CHAPTER 182: THE WEEK-LONG BREAK [1]

The room stretched wide and spacious. High ceilings lost in shadow. Rich tapestries hung along the walls in deep crimson and gold thread. A massive four-poster bed dominated one side, its dark wood frame carved with intricate patterns.

Bookshelves lined another wall, leather-bound volumes organized with meticulous care.

The curtains hung open, allowing the night air to drift inside... cool and carrying the faint scent of garden flowers.

Moonlight spilled through tall windows, painting everything in silver-blue.

A man sat on a velvet plush sofa near the window. His posture was tired.

He leaned heavily against the armrest, elbow propped there, cheek resting against his palm. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His other hand hung loose over the sofa’s edge.

He stared at nothing in particular. Just watching the moonlight shift across the floor.

Then suddenly, the large, ornate door opened.

A woman stepped through, closing it behind her with a soft click.

Her eyes found him immediately.

"You haven’t slept, Your Majesty."

The words came gentle. Observational rather than accusatory.

The man’s head lifted slowly. His gaze shifted toward her.

"You’re working at this hour?"

His voice was hoarse.

The woman crossed the room. Her steps were measured, graceful. The fabric of her dress whispered against the floor.

She reached the bed. Sat down on its edge with practiced elegance, hands folding in her lap.

"I’m the queen." Her tone remained calm. Matter-of-fact. "I’m merely doing my duty."

She looked at him steadily.

The man stood. His movement was slow and heavy. He walked toward the window, boots barely making sound against the carpeted floor.

He stopped at the glass. Gazed out at the city below, lights scattered like fallen stars across the darkness. The palace grounds stretched beyond, shadowed gardens and distant walls.

"It wasn’t just one."

The words dropped quiet into the room.

The woman remained seated on the bed. She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just waited.

Silence stretched between them.

Then he continued.

"The attack on the capital was orchestrated by a three-kingdom alliance."

His reflection stared back at him from the window. Tired. Worn.

The woman’s voice came measured. "So the war is inevitable."

"Yeah." He nodded once. His hand came up, pressed against the window frame. Fingers curling slightly.

Then something shifted in his posture. His spine straightened. His shoulders pulled back.

"They think forming an alliance will weaken us." A harsh laugh escaped. "Three kingdoms banding together like hyenas circling a lion."

His voice grew stronger. Sharper. Pride bleeding through the exhaustion.

"Vedgard stands alone because we can. We don’t need alliances. We don’t need to huddle together for warmth."

He turned from the window, facing her now. His eyes burned with conviction. "We are the strongest kingdom on this continent. Our military, our resources, our legacy, they are all unmatched."

His hand clenched into a fist.

"Let them come with their combined forces. Let them think their numbers will overwhelm us." His lips pulled into something between a smile and a snarl. "We’ll crush them. Every single one who dares underestimate Vedgard will learn why we’ve held dominion for three centuries."

The moonlight caught his face. Illuminated the fierce determination there.

"They want war? We’ll give them annihilation."

The man’s jaw set.

"We need to prepare for war." His voice carried authority now, command rather than conversation. "Inform all the ministers and officials. I want them assembled by dawn."

The woman on the bed shifted slightly. Her eyes tracked him.

"We can’t attack them like that."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Technically," the woman continued, "those were our people that attacked the capital."

"Vesperine." The man’s tone sharpened. "But they were paid. Planted by them."

Vesperine stood. Moved toward the window with the same graceful steps. The moonlight caught strands of her auburn hair, turning them in shades of copper and gold. She stopped beside him, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.

She turned. Her sharp green eyes locked onto his.

"Still. They haven’t directly attacked us." Her words came precise. Clinical.

"They’re maintaining plausibility. Claiming they simply asked our mercenaries to eliminate rogues from their kingdoms—criminals who’d fled across our borders. A mistake on their part, they’d say. Miscommunication. Tragic, but not an act of war."

The king’s hand tightened on the window frame.

Vesperine continued, her voice gaining strength. "We should demand compensation for our losses. High military officials were killed. Intelligence was compromised. Security protocols exposed."

She turned fully toward him now.

"We can’t take unnecessary risks. Not yet. We demand reparations, substantial ones. If they refuse?" Her lips curved slightly. "Then we have justification. Clear, undeniable cause for war that even neutral kingdoms can’t dispute."

Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

"It gives us time to recover. Rebuild what was damaged. And if they want to play it safe, to avoid conflict?" She tilted her head. "We gain resources. Wealth. Strategic concessions. Strengthen our position before the inevitable clash."

She stepped closer. Voice dropping lower but carrying more weight.

"And when the time comes... when we’re ready and they’ve shown their hand completely, then we show them exactly who they’ve messed with."

The man laughed.

The sound came sudden and genuine, breaking through the tension that had built between them.

He turned away from the window, walking back toward his sofa.

He dropped onto it. Leaned back into the velvet cushions, letting his head rest against the high back. His posture relaxed for the first time since she’d entered.

"You’re a useful one, Vesperine."

The woman’s lips curled into a smile. She nodded once. Accepting the praise for what it was.

She moved from the window toward the bed. Sat down on its edge again, hands folding in her lap. The silk of her dress pooled around her.

Her gaze lowered. She bit her lower lip, just slightly. A brief moment of hesitation.

"Would you..." The words came out quiet. Almost too quiet. "Would you join me today? For sleeping together?"

The question hung in the air.

The man’s head turned toward her. His brow furrowed slightly.

"Did you say something?"

Vesperine’s expression shifted. Smoothed out immediately.

"Oh. No, nothing."

She smiled. Small. Practiced.

The man smiled back. Then stood, stretching his arms overhead briefly before letting them drop.

"I need to go." His tone was casual now. "I’m keeping Mira waiting."

Something flickered across Vesperine’s face for a brief second. then gone.

She smiled. Wider this time.

"Have a good night, my king."

The words came out steady.

The man nodded. Turned toward the door without another glance back.

His footsteps crossed the room. The ornate door opened. Then closed behind him with a soft click.

Silence rushed back in.

Vesperine sat there on the bed’s edge. Staring at the closed door.

Her smile faded slowly.

She reached down. Removed her slippers one at a time. Let them drop to the floor with quiet thuds.

Then she crawled across the vast bed. The silk dress rustling. Her movements mechanical now. No grace. Just going through motions.

She reached the pillow. Dropped her head onto it.

Her hand came up. Then pulled the blanket up. Over her shoulders. Over her head. Cocooning herself in darkness.

Her arms wrapped around herself. The room stretched around her. Wide. Spacious. Empty.

She lay there in the vast bed.

Alone.

Like always.