Se connecterRagnar’s POVThe first light of dawn crept through the curtains, painting the room in soft gold. I woke slowly, aware of the warm body pressed against mine. Aziel was still asleep, his silver hair spilled across the pillow, one arm draped loosely over my chest. His breathing was deep and even. Peaceful.I stayed still for a long moment, just watching him. My hand rested on his back, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing. The memory of last night played in my mind. The way he had come apart under my touch. The sounds he made. The way he had looked at me with trust and need in his eyes.I wanted more.The thought hit me hard. I wanted to roll him onto his back, spread his legs, and take him completely. I wanted to bury myself inside him, claim him, mark him as mine. The urge was so strong it made my cock twitch against his thigh. My hand tightened on his back before I forced myself to relax.No.Not yet.He was still recovering from yesterday’s training. He was exhausted. An
Aziel’s POVThe archives felt familiar when I finally left them. My head throbbed from hours of reading reports, comparing records, and listening to Valerian’s lessons. Every noble house had started to blur together in my mind. Lies. Motives. Half-truths. The weight of it all pressed down on me as I walked back through the quiet palace corridors.My body ached. My eyes burned. Even my fingers felt stiff from turning so many pages. I had learned more in one day than I had in weeks, but the knowledge came at a price. I felt drained. Empty. Like someone had scooped out everything inside me and left only exhaustion behind.When I reached my chambers, I barely had the strength to close the door. I leaned against it for a moment, letting the cool wood press against my back. The room was dim, lit only by a few lanterns the servants had left burning. The bed looked inviting. I wanted nothing more than to collapse into it and sleep until the next lesson.But my mind refused to quiet.The petit
Aziel’s POVI broke the wax seal on the first petition carefully, making sure not to tear the parchment beneath it. The paper felt thicker than ordinary letters, and the handwriting was neat enough that I doubted the head of the house had written it himself. Someone skilled had prepared this before it was sent to the Emperor.I read the first few lines quietly.House Ashbourne requested permission to lower its grain taxes for the coming harvest season. Heavy rainfall during the previous months had damaged several farming villages, and they claimed the reduced taxes would allow the people to recover before the next planting season.It sounded reasonable. More than reasonable. If I had been sitting in the Emperor’s place without knowing anything else, I probably would have approved the request immediately.I finished reading and placed the petition beside the family’s profile.“Well?” Valerian asked.“It makes sense.”“Does it?”I looked back at the page. “The floods are mentioned in t
Aziel’s POVI reached for the nearest folder, eager to see what kind of problem Valerian expected me to solve but his hand landed on the file before mine did.“No.”I looked up, confused. “Didn’t you just tell me to find the liar?”“I did.”“Then shouldn’t I start reading?”Valerian folded his hands behind his back and regarded me quietly. “You already have.”I blinked.“I haven’t even opened it.”“Exactly.”Silence settled over the table as Magnus leaned comfortably against one of the shelves, his arms folded across his chest. He wore the same calm expression he always did, though I had begun to notice that expression usually meant he was waiting for me to discover something on my own.Valerian tapped the six folders with one finger. “You saw six reports and immediately reached for the first one.”“I don’t see the problem.”“The problem,” he replied, “is that whoever wrote the first report has already shaped your thoughts before you’ve seen the other five.”I frowned.He continued be
Aziel’s POVMorning arrived much sooner than I wanted it to.The pale sunlight slipped through the curtains, filling the room with a soft glow that should have felt peaceful. Instead, I found myself staring at the ceiling long after waking, unable to bring myself to move. Sleep had come in short bursts throughout the night. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Seraphine’s voice again.They’ll discard you.I let out a quiet sigh and rubbed my face.“Enough.”The word was meant for myself more than anyone else.Why was I still thinking about her?She had lied to Lior his entire life. She had admitted she wanted him dead. She had tried to control my mind in front of the emperor, Magnus, and Valerian. Every mask she had ever worn had fallen away, yet somehow she had still managed to leave those final words buried inside my thoughts.It annoyed me more than it frightened me. Lior had spent too many years letting her decide how he saw himself. I refused to keep doing it now.I pushed the b
Aziel’s POVI sat alone in the quiet corner of the palace library after the meeting with Valerian. The old mage’s words still echoed in my head and the soul resonance tests had left me drained. My body felt heavy. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping to rest, instead, a memory pulled me under. Not one of Lior’s. One of mine.Past LifeThe campfires burned low under the night sky. We had won another battle earlier that day. The air still carried the faint smell of smoke and victory. I sat on a log near my tent, sharpening my sword by the light of the flames. Ronan sat across from me, cleaning his own blade. The two of us often stayed up late after fights, talking about strategy or simply enjoying the quiet.“You fought well today,” I said, glancing at him. “That flank maneuver you suggested turned the tide.”Ronan smiled. It was the same easy smile I had seen a thousand times. “I learned from the best.”I laughed softly. “Flattery will not get you out of training tomorrow.”He chuckle
Aziel’s POVSleep did not come easily in this palace.The silence here was different from the silence of war camps or abandoned battlefields. Those places carried exhaustion. This place carried tension. Even the walls felt awake, listening to every movement, every breath.I lay on the bed staring a
Aziel’s POVThe gates closed behind us with a thunderous sound that echoed through stone and bone.It did not feel like entering a kingdom.It felt like being swallowed.I walked forward anyway.The courtyard stretched wide, paved in dark stone worn smooth by years of war and blood. Tall pillars li
Aziel’s POVMorning came without warmth.I opened my eyes to silence.The carriage no longer moved.For a moment, I stayed still, listening.No wheels grinding against dirt. No distant shouts. No clash of steel.Just quiet.I pushed myself up slowly.Pain flared along my side.The wound.Right.I g
Aziel’s POVI stepped out of the carriage and the cold night air hit my face.The world outside was chaos.Torches blazed against the darkness. Horses screamed. Men shouted over the clash of steel. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air.Bandits.Or assassins.I did not care which. Bodies alre






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