Chapter 21HopeKyle was no longer by my side. Instead, he was a few feet away, sparring with one of the men. I had taken a seat on a box and grabbed a rag to clean the armory. Thankfully, my heels hurt less since I wasn't standing on them. But all my muscles hurt and my stomach kept on growling at me due to the lack of content in it. I ignored the gnawing pain and did my task. Before this, I had never cleaned weapons but that didn't mean I didn't know how to. Back home, I used to be friends with a couple of guards and I would watch them wipe their weapons. I was just vexed about the fact that I was the one who was going to do such a task.The men around had transitioned from gawking at me brazenly to whispering about me secretly. I wondered what they were thinking. They were probably jeering at my situation. How the mighty Vitalis princess was the one cleaning their stuff. I tried not to let those kinds of negative things get to me, but it was hard not to.As I picked up the next ar

Chapter 23HopeI was going back to training today. I loathed it more than anything else in the world. I could still remember the mocking faces of the soldiers weeks ago and it haunted me. I was doing better now, my wounds were roughly healed and I've been eating well.Though there was an incident before I was cleared to come back to training. Darius had wanted to dismiss Kyle and behead him for not paying close attention to me and letting me faint in the middle of the hallway. I had to convince Darius that there was no need to do all that to Kyle and by convince, I mean, stand there and look at him with pleading eyes.It must've worked well because Darius had let go of Kyle and given him one last chance to prove his worth. Because of that sole deed, Kyle became a little less hostile towards me. For example, this morning, he asked if I was alright when I stepped out of my room and before then, instead of banging on my door and demanding that I come out for training, he had sent the thr

Chapter 25HopeWhy was he mad at me? His onyx eyes were so dark and his nose was flared up. Veins popped on his forehead. "I'm sorry," I looked away from him, only for two fingers to connect with my chin and pull my face back to his view."Why are you apologizing to me?" he asked in an awfully serious tone."Annalise—""Ugh," he cut me off as he made a frustrated sound with his mouth. "Sometimes I don't know if you're pretending to be clueless or if you're just dense inside that round head of yours." He spoke through his teeth and I parted my lips.He just insulted me. I ground my teeth, swallowing down the violent thoughts that crept up my mind."I don't understand." I said.He let go of my chin and took a step back from me. "I don't even know why I try sometimes," he said to himself, then he looked back at me. "You were a princess before you got married to me, act like one, and not some maid." He spoke in an agitated tone with a mix of disinterest in it.What was that supposed to

Chapter 27DariusMy eyes drew into narrow slits as I predicted Orion's next words. "Not here," I told him, shifting my gaze toward my sleeping wife. He nodded, then took a step back. I took a step forward and we both marched down the hall to get to my personal study.Once we were inside the soundproof room, I trotted to my desk and sat behind it on my leather chair. Orion took the seat across my desk. I cleared my throat. "It's her, isn't it?" I asked for confirmation."Your former fiancée has been busy," was what Orion said with a sigh.I pinched the bridge of my nose. "How did the spies come across this information? And do we know where she is?" I asked.Orion shook his head. "She slipped through their fingers. But I have better news," Orion changed the pitch of his voice into a low one. I raised a brow, leaning closer."Thaddeus is here," he said. I frowned, immediately relaxing back into my chair.Everyone in Moratia knew how I felt about him. There was this subtle rivalry betwe

Chapter 29HopeCommander stood with her hands behind her back, while I stood with mine in front of me, fidgeting. It took only looking at her face for me to remember what happened earlier today.I should never have said those words to her. I even called her bully. I should've kept my words to myself. Maybe then, she wouldn't have barged into my room with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes. Telling her all those things just increased the damage."What is there to talk about?" I asked, disentangling my fingers and letting my hands fall to my sides."This morning..." Commander started. My heart flew out from my chest. "You were right." She continued.My eyes widened, the same time my brows furrowed with confusion. "Pardon?" I said.Commander sighed heavily, her features relaxing as she dropped down on my bed, the cushion bouncing underneath her."Everything you said this morning was right. I shouldn't have treated you the way I have all these while. I've been a real bully to you and with no