The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 65

CH 65

I nodded. "They're quite cheap here. A bit of rock and magic. I-"

Kai let out a loud

A particularly large firework exploded in the sky, revealing the silhouette of a phoenix, followed by that of a dragon. The two creatures seemed to dance in the night sky, entwining like two lovers. I smiled. I remembered the first time I'd seen that firework as a child. I remembered how petulant Keiji grew at the sight of it, resentful. I could not think of a time in which Keiji had not been resentful toward me.

Kai turned to me. "What are those?" he asked, his voice filled with wonder.

I frowned. "You've never seen a depiction of a dragon or a phoenix?"

or what they are?

He shook his head. "Is that what they

"Yes," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice level as the curiosity and dread started to take over. Where had he been living that he had never seen such a thing? The images of them were spread throughout the kingdom. Do you know much about what it means to be a dragon?"

He blinked and flushed, shaking his head.

"Come here."

He shifted toward me, and I lifted him onto my lap, looking down into his eyes. I didn't remember how young I was when I grew my first set of scales.

I offered him my hand and pulled up my sleeve so he could see the trail of scales down my arm, they were faint, barely risen, and uncolored but he gasped.

I going to have scales like

is anyone's guess. These

life, but the truth is that every dragon has a companion somewhere,

he never met a commoner dragon? That narrowed down where in the kingdom he might have been living. "A dragon's companion is often referred to as a phoenix, due to our origins, but there is a difference between a true phoenix and

Morgan. Like you and Lady

my heart swelling with

He frowned. "Father calls Ari his

Morgan who had the slightest tilt to her lips. A shy, cunning smirk I wanted

is my wife, yes, and my phoenix, but she

"How do you know

through the Trial

phoenixes can survive it."

"Then, Lady

isn't a

She gets burned

is ven in cong

with Father's

lot

of times."

tried not to laugh, but Morgan had no

post hope

more like Lady Morgan," he

your father

CH65