Free Web NovelChapter 498: Chapter 498
Ragnar did not speak much after that.
Instead, he poured everything he could not say into his actions. From morning until well into the afternoon, he remained at her side, tending to her with an almost obsessive care.
He hovered, fussed, checked her hands more times than necessary, and rarely let more than a few inches of space come between them.
Circe did not protest.
She did not mind the attention, nor the way he seemed determined to stay glued to her side, as if leaving her even for a moment would invite disaster. She understood it was his guilt that drove him. This, she knew, was his way of coping. His way of quieting the storm inside him. And so she allowed it, indulging him in his need to care for her.
But her body was no longer what it once was.
Pregnancy drained her energy in ways she had not anticipated. Even simple things left her tired now. After sharing lunch with Ragnar, she felt the familiar pull of exhaustion settle deep into her bones. It was not something she could fight.
She lay down on the bed, intending only to rest her eyes for a moment but sleep claimed her almost immediately.
When she woke, Ragnar was gone. freeweɓnøvel.com
The absence of his presence was noticeable at once, like a warmth that had suddenly been taken away. Circe pushed herself upright slowly, her movements careful, still mindful of the lingering ache in her hands. She had barely gathered her bearings when a knock sounded at the door.
She did not even have the chance to wonder where Ragnar had gone.
"Enter," Circe called, her gaze shifting toward the door.
A second later, it creaked open, and her midwife stepped inside.
"Your Highness," Morana greeted, dipping into a respectful bow.
Circe exhaled softly. "You do not have to keep visiting me so frequently. The baby is hardly in any danger," she said. "And besides, it cannot be convenient for you to come here so often. You might end up neglecting your other responsibilities."
Morana straightened, a small, reassuring smile forming on her lips. "Oh, but it is no bother, Your Highness. The prince made it a condition of my employment that I visit every other day to ensure that both you and the child are faring well. I agreed to those terms, and I intend to fulfill them." She paused briefly, her expression softening. "But truthfully, it is not just duty that brings me here. I enjoy caring for you. You are one of my best patients."
A faint smile touched Circe’s lips at that, but before she could respond, a sudden chill swept through the room, raising goosebumps along her skin. She shivered slightly, instinctively drawing her arms closer to herself.
Morana noticed immediately.
Without hesitation, she moved toward the hearth. The fire within had burned low, reduced to faint, dying embers that barely gave off any heat. No wonder the room had grown so cold.
Kneeling, Morana quickly arranged fresh logs within the hearth.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Circe rise from the bed and wander toward the far side of the room, her attention seemingly elsewhere. Taking advantage of the moment when she wasn’t being observed, Morana extended her hand over the arranged wood.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then, from her palm, a thin stream of fire emerged. It curled around the logs, catching with ease, igniting them.
She withdrew her hand at once.
Within seconds, the fire crackled to life, warmth spreading gradually through the room.
What she had done was dangerous, reckless even, but she allowed herself to believe she had not been seen.
When she turned back, Circe was already making her way to the bed again, her expression calm, giving no indication that she had noticed anything unusual.
Circe sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting her position so that she faced Morana directly.
"There is something I have been meaning to ask you," she said.
The shift in her tone immediately captured Morana’s full attention.
"What is it, Your Highness?" she asked politely.
"The scar on your wrist," Circe began, her voice deceptively light, almost casual. "It looks very similar to one I have seen before. How did you get it?"
Morana faltered.
"My scar?" she echoed, a faint tightness creeping into her face. "I am afraid it is quite a long story. I would not want to bore you, Your Highness."
It was a gentle attempt to deflect but Circe did not let it pass.
"I have no pressing engagements at the moment," she replied evenly. "I have time to listen. No matter how long the story may be."
Morana narrowed her eyes slightly, her lips pressing into a thin smile.
"As you wish, Your Highness," she said after a brief pause. "Though, to spare you the length of it, I will recount only the important parts. It began when I caught the attention of a violent wretch. She sought to teach me a lesson. She ordered her soulless thugs to hold me down while she sliced my wrists open. She meant to bleed me dry while she stood over me, reveling in my suffering." Her gaze flickered downward for the briefest moment. "Forgive my crass language." ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"There is nothing to forgive," Circe said softly. "I cannot imagine it is easy to speak of such things."
Morana inclined her head slightly. "Thank you for your understanding."
It was then her attention shifted.
Her eyes fell upon the burns on Circe’s hands.
Concern replaced everything else.
Without thinking, Morana stepped closer. "May I?" she asked gently.
At Circe’s nod, she reached out, taking her hands with a touch that was careful, almost maternal. Her fingers traced the edges of the burns, examining it
The gesture was eerily familiar.
It reminded Circe of Ragnar, of the way he had held her earlier, the same care, the same quiet intensity of his focus.
In just a few short hours, the burns that had once been angry, blistered red were now partially healed, the damage already receding. Circe knew why.
It was because of her magic. It was stronger now, hence why she was healing faster.
"How did you get these burns?" Morana asked, her brows knitting with concern.
"His Highness did it," she said, though from her tone it was clear that she didn’t blame him. "It was an accident. He lost control for a moment. Fire just—" she gestured faintly "—erupted from his hands."
A flicker of something unreadable passed through Morana’s eyes.
"I wish you could have seen it," Circe added. "Before him, I did not think such a thing was even possible. You would not know anything about such things... would you?"
The look on Circe’s face as she spoke set off alarm bells in Morana’s mind.
She knows. The thought echoed relentlessly. Circe had seen the way she lit the hearth, that much was obvious by now. Still, Morana was well-practiced in masking her thoughts and keeping her emotions locked away.
"No, I wouldn’t know," Morana replied, slowly withdrawing her hand.
But from the look on Circe’s face, it was clear she wasn’t finished. Far from it.
"I spoke to my mother, and she told me quite a bit about you, Morana. Information I had never been privy to before."
"I suspected she would," Morana answered calmly. After all, there had been no reason for Thalora to keep their conversation to herself, not if revealing it meant protecting her daughter.
The pleasant expression Circe wore shifted in an instant, darkening into something far more unsettling. Many would have called the change frightening, menacing, even intimidating. "I don’t appreciate being lied to. You should have known this by now."
The words were both a warning and a threat, wrapped neatly together. Yet Morana remained unmoved.
"I didn’t lie to you, Your Highness," she said evenly.
"No," Circe replied, her tone flattening, "you simply chose to keep something this significant from me, which is arguably worse. You are a duchess in Innermost, and you ensured I remained oblivious."
"Pardon me, Your Highness," Morana replied, her voice still smooth, though her gaze sharpened slightly. "I was not aware that I was required to disclose the entirety of my life’s story. If I had known you would take issue with it, I would have acted accordingly."
"So many secrets," Circe murmured. "Even now, you hoard them like treasures. You left my mother quite perplexed that day. Try as she might, she couldn’t see through you but I don’t have that problem."
Morana said nothing.
"You see, even before you came here for the first time, I had already seen you," Circe continued. "I’ve seen you happy and filled with love. And I’ve seen you consumed by destructive rage. I’ve seen both. And since you arrived here, I’ve seen even more. My question is now that I know, when are you going to tell him?"
