CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHTALARIC’S POV

By the time the gates of Earldom came into view, my chest already felt tight, like the kingdom itself was sitting on my lungs. That fear again..that fear.

I did not even pause to freshen up. The dust of the road still clung to my boots, my cloak smelled of sweat and war councils, and my mind was already miles ahead, calculating losses, weighing faces, remembering every word written in that cursed letter.

Ten thousand gold coins did not simply disappear.

I ...