twelvewstars

Gifted a candle that was said to make wishes come true, Alice Clemente burned it to find herself awake in a different world. She had wished for a life of adventure away from the city and its routine. With her wish granted, she was no longer in the 21st century and was instead lost in the middle of the Kingdom of Gladiolum, a place reminiscent of the 1800s.

With luck, she soon gained connections to the rich and powerful of this new world— the nobility. However, how much of it was good and how much of it would eventually be detrimental? After all, mingling with royals not only meant extravagance and daily parties. It also meant warfare and death. 

Caught in the middle of the two princes and other nobles, Alice would soon have to face the battle between those two royal brothers― a fight for the throne.

She had wished for adventure, after all, and she received just as such.

Kept in the center of all this, would Alice be able to emerge from the rabbit hole unscathed? Or will the overwhelming troubles of love and war be too much for her to bear?


***

“And what if you, too, are unable to help?” Alice threw the question back. “What if helping would risk everything?”

Spade didn’t miss a beat.

“You are everything.”

“Don’t say things that you don’t mean,” Alice chided. “You’ll leave a trail of broken hearts.”

“And would you believe me if I say that I have no intention of breaking yours?” Spade countered. “However, mine is yours to play with. Shatter it, fix it, do anything you desire. As long as it feels the warmth of your hand, I am content.”

***

Image used in cover not mine.

A Courtyard of Roses

ALICE HELD HER breath, eyeing the gleaming rapier tip that was right in front of her face. Her memories flashed back to what seemed like forever ago when she was in a similar situation. Back then, she had been in the middle of a forest. Unlike the present, she was at the other end of the tip, not getting protected by the weapon like right now.


"Who are you?" Miles calmly asked, his blade unwavering as he held the attacker's line of sight. 


The man behind the mask simply clicked his tongue in annoyance, though he said no word. Seeing that there was a lack of reaction, Miles raised the blade, repelling the man. He stumbled back a little, obviously no match for the knight that protected the Ragan family.


Alice was pulled to her feet swiftly by Miles, who pointed the rapier at the assailant still. He didn't look away, offering the man no chances to launch a surprise attack. Instead, he held Alice close, using his own body to protect her from harm's way.


The Valiant Knight