He galloped through the night like a madman. He couldn't get far enough from the Duchess's mansion—with its foul perfume, its suffocating laughter, and the crowd of greedy, scheming nobles. The people there exhausted him. Maybe he really was getting older.
It was already morning when he arrived home. He should have gone straight to bed—but then he saw her.
Sha stood near the window, smiling toward the rising sun, her maid bustling around her. She leaned out to open the window, and he could hear her voice—clear as a bell, bright with joy. She was radiant, glowing with happiness about something.
"I'm so happy, my dear Sonya! Floriana is getting married—to Squire Alfonso's son! She says he's a prince from her dreams, the best thing that's ever happened to her!"
Sha laughed as her maid inspected her braided hair.
He froze.
A prince from her dreams... That young man was a heartbreaker—and a gold-digger, thought the Count, sighing heavily.
Should he tell Sha? It felt childish to worry over someone she barely knew. And what would he even say? 'I accidentally overheard you while you were half-dressed in your room with your maid, and now I know your friend is marrying a terrible man?'
It sounded pathetic. And worse—creepy.
No. He would deal with the Squire and his son himself. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone—appease the king and save Sha's friend.
Appeasing the king... it seemed that was all he ever did these days. It was becoming burdensome. More and more, he found himself wondering if he should leave this place behind—move his assets to the neighboring Empire. Umbria was certainly appealing. He already owned property there. It was a land of order, of stability—unlike this crumbling kingdom, rotten with corruption and ghosts of the past.
But this land... this was his mother's homeland. Could he truly abandon it?
"Master, are you all right?" asked Simon, rushing out onto the front porch.
"Yes... yes, I'm well," the Count replied. "Prepare a bath. I have urgent matters to attend to. We'll need to be on the road soon."
YOU ARE READING
SHADOW
ParanormalEvery night, as the moon cast its ethereal glow upon her room, Sha felt an intense sensation that someone was watching her from the depths of the darkness. It was a tantalizing mix of trepidation and curiosity, like a delicate dance between desire a...
