starlightnovelsclub
Stories
18
Chapters
1,015
Words
1.5 M
Comments
238
Reading
5 d, 3 h
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“The term paper this semester will be written in pairs,” Professor Hartwell announced, tapping the roster with his quill. “His Highness, Crown Prince Lucian Casimir Veeraud… and Lady Emilia Evelisse Valmont.” A stir went through the room. Chairs shifted. A pen rolled, caught just before it struck the floor. “His Highness and Lady Emilia?” “The Ice Queen herself.” Lucian kept his smile polite, though the words lingered. As Hartwell droned on with the rest of the names, his thoughts…-
2.4 K •
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The noon bell sent students spilling into the courtyard. Tables appeared quickly; servants uncovered neat trays of pastries and finger food. Voices rose and drifted. Lucian walked with Etienne and Selene to a windowed alcove just off the main hall where they usually ate. From there, the courtyard lay clear below. “Have you heard?” Selene lowered her voice, eyes flicking outside. “Lady Valmont is eating in the courtyard.” “That is… unusual,” Etienne said, curious. “Where?” Lucian saw…
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2.4 K •
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She scares the duke badly enough that he bangs his head against the side of the coach. He lets out a pained curse but doesn’t direct any towards her. Aira. Her name is Aira, she reminds herself. She heaves heavy breaths, trying not to cry. Eventually, she calms herself enough to drift in and out of sleep, but the unstable rest leaves her feeling like she hasn’t slept at all. Once the ice rain stops, the temperature grows much warmer. When the candle in the lantern needs replacing, Duke Wulf goes…-
21.9 K •
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“What?” She feels like she’s about to faint. “Why do they want me dead?” “No one knows why. Ten years ago, the archmage declared a bounty on your head,” he tells her as if it’s only a matter of course. Of course, of course, of course. Her life is one big joke. From the moment she was born, everything was out to get her, and since waking up in this body, it’s only gotten worse. “I will protect you,” the duke reiterates. “They will not win against me in a fight, and if they saw…
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21.9 K •
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With everything around them having been charred to nothingness, they decide to take shelter in the carriage. Duke Wulf doesn’t bother trying to turn the heavy coach over. He opens one of his luggage chests and pulls out a sizable glass lantern. Flames flicker from his fingertip to the oddly thick candle inside. “This will generate heat,” he tells her before handing her the lantern and pushing her into the coach. Having a light after so long in the darkness brings her unspeakable comfort. To keep…
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21.9 K •
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The floating head hides beneath its dark hair to keep hidden in the shadows. Moonlight can only reach so far past the trees. Her eyes dart back and forth, but she’s too panicked to tell the difference between a lock of hair and a branch. She doesn’t see the tendril reaching for her until the duke’s blade is next to her ear. Fear won’t let this body move. She wants to go home. She wants back into her skin, working her boring job and playing on her phone mindlessly. “Come out, or I will burn…
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21.9 K •
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Duke Wulf steps through the newly formed hole in the carriage. It’s only after the last of the fire fades that she realizes there’s something horribly wrong. Instead of sunlight, a brighter darkness fills the coach. It’s as if nighttime has descended, lit only by the moon. It should be early afternoon. Before she can ask about it, something dark wraps around the duke and yanks him out of sight like a cartoon character leaving the stage. It would be comical if she wasn’t so scared. “Duke!”…
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21.9 K •
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Wilma leaves them to get settled in. The duke pokes around the room while she spreads his cloak out on the bed. She decides to test the strength of the bedframe by sitting on it and bouncing. The sound of the metal headrest knocking against the wall brings to mind a certain something, she thinks amusedly. There’s a knock on the door, and she ceases her bouncing with embarrassment. “Dear guests, you must be weary from traveling! I’ve made tea and sandwiches. Come sit down in the parlor while I draw…
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21.9 K •
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They hear the sound of wheels rolling against dirt followed by the soft thud of horseshoes. Excited, she gets up to go meet it, but the duke holds up a hand to stop her from leaving the coach. “Those aren’t palace horses,” he utters. “Stay here.” He grabs the lantern and leaves her in complete darkness. Sounds of metal being scratched fill the coach. Terror starts crawling up her throat, and it doesn’t take long before she abandons the safety of the coach to run after the duke. “Well, what…
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21.9 K •
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There is nothing that can be seen out the window, so she spends her time examining every bit of the coach’s interior. It’s quite ugly. The colors are mixed as if someone couldn’t pick a theme, and the plaid patterns bleeding into polka dots speaks of rushed patch jobs. While she’s glad to no longer be sitting on the cold ground, the entire ride to Helmbeck is awkward. She’s thankful that Huber mainly wants to talk to the duke, but his creepy staring is getting to her. That, and the fact that…
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21.9 K •
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Duke Wulf doesn’t let her down until they’ve made it through the iron gate and onto cobblestone road. With the mayor’s house being in the center of Helmbeck, there’s no need for a carriage. She thinks this way up until her heels slip between uneven stones, and she nearly falls flat on her face. The duke watches her stumble with nearly every step she takes. Eventually, he decides to continue carrying her down the road. His brisk pace makes her faltering steps look like a joke. It could be worse,…
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21.9 K •
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Once their break comes to an end, they grab every key behind the clerk’s station and make their way to the second floor of the inn. The long, narrow hallway is frightening but nothing hides in the dark. With the safety of the warm candlelight, she decides to take the doors to the left while the duke takes the ones on the right. She opens each door carefully, but there are only empty bedrooms waiting for her. Each room is the same: large bed, rug, dresser, and mirror. There’s a room at the end of the…
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21.9 K •
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They only have so much time before the mayor figures them out. They need to figure out what’s going on with Helmbeck before whatever happened to its citizens happens to them. There is no time to rest. And yet. She’s weighed down with exhaustion. Her steps are slow and shaky as she battles against cobblestones once more. Despite her best efforts, her ankle twists, and she falls. The duke manages to catch her before she can kiss the road. “I think you have reached your limit,” he tells her…
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21.9 K •
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“I heard you are quite the delicacy,” the twisted face of the demon says, refined voice at odds with its appearance. “Would you mind dying for me?” The demon opens its mouth wide, fangs bulging, and screams. The high-pitched sound is painful; she clutches at her ears with eyes screwed shut, not noticing the light from the duke’s sword going out. The world starts breaking around her. Something grabs her wrist and yanks hard enough to pull her arm from its socket. It’s so painful that she…
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21.9 K •
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She doesn’t get very far before her legs threaten to give out. Her body is beyond exhausted, and she’s uncertain if she’ll make it to the princess’ wing of the palace. The prince calls for a rolling chair upon her request. Much to her relief, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Unlike a proper wheelchair, the rolling chair resembles a dining chair on tiny wheels meant for slow, careful movement on perfectly smooth flooring. There’s a wooden bar for her feet to rest on, and a handle on the back…
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21.9 K •
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At the end of the marble path is the entrance to the palace’s Great Hall. Men in flashy uniforms and silver-tipped spears safeguard its doors. One of the guards takes her parasol as they enter, and she almost cries in relief. Despite the parasol’s lightness, it felt like she was carrying a rock over time. “Not much farther now,” Prince Elliot tells her staggering form sympathetically. It’s galling; a ten-minute walk in her old body wouldn’t be an issue, but this one can barely keep air in…
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21.9 K •
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