Chapter 13 Run Away

When Isolde stepped into the carriage, her eyes swept over the interior. The cushions and curtains were spotless, carrying a faint, elegant fragrance. It was clear the High Magistracy of Argentum had shown her due respect.

If it’s just a formality, it shouldn’t take long, she told herself though a faint unease lingered.

She lifted the curtain and saw the carriage trundling steadily toward the High Magistracy. Soldiers and officials moved along the streets, and she caught the constable exchanging greetings with them, his manner forthright and transparent

After a while, the carriage halted. An official hurried forward and spoke to the constable. “My lord, there’s been a sighting of a suspicious figure on West Street Lordship wants us to investigate.”

Lord Harmon turned his horse sharply. “Understood. I see to it.”

He addressed the driver without pause. Take her to the High Court of Parliament first, then meet me at West Street

Yes, sir, the driver replied, snapping the reind

Without so much as a glance at Isolde, Lord Harmon de off. She paid it no mind, her thoughts.

elsewhere. Likely. Mary’s family had been stirred by Matilda or Milton to file their complaint at the magistracy

Surely they knew her father could resolve the matter with a single word. At most. it was a petty ploy to vex her. So what good would it do them? Would they truly go to such lengths just to unsettle me?

No. Milton wouldn’t stoop to this. The scheming likely came from Matilda.

The steady clatter of the carriage wheels on cobblestones echoed through the quiet streets.

Each strike of the wheels seemed to drum against her hest, amplifying her unease. Her eyelids grew heavy, and a faint alarm rang in her thoughts.

Something felt off.

“Leonis!” She called out as her body went limp, the darkness closing in.

Before the carriage reached the Argentum, a man climbed aboard. The recent disappearance of Prince Theodric had tightened security, with guards stopping every traveler.

At the checkpoint, one of the guards approached the carriage. “Who’s inside? State your purpose.

The Daughter of Duke Blackmoor, traveling to visit family,” the driver replied.

brows flickered upward in surprise, but he said nothing more, lowering the curtain Move

his companion. Isn’t she betrothed to

other

Fri, Mar

13 Run Away

Finished

tryst. Poor Lord Valen- he’s barely betrothed,

in, intrigued, while nearby citizens paused to catch

man clad in green, his brown hair flowing and eyes sharp. Resting his hands on the

to his ears, and for a fleeting moment, a glint of anger broke through his icy

greeted, voices hushed.

in his wake. “Since when was the Marshal at the gate? You think he overheard us? He’s the foster son

stone. Mounting in one fluid motion, he rode hard, galloping through the city

midday. Argentum was alive with scandal. Rumors claimed the Lady Isolde of Blackmoor had slipped out of the city to rendezvous with a man. Some even whispered she’d eloped.

her mouth gagged. She was no longer in the

of the palanquin told

her up the rugged path.

trail countless times, memorizing every

Mountain? They’re taking me there? Could it be mountain bandits, rather than Milton, behind

with the bandits of Wolf Mountain. The only enemies she had were the

else could

forced her mind to steady, piecing together fragments of memory. In her previous life, this time had been marked by more than just the fall of Lord Theodric. Another storm was brewing: the emperor had ordered an investigation into corrupt officials colluding between

His

known the lay of Wolf Mountain intimately, and its bandits trusted him. Their drunken revelry? Almost

2/4

FI, M

13 Run Away

pter 13

work of Blackwell’s hand? But

95%

Finished

that were Milton

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255