Kleo Erili
Stories
3
Chapters
279
Words
645.6 K
Comments
210
Reading
2 d, 5 h
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An icy silence fell over the table. The duke gave his daughter a scathing look, while the duchess drew in a sharp breath. "Hazel!" The duchess's voice was cutting. "This is absolutely unacceptable." Valentina could feel her cheeks burning, but she forced herself to remain calm and not lower her gaze. "Oh, the little beast has claws," Vyxara commented with amusement. "But she's too direct, too clumsy. She still has a lot to learn. Her mother would know how to hurt gracefully. Just don't say…-
425.2 K • Ongoing
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Chamberlain Morris was already waiting for Valentina just outside the duke's study. "If you will follow me, my lady." His measured steps led her first to a wide marble staircase. "The palace was built over several generations of Greystones. Each duke added his own wing, resulting in a fascinating mix of architectural styles. The remaining remnants of the original building are still in the Norothalan style, while the later buildings are in the early and modern Malandrine style." "And everyone wanted to…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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Valentina blinked in confusion as she woke up. For a moment, she couldn't place where she was, with the four-poster bed was too soft, the big room, and the air so sweet with the scent of roses. "The duke’s palace," Vyxara purred in her head. "You'll get used to it." Before Valentina could answer, there was a soft knock at the door. Jenny, her new maid, entered, already laden with a tray. "Good morning, my lady!" The young maid hobbled busily to the bed. "I hope you slept well? Breakfast is ready and…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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Valentina leaned forward to peer through the curtains. Through the grey haze, she saw only shadows at first, but then the fog lifted a little, revealing a view of Dusktown. The town stretched over several gentle hills, its grey stone buildings rising in steps from the valley. The permanent haze that hung over the town and looked like a mixture of coastal fog drifting in from the coast not too far away and smoke from countless chimneys and the remnants of the Scorching, probably gave even bright days a…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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The wheels of the wagon crunched on the dusty road as they left the last houses of Palewood behind them. Valentina turned around in her seat to catch one last glimpse of her home village. The familiar thatched roofs grew smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared around a bend. "Don't twist your neck," Vyxara mocked in her head. "This miserable pile of huts has never been a suitable home for you." Valentina just sighed and admired the astonishing splendor of the ducal carriage instead. The seats…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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Valentina lay awake in bed, unable to delay the moment she both longed for and dreaded. Dawn was already creeping in. In a few hours, the Duke's carriage would pick her up. "You're nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara stated softly. "A little," Valentina admitted in her thoughts. "What if I'm not ready? What if I make a complete fool of myself at the Duke's court?" "You summoned a demon, seduced a professor, robbed Bridgewater University's Distilled Essence storage, won the Greystone Competition and put…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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On one of the last afternoons she probably had left with her family, Valentina suggested a walk to her sister. "Let's go to the old pear tree," she said, "like we used to." Adeline was beaming. She had been waiting patiently all week to have her big sister to herself. She had patiently kept all her burning questions to herself. Valentina and Vyxara had noticed that. The two sisters set off past the familiar fields of their childhood. The narrow path meandered through tall grass that waved in the summer…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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Netta made her way through the crowd, one hand placed protectively on her pregnant belly. "What a contrast," said Vyxara. "The poor peasant girl who stayed at home while you went out into the big wide world." "Val," Netta said with an uncertain smile. "You look... different." "You too," Valentina replied gently and pointed to Netta's stomach. "When is it time?" "In about a month." Netta stroked her curved body. "Tom's so excited, he doesn't talk about anything else." She laughed, but it sounded forced.…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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The faint morning light gave a hint of the worn Sunday clothes that Valentina's mother had carefully laid out for her daughters. The kitchen was already bustling with activity. Her father had already taken care of the animals and Colm had been woken up first, as he took a particularly long time in the morning and didn't see the point in being quiet when he was thrown out of bed at the crack of dawn. "Get up, girls!" their mother called out to them. "The Ember won't wait!" "Ah, the weekly circus begins,"…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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"And what kind of pattern is that?" Adeline asked, pointing to the invisible lines Valentina was drawing in the air. "That's a simple Leb pattern," Valentina explained patiently. "See how the lines intersect here? That creates a focal point for the Essence." Adeline frowned intently and tried to imitate her sister's movements. Her hands moved uncertainly through the air. "I can't see anything." "That's normal," Valentina reassured her. "Very few people can even perceive Essence. But the theory behind it…
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425.2 K • Ongoing
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