Chapter 4 *** Elise took Phillip's hand and stepped out into the garden. The wind, still chilly, brushed her cheeks. Unseen, the season had passed her by. Three laps later, it was winter again. Nella had said that soon the snow would melt and spring would come. They hadn't walked far when Phillip said she shouldn't overexert herself and sat her down on a bench. "Come here, sit down." <This is more comfortable,> she said. Warmth radiated through their clasped hands. Each stroke on his palm...
Chapter 3 *** The word ‘husband’ was so foreign to her. Claude Adrian Victor Robertson von Killiatzman. The long name that came out of the Archbishop's lips on the wedding day came to mind. Despite his noble status as the third son of the Emperor, he was a member of the royal family who went to war. A hero who volunteered to go to war and brought victory to the Empire. There were many who cursed Elise for monopolizing such a man despite being a fallen noble, but her relationship with Claude...
Chapter 2 *** "Please sit down." The Empress's voice was followed by the giggles of the ladies, who made no attempt to restrain themselves. "..." Elise clasped her hands together wordlessly. The trembling in her fingertips showed no sign of abating, no matter what she had been through. Her eyelids fluttering open and closed, she tried to imagine what the place would look like. The Empress's conservatory, where the sunlight was beautiful on the glass. The ladies were laughing around the table,...
Chapter 1 *** An oracle was given. You might ask what kind of oracle was this in an age when railroads had replaced dirt roads, automobiles had replaced horses, and telephone lines were everywhere, but it was. There was no doubt about it, as several of the best priests delivered it to the imperial palace in one day. <Claude von Killiatzman, hero of the Empire and proud son of the Emperor, must marry or die. And the woman who marries him will go blind.> If you wish to save him, sacrifice...