Chapter 72: Needing a Miracle
The second Noah heard the words, he stood without hesitation. He bent down in one smooth motion and scooped me up into his arms, lifting me as if I weighed nothing at all.
“Noah!” I shouted, startled.
“You’re tired,” he said calmly, but I could hear the edge in his voice....
2025-07-25 22:13:11 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 71: A Kingdom of Our Own
Just like that, it had become the ninth month of my pregnancy.
Thank the stars it was almost over, and Lyra was just about here!
Soon I would be able to show her the love and care she’s always deserved.
On the other hand, I truly disliked being pregnant. I swore I wouldn...
2025-07-24 07:13:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 70: Lessons That Last
Ten women stood in two rows with varying ages, statures, and backgrounds. They were all waiting under the weight of my stare.
Livia had spent the last few days assembling this group. Half were former tutors to noble households with prim, polished, and rigid expectations.
The other ...
2025-07-23 21:19:57 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 69: Foundations and Expectations
It had been about a week since I broke down in front of Livia and confessed all my anxieties that had been weighing down on me. In response, she moved mountains to ensure I felt safe again.
She had badgered, pressured, and out-researched every noblewoman’s birthing circle in...
2025-07-22 21:51:28 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 68: Faith Isn’t a Plan
The next morning it was known that Malhart had disappeared. No official departure message… just gone. As if the shadows themselves had swallowed him whole.
None of the servants remembered seeing him leave. The gate guards had no record of passage.
It was obvious he was feeling...
2025-07-21 17:22:54 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 67: Too Persuasive to Ignore
After all the formalities were out of the way, everyone was able to move around freely for the next few hours until the end of the banquet. They could start up conversations with whoever they wished or just enjoy themselves.
A few of the younger lords and overly polished nobles tr...
2025-07-19 20:51:12 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 66: From Ornament to Advocate
Elowen stood beneath the flickering chandelier lights, her hands folded delicately, the soft blue of her gown catching the firelight just enough to make her look like the definition of a noble lady.
But it wasn’t just her appearance that commanded attention. It was the silence ...
2025-07-18 04:53:24 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 65: The Courage to Return
I was reviewing the final confirmations for the banquet, notes on seating, menus, and which wine wouldn’t make me want to hurl. When Livia knocked twice and entered my chambers.
“There’s someone asking to see you,” she said with her unreadable tone.
I didn’t look up. ...
2025-07-17 17:37:59 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 64: Let Them Choke on Dust
The moon was high when we finally lay down in our dimly lit room by the soft glow of a single enchanted crystal. Outside the stone walls, it had become quiet from the day’s events.
The weight of what had been said lingered in the air, and with it, thoughts began to change.
B...
2025-07-15 21:42:55 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 63: The Day We Stood
While being in Noah’s arms as we lay on the bed doing our normal nightly routine ever since my pregnancy. I couldn’t help but think back to right after Malhart walked away.
After I turned to leave, I glanced back once he started walking. I watched Malhart go, his smug expression still...
2025-07-15 01:16:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 62: Drown Him in Brilliance
He arrived in a red-laced carriage with golden trim, because of course he did. Nothing says “the king’s favorite” like flaunting your status the moment the wheels touch the dirt.
Noah and I stood at the top of the castle stairs, flanked by Bors and Kellan. Livia stood just be...
2025-07-10 13:27:46 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 61: In My Garden, Snakes Don’t Survive
The next morning after that dreaded letter had arrived, I was still fuming. Damn royalty, always trying to enforce their will onto others.
I stood by the window overlooking the training yard, arms crossed, my robe pulled tightly over my bump like armor. The sky was cle...
2025-07-08 15:52:58 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 60: Warmth Before the Cold
I stared out the window of our chambers, watching the city bustle beneath the early afternoon sun. Merchants were shouting, children were chasing one another through the market, and music drifted faintly from somewhere near the eastern fountain.
My hand rested atop my bump, fingers ...
2025-07-06 20:13:18 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 59: To Teach the World to Think
They were finally ready.
The five scholars stood with ink-stained hands, worn quills, and wrinkled robes. Their expressions ranged from nervous to hopeful, eyes bright with curiosity for the future ahead.
I stood at the front, back straight, hands resting on the chalk-dus...
2025-07-06 12:53:12 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 58: Spoiled with Love
"I moved quietly across the bedroom, almost floating, lighter than I had felt in weeks. Maybe it was the joy of knowing Noah was truly home, or it was just the way his presence made the world feel safer."
“Look,” I said, beckoning him over with an excited wave of the hand. “I got a...
2025-07-06 02:22:18 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 57: Seeds of a Smarter World
The morning air was cool and fresh, drifting through the windows of the newly established school within the fortress. Sunlight spilled across the polished stone floors as I stood at the front, chalk in hand, ready to turn five stiff-robed men into something close to educated teachers. 2025-07-04 16:33:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Chapter 56: A War on Ignorance
The room was thick with tension from the last scholar’s dramatic exit. But I didn’t let the air cool for long.
I sat up as straight as a pregnant woman could manage and stared down at the remaining four. Three looked nervous, and the fourth, a young doctor, seemed intrigued.
...
2025-07-02 14:22:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 55: Show Me Substance
“Oh yeah, Livia,” I said suddenly, spinning in my chair and pointing at her like I’d just remembered something critically important. “You’re going to be my child’s godmother, right?”
Livia, who had been quietly sorting through construction guild applications, froze mid-moti...
2025-07-01 09:53:50 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 54: The Light of Seraphina Academy
My dearest Noah,
I’ve finally figured out how to help this world! Something desperately needs to be done!
Do you have any idea what I’m talking about? Probably not…
“I’m going to build a school. Just near the entrance of t...
2025-06-29 21:12:47 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 53: For the Sake of Tomorrow
The grand hall of the archduchy has never been used like this before. At the far end of the hall sat a long rectangular table with two opposing forces.
On one side sat the nobles, and on the other, a group of carefully chosen commoners. Blacksmiths, farmers, merchants, bakers, and...
2025-06-28 10:05:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 52: The Great Noble Retreat
The sun had only just crested on the horizon, casting the archduchy in a warm orange glow. When the butler approached me, I didn’t even wait for him to speak before I snatched the parchment out of his hand like a starving woman presented with a feast.
“Clear the table,” I tol...
2025-06-26 18:37:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 51: Ink Between Us
Noah’s reply arrived much faster than I had anticipated.
Only a day had passed since I had sent my last letter, yet the butler appeared again, slightly out of breath as he stepped into my usual lounging spot where I often spent time with Livia.
He held the enchanted parchment in bot...
2025-06-25 22:41:49 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 50: A Little Revolution Never Hurt Anyone
Not long after I finished reading Noah’s letter, the butler gave me another enchanted parchment. It was now my chance to send a response.
I couldn’t help being excited about explaining what had happened recently.
After snatching it from the butler’s grasp,...
2025-06-24 09:38:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 49: Justice Served, Hope Ignited
The two men were forced to kneel in front of me while both their heads were pushed into the ground. I continued kicking to my heart’s content as I kept my balance thanks to Livia.
It wasn’t graceful or queenly, but it felt damn good.
After my foot connected with each...
2025-06-23 05:39:12 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 48: Lesson Delivered, Mercy Denied
“Livia,” she turned towards me, her eyes as calm as ever. “Want to go see if my earlier attempts at correcting terrible store employee behavior actually worked?” My grin was cunning, like a fox on the hunt.
Her expression didn’t change at first, but then I saw that...
2025-06-22 17:06:56 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 47: A Letter Arrived
After I finished explaining the madness of my old world, I stayed sitting by the water with Livia, the air cool and peaceful around us.
The tension that had been knotted up inside me for the last few days had now finally loosened. Finding something to talk about in such great detail reall...
2025-06-21 15:50:50 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 46: Pieces of Who I Was
A few days had passed since Noah left. They were quiet, but not exactly peaceful.
Every knock at the door made my heart jump, thinking maybe he was back, but of course I knew… I still had a long way to go.
We were with each other most of the day; he would invite me to his offic...
2025-06-21 02:52:35 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 45: When Love Hurts Most
The days that followed were quiet and tender. Mornings passed in a tangle of blankets, his hands moving gently over my belly, and the comforting weight of a love that never wavered.
We moved forward with the changes we had planned, transforming Coldmere into something far more refined...
2025-06-19 16:23:16 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 44: A Thousand Gold Times Three
“Noah,” I said, stretching luxuriously across his lap like I was reclining on a throne. “I feel like I should be getting paid for all this advice.”
“If they had a shred of decency, they’d be paying tuition,” he said, clearly enjoying the show as much as I was.
... 2025-06-18 20:34:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 43: Watch and Learn
“I can’t believe how transparent you all are,” I said, brushing a hand through my hair with exaggerated irritation. “So tell me, purely out of curiosity, is it one of you who secretly covets my husband, or all three?”
They recoiled as if I had struck them.
I didn’t wait f...
2025-06-17 22:21:28 +0000 UTC View Post