Chad grinned devilishly at her.The words “It’s not a dream” echoed in her mind again and again. She reached for her clothes to realise she was wearing nothing but a sheer outer coat that didn’t belong to her.Her facial expression morphed into that of pure rage.“What… What happened? What am I doing here? And you, why are you in my room?”He just threw his head back and laughed at her.“Do you remember what you just asked of me? Are you saying that you’re going back on your own words?”She felt the heat of her embarrassment creeping across her cheeks. He leered at her. “If you, as a future advisor, can swallow what you just said, then who would take your words seriously in future?”His words made sense, but how could she have even thought she was still dreaming, after waking up from another lusty dream of performing the deed with Chad?She could have slapped herself on the face. She tried to move, but Chad inhibited her movement. Earlier he had distanced himself from her and treated
When she woke up the next morning, Jade's mind was still in turmoil from what had happened the night before. She couldn't explain why she could hear what Chad conversed with the intruder, although she did not know who that person was.She had never heard of a dark inn before and was apprehensive about what kind of drug they had imposed on her to have such an effect on her. It had disabled her ability to defend herself and sent her into a deep sleep and even when Chad had absorbed half of it, she still felt impacted. For one, she almost lost control of her emotions and agreed to the mercenary's terms.Sky was waiting for her outside her room when she emerged. He surprised her with a hug, although what left her apprehensive was the words 'dark inn'.The words 'dark inn' had only emerged in literature for her. But she firmly suspected something was not right. Who in the world could have borne such a grudge against her? It was just after she received the news that her betrothed was dead,
They had journeyed by sea for three days. On the second night of the trip, Jade wasn’t astonished when Sky substituted Chad’s place in the cabin to explain the situation to her. By then, they had already known that Jade was aware of the deception. Sky had put up an act of vomiting to gain her sympathy, although she was sure it was Chad who convinced him to, for reasons unknown.Unfortunately, alone with him in the cabin, she had to listen to Sky’s confession a third time. The first time was back on the island, where she just smiled and accepted his flowers. The second time was when he embraced her back at the inn. The third time was right now.Just how many more times more did she have to expect a confession?Jade was exhausted. But she couldn’t give out her relationship with her aunt just yet, and she had to reject him without hurting his feelings. Now that her engagement was revoked by the king, she had to find another party to make Sky give up.Her desire was getting uncontrollabl
She wondered who could have sent the boy when it was barely a week that she had arrived at the village, and few people could have recognised her in the customary dress of the Vigils.Her curiosity prompted her to head over to the address to see who it was who was looking for her. The boy had mentioned little, just that she would find someone she knew there. After passing her the message, he vanished without a trace, swift like a fox.The scene that unfolded before her eyes later turned out to be such a disappointment. Following the tip of the boy, she found herself on the outskirts of the village.In the distance, Chad had his arm curled unceremoniously around the meagre arms of a petite girl with unkempt hair and narrow eyes. She dressed drably in tattered clothing and appeared sloppy. Jade recognised the girl as Sally, the country girl smitten with Chad and clung to him like glue. What she never expected was how Chad would have a rendezvous with that country bumpkin in secret. She f
Note: The chapter below is entirely optional and is not crucial to the story's development. Skip if you dislike mature contents................................"You're nervous."Chad's long fingers caressed her cheeks, gently descending her bare torso. She trembled as each move from him invoked her uneasiness.Was this how a bride felt during her wedding night? She figured, observing him remove his clothes and step out of them with pride.She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. It'll be over in a jiffy."I'll be gentle," she heard him say. She nodded in return. What had she just signed up for? She was clueless about sexual relations between couples, other than what was in the books."I'll try," he added in a sincere tone.What did he mean by telling her he would try?The warm feeling of something probing against her lower abdomen sent apprehension through her body. She breathed in hard and fas
Chad had returned to the cottage feeling in high spirits. Finally, his hard efforts had paid off, and he spent the night with Jade Gold.Unfortunately, she had left in the morning.He had plotted everything, from paying up the courtesan Sally Sin, who claimed to only sell her smiles. She had turned out to be an excellent actress, as she had Jade believing that they were an item.Their second time together still ended up painful for Jade. He felt bad having to resort to this kind of method to gain her, although he knew it was for the best. He could only seek to satisfy Jade’s sensuous nature by having a discreet relationship with her, as he needed to strike when the iron was hot. He had a hunch that Stanson was going to reappear, and before that, he had to conquer Jade’s heart.He could try to tell Jade about Stanson’s atrocity when he colluded with the dark inn proprietor to drug her, but the problem was, would she believe him? He had no proof and
"What do we do now?" Jade paced up and down the market, whispering in a low tone to Chad.It was half an hour since the man had left, and the end of the agreed time by Booyeong. Calling on his photographic memory, Chad recalled the contents of the note thrusted into his tunic. It contained an address in the nearby woods, but he wasn't sure whether it was indeed Booyeong who had sent the note, as he hadn't witnessed the man's face clearly.He dwelled on the embroidered pattern on the black robes of the man. The said pattern was prominent on the sleeves and back of the man's robes, suggestive that it was an emblem of an eminent evil.Was Booyeong part of a secret society that propagated wrongdoings and performed heinous crimes? Chad figured.The forest was just about ten li from the market. If it hadn't been for the kidnapping, they would have had to make their journey through the woods to get through Faepool. They wouldn't have time to return to the cottage to ge
When she opened her eyes, Jade was in a large cavern.A witch sat on a black throne with sharp edges, conversing with her minions in a strange language. But as she listened, the meaning behind the words gradually became clear in her mind.“Who are you?”She recognised the witch as the ‘ancient evil’ in her dreams, but the witch hadn’t divulged her name to her yet. Fearful of judgement, she hadn’t told any of her companions about the dream she had before.The witch just let out a loud cackle. One of her henchmen, a human-like male but with horns, descended from the stairs and answered Jade impatiently.“It’s Her Highness Ximanka!”Ximanka. Xima. She was none other than the feared witch in the dreams of the civilians of Shangyi?Jade cowered in fear with her conjecture.“Yes, my dear Jade. You got that right, I am none other than her.” The witch smiled slyly, radiating seductive vibes all around that stunned her henchmen and left them watering at t