te before her was nothing short of overwhelming. The imposing gates, crowned with intricate ironwork, were flanked by tall stone walls that stretc

at seemed so foreign to her. This was not the place of safety she had envisioned when she first fled her father's

scape, to break free from her father's plans, but at what cost? She had bargained her

ghts. It was one of Allerick's men, his tone po

The marble floors gleamed underfoot, the walls adorned with portraits of men and women she didn't know, their eyes cold and judg

polished floor echoed in the cavernous hallway. She couldn't help but feel as if she were walkin

nd of the hallway, the man gestured for her to s

into a new life, one that could either break her or set her

in a grand armchair, his posture straight despite the cane resting by his side. His presence was commanding, even from across the room. His dark eyes, sharp and ca

his moment, but nothing could have fully prepared her for the reality o

ement. His eyes flickered to the clock on the mantelpiece before

it felt foreign on her lips. "I had a lot to think about," she said, her voice steady bu

t there was an edge of something else in his voice. Something darker. "But I suppose I can't blame you.

d. She had heard enough of his grievances against her family to last a lifetime. Yet, she couldn

rely above a whisper. "A marriage of convenience? A

didn't reach his eyes. "I have my reasons. Just as you have yours. B

r freedom, her future, for the protection of a man who, by all accounts, had his own plans for revenge against her father. Th

haky but firm. "But you don't understand what it costs me.

world. Do you think you're free, Leora?" His voice was cold, but there was something else in it-something like a challenge

d. The promise of freedom she had clung to now seemed like a distant memory. She

r opened to reveal one of Allerick's men. His face

tuation at the docks," the

t the man before turning back to Leora. "I'll handl

stood there, her hands clenched at her sides, fighting the wave of frustration that rose in her chest. This was

st, empty space. The reality of her choice hit her harder than before. This was no

which Allerick had just exited. In that moment, she wasn't sure if she

growing louder. She turned just as a maid e

ur quarters?" the maid asked,

d silently through the mansion's labyrinthine halls, her mind consumed by the cold con