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Chapter 123: Celebration Of The Fall
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The Returned Luna Chapter 124: Dismissals and Reinstatements
It had been mere days since the celebration ended when Adolph called a formal meeting again, but instead of the usual meeting room, the meeting was held in the throne room. To Gavin’s surprise and dismay, he was dressed in full ceremonial dress and he had no idea what was happening. Every noble of the court was in attendance, including the ministers who had been dismissed. Laurel was dressed in a fine gown that made Gavin purple with fury. Olivia had been the luna yet she had never had a gown as grand as the one Laurel wore, or perhaps she had never seemed so natural standing beside Adolph. The sight of her irritated him to no end. “Your Majesty, what is happening?” A minister asked, almost timidly. Adolph looked at him from his throne with a little smirk, “Do you not recognize open court?”Gavin’s stomach churned. He didn’t like the sound of open court. They never held it while he was at war as a matter of course. What did they care about the problems of peasants? “The first orde
The Returned Luna Chapter 125: The Prince’s Duties
“I think we should talk about the prince,” Laurel said as they lay in bed early the morning after they’d held open court. Raven had been beside herself after the dinner was over, teary and emotional as she was shown back to her old rooms. Irene dabbed at her eyes and tried to maintain a brave face, but he had a feeling that Henry, Dorian, and Liam would all be dragged through the castle exploring all of their favorite places from their old studies to the gardens. The rest of his cousins would be doing the same, likely, happy to explore the castle with new eyes. Maybe they would end up chasing a frog or two around the pond. Whatever they did, it would be nice to have more than him, Laurel, and Basil at formal meals going forward from time to time. They would return to their packs at the end of the week to check up on things and carry on with their duties, but there would no longer be such a ceremony around them coming to visit. He imagined Basil would be pulled out of his drunken s
The Returned Luna Chapter 126: Literacy
Laurel and Adolph came down for a formal breakfast just before Raven, Henry, and the rest. Basil and Delia were already inside the formal dining room. It was unnerving to have so many people at the table now, but a glance at Basil told her that he wasn’t uncomfortable if a bit timid. The food was served by a small team of servants and taste-tested in front of them before they began to eat. As always the food was delicious, but it was hard to focus on it with them talking so much. The cold older women who had come to the castle as lunas of nearby noble packs had been replaced with women laughing happily with each other, teasing and chatting amicably. They were so sickeningly happy that Delia had to tune them out. She’d had sisters once, but they had never been like this. She knew that Raven was Adolph’s sister, but she didn’t know the exact familial relationships between the others and she didn’t care. She supposed living at the top of society meant that people could be happy.“...
The Returned Luna Chapter 127: Unexpected Changes
Gavin looked at the seats where the other ministers used to sit and seethed. In their places were elevated commoners and warriors as courtiers along with all the pack leaders, the alphas, and lunas. He sat across the table from Basil, but he never felt so alone or powerless. Adolph had been cruel in the way he’d allowed his ceremonial title to remain, a cold gleam in his eye every time he glanced at Gavin. He would pay for this but Gavin held his tongue as people began to speak about their options. Annexing the territory of the vampire queen was partially in their interest. More land typically meant more power, but the land had been barren since time immemorial. If the land was truly barren, then annexing the land would just bring more mouths to feed. After all the upheaval, they wouldn’t have the food stores to make it through the year. Adolph watched Gavin contemplating it. His thoughts were clear on his face, and to a degree, Adolph agreed, but there was no way around it.“I th
The Returned Luna Chapter 128: Plots and Announcements
She was nervous, pacing the little parlor of his rooms. While he had her things moved into the queen’s rooms, she hadn’t spent much time in them. She held the drafts of the birth announcements that Raven had the royal calligrapher create for them. They wouldn’t be going out until the baby had arrived, but it was the best way to tell Adolph. “Laurel?” She stopped and turned as Adolph entered the room with a surprised expression. “What are you doing here? It’s almost dinnertime.”She smiled, “I thought… we could have dinner together in private.”Adolph smiled, coming closer, “Private, hm?”His tone set a flush in her cheeks and lowered her gaze, “Yes… Though I have something to tell you…”Adolph frowned, flinching as he eyed her, “What is it?”Laurel startled, shaking her head and drawing closer, “Nothing bad. I promise. Sit down.”Adolph sunk onto the couch and she sat beside him. She set the drafts in front of him, but his eyes widened at the first one she placed in front of him. He
The Returned Luna Chapter 129: Anxiety
*The scent of blood filled his nose, seeping under the doors.* *Cries of agony and fear filled the air. He ran through the door to find Laurel in her birthing bed, growing paler by the moment, reaching for him with a trembling pale hand.* *Servants rushed around in a flurry, screaming for towels.* *The healer looked harried and he felt their bond trembling.**It shook, strained, and stretched until he felt it about to break.* “Laurel!” Adolph cried, sitting up in bed. He was alone in bed and it only made his heart run faster. He threw off his blankets and jumped from the bed. “Laurel?” Adolph called, entering the bathroom. Laurel flinched, looking up at him from in the bathtub, her body obscured by the layer of bubbles on top.Her face turned bright red, “A-Adolph, what’s wrong?”He shuddered, slumping back against the wall before crossing the room in quick strides. He fell to his knees beside the tub and pulled her close to press their lips together. She gasped as he pulled her aga
The Returned Luna Chapter 130: The Undying Dead
Adolph couldn’t wait for the report. He left the bed as soon as he woke up, tucked Laurel back in, dressed, and hurried out. He snagged a quick breakfast on his way to the entrance to the dungeons. The guards saluted him as he passed and told him that the guards he’d placed over Eden were still down in the depths of the dungeons. He ran into them on the steps. They seemed shocked but saluted. “Sir, would you prefer our report now or to see it for yourself?”Adolph took a deep breath, centering his calm and nodding towards the lower levels, “Show me.”They nodded, turned around, and led the way down the steps. They rounded the corner to where two other guards were. They saluted and opened the heavy gates. Once upon a time, the Raymond family held various types of people in the dungeons. He was half certain that this cell had been designed for a vampire prisoner. Lying in the middle of the room, still and pale as if he was simply sleeping was Eden’s body. His clothing and armor were
The Returned Luna Chapter 131: Taleisin
The door opened with a loud creak that seemed more ominous than it had ever been before. The man at the front of the procession was much older than Adolph, looking to be old enough to be Adolph’s grandfather. His robes almost sparkled on his shoulders as they rustled around him. He walked with a tall staff that was just a bit taller than he was, crowned with a glowing collection of gems. He came with six others all dressed in long white robes, hooded and quiet around him. Each of the six carried a box. Her stomach churned. There was something deeply otherworldly about them. Their presence filled the halls with a warm energy that Laurel could almost taste. It made her think of the temple, but it felt different than that. The old man had a smile on his face but Laurel didn't feel any more relaxed.Neither did Adolph. It wasn’t that the man seemed threatening, but he didn’t know anything about Wiccans and their motivations. Eden was the son of the vampire queen and a Wiccan, which mea
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