064

064


Isolde

“Ahem!” Isolde cleared her throat, breaking the hypnotic stare between her sister and Alfos.

The beta recollected himself and shyly turned to look at Isolde, his eyes shimmering. “Uh, you,” he rasped. “I was passing by when I heard voices. I figured it wasn’t just your sister,” Alfos’s voice took on a hard edge.

Lucinda fiddled with her fingers clumsily as she savored how deep his voice was. She would bet her sister could hear the rapid beating of her heart.

Sparing a quick glance at Lucinda, Isolde bobbed her head. “I am…awake now as you can see.”

“It’s a good thing…”

“Why?” Isolde quizzed, interrupting him. “You certainly do not care about me, do you?”

Alfos teetered on his feet, shrugging. “I guess I do. You saved the lord after all.” Isolde exhaled, puckering a brow. “I’m happy you listened to me. I thought a woman wouldn’t survive in your world. That a woman doesn’t have any right to proffer solutions.”

Alfos regarded her silently, humming inwardly, if only you knew Bloomington back when things were normal.

“A woman does. Even though we have so few of your gender,” he leaned closer and patted Isolde’s shoulder. Seeing that, Lucinda’s eyes stared hungrily at his hand, corded with muscles, looking so masculine. “I’ll have your assistant and servants serve you all you’d ever need. I’m sorry for everything that happened.”

Isolde only stared at him, unable to utter a response. As the male strutted out of the room, she watched him.

However, Lucinda’s eyes were still pinned on the door long after Alfos was gone, which made Isolde grumble out, throwing her hands up.

“Lucinda! Why do you keep staring at him?” Her eyes were narrowed because she didn’t understand what was transpiring between Alfos and her sister.

Lucinda practically shrieked at Isolde’s voice, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

“Huh?”

Isolde leaned close to her sister, staring down her nose at her. “Why are you looking at him so hard? You’re practically eating him up with your eyes.”

Dreamily, Lucinda blurted out, “He’s so handsome.”

Realizing she shouldn’t have said that out loud, she cupped a hand over her mouth, wide eyes gaping at Isolde.

“Holy seven gods! You like him?” Isolde yipped, blinking at her sister.

Really? Lucinda and Alfos?

No…no…

“Sister…”

“It can’t be him!” Isolde said, her gaze pinballing on Lucinda.

“But he’s hot, sister!” Lucinda blurted, surging to her feet. She teetered on her feet, giving Isolde a doe-eyed look. “I keep thinking about him, sister!” She sat back down and held Isolde’s hands. “Please, can you make him like me? I feel like…”

“He’s a dangerous man, Lucinda. I can’t…” Before Isolde could finish, a sob wrenched out of Lucinda’s throat.

She hurriedly bounced on her feet and ran out of the room, stunning Isolde.

“Where the hell is she going to?” Isolde muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she replayed the scene earlier.

Alfos and her sister? Hell’s cock!





Two long days have passed since Isolde healed completely. Now, she was back on her feet, ready to continue her luna training.

Isolde was clearly forcing her mind to focus on the training, but it kept drifting to thoughts about Lord Draco. She hadn’t seen him since she awoke, and that made her worried.

Didn’t Lucinda say he always visited her when she was unconscious?

“My lady, you are not writing again,” Carldo’s voice interrupted her, and Isolde looked down, surprised to see she had only held the quill suspended in the air while she thought about Draco.

“Oh,” she gave a shaky laugh. “I’m supposed to write?”

“Yes, my lady. You’re, after all, learning how to write since you’ve shown great reading skill,” Carldo prattled, staring at her.

“Oh. What should I write?” she asked, twirling the quill between her fingers.

“Anything. A letter perhaps?” Carldo suggested.

Loving the idea, Isolde began to scribble words clumsily on the parchment.

“Are you shy to realize I nearly killed you after acting all broody or are you shy to admit your big ass self was saved by a woman? Phew, I told you I’ll kill you. Now you know I make good on my promises, broody monster.”

The words were scribbled haphazardly on the parchment, but to Isolde, it was as perfect as it could be. Carldo kept trying to sneak a peek, but Isolde hid the wording from him until she was done and rolled the parchment, smiling evilly.

“My lady?” Carldo called, but Isolde ignored him and rose to her feet. She left the library, walking down to Draco’s chamber.

She walked down the hall with utter determination on her face, but noticed something different this time.

It was the way all the servants bowed at the sight of her. It had never happened before. Even Edrand’s supporters were bowing at her with scared looks on their faces, nonetheless.

What changed?

Why was everyone now scared of her, or was it respecting her?

It was so funny that they didn’t dare to stand up until Isolde’s shadow left their sight. Isolde feasted her eyes back and forth while striding down the hall.

“Strange,” she said under her breath.

“My lady, here you are…” Roga called out upon seeing Isolde walking down the hall.

Just like the others, the servants following Roga instantly bowed at Isolde’s sight.

“Roga, what is happening? Why is everyone in the tower acting strange?” she hurriedly closed the distance between her and Roga, holding the older female’s hands as she asked.

Roga released a small chuckle. Then answered. “You haven’t heard? The lord called a meeting right after his recovery and drafted a new law where anyone who disrespects you will be hung in the gallows or beheaded. No male in the whole of Abbator will ever go against you.”

Isolde went pale as shock gripped her hard. Unknowingly, her grip on Roga slackened. Then her feet backtracked as she watched all the males still kneeling before her.

“What? Why did he do that…?” she stuttered, gaping at the kneeling males. Roga only offered a shrug. Isolde looked around and asked again. “So, if I tell them to rise to their feet, they’ll obey my command?”

“Yes, my lady.”

At Roga’s words, Isolde decided to test the ground. She cleared her throat and gruffly commanded. “I command you to rise.”

With immediate effect, the males rose to their feet, saying simultaneously, “Thank you, my lady.”

Oh wow.

She was now an authority in a land dominated by males? Isolde thought to herself as she looked around her.

Roga had a huge grin on her face, her head bobbing as she admired Isolde. This moment made Isolde feel powerful, like someone with a superpower. She never thought about how it’d feel to have these males bow to her will.

“My lady, proceed with your quest. I shall attend to you later,” Roga said, bowing once more at Isolde before leaving.

Again, the males sought Isolde’s permission to leave, and she granted it by jerking her head.

She watched them leave, her heart soaring.

Draco did this? Why?

She thought he hated her guts?

Huffing, Isolde continued the rest of her journey to Draco’s chamber. The sentinels standing by the door immediately bowed to her.

No one questioned her as Isolde kept the parchment before Draco’s door and left with a smug grin.

As soon as she was gone, one of the sentinels took the parchment and knocked on the door.

“Enter,” Draco’s voice boomed. He was seated behind his desk as the sentinel came to him and handed him the parchment.

“My lord, it’s a message from your soon-to-be luna,” the sentinel announced, to Draco’s surprise.

TBC.