e. He stepped forward and pulled her int

arried you, we swore an oath before heaven and

atter, I will explain it all to you later. Since you cannot conceive, you can

throb with a familiar, dull ache, but it was nothi

en we swore that oath, you also said you would protect me. You p

ening. Then, he pulled back slightly and hand

u do it y

wouldn' t count as him hurting her? The

e. "In the ancient stories, the Third Prince cut his own flesh to repay his mother and carved out his bone

k, her hand steady as she prepared

lence. "Duke, please don' t make things difficult f

. She looked up, her ey

s face was pale, and a large, white bandage was wrapped around his w

st. "If Clara' s identity is truly as you say, Duke, then my fles

ent message that said, "Don' t be a

firm. "Clara' s health is important. Michael, I apologize

about to say something. But just then

Miss Clara h

gave Eleanor one last, deep look, left a gold ingot

the wall Eleanor had built around her emotions finally crumbled.

to examine Michael' s wound, her eye

ou still crying? I' m fine. I' ve had all sorts of injuries on th

rsonal guard came to find me. I was able to get here just in time.

ears, she had wished for the love of her parents and brothers. Now, she had

d ignore Clara Miller' s petty provocations. But she could not, would n

f. She counted the gold ingots Arthur had left her. Ninety-seven. Almost ther

r hadn' t even had time to bow when Emperor William r

grew up together. If even you have to bow to me, t

r felt another wave of emotion wash over her. William, Michael, even herself... the

Whether she found an answer to that qu

iam' s voice interrupted her thoughts. "Didn' t you say last time t

s in her throat. "I... I came to ask you to issu

disbelief. "But you said last time that I should

t expected that in just a few short days, s

figure out how to explain her change of heart when the head eunuch, Butle

the Duke Regen

ed Eleanor, "Quick, hide behind the screen. I don' t w

llow her words and quickly slip

hen she heard Arthur' s cold, m

for a decree. I wish to appoint Cl

ysical blow. She stood frozen b

devoid of any emotion, "she is ill-behaved, jealous,