The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 67

CH67 Morgan

The hesitation in him gave me pause. I looked up and saw it all over his face and the way his dark opall eyes flickered. He was hiding something from me. Pushing him would get me nowhere, so I said nothing, just watching him struggle with it. He'd confide in me when he was ready. We had at least gotten that far in our relationship for me to know that for certain.

For now, I just leaned against him, enjoying the heat of the baths.

"Should we talk about something else?"

"I don't mean to hide things from you."

"I know" I sighed and closed my eyes.

A few moments of silence passed before 1 thought of something to say.

"Tell me a story," I said, my voice soft, the gentle lapping of the water providing a soothing backdrop.

Tsuneo chuckled, his voice warm. My heart skipped a beat.

"I know you are young, but I did not expect you to be that young."

I nudged him. "And how old are you?"

In your realm's years, or mine?"

....yours."

"Five and twenty."

I blinked at that. I didn't even want to know what the equivalent was. Hundreds? Thousands? I shook my head. This is probably not what one of my aunts meant by marrying an older man, but I doubt she would have complained.

"Well, you're at least older than I am, so tell me a story.

"What kind of story?" he asked.

"Anything," I replied. Something about your realm."

He hummed

you know the legend of the first dragon and

shook my head. "Not a story that's made it all these

beginning, there was only chaos. A void filled with darkness and despair. And then, from that void, rose the first dragon, a creature of immense power and beauty. But with great power came great loneliness, and so the dragon yearned for a companion."

"If you overthink the stories, they cease to be enjoyable... don't you

I shrugged. "Go on.

for origin or creation

I was told as a child, the things our records say. These and the versions I kamu" When wrote the records was my first thought. But then hardly mattered. He was a

realm was a place

a place of fantasy.

CHET

chaos, yearned for companionship. In answer to his plea, a phoenix was born, a creature of light

at that, but I didn't say

and

Tsuneo continued. "The world was filled with darkness, and there were those who sought to destroy their harmony. The dragon and phoenix fought valiantly and became rulers of the realm. Within the chaos, all the creatures Blocked to them and together they built this world and the next. the Phoenix drew

world." He paused.

the Phoenix also drew the line between the human and the supernatural world. When

throat. Images flashed through my mind, but I couldnt

a beautiful story," I

though there is something

look." I have always felt the same. His eyes searched mine. As if the details didn't quite add up. As if the story was always

I smiled at him

not the only one who's

out?

of the bath. We dressed for bed and headed towards our sleeping chambers A

later, I felt him shift, His fingers gently tracing patterns on

tired," he murmured, his

in agreement, snuggling closer to him. "I am." I replied, my voice barely a whisper. "But

say

smiled. "I'll tell you if you

him. I don't want you to

I cant misunderstand anything if

He chuckled."true"

to talk about it. I know you're hiding something from me and it clearly distresses you... I had just