aerie
Stories
12
Chapters
857
Words
4.7 M
Comments
32
Reading
16 d, 8 h
Evelyn looked flustered at the sight of the child, who seemed to be pondering something deeply while resting her chin in her hands. “The feeling of… liking someone?” For such words to come from so young a girl felt strangely weighty. Her throat tightened, and she reached for her teacup, wetting her lips with a sip. Even though she wanted to answer sincerely, she found herself at a loss for what to say. After all, she had never truly liked anyone in that way before. Was she even fit to define…- 723.2 K • Ongoing
- After only a few passes of Leon’s hands, she was left wearing nothing but a thin chemise. When she saw her dress tossed out of the bed and hitting the floor, she tried to rise, but a firm hand pinned both of her wrists down against the sheets. “Y-You can’t just throw my clothes like that. At least fold them—” “What a strange thing to say. Since when does a princess concern herself with tidying clothes?” “Ah… that’s…” Caught out by a habit she had long practiced without…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- “How tedious.” Leon rose to his feet, placing his hands on his knees, his eyes already stripped of interest as he tugged at his tie and loosened it. The thick Adam's apple was revealed through the parted collar pulled open by the force. “I’m exhausted, so I’ve no intention of laying a finger on you. Don’t make a fuss over nothing.” “…Really?” Adeline’s face lit up before she hastily schooled her expression and asked again. “You were the one who made a joke of me…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- That very afternoon, the marriage of the two was proclaimed on such a grand scale that the entire country seemed to tremble with the news. In its wake, articles began to pour out as if by prior arrangement, all praising how the once-unstable public sentiment of the past year was finally finding its stability once more. “Your Highness, the photograph turned out beautifully. Everywhere people gather, they say the two of you suit each other so well.” Even as Britta’s cheerful chatter filled the…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- Leon waved a hand, dismissing the concern of his taciturn subordinate, precisely the kind of man whose bluntness made him all the more trustworthy. “For us, it’s not a bad outcome.” “Living with the princess won't be easy. Where would a woman, raised nobly with every whim indulged, possibly be able to handle it?” Raised nobly. Leon let out a quiet, derisive chuckle. The image of a princess, supposedly raised in pristine nobility, scrambling up a mountainside in the dead of night,…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- Still, whatever their intentions may have been, at the time she herself had also chosen escape as an option, faced with a marriage she had never wanted. She had planned to take a different route after descending the mountain, not to seek out the merchants the maids had mentioned. A Neidel encampment, of all places. No matter how one looked at it, it was true that Leon had saved her from what could have become a far more brutal fate. ‘Could he have possibly realized the maids weren't on my…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- Adeline opened her eyes again when the slanting glow of sunset stretched long shadows across the room. Exhaustion from the grueling journey must have pulled her into a brief nap without her realizing it. Knock, knock. At the soft sound, she gave permission, and Britta slipped inside, hurrying over with light steps. The moment she saw the familiar maid’s face, the haze clouding her mind cleared at once. “Princess, you’re awake? You must have been terribly worn out.” “I suppose…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- “Tsk. Everyone is exaggerating over one misunderstanding.” Leon clicked his tongue as if he couldn't be bothered. Incensed, the other man retorted. “There was an internal whistleblower’s testimony.” “Who?” “One of the princess’s maids. A girl named Camilla. She testified that her mistress intended to run from the very beginning.” Leon, who had been drinking his whiskey with an indifferent hand, had a distinct shift in his expression for the first time. “It seems…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- Adeline looked around the neatly arranged bedchamber, her gaze filled with quiet emotion. “I kept everything in order so you could return at any time, Your Highness.” “It’s been a long time.” She stepped inside, fingertips brushing over the familiar surface of the furniture. It had been more than ten years since she last stayed in this room, yet the air still carried the faint scent of memories enough to stir a gentle, aching nostalgia in her chest. “This really is my…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
- “I’m not sure it suits the princess who crawled her way up a mountain in the dead of night to say that.” Heat flooded her cheeks. Swallowing back the protest that she hadn't intended to escape so recklessly either, her lips parted slightly as a familiar voice called from behind her. “Your Highness!” Her expression instantly softened upon seeing a woman rushing towards her, breathless. “Britta!” Adeline’s face lit up as she hurried forward and pulled the young woman into…
- 112.4 K • Ongoing
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