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The Dragon Lord's Forbidden Bride FULL EPISODE
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00:09The Grand Clan gathering in Palermo, 13 of us stood in a line, waiting to be chosen.
00:15One shard, one knight, one chance.
00:19As Lord Earl's half-denned blood bastard daughter, I couldn't afford to fail.
00:24Lorenzo Rossi, heir to the Rossi clan, was my childhood friend.
00:28He was the only one who'd agreed to shelter me, and he had promised me the White Dragon Shard.
00:33We'd made the deal just yesterday.
00:36Three years of cover.
00:37After that, he could love whoever he wanted.
00:40Yesterday, he'd said yes.
00:42Don't worry.
00:43I promised to give you the White Dragon Fragment.
00:46Tonight, at the last second, he smiled and placed the shard in the girl's hand beside me.
00:51Mia, the human scholarship student he'd been sponsoring.
00:55Her hands were shaking as she took it.
00:57He leaned close to my ear.
00:59I looked at him.
01:00He was already turning away.
01:02Already placing Mia's hand on his arm.
01:06Let her have this one, Elena.
01:09She's never known happiness.
01:11Not once.
01:14What about me?
01:16Don't worry.
01:17As long as I'm here, no one will dare arrange your marriage.
01:23Mia is elegant.
01:25She is noble.
01:27She is worthy of this honor.
01:30Noble.
01:30The word landed like a slap.
01:32Whispers rippled through the crowd.
01:34I stood there empty, dan-handed.
01:36Lord Earl's half-dan blood bastard.
01:39Passed over for a human girl with no clan.
01:41No blood.
01:42Nothing.
01:43These idiots.
01:45I told them to save you at least one shard.
01:51I looked at the man I'd grown up with.
01:53Do you know what tonight means?
01:55The white dragon shard wasn't decoration.
01:58It was a marriage declaration between clans.
02:01A thousand-year-old ryle.
02:04Without it, I had nothing.
02:06No shelter.
02:08No choice.
02:09No way out of the match.
02:10Lady Earl had already arranged for me in the Eastern Territory.
02:14Lorenzo was my only option.
02:16No other man here would choose a half-zen blood bastard.
02:20And he'd just chosen someone else.
02:23Eighteen years.
02:24He didn't answer.
02:26Behind him, Mia was smiling.
02:29The white shard's still perfect in her hands.
02:41Guilt flickered across Lorenzo's face.
02:43He sent Mia away.
02:45You're used to these events, Elena.
02:48But she isn't.
02:49This is her only moment to shine.
02:52Just do me this one favor.
02:54He leaned down.
02:56His expression almost boyish.
02:58You can have your way any other day.
03:00Why does it have to be tonight?
03:03I said nothing.
03:04He cleared his throat.
03:06Today's her graduation.
03:08After tonight, I can't sponsor her anymore.
03:11I promised her one unforgettable memory.
03:13Unforgettable for me, too.
03:15But it was already too late.
03:17Lorenzo, do you understand what the gathering means?
03:20Mia came back before I could finish.
03:22Elena.
03:23Her voice was soft.
03:25Careful.
03:25Did I ruin everything?
03:27Please don't blame Lorenzo.
03:28Lorenzo, I was the one who begged him to-
03:31Lorenzo saw her shrinking back.
03:33His expression darkened toward me.
03:36Enough, Elena.
03:38It's just a shard.
03:40I'll get you another one.
03:42He dug into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small red shard, pushed it into my hand.
03:48Red suits you better anyway.
03:50A white shard isn't worth making a scene over.
03:53This isn't like you.
03:56The moment the red shard touched my palm, it cracked.
04:00The stone had split clean in two.
04:03Right down the middle.
04:05Just my hand.
04:07I closed my fingers around the broken places.
04:10The red shard meant someone you didn't claim.
04:13I knew the shard would shatter if one's pure blood refused to admit it.
04:17But I was nothing more than a half-breed.
04:20I didn't know what that meant yet.
04:23Laughter rippled through the room.
04:25A half-blood bootlicker, thinking she could marry the Rossi heir.
04:30Didn't you hear him say noble?
04:32In his heart, even a human ranks higher than her.
04:37Lorenzo silenced the woman with one look.
04:39But the words had already landed.
04:43Elena, I'm sorry.
04:44You've always had everything.
04:45I just wanted one night to feel special.
04:49Everything.
04:50I stared at her.
04:51I'm a bastard.
04:53Mia, half-blood.
04:55Do you have any idea how the Maradi clan treats me?
04:58The plate slipped from her hands.
05:00Landed on her shoe.
05:01Her eyes filled with tears.
05:04It's already done.
05:05Let her enjoy tonight.
05:09Come on.
05:10Let's get you cleaned up.
05:13You can head home if you want.
05:15I didn't have one.
05:17The moment Lorenzo left my side, someone moved in.
05:20Antonio Ricci.
05:21A reckless heir from a rival clan.
05:24He stepped close and breathed in slowly.
05:26You smell good, Elena Moratti.
05:30Without Lorenzo beside me, I didn't even get basic respect.
05:34Lorenzo told me to bring you a shard.
05:37I didn't bother.
05:38I told you before, stop chasing him and try me instead.
05:43You never listened.
05:45How does it feel now?
05:47Humiliating, isn't it?
05:49I turned.
05:50Stared at this man who barely reached my shoulder.
05:54Lorenzo had handed him that task.
05:56Knowing full well Antonio had been harassing me for months.
06:00My fists tightened.
06:02Another betrayal.
06:03All I'd asked for was three years.
06:05Three years to build enough power to get out from under the Maridi clan's grip.
06:09But Lady Earl wanted me gone.
06:12She wouldn't give me room to breathe.
06:15Elena.
06:17Without that pretty face, you'd be nothing.
06:20Just a half-blood I could do whatever I wanted with.
06:23You think the Rossi clan will protect you forever?
06:26His grip tightened.
06:27Lorenzo was back.
06:29He knocked the hand away.
06:31Didn't I warn you?
06:32Don't touch what's mine.
06:33Yours?
06:34You just picked the human girl.
06:35What do you need Elena for?
06:36That's none of your business.
06:39Antonio spat and walked away.
06:42Lorenzo spun me around to face him.
06:44He touched you and you didn't fight back.
06:47Wasn't this your idea?
06:48Listen.
06:49I can protect you at events like this.
06:51But that doesn't mean I have to stand next to you every second, does it?
06:55But you knew what the gathering meant.
06:56Mia appeared again.
06:59Lorenzo?
07:00Could I get some champagne?
07:02One's cold and stubborn.
07:04The other's bright and warm.
07:06Lorenzo's choice was easy.
07:08Of course.
07:09Tonight, you're the star.
07:11Whatever you want.
07:13He glanced back at me.
07:14We'll talk tomorrow.
07:16I'll come by your place.
07:17Tomorrow.
07:18I smiled coldly.
07:20Tomorrow, you'll have to come to the Eastern Territory to find me.
07:25Lorenzo left to greet the other clan heirs.
07:28Mia walked back to me, holding a glass of wine.
07:31The timid scholarship girl was gone.
07:34In her place stood someone who tasted power.
07:37You have everything, Elena.
07:39Why do you need to take this one moment from me?
07:42I should never have helped Lorenzo choose her for that scholarship.
07:45You grew up in luxury.
07:48I only wanted one night under Lorenzo's protection.
07:52Luxury?
07:53You think I'm better off than you?
07:55My mother was a human.
07:57She died when I was small.
07:59Lord Earl brought me back to the estate when I was little.
08:02Lady Earl looked at me like she wanted me dead.
08:05My father had women everywhere.
08:07One more bastard daughter didn't matter to him.
08:10Let alone a half-blood daughter.
08:13And pure blood was a sin in itself.
08:15I learned to read people early.
08:18Without this face, I wouldn't have survived.
08:21I was trapped between two sides.
08:23There were other things too.
08:25Things I'd never been able to explain.
08:27My body had always felt faintly wrong.
08:30Like something inside me was pressed flat.
08:33Held down.
08:34Some mornings I woke up with heat in my hands that faded before I was fully conscious.
08:40Some nights my blood felt like it was moving too fast.
08:43I'd asked Lady Earl about it once when I was small.
08:46She'd given me a small white pill and told me it was vitamins.
08:50I'd taken them every day since without thinking.
08:53I went to Uncle Luca and begged him to train me.
08:56To back me up.
08:58Uncle Luca never smiled.
09:00I had to lock my knees to keep from shaking as I stood in front of him.
09:04Your father has 23 children.
09:07Why would I invest in a half-blood who won't last?
09:11Because I have nothing to lose.
09:13I'll do what they won't.
09:15But the timing wasn't right.
09:17Uncle Luca turned me away too.
09:20They said.
09:21Dante Vitell was ruthless.
09:23That anyone who crossed him got crushed without mercy.
09:26The Moretti clan wanted his protection.
09:28But they wouldn't sacrifice a legitimate daughter for it.
09:32So they chose me.
09:36Uncle Luca already knew how the gathering had ended.
09:39He sent one message.
09:40Figure it out yourself.
09:42I was shaking.
09:43Cold all the way through.
09:45I wrapped my arms around myself.
09:46Mia touched my frozen hand like she owned it.
09:50Elena.
09:51Do you think Lorenz even understands what the gathering means?
09:57I wasn't the type to dwell on emotions.
09:59I needed to find a way to stay.
10:01I found Lorenzo and asked him directly.
10:04Do you know what tonight actually means?
10:07Sure.
10:08It's a matchmaking event.
10:10But it's just formality.
10:13Half these arrangements fall apart anyway.
10:15He knew it.
10:17Don't worry.
10:18I'll talk to the Morettos.
10:20No one's forcing you into marriage.
10:22Then can you get the shard back from Mia?
10:25I'll return it tomorrow.
10:26Lorenzo looked uncomfortable.
10:28That's not good.
10:29It's already hers.
10:30How about I send another one instead?
10:32Don't fight with Mia over this.
10:34That white shard had a rare gold vein running through it.
10:37It couldn't be replicated.
10:39Everything I'd held back all night came out at once.
10:43Please, Lorenzo.
10:44You know I was never going to cling to you.
10:47I have someone I care about.
10:50After three years, you'd be free.
10:56So why did you humiliate me tonight?
10:58He stepped forward.
10:59Backed me against the wall.
11:03Someone you care about?
11:05You told Savary.
11:09Again with this!
11:13Elena, no one else is going to take you.
11:15You're a Marathi half-blood.
11:18Everyone in Palamo knows you're mine.
11:22My shadow.
11:24My little father.
11:26The words cut deep.
11:28Being called a shadow.
11:30A father.
11:31It was the price of surviving inside the Marathi clan.
11:34Pairing it from his mouth made me sick.
11:37I stepped back and jumped into him.
11:39Elena.
11:40Please don't fight with Lorenzo.
11:42Enough, Elena.
11:44It's one night.
11:45Stop making a scene.
11:46Tomorrow Mia goes back to her life.
11:51But Mia's expression said otherwise.
12:03I walked out of the hall and got into Uncle Luca's car.
12:07He sat in the shadows, dressed in black, expressionless.
12:10Accept your loss.
12:12Tomorrow you leave for the Eastern Territory.
12:14After that, you're on your own.
12:18I'll come back.
12:20We'll see.
12:21His mouth curved slightly.
12:23Back at the estate, Lady Earl glanced at Uncle Luca.
12:27Then at me.
12:28We've raised you for 18 years.
12:30Time to repay that.
12:32You've been chosen.
12:34Tomorrow, you leave.
12:36Nothing in this house was mine.
12:38Not even the plane ticket.
12:40I paid for it myself.
12:41Uncle Luca said nothing and walked to his room.
12:44I went to my small bedroom and started packing.
12:47My half-sister Bianca leaned in the doorway,
12:51inspecting her nails.
12:53If I were you, I wouldn't have gone to the gathering at all.
12:59Mom told me to keep an eye on you.
13:02Don't take anything valuable.
13:03Not even tonight's gown.
13:06Oh, and Mom said Dante Vitale is already in love with someone else.
13:10Good luck.
13:11I took off the gown in front of her.
13:14Removed every piece of jewelry.
13:16Set it all on the tray.
13:18Then I walked to the bathroom in my slip.
13:21Bianca left.
13:22On my phone, Mia had already posted.
13:25A photo, glowing.
13:27Lorenzo's arm around her.
13:29He was still wearing the cufflinks I'd given him.
13:32I left everything Lorenzo had ever given me behind.
13:35Before dawn, I was up.
13:38No goodbyes.
13:39I grabbed my backpack and headed to the airport.
13:42Security.
13:43Boarding.
13:44Everything smooth.
13:45As the plane began to taxi, I switched my phone off completely.
13:50Cut every tie to Palermo.
13:52Then the announcement came.
13:55Apologies, passengers.
13:56The Rossi clan has sealed the airways above Palermo.
14:00All flights are returning to the terminal.
14:07I stared out the window as the runway slowed.
14:10It took me a moment to understand what was happening.
14:13The plane stopped.
14:15My phone reconnected.
14:17Messages poured in.
14:18Then a refund notification.
14:20We apologize for the inconvenience.
14:22To compensate, the Rossi clan will reimburse your ticket at ten times the original price.
14:27The complaints died instantly.
14:29Who do you think they're looking for?
14:30A few girls behind me started whispering.
14:31This is so dramatic.
14:33Like something out of a film.
14:34I scrolled through my phone.
14:35Exhausted.
14:36Lorenzo had gone to the Marretti estate early that morning looking for me.
14:40When he found I wasn't there, he stormed into my bedroom.
14:44He saw the gown.
14:45The jewelry.
14:46Everything I'd left behind.
14:47But my backpack was gone.
14:49He panicked.
14:50He demanded answers from the Marretti's.
14:52That is when he found out I'd already left for the Eastern Territory.
14:56Lorenzo lost it.
14:58Nearly tore the estate apart.
14:59Then he started calling.
15:01But by then, I was already on the plane.
15:03When he realized I hadn't taken a single thing he'd ever given me, he snapped.
15:08That is when he sealed the sky.
15:09I grabbed my backpack and stepped off the plane.
15:12Inside the terminal, I stopped.
15:14Go back or keep moving.
15:16It was early.
15:17I was starving.
15:18I found a small coffee and ordered pasta.
15:21Uncle Luca's message came through.
15:23Do you want to come back?
15:24Lorenzo still wants you.
15:25The Marretti clan ran on schemes.
15:28Lorenzo might spoil me.
15:29But he'd never lose face for me.
15:31Going back meant more humiliation.
15:33Moving forward.
15:34Maybe something different.
15:38I ate slowly.
15:40Outside the cafty window, dragon guards in black flooded the terminal.
15:44Dozens of them.
15:45Stopping every woman who looked anything like me.
15:48Then Lorenzo came through the doors.
15:50Soaked in sweat.
15:52Phone pressed to his ear.
15:53He walked straight past my table.
15:56He looked wrecked.
15:57Frantic.
15:59Calling my number over and over.
16:01My phone buzzed in my pocket.
16:03I watched him.
16:04When no one answered, he almost smashed the phone against the pillar.
16:08Where is she?
16:09I'd never seen Lorenzo like this.
16:11Keep searching.
16:12Completely unraveled.
16:12Every terminal.
16:13No flight leaves for the Eastern Territory today.
16:15I don't care what it costs.
16:16I checked my phone.
16:17There was a flight to the Central Territories in 20 minutes.
16:20I scrolled through the news while I waited.
16:22Pelermo's gossip feeds were already running with it.
16:25Two women at the table behind me were deep into it.
16:28God, that's so romantic.
16:29If someone grounded the entire sky for me, I'd say yes on the spot.
16:35Her friend was more cynical.
16:37You don't get it.
16:38Last night at the gathering, Lorenzo gave the white shard to some human scholarship girl.
16:43I'm guessing he got played.
16:44Wait.
16:45He didn't pick a clan daughter?
16:47He picked a human?
16:48Then why is he losing his mind today?
16:50I kept my eyes on my coffee.
16:53My guess?
16:54Lorenzo had no idea what the shard ceremony actually meant.
16:58How would you know?
17:01Because I was at the gathering last night.
17:04I went still.
17:05I glanced back.
17:06Didn't recognize her.
17:07Lucky.
17:09So, what does the clan girl look like?
17:12Beautiful.
17:13Genuinely stunning.
17:14Then why would Lorenzo give the shard to an outsider?
17:17Who cares?
17:18The girl's voice sharpened.
17:19The other one's just a half-blood anyway.
17:21Not like the rest of us.
17:22I coughed.
17:23Both women turned.
17:24The moment they saw my face, one of them went completely silent.
17:28Pointed.
17:29Couldn't speak.
17:29The other one stared at me.
17:32What?
17:33Do you know her?
17:34She's gorgeous.
17:36Wait, are you?
17:37She looked toward the guards, still sweeping the terminal.
17:40Eyes wide.
17:44I pressed one finger to my lips.
17:46Both women covered their mouths with both hands.
17:48I picked up my bag and walked away.
17:51Behind me, I heard one of them hiss.
17:53You didn't tell me she looked like that.
17:55You have zero chance now.
17:57Zero.
17:57I reached the gate for the Central Territories.
18:00Another refund notification hit my phone.
18:02The Rossi clan had purchased out every route leaving Palermo.
18:06Not just the Eastern Territory flights everything.
18:08I stood there, phone in hand, nowhere to go.
18:12Then it rang an Eastern Territory number.
18:18Hello?
18:20Dante Vitale.
18:22I'm sorry, I...
18:23My people are already at the airport.
18:25They'll bring you to me.
18:26My arranged husband.
18:27His voice was cool, unhurried.
18:29The kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.
18:32Before I could explain that the entire sky was sealed,
18:34I saw it through the terminal window, a private aircraft on the tarmac.
18:38Several dragon guards in black stepped off and stood at attention, I said.
18:43Understood.
18:43I hung up and walked toward the jet.
18:48It had started to drizzle.
18:49The moment I stepped outside, an umbrella appeared over my head.
18:53A man holding it kept his eyes down, respectful.
18:58Mrs. Vitale, we're here to bring you home.
19:01That is when Lorenzo spotted me, grabbed my wrist.
19:04Elena, come with me.
19:07Bitehale's dragon guards closed in immediately.
19:10Lorenzo's men did the same.
19:11The two groups faced each other.
19:13Nobody moved.
19:14People inside the terminal pressed against the glass.
19:17Phones out.
19:18The man leading Dante's guards was older.
19:20Immaculate suit.
19:21The kind of calm that came from having seen everything twice.
19:24He smiled politely.
19:26His eyes didn't.
19:28Mr. Rossi, I'm here to escort Mrs. Vitale home.
19:33Please, step aside.
19:35Lorenzo's gaze went cold.
19:38She hasn't left Polono yet.
19:41I'd like to see who has the nerve to take what's mine.
19:44I was tired.
19:45Deeply tired.
19:46I'd tried to tell him, more than once.
19:49But his attention was always somewhere else.
19:51Always on Mia.
19:54I kept my voice steady.
19:56Lorenzo, you've protected me for years.
19:59I'm grateful.
20:00But this is where it ends.
20:03I don't blame anyone.
20:08Don't blame anyone.
20:10Then come back with me.
20:12I'll marry you.
20:14I'll tell the Morettis myself.
20:16The rain came harder.
20:17Lorenzo's hair was soaked.
20:19His eyes were red.
20:20For just a moment, something flickered at the edge of his irises.
20:24A deep amber, gone before I could be sure I'd seen it.
20:28Dragon blood under pressure.
20:29Even the composed ones cracked eventually.
20:31The vital butler stepped between us, unmoved.
20:34Apologies, Mr. Rossi.
20:36The agreement with the Moretti clan has been finalized.
20:39Mrs. Vitale leaves with us today.
20:43Lorenzo, I told you.
20:45I only ever wanted three years.
20:48I have someone I genuinely care about.
20:50I was never planning to marry you.
20:51This again.
20:52Elena, you've been locked inside the Moretti clan your whole life.
20:56When exactly did you meet someone to love?
20:58I know calling you my shadow upset you.
21:01Stop being stubborn and come back.
21:04We'll talk there, okay?
21:06His tone had shifted, almost pleading.
21:09I was grateful, truly.
21:10He'd kept me safe for years.
21:12But when Lorenzo let go of my hand and gave the shard to Mia,
21:16or path split for good.
21:20Lorenzo, I said quietly.
21:22Mia is your chosen.
21:24All of Pilemer witnessed it.
21:28Go be happy with her.
21:30He laughed, short and bitter.
21:33Marry a human girl?
21:35Are you serious?
21:37I'd marry you before I'd ever marry her.
21:40My expression went flat.
21:42Lorenzo had always wanted me around.
21:44He'd never once respected me.
21:46I didn't hesitate this time.
21:47I turned and walked toward the jet with the butler.
21:50Lorenzo stood frozen behind me.
21:52Fists clenched.
21:53Something radiating off him that I didn't look back to read.
21:56Elena.
21:58You leave Palamo and no one protects you anymore.
22:01Think carefully.
22:03Once you're gone, don't come back regretting it.
22:07I didn't answer.
22:08I stepped onto the plane.
22:10The butler had already prepared a change of clothes.
22:13You can freshen up there, Mrs. Vitari.
22:16Getting caught in the rain, you'll catch cold.
22:19The jet was extraordinary.
22:20Not a rental.
22:21This was the Vital Clan's own aircraft.
22:26The Vital Clan operated on a different level entirely.
22:29Even the Morettis didn't own anything like this.
22:32The plane didn't just have a bathroom.
22:34It had a full bedroom.
22:35The bedding was soft pink.
22:38Definitely not something Dante Vital had chosen for himself.
22:42I changed in the bathroom.
22:44Then stopped.
22:46The clothes fit me perfectly.
22:48When I came out, the butler had quietly moved the dragon guards to the rear of the cabin.
22:53Excuse me.
22:54Does the Lord usually use this plane?
22:57He saw my confusion.
22:58This aircraft was commissioned specifically for you, Mrs. Vitari.
23:03Everything was customized to your preferences.
23:06The Lord selected the bedding personally.
23:09Softest material available.
23:11I didn't know what to say.
23:13Something this considered.
23:14Given to a stranger without a word.
23:17Wasn't he supposed to be in love with someone else?
23:19The flight to the Eastern Territory is long.
23:22You should rest.
23:23The climate there is dry.
23:24We've prepared a humidifier for you.
23:29No one had ever thought about my comfort before.
23:32I'd spent my whole life reading other people's moods.
23:35Adjusting.
23:36Disappearing into whatever shape kept me safe.
23:39This kind of attention made me restless.
23:42The butler noticed and quietly withdrew.
23:45I pulled out a pen and started sketching notes.
23:48My mind was already running through what came next.
23:51What I was walking into.
23:53What I'd need.
23:54The plane landed on a sprawling green estate.
23:56I looked closer.
23:58The vital compound.
24:00Vast.
24:00Immaculate.
24:02The main structure was built from dark stone that seemed to hold the light differently from
24:06ordinary material.
24:08Warmer.
24:08Like it had its own temperature.
24:11Even from the steps of the jet I could feel it.
24:13A subtle heat rising from the ground beneath my feet.
24:16Ancient dragon rock.
24:18I'd read about it once.
24:19Quarried only from the oldest dragon territories.
24:22It held warmth for centuries without any source.
24:26I filed the detail away without knowing why it mattered.
24:29Dante Vitael came out to meet me personally.
24:32He was smiling.
24:34Warm.
24:35Nothing like the ruthless lord the rumors described.
24:38He draped a coat over my shoulders before I could speak.
24:43Something moved in my chest the moment his hand touched my shoulder.
24:47A pull.
24:48Faint but distinct.
24:50Like a thread I hadn't known was there had just been tugged from the other end.
24:54I stepped back.
24:56Put some space between us.
24:58Told myself it was nerves.
25:02I said carefully.
25:17Someone I love.
25:19Three years.
25:20Yes.
25:21Three years.
25:23I'll play the role of your wife.
25:25I won't interfere with your private life.
25:27That we separate.
25:29I boutique anything from you.
25:31I'll sign what you need.
25:33His frown deepened.
25:34He looked sharply at the butler.
25:37Some silent question passing between them.
25:40Then he stepped closer.
25:42Gently pulled me in.
25:43My face went completely red.
25:46Who said anything about keeping things separate?
25:49His voice was quiet.
25:51Almost amused.
25:53You're my wife.
25:55He seemed to enjoy the fact that I was flustered.
25:59He lifted my chin.
26:00Leaned in just slightly.
26:03Everything I have is yours.
26:05We went inside.
26:07I still hadn't recovered.
26:10Wasn't this man supposed to be cold?
26:12Ruthless?
26:13The interior of the vital compound was all sharp lines and clean edges.
26:18Dark stone.
26:20Minimal furniture.
26:21But there were soft touches throughout.
26:24Warm fabrics.
26:26Carefully chosen color.
26:29Things that had clearly been added recently.
26:32Good taste.
26:34Nothing clashing.
26:35The additions made the space feel less severe.
26:38More like somewhere a person could actually breathe.
26:42I sat on the couch.
26:43I handed him a folded piece of paper.
26:48This is my plan.
26:49I'd like to borrow some money.
26:51I'll pay it back in installments.
26:53He took it.
26:54Scanned it.
26:55You need money?
26:56It was humiliating.
26:58Arriving with nothing.
27:00Lord Earl's half-blood daughter showing up with a backpack and no dowry.
27:04No offering.
27:05Nothing of value for the vitals.
27:08This had to look like an insult.
27:11I'd done my research before landing.
27:13The vital clan didn't need alliances.
27:16Didn't need anyone's backing.
27:18They stood alone at the top of the Eastern Territory.
27:20People came from across the continent just to ask them for favors.
27:23I still didn't understand why they'd agreed to this match with the Morettis.
27:28I pressed my lips together.
27:30Yes, I don't have money right now.
27:32But I have a way to pay you back.
27:34I promise.
27:36He didn't question it.
27:37His hand closed over mine instead.
27:39Warm against my cold fingers.
27:42He rubbed them slowly.
27:47My face flushed again.
27:49His mood seemed to improve.
27:52Why do you need money?
27:53I looked up.
27:55Suddenly aware.
27:56Maybe as Mrs. Vital.
27:57I wasn't supposed to have financial control.
28:00Maybe I was expected to live on an allowance.
28:03To ask permission.
28:05I straightened.
28:06Mr. Vitale.
28:07I don't want to be trapped by the Moretti clan anymore.
28:09And I'm not going to sit here and ask for handouts.
28:11I want my own income.
28:13My own footing.
28:15And if possible, I want to take back what's mine from the Morettis.
28:18He looked surprised.
28:19Like he hadn't expected me to say it that plainly.
28:22And he reached over and ruffled my hair.
28:25Everything the Vitalists have is yours.
28:28He nodded to the butler.
28:30The butler produced a black card.
28:32This is my account.
28:33Spend whatever you need.
28:35The room Dante gave me was the finest in the entire compound.
28:39Morning light came through the windows at the perfect angle.
28:43The D.D. core was soft.
28:45Feminine.
28:46Like something out of a story I'd never thought would include me.
28:49That night, I lay down expecting to stare at the ceiling for hours.
28:53Instead, I was asleep within minutes.
28:55Deep.
28:56Still.
28:57Dreamless.
28:58I told myself it was exhaustion from the journey.
29:02I didn't consider the warmth rising steadily.
29:05From the ancient stone beneath the floors.
29:07Didn't consider that the vital compound had been built on the oldest dragon rock in the eastern territory.
29:13That the heat it held had a particular quality.
29:17One that ancient texts described as resonant with dormant dragon blood.
29:21I didn't know any of that then.
29:23I just slept.
29:30For the first time in years, I woke up rested.
29:33A message from Uncle Luca.
29:35Lorenzo is furious.
29:37Why didn't you go back with him?
29:39Uncle Luca was the only person in the Moretti clan who'd ever looked out for me.
29:43But his protection always came at a price.
29:46I typed back.
29:48Uncle, I am a person.
29:50Not something you can call back whenever it is convenient.
29:53His reply was immediate.
29:55Cold.
29:56Really.
29:57I thought you'd already turned yourself into a weapon.
30:00Three years passed.
30:02I borrowed 100,000 from the vitals.
30:05I did everything a lord's wife was supposed to do.
30:08Attended gallus with Dante.
30:11Smiled for the right people.
30:12Let the right people court my favor.
30:14I played the part.
30:16The beautiful, composed Lady Vidal.
30:19Dante spoiled me without restraint.
30:21But I never lost sight of why I was there.
30:25Behind the smiles, I was working.
30:27That 100,000 became leverage.
30:30Quietly.
30:31Carefully.
30:33Somewhere in the second year, I stopped taking the white pills.
30:37It wasn't a decision exactly.
30:39I'd run out during a trip and hadn't replaced them.
30:42A week passed.
30:43Then another.
30:44I kept waiting to feel worse.
30:47Instead, I felt more.
30:49Heat in my hands when I was angry.
30:51A sharpness behind my eyes when I was focused.
30:54Small things.
30:55Easy to dismiss.
30:56I told myself it was confidence.
30:59That I was simply becoming someone harder to intimidate.
31:02I didn't connect it to the pills.
31:05I didn't connect it to anything yet.
31:09I dismantled Moridia operations piece by piece.
31:13Pulled their best dragon cards and wing commanders into my own network.
31:17Lord Sergio finally had to look at what he'd built.
31:21His 23 children.
31:23Useless.
31:24Everyone.
31:25The second generation panicked.
31:27Afraid the clan's collapse would hit their share of the territories.
31:30They started selling off assets.
31:32I bought them all.
31:34One by one.
31:35The gambling operations.
31:37The shipping routes.
31:38The legitimate fronts they'd spent years building.
31:41I took the businesses that were bleeding and made them profitable.
31:46Expanded the territories they'd abandoned.
31:48By the time Lord Sergio understood what was happening,
31:51I controlled more of the clan's income than he did.
31:54The other Moretti heirs couldn't touch me anymore.
31:57During the negotiations for the last of the shipping routes.
32:00Something happened that I couldn't explain.
32:03The Moretti representative had tried to walk out.
32:06I'd reached out to stop him.
32:08And the glass of water on the table between us had cracked.
32:11Clean through.
32:12No one had touched it.
32:14The representative had gone pale.
32:16He signed everything.
32:18I stood in the corridor afterward.
32:20And looked at my hand.
32:22It felt warm.
32:24The same warmth I'd been ignoring for months.
32:27I thought about the pills.
32:29I thought about the pills 18.
32:31Years of white capsules.
32:34Lady Earl had called them vitamins.
32:36She'd never explained what they were for.
32:38Never let me miss a dose.
32:40I'd stopped taking them 14 months ago.
32:42Since then, the heat in my hands.
32:45The sharpness behind my eyes.
32:48The glass that cracked without being touched.
32:51I wasn't imagining it.
32:53Something was different.
32:55Something was changing.
32:56I didn't know what.
32:58It was past ten when I got home that night.
33:02Dante was in the living room.
33:03Sitting in the warm room.
33:05Waiting.
33:06My chest tightened.
33:08I walked up behind him.
33:10And wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
33:15I held on for a moment.
33:17Then I let go and stepped back.
33:19Composed again.
33:23Why so late?
33:25Are you tired?
33:26I had soup made.
33:28The words I'd been preparing stuck in my throat.
33:31He took my hand and led me to the table.
33:34Watched me eat.
33:38When are you going to let yourself lean on me?
33:41You don't have to run yourself into the ground like this.
33:44The warmth of it hit me somewhere I wasn't ready for.
33:47I looked at him in the low light.
33:49Felt something pull tight in my chest.
33:52The three years are up.
33:53It's time for me to go back.
33:54To finish what I started with the Morettis.
33:57Dante had always known I hadn't let go of my plans.
34:00He didn't look surprised.
34:02You don't like the Morettis.
34:04From what I know, only Luca was ever decent to you.
34:08And Lorendo, he came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
34:12You never saw him.
34:14I hadn't known he'd been aware of that.
34:16I was going to end it to me.
34:17I am going to know that.
34:18I might have known him.
34:19I am an an centipede of youth.
34:20But I was going to know if I had an angel in my heart.
34:20You were going to be technical now.
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