The Dragon Duke's Heir Contract novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: The Fair

Ysolene walked out of her own quickening.

She went down the three steps with eight hundred people watching, and nobody dared stop her.

The light was still shining from her skin, and the crowd parted in front of it.

She heard her father's voice calling.

She heard Fenna say, "Leave her be."

She went up the stair to the library, because it was nearest.

She shut the doors, and stood in the middle of the carpet shaking all over.

The light died slowly, thread by thread, out of her hands.

The door opened behind her.

She didn't turn.

"Tell me," she said. "All of it. And if you leave one thing out, I'll know."

He shut the door.

"Two autumns ago," said Valerian, "the harvest fair at Hartlow village."

She closed her eyes.

She remembered the fair.

It had rained.

"You were buying apples," he said. "At the third stall from the bridge."

"The man was trying to sell you bruised ones at the price of sound ones."

"You picked up every apple and showed him the bruise, one at a time, and put them down again in a row."

"And then you laughed."

"I don't remember you."

"I stood under the bridge. I didn't come near you."

"Why?"

"Because when you laughed, something lit in me like a coal." His voice was rough.

"My mother used to say a dragon knows his mate by that. I didn't believe her. I thought it was an old wives' tale."

← Chapter 16 · All chapters · Chapter 18 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend