In Holding You Close Chapter 1-8, emotions continue to bloom as the slow-burn romance between Yuna and Theo evolves through quiet gestures and misunderstood moments. Chapter 8 draws readers into a delicate dance of yearning, vulnerability, and unspoken affection. While Theo mistakenly assumes Yuna has let go of her past, her memories gently resurface, showing that home still lives in her heart. Determined to keep her close, Theo contemplates grand gestures—perhaps too grand—leading to one adorably awkward misunderstanding after another.
Holding You Close Chapter 1: The Bloodied Groom and the Attic Bride
Holding You Close Chapter 1 begins with Archduchess Yuelina trusting Count Delkan blindly as he escorts her to the icy northern realm of Phoenix, her new “home.” But this land is full of contradictions—despite the constant snow, flowers bloom. She wonders if it’s due to the magic stones. Count brings her to the Black Manor, her new residence. There, she’s reminded of her status—whispers trail her every step. She’s “that girl from a tiny island,” and some even claim she was traded for magic stones. Harsh, but not far from the truth. Her homeland, the Isle of Ruhe, lacked nations, borders, and warmth. So, when the emperor offered a trade (her hand in marriage for life-saving magic stones), she accepted. Such is the burden of her birthright as heir.
Soon, the elusive Archduke Theo De Phoenix makes his entrance—blood-soaked, cold, and charming as a winter storm. His first words? No wedding, no love, and don’t get too comfy. He’s been married three times already; the brides either fled or died. Romantic, right? His aide Yulis shows Yuelina to her new “room”—the attic of a tower. No windows, just isolation. Theo warns her again—there will be no love story here.
But our girl? She’s thrilled. Spacious, warm (thanks to the stones), and way better than her icy hut back home. Later, she stumbles upon glowing stones, falls, and accidentally opens a secret door leading to a balcony, where Theo stands, brooding. She greets him with a smile again, and this time, he actually sees her—really sees her—for the first time.
Holding You Close Chapter 1 ends with the duke wondering why this attic bride isn’t even a little bit upset.
Chapter 2: The Bride Who Didn’t Flinch
Duke Theo is completely thrown off his game as Holding You Close Chapter 2 begins . Instead of a weeping, cursing woman regretting her fate, his new bride Yuelina stands smiling—thinly dressed in the freezing cold like it’s springtime. He plans to give her an earful however somehow ends up awkwardly asking her about her light dress.
Flashback to two months ago: Theo receives a letter from Count Delkan about a Saintess—yes, the Saintess, the only human who can wield the divine power of Daphne. The red mark on her ear gives it away, just like in the prophecy. Once a royal imprint is made, she must be sacrificed one year later to complete the ritual. That’s right—one year of marriage and then poof, divine fuel for the empire. Theo, being the Emperor’s nephew and a feared “War Demon,” already had his previous three wives killed by his uncle for similar twisted rituals. So, marrying a woman doomed to die? Sadly familiar territory.
Back in the present, Theo tries to intimidate Yuelina by pointing out that the balcony she found leads directly to his chambers. He assumes this power play will scare her. But Yuelina? She just blushes, thinking he’s being considerate by living close by. Then, when a gust of wind almost sends her flying, Theo catches her—and immediately recoils, assuming she must find his touch disgusting. Instead, she thanks him sincerely. He’s completely baffled. Is she… not terrified?
Trying to assert dominance, he offers her magic stones. But Yuelina, thinking that’s a bit forward, invites him to breakfast instead.
Holding You Close Chapter 2 ends with Theo totally flustered by the one thing he never expected—an actual breakfast date request.
Holding You Close Chapter 3: Love? At First Breakfast?
Holding You Close Chapter 3 begins with Duke Theo still baffled by Yuelina’s unexpected request for breakfast. Among all the possible requests a powerful duke could receive she chose food. Yuelina misinterprets his prolonged silence during breakfast as a rejection sign. She backtracks, but Theo, trying to play it cool, says he doesn’t eat breakfast—they’ll have lunch instead.
Yulis becomes uneasy when the chef leaves before dawn breaks. Theo tries to hide his true intentions from Yuelina but Yulis discerns the truth behind his actions. The duke sends Count Delkan to manage refugee issues near the Northern Wall in order to foster his relationship with Yuelina.
Delkan stops Yuelina before departing to ask her directly about the marriage’s physical consummation. She tries to deny it politely but he becomes irritated. Delkan pushes Yuelina to move closer to Theo while giving her tips.
Later, Theo hands her a warm cloth on the balcony before asking if she had any conversation with Delkan. She confirms—unaware Theo had *eavesdropped* their whole conversation. The duke tells her to seek his help whenever she needs something while anticipating she would ask for a magic stone. Hungry and adorable Yuelina admits she hasn’t eaten anything since waking up. Theo’s heart? Slightly melted. He enters the doctor’s office that night with such force it startles both Yulis and David. A magical enchantment has taken hold of Theo because he constantly thinks about a “flower-scented little bird.”
Holding You Close Chapter 3 ends with a lovesick duke screaming into the void while his aides try to process the romantic meltdown.
Chapter 4: Of Spells, Scars, and Salves
Theo dramatically declares he’s bewitched, and David—half amused, half concerned—plays along, suggesting an antidote to test if it’s truly a spell as Holding You Close Chapter 4 begins . Yulis watches perplexed as his leader Theo,the usually composed Duke fall into a frantic state because of a woman. To prove his point about Yulis’s spell David proposes testing if she can also enchant other men. Theo’s agreement makes David just as surprised as he is.
Theo makes Yuelina accompany him to the noble hunt for a supposed antidote test that serves as an official excuse. The Duke instructs Yulis to dress Yuelina warmly because she gets cold easily. Yulis secretly worries that Theo will lose his composure when other men begin to show interest in her.
The instant Yuelina enters the hunt scene all male eyes become totally fixated on her. She experiences discomfort since she thinks she lacks noble behavior skills while fearing she will stand out too much. Yulis insists on getting proper respect from everyone. But some people make offensive comments about exchanging her for magic stones and even attempt to trade their own stones for marriage.
Enter Theo, radiating murderous energy. Theo silences the crowd by making threats against a noble before demanding total surrender of their magic stones to protect their body parts. Unsurprisingly, they flee.
Yuelina becomes anxious after enduring the offensive words because she believes Theo will punish her. He provides her with magic stones unconditionally while caring for her wound and declares she should receive freedom and respect.
Theo proves actions speak louder than spells as Holding You Close Chapter 4 ends.
Holding You Close Chapter 5 : The Glove War and the Red Earrings
Holding You Close Chapter 5 begins with Yuelina blushing from Theo’s warm words, resolving not to be discouraged anymore. After all, she is the Archduchess of Phoenix! As she hesitantly pulls her hand away, Theo quickly unravels, worrying she wished she had never married into this cold, cursed estate.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Yuelina pulls out her adorable hunting outfit, immediately captivating Theo. Rather than the frenzy of a hunt, he proposes a stroll through the woods—after all, she’s clearly never even held a bow in her hand. As they walk, she inquires curiously why the flowers here have no fragrance. Theo reveals they are grown with magic stones, quietly thanking the universe for Yuelina lovely scent.
When Yuelina mentions skating, something Yulis mentioned to her ,Theo sees her red, cold hands and finds out her gloves were a gift from Yulis. This triggers a mental meltdown—*Yulis*, the stone-hearted war tactician who once politically annihilated half the council, gave her *gloves*? Theo, not to be left out, decides he has to give a gift as well – something exponentially better.
That evening, Yulis comes with the news: those who insulted Yuelina have been stripped of their nobles titles. But before Yulis can brag, Theo holds up a pair of red earrings—a family heirloom from his late mom. Yulis is shook. Gloves? Who cares! Theo is going all in sentimental power move.
Theo storms off, sarcastically mocking Yulis about his “kindness,” . Later he,nervously knocks on Yuelina’s door—turns bright red at the sight of her.
A flustered Duke and with pair of earrings carrying centuries of emotion, as Holding You Close Chapter 5 ends.
Chapter 6: Blushes, Earrings, and Unspoken Emotions
Holding You Close Chapter 6 opens up with Yuelina in her night gown, apologizing as Theo turns red at the sight—blushing like a lovesick teenager. He fumbles to get out, saying that now’s not the right moment but she takes hold of his hand. Boom—spell confirmed. Theo gives her the earrings Yuelina quietly wishes their relationship will become a real loving marriage.
Flash-forward a week: we meet to Ray, Yuelina’s faithful maid and ex-knight. While others laughed at her, Theo taught her swordplay and became the reason for her to stay by his side. She had her fingers crossed that Yuelina would thaw out Theo’s frozen heart, but today, he’s all frostbite in human form.
In a casual chat, Yuelina gets chilly responses, leaving everyone in a state of confusion. Ray thinks she knows what is behind, the missing earrings. She hauls Theo off for a heart-to-heart. Meanwhile, Yulis gets the truth from Yuelina—why she isn’t wearing them—and is left stunned.
Ray doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She wants to know why Theo is freezing Yuelina out. Theo pouts, believing she doesn’t like him. When asked about the earring, Ray says maybe Yuelina’s saving them for something special.
Just then, Yuelina rushes up, out of breath, exclaiming that she can’t wear them – not because she doesn’t want to, but because she doesn’t have pierced ears! She shows him the red mark, no holes. Theo’s stunned. She says she wants them pierced—and wants him to do it.
With hearts warming up and earrings patiently waiting for their spot, Holding You Close Chapter 6 wraps up.
Holding You Close Chapter 7: Earrings, Emotions, and Eavesdropping Dukes
Holding You Close Chapter 7 starts with Yuelina, from now on affectionately referred to as Yuna, stating she wants to wear the earrings. She reveals to Theo a red scar on her ear which was done by her father. While piercing, Theo soothes her like a pro even though he turned a ghostly pale at the sight of blood. Yuna flinches but wants him to finish of both ears. She flaunts her earrings with a grin and puts on record that she is going to keep those earrings safe.
The sight of her like that brings up a painful, half-forgotten memory in Theo: his mother, Carenrose, dead in a snowy field. Noble knight who sacrificed everything for her people, Carenrose died during the investigation of the “Eye of the Storm.” All that was left of her was these earrings. However, the pain doesn’t reside in her heart anymore due to Yuna’s warmth.
Yuna then asks Theo to call her by her personalised name, just like how her family did when she was back home. Theo admits to not having a nickname. However the thoughts of love, future happiness… even baby fill in their conversation.
The following day in the garden, Yuna is talking to Ray about the scentless flowers and she offers to one day show Ray around her home. But she swiftly recalls the Count’s stern warning to avoid the place. Only letters bind her to home now—ones such as the one where she blushed as she wrote about how “handsome and brave” the Duke is.
Eavesdropping Hearts
At the same time, Theo lurks behind a bush (badly), listens in on her confession about how homesick she is. He practically freaks—assuming she wants to ditch him. But no, he swears, she’s his forever. With a lovesick duke and earrings that bridge past to a promising future,Holding You Close Chapter 7 wraps.
Chapter 8: Of Flowers, Feelings, and Flustered Rides
Holding You Close Chapter 8 begins with Theo spiraling into possessive panic, wrongly assuming Yuelina has given up on returning home because she’s happy with him. Determined to keep her close forever, he even considers bringing her entire homeland to his estate—or, more dramatically, killing the Count or Emperor if they dare take her away. Enter Yuna (aka Yuelina), with her usual charm and a flower in hand. Blushing, Theo awkwardly insists she pass through his office to reach her room. She hands him the flower, which he dutifully sniffs—accidentally brushing her fingers with his lips, making her heart skip a beat.
Yuna explains it’s Yas, a warming herb from her hometown, and Theo notices her smile light up every time she talks about her home. Misreading the moment (again), Theo vows to take her back to her homeland for a month, even planning to dump estate duties on poor Yulis. Yuna, meanwhile, simply meant the local marketplace! Theo dies inside from embarrassment.
The next day, Ray encourages Yuna to bond with Theo, while Theo takes ages dressing up to impress her. The carriage ride is going smoothly—until it hits a bump, sending Yuna tumbling into Theo’s arms. Their eyes meet in a romantic daze… only for Yulis’s voice to cut the tension like a blade. They both instantly turn away, red-faced. And just as they silently try to recover, their hands accidentally touch again—sparking more flustered chaos.Holding You Close Chapter 1 ends with their fingertips brushing in silence, igniting a quiet storm of emotions neither of them dares to name—yet both secretly hope will never fade.
What’s Next?
Holding You Close Chapter 8 captures the magic of quiet intimacy—where the weight of a single touch says more than words ever could. From Theo’s fierce protectiveness to Yuna’s bittersweet memories, this chapter showcases how love tiptoes into hearts through misunderstandings, laughter, and the most mundane moments. Their carriage ride may have started with miscommunication, but it ends with silent sparks flying—proof that even the simplest connection can feel electric.
As their hands meet in that fleeting second, one thing becomes clear: neither of them is ready to let go. If anything, they’re beginning to hold each other close in ways they never expected. With every episode, this gentle love story reminds us that true affection isn’t always loud. We can feel it through shy glances, soft flowers, and fingertips that almost touch. Holding You Close Chapter 1-8 continues to charm its way into readers’ hearts—one heartbeat at a time.
