The ancient Darkness that shrouds Terra has long been sealed away, its malevolence forgotten by time. But when an ambitious dark mage, hungry for power beyond her station, breaks the seal, the dread is unleashed upon the world once more. Now, an anc...
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Most of Cora's troubles vanished as Zane had promised. Three days into their marriage, her father was called back to Welkamia for a series of conferences that would last months. She would have stayed at Thronhill Estate, but she felt unwelcome there. She saw Blair and Kaia as usual, while Curtis and Lila kept their distance but still wrote occasionally. She barely left her home, managing it as best as she could in her father's absence. One day, she was buried in a mountain of paperwork, missing lunch in the process. It was only when Zane appeared with her food that she realized how late it had gotten.
He placed the plate on the only vacant spot in her father's office and walked around until he was beside her, peering into her work.
"What disciplines did you learn?" the Prince asked after a while.
"All of them," Cora responded, and he choked on air.
"Even bloody Logic?"
"Especially Logic."
She heard him whisper something under his breath but said nothing to call him out. He had been level-headed, and Cora preferred him that way.
"Your dinner is cold," he informed her, moving on from the topic. "Should I have someone heat it up?"
"No," Cora said as Zane peered into her work again. "Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Looking at the figures."
"I don't understand any of it," he reminded her, and she scoffed. He watched her work, then watched her eat before she banned the servants from accessing her father's office and allowed herself to be dragged to her room. It was not just hers anymore. It was now hers and Zane's. His things had been added to hers, and the room was a lot more occupied.
She crawled into bed without braiding her hair.
Zane followed suit, wrapping his arms around her. If he wanted sex, he had never said it or asked for it. It was an omen to stay so long without consummating their marriage, but Cora couldn't care less about omens and curses.
"You didn't kiss me today," he whispered after the candles went out.
"If it makes you feel better, you didn't kiss me either."
"I can rectify that."
"I'm sure you can."
"I went into the city," he went on. "We should do it together sometime."
"Certainly."
Silence followed, then he let go and moved away. The fear that had crept into her thickened. She didn't hear any movement and decided to look back. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the window in front of him. Cora moved until she sat beside him.
"I went to a brothel," he confessed.
"The Blue Star?" Cora asked, and his head snapped in her direction. "Declan took Blair and me there once to learn how to be fucked."
