Part 2 : The Chains of Bloodline
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Lireen pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the carriage window. Outside, the sky bled a dull gray, and the trees lining the noble road to Velcrest Forest whispered secrets she could no longer bear to hear. Her hands, once firm with determination, now trembled on her lap tucked beneath gloves far too delicate to hide the bruises of her heart.
She wasn't taken. She wasn't exiled.
But she was removed politely, quietly, and without her will.
> "You will stay with the family for a while," her father had said. "For protection. For control. For the good of your bloodline."
It was all lies.
They were ashamed. Ashamed of her connection to Kael. Ashamed that she, a daughter of the House of Lirevain, had fallen for a man of no house and no name.
Yet he was more noble than any of them.
Lireen bit her lip, holding back the tears as her mother's words echoed like venom in her mind:
> "Emotion is weakness, Lireen. A duchess must never falter."
But Lireen had faltered. She had loved.
And now, she was paying the price.
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As the carriage passed through the ornate gates of the family manor, Lireen could feel the chains wrapping tighter not iron ones, but expectations, whispers, forced smiles. Each servant bowed lower than before, each glance colder than the last.
She walked alone to her old chamber. It hadn't changed. Not a single thing. As if time had paused here. But she had changed.
She sat by the vanity, staring into her own eyes. But the girl staring back was hollow. Her reflection smiled, but her soul screamed.
> "Kael... can you feel this too?"
She opened a drawer beneath the mirror. Hidden beneath folded scarves was the feather pendant he gave her their final memory before parting.
She clutched it tight to her chest.
> "I won't forget you. Even if they burn my name from the family ledger."
A knock.
Lireen quickly hid the pendant.
"My Lady," came the voice of her younger cousin, Calis. "Dinner is ready. Your parents request your presence... and your compliance."
She stood without answering.
As she walked down the spiral stairs to the candlelit dining hall, her heart beat like a drum of war. Because she knew this wasn't about nobility.
This was a cage.
And she would either find a way to break free... or let her soul rot inside it.
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🔹Chapter Highlight Teaser : Lireen is returned to her noble house against her will. Bound by duty and forced smiles, she realizes her love for Kael has become a threat to those in power. As political chains tighten around her, Lireen begins to plan her silent rebellion...
Next : Part 3 - "The Game of Thrones Unseen"
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📖 Teaser Recap:
> Lireen is returned to her noble house against her will. Bound by duty and forced smiles, she realizes her love for Kael has become a threat to those in power. As political chains tighten around her, Lireen begins to plan her silent rebellion...
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