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."

at the house when I first decided to go through with 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 being told

the guard. "How long is this

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CH27

hours if I

peace and quiet." I turned back to them. "I have other things

into

house, noting how much more energy

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

finished helping a customer and glanced at

the back of the shop to tally up the sales for the day and take the money necessary to pay back

doing great things for him, but he still wasn't awake, yet 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 before heading back to Ael's unit's house. I stepped through the mirror once more, the familiar coolness of the hidden chamber

1. me.

than an hour or so since I'd left on this side

my stomach.

then I drew my sword, looking around for some sign of an intruder or something that would be setting me on edge like this. Then, I heard ragged breathing coming

the darkness. His hand, clawing at his shoulder, was covered in blood as it dripped down his shoulder, staining his robe and pooling on the floor. The sight sent a jolt of terror through me his veins were turning a sickly black, spreading like a venomous spiderweb across his skin and up his neck. As I entered the room, the lights flared to life, revealing how

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