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