The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 27

The Dragon King's Substitute Bride.

CH27

Morgan

I rolled my eyes. "That's because you practically bankrupted the family."

She whirled on me. Her tear-filled eyes narrowed, morphing from childish frustration to fury.

"You!" she screeched, her voice shrill. "You're the reason it's like this. You hid the money from Daddy and-" "Mizuki," I said. "Shut up."

"Don't tell me-" She broke off with a little glint of light. I looked at the guard, who smiled at me.

"Teach me how to do that one day."

She went pale, rearing back and clawing at her throat when no sound came out. I stood. My jaw clenched as I looked at her. I had expected challenges. Figuring out a path forward was bound to come with obstacles, as was navigating the political intrigue of the nobles who would undoubtedly want to speak to me and even the potential hostility of the human realm towards the return of the dragons' reign, but Mizuki was not on my list of things I was willing to deal with. T Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze.

"Since I'm here, you understand what's about to happen. Your father is no longer ahead of the family, meaning you are no longer air." Her eyes bulged. "If you expect to keep up your lifestyle and pay for the things that you want, you're going to have to work. If you choose not to work, then you'll have to rely on your father's work, and unfortunately for you, he has a whole other child and a mistress to take care of."

I looked back at Goro. "And you will be taking care of Adele and your son." He set his jaw and nodded. "You will marry her." His eyes bulged. "And no, I don't care what the rest of the family will say about it. No, I don't care what you tell your wife about it or how you explain it to Mizuki. If you don't, I'm sure there's a jail still around to throw you and your accomplices in."

the Trial, except this time, I was sure that there was no way Goro could ever get the upper hand. He liked money too much and

I looked at the guard. "How long is this

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CH27

if

other

headed into town to make my presence

Ael's unit's house, noting how much more

shop a few days later. Customers browsed the shelves, their arms laden with clothes. The buzz of conversation and the clinking of coins against the counter were a welcome change from the tense silence that had initially greeted my return. The structured slip, as we had named it, had been an unexpected success. The innovative design, coupled with a clever marketing campaign that touted it as a symbol of the new

was pretty sure people from

smile, I finished helping a customer and glanced at the clock. Time to

up the sales for the day and take the money

he regained some color, and his breathing seemed deeper and easier. Ael said that he wasn't in as much pain anymore and that his vitals were improving. I stayed by his bedside for a few hours, just letting myself rest

1. me.

Keiji or Ari. By my count, it hadn't been more than an hour or so since I'd left on this side of the veil. I was greeted by an unsettling silence when I reached his bed chambers. The room, usually bathed in a soft, golden light, was

my stomach.

some sign of an intruder or something that would be setting me on edge like this. Then, I heard ragged breathing

in the darkness. His hand, clawing at his shoulder, was covered in blood as it dripped down his shoulder, staining his robe and pooling

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