Novels by Lily Monroe

Octavia sprang to her feet, placing a hand on Freya’s shoulder, righteous fury blazing across her face.“Sister Freya, I’ll help you kill—”The word was swallowed under Adrian’s warning glance. Octavia hastily corrected herself. “—teach him a brutal lesson!”A killer’s instincts were not so easily erased. Adrian did not expect Octavia to shed her past overnight.Still, had she finished that sentence, she would certainly have frightened Daisy and Freya.As it was, Adrian’s timely interruption kept either of them from overthinking her words.He gestured for Octavia to sit. “Do you want Freya marching off for revenge in this condition? Let me heal her first. Then we’ll deal with him.”Octavia paused, then nodded vigorously. “You’re right. Adrian, treat Sister Freya first. That scumbag—I won’t let him off!”Daisy and Octavia stepped aside to give him space. Adrian pressed lightly against several misaligned joints along Freya’s body. A few crisp cracks echoed in the small room before he pl

Daisy pushed Adrian aside and ran her fingers over the scrawled words on the door.“How could this have happened?”The three exchanged glances, their expressions heavy with silence.Daisy raised her hand and knocked. “Freya? Are you home, Freya?”The pounding echoed hollowly, but no one answered.Her anxiety deepened.Adrian called out as well, his voice infused with just enough force to carry inward without disturbing the neighbors. “Freya, Miss Daisy and Octavia are here to see you!”At last, a faint rustling came from within. A moment later, there was a soft click, and the door creaked open.Freya stood before them, her face as pale as paper, bruises darkening her cheek and the corner of her mouth.The room behind her was unlit, steeped in shadow, and faintly tinged with an unpleasant odor.Adrian recognized it instantly—the metallic scent of blood.“Miss Daisy, I’m sorry… I was just sleeping.”He stepped past her, found the switch, and turned on the light.The scene that emerged m

Tabitha agreed at once. It was only after the car had pulled away that they realized the entire orphanage staff had come out to see them off.In the rearview mirror, the crowd grew smaller and smaller.Tabitha sniffed quietly, forcing back the tears welling in her eyes.Adrian glanced at her. Girls, he thought, were always more susceptible to the ache of parting; women were creatures of feeling, after all.“We may be back again before long. Don’t cry.”“Who’s crying? Don’t talk nonsense,” she shot back at once.Yet her voice still trembled faintly.Adrian immediately rubbed at his own eyes. “Fine. I’m the one crying.”That earned him a reluctant laugh, and after a while her mood finally steadied.“Adrian, thank you for coming with me today.”In truth, he felt the trip had been necessary. Had he not come, Tabitha might very well have been hurt by the staff brought by Peach Blossom.And if Tabitha had been hurt, Daisy would certainly have been upset.By that logic, he had merely solved

They laid Director Grant flat upon the bed. Seeing her ashen complexion and bloodless lips, Adrian had already formed a preliminary judgment.Her condition, he feared, was far worse than he had anticipated.Tabitha Grant looked at him anxiously. “Adrian, are you confident about Director Grant’s illness?”Adrian pressed his lips together. “I’ll need to examine her pulse before I can reach a conclusion.”He stepped to the bedside, gently drew out Director Grant’s arm, and placed his fingers upon her wrist.Moments later, his expression turned grave. At the sight of it, Tabitha and Mr. Montgomery felt their hearts sink.“Well?”Adrian let out a quiet sigh. Director Grant was not suffering from one terminal illness, but two distinct and life-threatening conditions.Beyond that, years of relentless toil had left her burdened with countless chronic ailments.That she had endured this long was a testament to the sheer resilience of her spirit.“Adrian… she…”He looked at Tabitha, only then r

“Miss Tabitha, I offer my deepest apologies. If she has offended you in any way, you may deal with her as you see fit. I will not utter a single word in objection.”At Jaden Franklin’s declaration, despair washed over Peach Blossom’s face.The man she had relied upon most—the one she trusted without reservation—had discarded her without hesitation.“She didn’t offend me,” Tabitha said coolly, casting Peach Blossom a frigid glance. “She offended everyone here.”“Mr. Franklin, if you truly believe you are unfit to manage Franklin Entertainment, I can relieve you of the position.”The implication struck like lightning. Jaden’s expression changed at once. Turning sharply, he delivered another resounding slap to Peach Blossom.“Miss Tabitha, that is far too severe. She must have acted out of ignorance of your identity. But rest assured—our company cannot retain someone so arrogant and unruly.”“Miss Tabitha, I promise you a satisfactory resolution.”He bowed repeatedly, a sheen of sweat fo

When Tabitha saw the wheelchair overturned and Director Grant lying motionless on the ground, her anger flared beyond restraint. She strode forward and struck Peach Blossom across the face once more.Peach Blossom’s makeup was already streaked and ruined; now she shrieked hysterically, her composure in tatters.Director Grant, seeing the chaos spiral further out of control, was frantic with worry. She pushed her wheelchair forward, trying to intervene.“Stop fighting. Please—calm down.”Before she could reach them, one of the entertainment company’s staff kicked the wheelchair aside. It toppled violently, sending her crashing to the floor. For a moment, she did not move.The orphanage staff gasped and rushed to carry her to safety.A surge of fury ignited in Adrian’s chest.He had not imagined they would be so depraved as to assault a sick woman confined to a wheelchair.“You truly have no idea what you’ve invited upon yourselves.”His fists clenched. An unmistakable aura radiated fro

A tidal blaze unfurled between heaven and earth, and within the flames—“Holy Emperor…”The warriors of the Solar Kingdom froze.This moment—This was the end.Their power swelled, vast and violent.From all directions the distant onlookers—those who had kept their distance—felt their hearts lurch.The Holy Emperor had fallen.The great factions witnessing it didn’t even dare show their faces.“Kill!”“Kill that brat!”The Solar Kingdom’s elites were enraged.At once they broke into furious curses.In an instant, the crowd drowned in wrath.The strong of the Solar Kingdom were terrified.No one hesitated.All of them lunged to kill Dragon-Slayer and Anthony.“You really want to die together?”The next moment—Anthony struck once.A swath of top-tier experts exploded, their bodies smashed to pieces.Squelch!Some heads spun off into the air.Dead.The Holy Emperor had been killed.But they… were powerless.They could not keep fighting. If they did, the entire Solar Kingdom might be gro

Dragon-Slayer grunted, swallowed the pain in his seams, and rose into it, the sword-edge cutting a white arc.Beside them, Thirteen Smith muttered a curse. “Stupid kid.” The Holy Emperor only sneered, eyes full of scorn.Dragon-Slayer didn’t answer, his grip biting down. “Hnh. I’ll carve you up.”He fought with everything, every stroke meant to kill. Anthony watched, his gaze shifting—he seemed to read the intent, and held his tongue.Boom—the air rolled like a tide swallowing the field. The Holy Emperor’s rampage had passed understanding; each strike was huge and ruthless.A heartbeat later, the gale rose again. His offense poured like a rain-screen, fists and palms crossing, killing intent spearing the clouds. He was a hammer overfilled with thunderfire—blow after blow grinding down.Dragon-Slayer braced in a flash—swordlight fierce—meeting edge with edge.Boom! He staggered back several steps, heart pounding, a flicker of disbelief breaking through his eyes. Why? What in hell did h

Dragon-Slayer dropped lightly to the ground; a tap of the heel, dust settled. He raised his eyes to the figure standing high above, gaze cold, voice low but heavy enough to hold the field.Though his chest still heaved, he ground out each word: “I’m not afraid of you.”“Today, I’ll defeat you—and kill you.”“The Solar Kingdom will never be a match for Ardenia.”“Your warriors are garbage.”The Holy Emperor laughed softly, a rasp like a blade dragging over stone. “You’re sure? Sure you’re not afraid? Then today, I’ll cut you to pieces.”Dragon-Slayer stepped in instead of back, a short drive of the foot, his body tipping forward, killing intent sliding free like a naked edge. He lifted his head and met the sword-hard gaze above, unflinching.The cold in his eyes cut sharper than steel. “To me, you’re—nothing.”“Today, you die.”“I will kill you.”“You think that boy can really keep you safe?” His words fell like a war banner rammed into open ground, snapping in the gale. Wind licked hi

“Y-you—why are you this strong…”Anthony’s mouth pulled into a cold curve. “It’s not that I’m strong. It’s that you’re useless.”Before the last syllable faded, he surged upward, a raptor cutting through knives of wind and sleet, and stooped.Boom!Explosions flowered across the sky, force scattering like invisible hammers pounding the void. Killing intent poured down like a tangible blaze.He raised another fist. Before it even landed, the gale at its edge flayed the dust to air.Bang!The Holy Emperor’s chest was punched straight through. Blood burst like a flower. His armor shattered; a hideous hole tore open across his front. He was blasted backward, blood running in a steady ribbon from his lips, his eyes wide with a terror that couldn’t focus—grasping at reality’s edge and finding nothing.The rim of the armor writhed, trying to stitch itself—futile against the gaping wound.He lifted his gaze in disbelief, and for the first time, true fear flooded his eyes—the primal dread of t

He pulled a breath, dragging his sight back from the dark. He looked up into the Ardenian youth’s face—indifferent, eyes like a winter lake, unruffled.“Your strength isn’t bad,” Anthony said, mild, with a flat contempt folded into it. “Unfortunately for you, you’re facing me. Which makes everything you do useless.”He tipped his chin, the cold at his eye’s corner cutting sharper. “So this is the Solar Kingdom’s best? No more than this.”Contempt, complete and entire.“In all martial ways, speed breaks all.” He sheathed in one clean motion, his pace itself a declaration. The Holy Emperor was fast—unquestionably. But he was facing Anthony. That alone sealed his tragedy.In a handful of exchanges, Anthony had hammered the Holy Emperor’s confidence to splinters. He had never imagined the man before him could be this absurdly strong. Terror—there was no other word in the minds of those watching.To Anthony, it was nothing. His gaze stayed cold; his killing will drew tighter.The Holy Empe

The heaving air over the four quarters suddenly sank. A darkened silhouette dragged itself out of the heights of the sky, like a deeper thread of night within the night, easing toward them. It had no sound, no scent; even the grain of its aura felt sanded smooth—more secret than a ghost, like a frost-sheathed dagger settling wordlessly to the throat.A heartbeat later, a figure fell from the heights. He touched down without a sound, yet his presence tore the silence around him. It was a tyranny that needed no words; with just an inch of ground underfoot, hearts clenched.“Holy Emperor!!”“The Holy Emperor is here!”“Lord Holy Emperor, a god forever…”“Lord Holy Emperor, mighty and unyielding!”“We can kill these Ardenians now…”“We must kill them…”The boiling shouts surged like oil set alight, raising the temperature of every throat at once. The Holy Emperor revealed himself—a man in his middle years, features unassuming, but a severity honed to lethal stillness. When his gaze droppe