Serenade In Shadows
Prologue
Have you ever paused to think how your life can change in the blink of an eye? The dreams you once held close, shimmering with promise... the joy you anticipated with open arms... all of those cherished moments are now mere shadows in your memory, slipping through your fingers like grains of sand. Replaced by a new face, a whirlwind of emotions, and an unsettling sense of disdain that lingers around. Yet, when you're vulnerable, there's always a hand, he was the ray of sunlight.
Or perhaps what you truly yearned for was the definite emptiness, seeking solace in the delicate stanzas of the stories you weave. Crafting a love that seems forever out of reach. Yet, he stands amidst of the roses, a figure of quiet longing—even if you wished for him to fade into the background. Your eyes betray your emotions, eloquently expressing a love that words fail to capture.
In one fleeting moment, you found yourself bound to a life dictated by responsibilities and obligations. You waited patiently for the routine of your predetermined life to unfold before you, like a script you had no choice but to follow. But there he was, the anchor in your blizzard. He was everything you weren't—the yin to your yang. Crafting a small life, filled with the whispers of love, that felt too beautiful to be real, that you believed you never wanted.
You have once believed that he was the one. Yet, that elusive spark always seemed just out of reach when you were with him. Little did you know, the person who infuriated you, that you began to see glimpses of whom you truly loved. In those moments of frustration, laughter, and push-and-pull, the spark you longed for was quietly simmering, waiting to be recognized. Right beside you.
Beneath the Veil of Deception
Sonnets to a Silent Soul
The Guardian of Her Grace
The Masquerade
𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|||၊၊||၊၊||| 03:10
Love Story ~ Indila
I Think They Call This Love ~ Elliot James Reay (Cover by Matthew Ifield)
Until I Found You ~ Stephen Sanchez ft. Em Beihold
Perfect ~ Ed Sheeran
Beneath The Veil of Deception 1
“ 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 „
Episode 1: Married to Her Fiance's Younger Brother.
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦.
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴... 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴.
Rafael Von Edrington
Lady Jacinth.
𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘻𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴...
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸... 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥.
Priest:
Your Grace, the Duke of Elodour, Rafael Von Edrington, do you take Lady—
Zander Von Edrington
Zander. It is Zander Von Edrington.
Jacinth's gaze rose to meet that of her groom, and a wave of disdain washed over her. Her lips parted, a protest teetering on the edge of her tongue, a flicker of rebellion igniting within her.
Yet deep down, she understood the truth—this was not hers to decide.
Zander lowered his gaze, a swirl of emotions dancing in his mind. Maybe he grasped the weight of the situation; maybe he didn't. But the tension in his expression eased, hinting at a deeper understanding within him.
He leaned, pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead. A tear streaked down Jacinth's face.
Rafael died that day, his life stealing away the moment he longed for—the chance to accept Jacinth as his beloved Duchess.
Her fingers clenched the fabric of her gown, the only thing grounding her in a world that had been torn apart.
She could hear Zander behind her, the soft creak of his boots as he moved.
Her breath caught in her chest, and the anger she’d swallowed all day came rushing to the surface. She was forced into this—married to a man who wasn’t even the one she was betrothed to. The wedding vows had meant nothing, had been hollow, empty promises to the memory of... Rafael...
Jacinth Ashbourne
How could you?
Jacinth's voice was sharp, a lash of accusation as she spun around to face him.
Jacinth Ashbourne
How could you agree to this? You knew what it would do to me, yet you went along with it. Why?
He was there, but he wasn’t truly with her. His calmness, his stillness—everything about him, infuriated her. He had agreed to this marriage, just as easily as he had taken his brother’s place.
Zander Von Edrington
There was no other choice.
His reply came with a detached calmness.
Jacinth Ashbourne
You don’t even care, do you? You agreed to this because it was your duty, and nothing more. Did you think I would just accept it? That I would be grateful? I just hate—
Taking a deliberate step forward, Zander reached out and pulled her closer, his hands settling firmly on her waist. The warmth of her body against his and he could feel the subtle sway of her form as they locked eyes, their surroundings fading away at that moment.
Zander Von Edrington
I did not ask for this any more than you did.
He whispered against her mouth.
Zander Von Edrington
But you are here now, and so am I. We both have our roles to play. You are a Duchess now. Act like one.
𝘐 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴... 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴.
Zander Von Edrington
I will take the divan.
Zander settled onto the divan with an air of casual indifference, not bothering to glance in her direction. Jacinth pulled the covers on herself.
“ 𝖱𝖺𝗓𝗂𝖾𝗅 𝖺𝗌 𝖱𝖺𝖿𝖺𝖾𝗅 𝖵𝗈𝗇 𝖤𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗈𝗇
𝖭𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗌 𝖹𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖵𝗈𝗇 𝖤𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗈𝗇
𝖣𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗅 𝖺𝗌 𝖩𝖺𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗁 𝖠𝗌𝗁𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾 ”
Beneath The Veil of Deception 2
Episode 2: The Duke of Elodour.
The sound of porcelain against porcelain was the only noise in the room as Jacinth picked at her breakfast. Across the table, Zander read through documents, his face a mask of indifference.
Just a few days, and she feels as if she's already drowning, suffocating under the weight of it all.
Jacinth was struggling internally if she should say it out. They hadn't spoken with each other since their wedding night, and the few words they had exchanged felt more like a formality—a Duke and Duchess had to keep up appearances in public, after all.
Zander stared at his wife for a brief moment, crossing his legs with an air of calm authority. He slid the documents to his subordinate, who was standing beside him. The room was thick with anticipation, and after what felt like an eternity, Zander broke the silence, his voice soothing yet firm.
Zander Von Edrington
Is there something on your mind, Duchess?
Jacinth stopped for a moment. It felt like the title mocked her. Sure, she was the Duchess and lived up to all that expectation.
But the one her eyes were really searching for just wasn’t around anymore.
Jacinth Ashbourne
I... I wanted to ask something.
Zander waited patiently as she paused.
Jacinth Ashbourne
If it pleases Your Grace, may I be granted leave to return to my father’s household for a short time?
A heavy silence enveloped the entire hall. The clinking of glass and the rustle of fabric ceased as the servants halted mid-motion, their expressions frozen in anticipation. In the Edrington household, a longstanding rule dictated that the bride must remain away from her home for a full week after the ceremony.
However, Jacinth wasn't aware of that. Everyone holds their breath as waiting for Zander's response.
Zander Von Edrington
Marco shall accompany you to your Father's estate.
Zander casually raises his cup, as stunned silence envelops the room. The weight of disbelief hangs in the air, and all eyes are glued to him. Marco, his subordinate, shifts uneasily.
Marco Roosevelt
But Your Grace—
Zander Von Edrington
I trust you heard me the first time?
Marco Roosevelt
My apologies, Your Grace.
`turning to Jacinth, bowing politely` My Lady, I shall be waiting outside.
Jacinth stands up and nods politely.
Jacinth Ashbourne
Thank you, Your Grace.
Zander gives a slight nod.
𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘺—𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩. 𝘐 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦—𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵—𝙃𝙚𝙧.
She turned to leave, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught the barest slouch of his shoulders, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as though the weight of his title pressed down on him.
At that moment, he looked nothing but a simple man she’d never believed him to be. And just as quickly, Zander straightened, his mask firmly back in place.
𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵… 𝘪𝘧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩.
Marco Roosevelt
Zander, have you any idea what this looks like? It’s been less than a week, and you’re granting the Duchess to go back to her father’s estate?
Zander Von Edrington
I am aware, Marco. Mother will not say anything.
Zander pinches the middle of his eyebrows.
Marco sits on the sofa opposite the study table. He speaks calmly this time.
Marco Roosevelt
It is not about your Mother, Zander. It is about you. After the Eldest Master's death, the noble families are questioning your legitimacy as Duke. You need to be cautious, Zander. You are not a physician anymore. You are the Duke.
Zander Von Edrington
Do not worry.
After a long pause, he replies.
“ 𝖪𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗌 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗈 𝖱𝗈𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗍 ”
Download MangaToon APP on App Store and Google Play
