Lahat ng Kabanata ng Four Realms of Desire : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The Duke removed his riding cloak and jacket, hanging them by the fire. Beneath, a linen shirt clung damply to his chest. It crossed Loren's mind that the tailors of Windrider might be deeply immoral people.His black hair had come loose during the ride, falling below his shoulders in damp waves. Firelight moved across his face, sharpening his cheekbones and softening his mouth in a way Loren found unhelpful.The Duke pulled a chair closer, stretching his legs toward the flames. He looked perfectly at ease, as though sharing lodgings with an unmarried woman was routine. She’d heard whispers about soldiers before, men with a woman in every barracks. Someone like him probably collected admirers across all four realms.Loren grimaced. She didn't want to think of him in that way. She especially didn't want to think of him pinning her against the stable wall, his mouth near her hair.He caught her watching him. The slightest twitch of his mouth, as if he knew what she’d been thinking. Lore

The escort party arrived in the stable yard at first light, a thunder of hooves on the cobblestones sending chickens scattering. The Lieutenant rode at the head of the small party. Perched behind the Lieutenant, strawberry blonde curls catching the light, was Mariselle.“Loren!”Mariselle slid from the horse and threw her arms around her older sister. “Thank the spirits you’re safe. When the escort scattered yesterday, I hardly knew what to think.”Loren buried her face briefly in Mariselle’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of rosewater and home.“I’m perfectly fine.”“Are you hurt? Injured? Did they...” Mariselle pulled back to inspect her. “You look terrible. Did you sleep? Your hair is...”“Mariselle. I’m fine.”“The Lieutenant said the Duke escorted you personally to ensure your safety.” Mariselle’s gaze drifted toward him. “How very…gentlemanly.”Heat crept up Loren’s neck. “He was fulfilling his duty.”“His duty. Yes, of course.”Loren followed her gaze, taking in th

The Windrider fortress appeared on the horizon like a promise of war.Loren had expected something graceful, perhaps even elegant in the eastern manner. What rose from the steppe was a city built by people who understood that survival mattered more than beauty.Massive timber walls stretched across the landscape, crowned with watchtowers sweeping the grassland. Red and gold flags fluttered in the wind like battle standards.The entire structure seemed to have grown from the steppe itself, as though the Windrider people had seized a piece of the landscape and dared anyone to take it back.“Impressive, isn’t it?” the Prince said beside her. “It is impressive,” she managed. “Very… solid.”“That’s one word for it,” the Prince laughed. “My mother used to call it ‘aggressively practical.’ The first time she saw Windrider, she asked my father if he was planning to imprison her or marry her.”Loren grinned at him. “I can see why.”“Father always said a city should look capable of surviving a

The banquet lasted precisely three hours too long. When the Prince suggested she might wish to rest, Loren escaped the great hall with what she hoped appeared to be gracious fatigue rather than desperate flight.She had intended to return directly to her chamber, instead she found herself lost in a maze of corridors designed to confuse invaders and guests alike. Pride prevented her from calling for assistance. A princess of Greenborne did not become lost in her future home like a wandering goose.She found herself in a dark corridor, warm light spilling from an alcove ahead. As she neared, familiar voices carried through the opening.“—the attack was coordinated,” the Duke said. “But whether they were Mirefolk agents or brigands taking advantage remains unclear.”Loren stopped still. She knew she should leave but mention of the ambush kept her rooted to the spot.“The timing is hardly coincidental,” Earl Willa’s voice carried clearly. “The princess arrives to formalise the alliance a

In the afternoon, the Prince appeared in the ante chamber where Loren sat with her ladies.“Come,” he said, extending his hand to her. “You should see the view from the battlements.”The stairs to the battlements were steep and narrow. When they emerged onto the rampart, Loren felt her breath catch at the view. From this height, the grassland rolled away in every direction, golden in the afternoon light and dotted with distant settlements. “You can see everything from here,” Loren observed.“Nothing moves across this land without someone on these walls noticing,” the Prince said before glancing briefly toward the northern sky. “Well, almost nothing.”Loren rested her hands lightly against the rampart. “I imagine that makes sneaking out rather difficult.”The Prince laughed softly.“I’ve hardly spent a moment alone since my mother died. Sneaking anywhere would require a military campaign and written approval from three advisors.”Loren lowered her voice conspiratorially. “In that case