LOGINRavena's POV
The knock came before the sun was fully up.
I heard it
Ravena's POV The carriage turned off the home road and Vivienne immediately sat up straight."The cloth shop. Why are we going to the cloth shop? Ravena. Ravena, look at me. You are not going there to make another scene, are you? We have only just got the jade back, we have only just smoothed things over, you can't march into that shop now and start trouble in front of the whole trade row." Her voice climbed higher with every word. "It is half Marianne's, you understand, you can't. I forbid it. Do you hear me?"
Ravena's POV "There is one more thing, Your Grace," I said pleasantly.Marianne's smile held, but I saw it cost her something now. "Oh?""The wager." I tilted my head, all innocence. "Lady Vivienne tells me the two of you made a proper bet on it. Ten thousand gold, was it not, on whether the new bride would give up her dowry. Well, I gave it up without a grumble, so by the terms Lady Vivienne set, she has w
Ravena's POV For a moment Vivienne could only stare at her.Her mouth opened and closed. And the colour came and went in her face."This," she said at last, and her voice cracked. "This was your idea. You arranged it with me. We sat in this very room and you proposed the wager, you said the words, you set the terms. How can you sit there now and twist it around like this? How can you lie to my face?"
Ravena's POV The Grand Princess's pack was behind a tall pale wall with iron gates, and the two guards at those gates didn't move to open them when our carriage stopped.One of them came to the window instead, polite and stone-faced."Forgive me, my lady. The Grand Princess is not at home. She has gone out on business."
Ravena's POV The King's banquet went on for hours, the way royal meals do, course after course, and it was past midday before Evander and I were free to call for our carriage and go home.We were on the steps when Orren found us again.I was beginning to dread the sight of that man. He had the same paper roll in his hand and the same look on his face. He drew Evander aside by the elbow and spoke low, and I
Ravena's POV His eyes had closed on the words, and for a moment I thought he had gone to sleep right there on the long seat with his head tipped against the post of the bed."They were yours," he had said. "I wanted them to like me." And then nothing, just the slow heavy breathing of a man the drink had finally caught up with.I knelt in front of him a while longer with the cloth gone cold in my hand, looki
Ravena's POVLucien's eyes met mine just for a second, but all I saw in them was regret. His steps faltered, and his lips parted like he wanted to say something. Maybe he wanted to tell me that he was sorry.But I didn’t want to hear it.I held his gaze, then looked away first as I reminded myself
Ravena's POVI took another sip from the cup in my hand, letting the warmth of the wine coat my throat. But the moment it settled on my tongue, I frowned.There was barely any burn. Just a sweet flavour that reminded me more of juice than wine. I stared down at the liquid, wondering if the bottle h
Astrid's POVAs soon as we neared our tent, the anger in my chest boiled over. I didn’t wait and turned to face Lucien.“This is a joke,” I spat. “Did you see what just happened in there? Did you see how he gave her command? Like she earned it?”Lucien didn’t answer right away. He just adjusted the
Ravena's POVAstrid tilted her head, a proud expression on her face like she had just won something cruel. I saw the way her lips twitched like she was about to smile, and that smug look made me want to tear her apart.But when I looked to the side and saw Evander watching me, his gaze calm but loc







