Chapter 24
Chapter 24
“No. I can’t let myself misunderstand again…” Hilde shook her head quickly. “Last time, I almost ruined everything with my wishful thinking.”
Her absurd delusion that her master had saved her from the beast, and her reckless confession of that thought, had offended him deeply.
She couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again. She couldn’t afford to anger the man who held her life in his hands.
Then, her gaze, wandering between the knights, stopped on a particular figure. A man who seemed the embodiment of arrogance and ruthlessness. Even in the early morning, he was impeccably composed.
She suddenly recalled the moment he’d gripped her neck.
He was a predator. The alpha of the pack, reigning supreme. Countless victims must have been torn apart beneath his hidden fangs.
‘He’s terrifyingly… beautiful.’
The thought startled her. She quickly shook her head, trying to dispel the inappropriate notion, but then looked back out the window. She swore she’d never seen anyone so beautiful.
Raven hair as dark as the night sky, thick eyebrows, a prominent nose, and sensual lips. A masculine yet sharp jawline. But what was most captivating, terrifyingly so, were his golden eyes.
Hilde stared, mesmerized, at the brilliant gold, her gaze lingering on his slightly narrowed pupils. Then, he turned his head towards the carriage. Their eyes met.
“…!”
She flinched, quickly averting her gaze. Her heart pounded wildly. ‘Did he… see me?’
She expected him to fling open the door and berate her for daring to look at him. Fear made her tremble.
But as the moments ticked by and the carriage finally started moving again, nothing happened.
* * *
The Duchy of Oaklien resembled a massive fortress. The high stone walls, stretching out on either side of the outer gate, were the first indication.
Hilde clenched her hands as she watched the drawbridge slowly descend. She could feel the sweat gathering in her palms.
‘This is the Bertolph estate…’
She would likely never leave these gates, not until she died. A flicker of sadness crossed Hilde’s face.
She held no sentimental attachment to her fallen kingdom. She had formed no meaningful connections there. Her life had been a constant struggle, each memory more painful than the last.
Except for one…
A sharp pang in her chest made her clutch the old necklace beneath her clothes. The phantom pain subsided, as if it had been a dream.
‘It will be alright. This is just another place where people live… isn’t it?’
She spoke to herself. There was no answer, as always, but Hilde chose to believe it. It was also her fervent hope.
‘Even if it’s hard and painful now… everything will be alright in time.’
The carriage, having stopped, began to move again, crossing the drawbridge and heading towards the Ducal residence. Hilde tightened her grip on the necklace, praying for a fate she couldn’t foresee.
That she might live for at least one more day. That she might be granted even a small measure of happiness.
* * *
It was the day the vanguard of the victorious conquest, the Duke of Oaklien, master of the fertile and prosperous Bertolph estate, returned home.
Shortly after the horn sounded from the outer walls, the household staff, alerted to the news, lined up from the mansion’s main gate.
“Welcome back, Your Grace.” Alois, the elderly butler who oversaw the estate, bowed deeply to the Duke as he dismounted his large black horse. The rest of the staff followed suit, bending at the waist.
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“I’ve simply done everyone else a favor.” Despite his master’s sardonic retort, Alois replied calmly, “Your Grace is a hero to the Empire and to Bertolph.”
“Enough with the flattery.” The Duke cut him off, turning his head towards the open carriage door.
“Get out.”
‘Had he brought someone with him?’
Someone important enough to warrant a place in his carriage.
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