71 Results in the "A Weave of Ambition" category
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Chapter
Chapter 19 – The Duchess
Chapter 19 – The Duchess Valentina stood outside the duchess's chambers, her palms damp with nervousness. She had chosen a simple, dark green dress – elegant enough for an audience, but again deliberately not in the duke's colors. "Remember," Vyxara whispered, "she's a pragmatic woman.No excuses, no apologies." Lady Beatrice, the duchess's lady-in-waiting, opened the door. The honey-blonde woman eyed Valentina with cool professionalism and led her through an elegantly furnished anteroom. The…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 48 – Winter’s Grip
Icy sleet drove the students into the buildings, where they huddled around fireplaces and stoves, freezing. "Appropriate weather for these gloomy times," Vyxara murmured in Valentina's mind. Valentina pulled her coat tighter around her as she hurried through the cold corridors. Everywhere, students huddled in small groups, seeking warmth in the community. Their muffled conversations echoed off the stone walls. "Did you hear that?" a student whispered to her friend. "Twenty people died of the fever…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 29 – The Garden Party, Part 1 The first servants were already preparing the palace gardens for the celebration. Valentina watched from her balcony as they set up wooden tables on the lawns and strung garlands between the trees. The rising sun made the complex Essence patterns that impacted the fountain sparkle with color. Master Lucian worked to intensify the patterns in the garden, his hands moving in precisely through theair. The roses in the flower beds seemed to bloom even more…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 58 – Fading Illusions
She sat astride him, his manhood deep inside her, her hands braced on his chest, and when she looked down into his face, she still caught herself thinking about how her life had actually come to this point. "Say it," Faustus gasped beneath her. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her deeper onto him. "Say you're sorry." Valentina bit her lip and tried to concentrate on her role. The scent ofviolets mingled with the smell of sex and sweat as she moved up and down on him. "I'm... I'm sorry," she…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 1 – Home Again
Chapter 1 – Home Again Valentina woke to the creaking of the wooden floorboards beneath the bare feet of her sisters, who were already getting ready. The mattress she had shared with Adeline when Cecily had lived here felt strangely familiar – softer than her hard bed in Bridgewater, but also more confining. "Ah, back in the bosom of the family," Vyxara mocked in her head. "In the rather narrow bosom of the family, if you'll forgive me for saying so. Now I understand better why you were so…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 39 – Return to Bridgewater The wheels of the carriage rattled over the cobblestones as Valentina pulled herself up from her exhausted lethargy. After days of traveling, she finally saw Bridgewater's city gate in front of her. A tingle of excitement and nervousness ran through her body. "Ah, we're back," Vyxara whispered in her head, the demon's voice sounding amused. "Where it all began. Where we met. Where we 'tied the knot' so to speak. Isn't it nice to be back?" "Yes, it is."…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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A soft knock on her door made Valentina look up from her notes. "Come in," she said quietly. Innogen slipped through the door, carrying a small linen-wrapped parcel in her hands. "I thought you might need this." She sat down on Valentina's narrow bed and handed her the package. "My father sent it to me, but I want you to have it." Valentina carefully unwrapped the linen cloth. It was a beautifully bound journal, the cover made of the finest leather, the pages of cream-colored paper. "That…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 2 – Father, Mother…
Chapter 2 – Father, Mother… After breakfast, Valentina stepped out into the crisp morning with her father. The sun was still low and the dew glistened on the grass. A light haze hung over the fields, giving the landscape an almost surreal atmosphere. "It's good to have you back," Aldwin said quietly as they walked side by side along the well-trodden dirt path. "We've missed you." Valentina felt a lump in her throat. "I missed you too," she replied. The familiar smells of damp earth and freshly…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 49 – Death’s Hand
The following days blurred into a repetitive cycle of care, short breaks and constant worry. Valentina and Innogen shared the tasks –while one rested, the other watched over Crispin. Valentina used all her knowledge from Dusktown. She had recreated the sterilizing effect of the modified Greystone Cascade on a smaller scale, a fine mesh of Essence patterns that purified the air and surfaces in the room. It cost her and Innogen much of their precious supply of Distilled Essence to keep it going, but it…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 3 – … Brothers and Sisters "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…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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