a moment, before accepting it. Then he stifled a shudder—something about this guy gave him the creeps. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“One hopes it was all laudatory,” Ashton said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Web of the palm and everything…” Ailn muttered, noting the quality of Ashton’s handshake before letting go. “You seem like a man with a knack for business. Fitting for the hei...
2025-05-15 18:20:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-13 15:50:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Mayor Gorwin of Venlind was in a predicament.
For years, the mayor had watched over the child of one of Venlind’s residents—a youthful woman who’d settled in their small village, not even twenty when she’d arrived, escorted by knights.
There was an exhaustion in her eyes that seemed beyond her years. What manner of tale did she carry upon her shoulders? Her eyes naturally stirred the villagers’ curiosity, yet, daunted by the knights, none dared to pry—n...
2025-05-13 15:40:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-11 13:55:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
That night, after settling Bea into bed, Ciel sat beside her, reading a bedtime story.
“...But the bell in the tower was never truly alone. The stars would come out at night to keep it company. The angels and gargoyles kept their watch upon the cornices and spires, for they, too, had a purpose to serve.
“Then, of course, there were the bell-ringers. They never failed to stir the bell from its slumber, so that, in turn, it could wake the whole city.
“But dearest o...
2025-05-11 13:53:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-08 16:51:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
The first thing Ailn noticed about Ciel was how sleepy she looked—half-lidded eyes, a faint, persistent frown, and a slight lag in her reactions. But as she made her way down the stairs, he realized her movements weren’t sluggish. They were considered. And her seemingly bleary gaze was watching him closely.
“Duke eum-Creid’s brother?” Ciel asked, softly clasping her hands in front of her. She’d shifted seamlessly to calling Sigurd by his formal title. “Excuse my prior rude...
2025-05-08 16:50:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hope you guys enjoy!
2025-05-06 15:09:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
One week later, Ailn found himself in the Singing Mountains of ark-Chelon.A further day’s ride would bring them to Calum—the capital—and to Ailn’s eyes, it made sense to take care of Sigurd’s personal matters beforehand.
He’d had ample time during his trip to think about just how much Sigurd pissed him off.
“Duty. Yeah right,” Ailn muttered. “How could I forget? It’s always the guys that trumpet the loudest…”
“Though I haven’t be...
2025-05-06 15:08:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-04 15:12:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Sigurd grimaced, as he made his way through the barracks, toward a chamber most knights now avoided—partly out of superstition, partly to spare themselves the weight of old memories.
It was Aldous’s old office. The knight commander scowled, remember how all of his personal effects had been unceremoniously tossed inside after Ailn became the duke.
The former high marshal’s corruption and downfall had shocked Sigurd. That was the truth. The whole inquisition had un...
2025-05-04 15:09:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-05-01 09:23:32 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ceric Windrider was in a bad way.
The man looked gaunt, like he’d barely been eating. He’d already been in bad shape from his multi-day stint exploring Varant’s catacombs, so it was especially worrying.
Had he just been laying in bed these last two weeks? Between Ceric and Renea, Ailn really didn’t want to force two people out of bed every day. Not that Cairn would let Ceric stick around in the infirmary any longer.
“They been feeding you alright ...
2025-05-01 09:23:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-04-29 09:25:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Safi was shivering.
It was cold, and so was their reception. Things had gotten heated for a moment between Ailn and his older brother, but that just made the subsequent atmosphere feel that much more chilly. The knights and the servants were giving her distant, gauging looks.
And one stare from a girl in a Saintess outfit seemed particularly icy.
Safi let out a small whimper.
Ennieux, delighted that Renea had brought a friend home for the first time, had in...
2025-04-29 09:24:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-04-27 19:04:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
When Sigurd came to, he was riding in the carriage of state. Across from him sat Sophie, staring sullenly out the window as they returned to the castle, clutching the new puppy that was supposedly meant for Renea.
He owed her his life. Possibly all the knights at that watchtower did. And for all the friction Sigurd felt toward his sister, he was not one to leave gratitude unspoken.
“You saved my life, So—” Sigurd began.
“I don’t like hearing about being replaced,...
2025-04-27 19:03:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
The knights atop the wall were still occupied by the shadow beasts which remained. For now, Sigurd was alone facing the two unique shadow beasts—the first like an elephant, the second like a leopard.
As if it were part of the miasma, Sigurd dispersed the sentiment that had encroached his mind and weakened him.
He had no intention of dying here. The aches of his body, and the breathlessness he felt seemed to fade into the background.
Despite the desperate situat...
2025-04-24 17:21:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enjoy!
2025-04-22 20:05:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
They were not ill-prepared. But they had simply not prepared enough.
The swiftness of the encroachment and its intensity exceeded Sigurd’s expectations. They had around four dozen knights on hand, yet there were hundreds of shadow beasts rushing toward them.
That wasn’t the most difficult part.
The miasma itself was near, and if it engulfed the wall it would need to be driven back—an exhausting task, which required a sustained application of holy aura.
<...
2025-04-22 20:04:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
