Chapter 108
Chapter 108
LUNA AQUAMARINE’S POV
The scream ripped out of me before I could stop it.
“Aquamarine!”
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The bathroom door slammed open. Clifford’s voice thundered in, and before my brain could catch was already inside.
up, he
My heart crashed into my ribs. I froze, my skin bare, the ripped bandages still on the floor. His eyes went wide, and mine did too.
“Get out!” I shouted, my voice raw, half from the pain and half from the shame.
He turned around in a flash. “Fuck!-I’m sorry!” His voice yelled, and then he was gone, stumbling back out like his life depended on it.
My breath came fast, choking me. I snatched at the clothes on the stool, pulling them against my body.
Why was he even here?
How? I padlocked the door!
I changed in a rush, my fingers trembling too much to fasten things properly, and stormed out of the bathroom–only to stop cold.
Two guards were at the door, the wood smashed, the padlock gone. Clifford was there too, bent over my broken door, trying to shove the hinge back into place. My stomach dropped.
“What’s going on here!?”
Clifford and Clifford straightened when he saw me, his eyes flicking away fast like he was forcing himself not to look at me again.
“You screamed,” he said flatly, like it was enough explanation.
Sweat tricked down my body. My fingers tugged at the edge of my sleeve. “That doesn’t mean you break i my room-”
He cut me off, voice sharper than usual. “You screamed like someone was about to kill you, Aqua. Anyone. would have rushed in to see what happened.”
The guards shifted uncomfortably. My throat tightened. He wasn’t wrong. My scream had rattled even me.
What’s worse, even what I saw.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice lower. “I… I thought I saw something.”
Chapter 108
Clifford shook his head and the guards bowed. “We’re really sorry, Luna.” Something in my chest twisted. I hated that my face still burned.
“Just fix the door,” I muttered, turning away before I melted completely.
He just saw me naked.
Naked!!
Of all things to happen.
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From one humiliation to another. I buried my head in my palm before grabbing something proper to wear and heading to the bathroom to change.
When I was done, I stepped out again, after taking in deep breaths to stop the queasy feeling in my stomach. But the door wasn’t fixed yet.
One of the guards cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Luna… the door can’t be fixed today. The wall and frame’s cracked too, not just the hinge. It’ll take time.”
My stomach flipped.
The whole wall? Just from Clifford’s rush inside?
How? I glanced at him but he quickly moved away as if sensing my gaze.
“I can’t stay here if the door can’t close,” I sighed.
“We’ll get another room,” he said quickly.
I walked over to the table and took my pouch. “No. I’ll go to Katherine’s room. She won’t mind.”
“I’ll walk you there,” He said.
I swallowed hard, my face burning all over again. I wanted to stop him, I mean- can’t he read the room? Instead, he’s now walking at my back again.
I needed Katherine’s space. Her scent. Something familiar and calming to take my mind off Alex and Fiona.
But when we arrived, my steps faltered. The lock looked different.
My chest tightened. I grabbed a passing maid by the wrist. “Why has the lock changed? Where are the keys?”
The girl lowered her gaze instantly. “Luna… that room no longer belongs to Lady Katherine.”
“What?” My voice cracked.
“A few hours ago, we were ordered to clear out her belongings,” she said quickly, words tumbling over each other. “Fiona’s things were moved in. She’s to stay there now… with her mother.”
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Chapter 108
The air left my lungs like a blow and my knees buckled.
Sarah was here?
Alive? In this castle?
And now, in Katherine’s room?
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My nails dug into my palm as I managed to steady my breathing. I whispered, “And Katherine’s things?”
The maid’s eyes darted to Clifford, then back to me. She shook her head. “I don’t know, Luna. The room was emptied… but…” She hesitated, then leaned closer. “I saw Fiona’s mother telling the guards to get rid of them.
A ringing filled my ears. Smoke. The smoke I had smelled earlier.
My stomach dropped.
No.
Not Katherine’s things. Not her scent. Not her memory.
Without thinking, I turned and walked or ran- I didn’t know which I did toward the courtyard. My heart knew before my eyes saw it–the orange light and the choking smell.
Fire.
They were burning something.
“Katherine…” The whisper ripped out of me. I moved forward, ready to charge through, but a hand gripped my arm and spun me around.
Clifford. His grip firm, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t need to see this,” he murmured.
“Let me go!” I hissed, my body trembling, eyes burning.
“No.” His voice was final. He didn’t even glance back at the fire. He dragged me firmly, steering me back into the castle, even as I struggled.
“Kath’s things… Clifford, they’re-”
“I know,” he cut me off. “But you’ll break if you look at it. This is what they want, to push you to the point that you’ll break.
I bit down hard on my lip, tasting iron. The tears burned as I sniffed. “But- But, Alex said she’d be back.”
Clifford’s hand went to my back. Patting it slowly, he turned to the maid who trailed nervously behind us. “Find the Luna a new room.”
The girl nodded quickly before hurrying down the corridor. Clifford kept his grip on me as though he feared I’d run straight back into the fire.
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Chapter 108
But I couldn’t.
Not with my heart already burning.
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How could Alexander do this? How could he bring in the people I feared the most? Was this the main reason why he sent Katherine away? To be replaced by Fiona?
Her seat, her room.
Everything. Was gone.
And worse, Clifford was right. Maybe Fiona finally had her hands wrapped around Alexander.
Finally, the maid returned. “Luna,” she said softly, bowing her head, “I’ve found a room.”
My body felt heavy, but I forced myself up. Clifford followed behind quietly as the girl led us down the hall.
We stopped in front of a door I didn’t recognise. She pushed them open, revealing a beautiful chamber almost the size of my old one.
It should have felt like relief. But it didn’t.
“This will be your new room, my Lady,” the maid whispered.
I stepped inside, my eyes scanning the space, searching for something familiar. There was nothing. No trace of Katherine. No trace of me. Just a carefully prepared emptiness.
Clifford lingered in the doorway, his arms crossed. His voice was low, steady, but I caught the tension in it. “It’s decent. Almost the same size as before.”
I nodded numbly and turned toward the window. “It’s not about the size.”
The maid bobbed a quick bow and slipped away, leaving Clifford and me in silence.
I stood in the middle of the room, staring at nothing, the weight of everything pressing down. Katherine erased. Fiona taking her place and Sarah’s presence.
It was too much. M folded myself on the bed and let exhaustion swallow me whole until I drifted into a restless sleep.
A sound pulled me out of my sleep. Soft knocks against the door.
I jolted up, my chest tightening. For a moment I forgot where I was, then the room came back to me in fragments.
“Luna,” a voice whispered. The same maid from earlier.
I swallowed and pushed the blanket aside. “Come in.”
The door creaked open and she slipped in with a tray, bowing quickly. Clifford followed, tall and watchful, closing the door behind them.
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Chapter 108
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The scent of food hit me, warm and spiced. My stomach clenched. I had thought Alexander and I would have breakfast together while I showed him my recent findings.
The maid set the tray down and straightened. “Kyrexeis Clifford asked me to bring you something. He… he thought you might not have the strength to-”
“What’s your name?” I cut her off.
“Zara,” she replied. “You once saved me from Queen Gaia.”
“Oh,” I nodded. Honestly, I don’t remember anything. “Zara, can you do me a favour? Don’t tell anyone I’m here…” My throat tightened. “Not even the Primus. Do you understand?”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded quickly. “Yes, Luna.”
Clifford turned to me. “From now on, she’ll serve only you. Will be your personal maid, if you’re ok.”
I gave a soft nod and she bowed again. She smiled before slipping out, leaving Clifford and me in silence.
I sat down in front of the tray, I was halfway through my food when I felt it–Clifford’s hand brushing against my arm.
I jerked away, surprised at the sudden contact.
“Why… why is your arm like that?” His voice was dangerously low.
My body went rigid.
I looked down–and my stomach dropped.
The sleeve had slipped down and all that was left was the weird wound out in the open.
AD
