Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us - Chapter 18 --

[Webnovel Spirity Awards 2025 Entry]In a world of magic and machines, Blaine Lionheart had been proclaimed a once-in-a-lifetime genius since he was still just a child.Born to the Legendary Warrior who had earned himself the moniker of 'Supreme Sword', Blaine was seemingly destined for greatness from the moment he first opened his eyes.He awakened to his unique Mana Art at the age of eight and entered the Kingdom's Royal Guard at the age of twelve.However, despite all of this... There was one thing that the boy genius could never do.Protect the people he cared about.No matter how hard he tried... Everyone he cared about would slowly slip through his hands, with him powerless to save them.And now that he's being reassigned to be the princess's bodyguard... Blaine can only hope that history doesn't repeat itself.No... He wouldn't let it!

I closed my eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath. The needle slipped through my numb fingers and clattered onto the rough pavement. Nothingness swirled around me, bringing the first peace I'd felt in my short, miserable life. No one would miss me, and if any did...? Well, there was always someone else to beat or rape. They'd move on quickly.But then...gods? Since when did nothingness have so many gods?Chosen by the goddess of Fate, I'm thrust into a world of magic and wonder alongside nine other heroes. A world where the gods reign supreme, and evil is vanquished before it can spread its blight.Can such a place truly exist? Could life really be worth living?I've heard that the brightest lights cast the longest shadows, but my life has been nothing but darkness. Perhaps this new world will be the chance I need to find the light, to see the other side.

Briar had always harbored a crush in her heart. However, with her status as the official nanny of the Meyer family, she knew her chances were close to zero. After all, there were many other eligible women out there and it was not in her place to cross this line.All it took was one crucial call from home and she found herself signing a contract she never dreamed was possible.The man she had pinned after for years, Logan Meyer, needed a trophy wife, an accessory to hang on his arm, and a mother to his three kids. And as the nanny his children were used to seeing, Briar happened to fit the bill.She needed the money to save a relative. But more than that, this was an opportunity for her to reach the forbidden fruit she could only see but not touch for years.However, when the secrets of her past, which she wished to have forgotten and had locked in Pandora’s Box over twelve years ago, threaten to come out. The kind that would shatter the image she had painstakingly forged, thwart everything that she had worked hard for all these years and send her to prison for the rest of her life, forcing her to part with the man she dearly loves.To stop her adversaries from destroying everything that she had dreamt of since she was a child, Briar would be forced to make choices. Choices that would change her life forever.Even if it means shedding all pretenses and revealing her true self.