Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90 - Light And Shadow>
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112 - The Morning Comes>
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118 - After The Storm
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132 -
Chapter 133
Chapter 134 - Epilogue 1.3
Chapter 135 - Epilogue 2.1: Traces Of Life
Chapter 136
Chapter 137 - Epilogue 2.3
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141 - Epilogue 4.1: Ever After>
Chapter 142 - Epilogue 4.2
Chapter 143 - Epilogue 4.3
Chapter 144 - Epilogue 5.1>
Chapter 145 - Epilogue 5.2
Chapter 146 - The Most Romantic Weekend>
Chapter 147 - Short Stories 1.2
Chapter 148 -
Chapter 149 -
Chapter 150 -
Chapter 151 -
Chapter 152 -
Chapter 153 -
Chapter 154 - Short Stories 3.1: Unexpected Things Happen>
Chapter 155 - Short Stories 3.2>
Chapter 156 -
Chapter 157 -
Chapter 158 -
Chapter 159 -
Chapter 160 -
Chapter 161 - Short Stories 5.1: The Man Behind The Mask>
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164 -
Chapter 165 -
Chapter 166
Chapter 167 - Short Stories 6.2
Chapter 168 - Short Stories 6.3
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189 (End)
Categories Genre: All, Completed, Fantasy Status: Completed ______
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 189 Page No. 188 Page No. 187 Page No. 186 Page No. 185 Page No. 184 Page No. 183 Page No. 182 Page No. 181 Page No. 180 Page No. 179 Chapter 175
Chapter 175:
It was a long yet short week. It was a very productive week for the emperor and the empress.
For the past week, the secret passages have allowed Bina and Princess Beatrice to remain hidden. Lucretius and Bina held each other’s hand lovingly as they strolled down the passage.
Lucretius asked, “By the way, are you sure this is okay? Do you really think it’s safe to leave Duchess Lonensia as is?”
Bina giggled. “I didn’t just let her off! She was such a strong arrogant woman, and I made her kneel in front of me and used her own son against her. I can guarantee you that the duchess has never been humiliated like that in her life.”
Lucretius nodded. “I guess. Even when she was thanking you, she looked like she would rather die.”
Bina whispered sweetly, “So that is why you can’t kill him, Luc.”
Lucretius frowned. He knew who Bina was referring to.
She continued, “I am serious. Don’t kill him. That man is Duchess Lonensia’s weakness. He needs to remain alive, so we can use him against her. Roberto will be our dog leash for Norma. If she loses her son, who knows what she will do?”
From the beginning, Lucretius agreed it would be best to keep the duchess around, so they can use her as they wished. Bina was the empress; therefore, she had full control over the castle. However, she was only one woman and couldn’t rule the entire social world of Cransia. If she got rid of the Duchess Lonensia, the head of the noble ladies, things could get confusing and messy.
Bina needed to keep Norma around. As long as she had control over the duchess, she had control over the noble families.
This whole scandal worked out very well in the end. Roberto’s stupidity and arrogance gave them Duchess Lonensia, yet Lucretius was still unhappy about one thing.
“But to keep that bastard alive? Could it be that you… fell for him…?”
Bina pouted and pinched his nose. “Don’t even joke about something like that! How could you even think that?! Don’t you remember what I said to you? I hated his gaze. It made my skin crawl.”
Lucretius looked unconvinced. “I guess, but…”
“I thought you were just acting like you didn’t trust me… Or were you really thinking I had an affair?”
“Of course not, but…”
When Lucretius didn’t finish his sentence, Bina narrowed her eyes.
“But what?”
Lucretius hugged her tight. “But the fact is that he targeted you. Do you know how hard I tried not to hurt him? Every time he looked at you, I wanted to pull his eyes out. Every time he kissed your hand, I wanted to sew his lips up. I wanted to chop his hands off just for holding your hand.”
“…”
Bina sighed. She was so used to Lucretius now that most of the odd things Lucretius did and said looked adorable to her. She could understand him being jealous of others from time to time, but when his scary side came out like this, she felt concerned. She thought this side of him was gone after their marriage.
Bina said to him, “Stop overreacting.”
“Why would you think this is overreacting?”
“Because it is. If he succeeded, then I would have wanted to kill him too, but he didn’t. He failed miserably, right?”
Lucretius complained like a child. “You are too soft-hearted.”
“We can afford to have hearts now. Katleyanira is gone, and we don’t have any enemies like Prince Coronel anymore. You promised you will do your best to inherit a peaceful kingdom to our child.”
This was the promise Lucretius made on the night of Bina’s coronation. She was pregnant at the time with Beatrice, and they were determined to create a safe world for their baby.
Lucretius remembered the beautiful night and finally regained his calmness.
“Yeah, I remember.”
Bina caressed Lucretius’ cheek gently. She looked like a lion trainer teaching the beast to behave.
“Good boy.”
Lucretius chuckled and rubbed his head against Bina’s hand.
“You always treat me like I’m a baby, but the funny thing is… whenever you do that, I really do feel like a young boy again.”
“But you like it, right?”
“Yeah, I do. The only time I can relax is when I’m with you.”
If he hadn’t met Bina, Lucretius would’ve never been able to feel this. When he was with her, he felt like he could let go and rely on her. He knew Bina was strong enough.
The only other person who tried to protect him was his mother when he was young, but Empress Beatrice was too weak. When she died, he was only ten, and he had to grow up fast to survive.
Now, Lucretius didn’t have to be the strongest of them all. As Bina said, he could relax in her presence. He could act childishly.
“I know, Bina.”
Lucretius hugged her tightly. His lovely wife, his protector, his everything.
‘Well… I guess I can do a lot of things to him without killing him.’
Lucretius was not a good man. He was honest enough to admit it. He knew Bina would hate it, but he would make sure she never finds out.
***
The guards, sent by the royal family to protect Amarince, surrounded her house. When a man came to see her, the guards stopped him, but the man wouldn’t leave. After half an hour of struggle, Amarince finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“…”
“…”
She opened the door slightly just enough so only half of her face could be seen. She was nervous, and it was no wonder. The man who came to visit her was the man who choked her. It was the man who plotted against the empress. Amarince had no doubt he would kill her in a heartbeat.
Roberto called out her name desperately.
“Amari…”
Amarince replied coldly, “Go back home.”
“Amari! How could you do this to me?”
Amarince smirked. “What a stupid thing to say.”
“You…! How dare you!”
Amarince finally could see this man for what he really was.
‘How blind I have been! What a loser he is.’
He was weak and cowardly. He plotted against the empress and when it failed, he blamed everything on Amarince.
Even today, he came here and banged on her door as if he wanted to get to her to hurt her.
Roberto frowned angrily.
He growled, “You can’t do this to me. You love me.”
Amarince glared at him. “I did once love you, and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“What?”
When Roberto looked shocked, Amarince felt better. She was happy that she now was strong enough to be able to say this to him.
“It’s true. Even now, I may have feelings for you, but it’s not big enough to put her highness in danger.”
“You care more about that woman you barely know than me? That’s why you betrayed me? Why!?”
“…”
Amarince still remembered that night when the applause surrounded her on the royal stage. It was the best night of her life.
She said to Roberto, “Because she is my audience.”
“A… udience?”
Roberto stared at Amarince in shock as she continued confidently, “As a woman, it’s true that I still have feelings for you. But as a singer, I cannot betray her. Her highness is the most important audience of them all.”
Amarince was now the best female singer in the kingdom. If she had to choose between living as a woman or as a singer, her choice was clear. Her career was the most important thing for her; therefore, she chose Empress Sa Bina without hesitation over Roberto.
“So leave, Roberto. I’m sure your mother will protect you.”
“…”
“I will look out for your next song. I don’t know what name you will use next, but I’m sure it will be the best.”
She meant it. As a singer, she respected Roberto as a composer.
Roberto frowned angrily. He finally exploded.
He moved so fast that it happened before anyone could react. Roberto stabbed the two guards. Blood spilled everywhere and it splashed onto Amarince as well.
“How dare you…!”
Roberto then grabbed Amarince’s neck through the opened door.
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
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