59 Results in the "A Thread of Corruption" category
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Chapter
Chapter 15 – Violent Desires
They arrived at the tournament field slightly late. Duke Cosimo and Lorenzo were already present when they took their seats in the noble gallery. The duke was a few rows ahead, engaged in an intense conversation with the gruesome Duke of Mirkshire and several other lords. Lorenzo was with a group of young nobles his age, who were lively discussing the upcoming fights. As the women sat down, they exchanged brief glances with the men. Cosimo nodded to his wife and gave Valentina a fleeting smile that.…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 26 – What Are We
They sank onto the bed, Innogen on her back, Valentina on top of her, their bodies entwining into a tangle of limbs and kisses. Valentina slid her hand lower, stroking the blonde triangle between Innogen's legs and playing tenderly with the soft hair. Innogen gasped softly, a stifled sound that made Valentina laugh, a quiet, joyful laugh that drowned in a kiss. Her fingers slid deeper, circling the sensitive bud, feeling the wetness that gathered invitingly below there. Innogen arched her back as…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 58 – Breaks
When Valentina woke up, Innogen had already propped herself up in bed with pillows behind her back and was repeatedly flexing the fingers of her left hand. The swelling had already gone down significantly, but her skin was still covered in multicolored bruises. "Does it still hurt a lot?" Valentina asked cautiously. "It should actually be better by now." "It just aches a little still. And my fingers feel like I borrowed them from someone else." Innogen let her hand drop. Her eyes were still red, but…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 27 – Fallen Woman
A week later, Valentina sat in the large parliamentary structure on the palace grounds, squeezed between the duchess and Lady Beatrice in the rows reserved for the magnates' companions. High wooden beams supported the linen roofs, which softened the bright summer light into a warm glow, and cooling Essence patterns ensured that the heat remained bearable. Nevertheless, there was a strong smell of sweat and perfume from the spectators. Today, there was no debate on the agenda, but rather petitions and…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 17 – Tournament Finale
The sun was already high in the sky when the Greystone carriage came to a halt in front of the tournament grounds, and the air was filled with the smell of roasted meat, sweat, horses and the excited anticipation of thousands of people. "Finally, the last day," sighed Duchess Rosalind as they stepped out of the carriage and made their way through the crowd toward the grandstand. "Oh, I think it's a shame it's already over," said Beatrice. "But I can't wait to see who triumphs in the final. The last…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 7 – Entanglement
There. There she was. On the other side of the gathering, partially hidden behind a wooden pillar, stood Innogen. She wore a deep sapphire blue dress that made her golden hair shine. It was artfully pinned up, with small pearls glistening in it like dewdrops. She stood with two other young ladies, a Montfort and a Farnsworth, Valentina thought, and nodded politely to their conversation. But the tension in her shoulders gave her away. The way her fingers played with the fabric of her dress. It was…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 29 – A Taxing Situation
"Good morning, Windom. I would like to have a word with His Grace, if he can spare the time. In private." His eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly. It was an unusual request, Valentina knew. Her meetings with the duke usually took place in the evening and were generally initiated by him, not her. And certainly not so early in the morning, just before a parliamentary session. "I will convey your message to His Grace," Windom said neutrally and set off. Valentina waited, pacing back and forth. "Why…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 8 – The Great Melee
"Fifteen percent!" thundered a voice across the square where Parliament was being held. Duke Alessandro Devereux of Southwatch stood upright, his gaunt face reddened with indignation. "His Majesty's Lord Treasurer demands a fifteen percent increase in military taxes! As if gold instead of grain grew on our lands!" Valentina took her place two steps behind the duchess as the lords of the realm engaged in a passionate and yet very formal debate about the proposed measures. The ladies, wives, daughters,…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 40 – Probing the Eye
The next evening, Valentina waited until the sounds of Pinfeather Lane had died down, then closed all her shutters and locked them carefully. She had already locked the front door an hour ago. Then she activated the Essence-dampening patterns in the walls of her study. The conventional ones first, then the more subtle configurations that Vyxara had taught her, the ones designed to ensure that, hopefully, no Essence Weaver passing by outside would perceive even the slightest hint of Essence…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 51 – Honey
The house on Midriver Row was indeed in a completely different league from the university housing. Three stories of neatly grouted limestone, narrow windows with glass panes, and a red door with brass hardware that almost glowed in the dark from a distance, illuminated by the Essence lamp above the entrance. Johann opened the door before she could even knock, as if he had been standing at the window waiting and looking for her. "Right on time," he said, stepping aside to let her in. "I appreciate…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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