Arwenzylle blinked, her vision clearing as she looked around. She was standing in the familiar courtyard of the orphanage, surrounded by the children she had once known. But something felt different this time. The air was thick with a strange unease, and the world around her seemed altered, as though she had stepped into a different reality.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwKq7LXGOt
Then, a shadow fell over her, casting a cold chill across her skin. She glanced up, her heart skipping a beat.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWyIoOSK44
It was the Duke of Whales.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eYSd6lb4O
What’s this? she thought in confusion. Why is he here? What happened? This isn’t what happened before…
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCuYIbWcxB
The Duke stood tall, his cold, piercing gaze fixed upon her, and though he didn’t say a word, the sense of authority emanating from him was unmistakable. She felt a sense of dread settle in her chest, but it was mixed with something else—a strange pull, as though fate had tied them together once again.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclFww5yS9B
He stepped forward, his presence commanding. The children in the orphanage looked on in silence, as if they, too, recognized the gravity of the situation. Arwenzylle felt frozen, unsure of what was happening. She couldn’t understand it, but she was powerless to stop it.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSz77xp0qJS
Before she could gather her thoughts, the Duke motioned for her to come with him. His commanding gaze softened just slightly as he addressed her.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrGwrZHqZt
"Arwenzylle," he said, his voice like smooth steel.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ybWnn9MRR
She blinked, her mind reeling. "Yes? ... I mean... Duke? Huh? ... No... I...."
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvtpL2G73B
The confusion and uncertainty poured from her in a flurry of words, but none of them made sense. Her heart raced, her thoughts tangled together.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaVXCPRrrm
"That will be your name," the Duke said, his voice firm and unyielding. "Arwenzylle Nyur Whales."
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdDkBchJIE
Her name. Arwenzylle Nyur Whales. It felt so foreign to her, yet it also resonated in some deep, ancient part of her soul. She had never thought she would be tied to this name, to this man—especially not after everything she had been through, after all the times she had tried to change fate.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sXBn6fF7z
But here she was, once again, standing before the Duke, unsure of where the path would lead her.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0htSswqrl
As the Duke took her by the arm, she was too stunned to speak. She couldn’t make sense of the situation. She was led to the Duke’s carriage, the world outside the windows blurring by as her mind raced with questions, with memories she couldn’t quite place.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3eU66z0tz
What was this? Was this another chance? Or had she simply been caught in a loop she could never escape?
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD6C3FPjlg
The carriage jolted as it began to move, and Arwenzylle sat silently across from the Duke, her hands folded tightly in her lap. The weight of her thoughts bore down on her, but she couldn’t find the answers.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VPv1d1AOn
What was this new reality she had woken up to? Was it another attempt to change her fate—or was this the fate she was meant to accept?
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiQlL54UAz
The Duke’s gaze fell upon her, his expression unreadable. There was no comfort, no warmth in his eyes. Yet, as always, his presence carried a certain gravity, and she couldn’t help but feel that this was a moment that would shape everything to come.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h6irlDZT8
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwt4tnmf89
"Arwenzylle," he repeated quietly, his voice almost like a whisper now. "You wouldn't mind if I adopted you, right?"
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRdKPPnltS
The words hit her like a wave, crashing over her in a sudden, unexpected rush. Adopt me? The thought lingered in her mind, unsure of how to process it. She opened her mouth, but no words came out at first. Her mind was a whirlwind, trying to grasp the magnitude of the Duke's offer.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHlRr96lXB
Adopt her? It seemed unreal, impossible, considering the cold demeanor he had always displayed toward her. The Duke of Whales, a figure of power and authority, asking to adopt someone like her? She wasn’t sure whether to feel honored or confused.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0DiN1mp1C
She glanced up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. He didn’t appear to be joking, nor did he seem to expect an immediate answer. His gaze remained steady and serious, waiting.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cfnMhxjXc
"But... why?" she finally managed to whisper. The question felt silly even as it left her lips. Why would the Duke of Whales, a man who had always been so distant, want to adopt her? Was this another twist in her fate, or something else entirely?
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnpUMA1jAs
His expression didn’t change, though there was a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Because I don't have a child?" She looked at Arwenzylle and for the first time in Arwenzylle's life she saw the duke smiled.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtljnV9ju5
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuEOrknyJP
"......"
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM52zNLUxSl
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MzVkTCIcs
Arwenzylle swallowed hard, her thoughts swirling like a storm. She wasn’t sure what he meant, but in this moment, she understood one thing for certain—her journey had not ended, and whatever path she was on, she was no longer the same person she had been.
End~
ns216.73.216.66da2
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.