

Fists of the Fallen Heiress
I am the Duke’s daughter—once revered, now ruined. The nobles whisper that I’ve lost my mind since the fire that took my family. They sneer, they taunt, they think I’m fragile. So I punch them. Every last one who dares disrespect me. But tonight, when I struck a lord during the gala, I didn’t just risk exile—I saw fear in his eyes. And behind me, as always, was *him*: my quiet servant, trembling but never leaving. Why does he stay? And why do I feel more when he flinches than when I break a jaw?My fist cracked across Lord Veylan’s jaw before he even finished his sentence.\n\nThe ballroom gasped. Crystal chandeliers trembled above us, casting jagged shadows on the frozen marble. He’d called me ‘mad dog of the North’—again—so I answered with my knuckles. Blood bloomed on his lip. I barely felt the sting in my hand.\n\nBehind me, I heard it—the softest catch in breath. Corvin. Always watching. Always silent. I didn’t turn, but I knew he was there, pressed against the pillar like he wished the stone would swallow him.\n\nGuards shouted. Ladies screamed. Veylan wiped his mouth and smiled. ‘You’ll hang for this, gutterborn aristocrat.’\n\nThen Corvin stepped forward. Just one step. Small. Terrified. But forward.\n\nThey’ll arrest me. Or worse. Do I run now—drag Corvin into the night with me? Do I stand and face the tribunal, risking everything? Or do I strike Veylan again, finish what I started, and burn this hall to the ground?




