The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 71

CH71 Morgan

ely whispered. His whole body thrummed with energy. The

Tsuneo's words carried through the room as if he had shouted them, though he had barely shadows of the room seem darker and I realized that this had to be why black dragons were so feared.

I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder. I felt the heat radiating off of him flowing into me. It was an odd sensation, but he turned to look at me slowly. The beat in his eyes was still there, But he didn't look so murderous. Slowly, I watched him calm down and I smiled at him.

"It's all right," I said. "I don't think you'll have to kill her."

Across the room, Ari turned bright red, but she said nothing more and neither did L.

The king looked almost amused. "Very well," he said, his voice carrying across the room. "As Ari has refused to reconsider and this matter does need to be clarified, a lineage test it shall be."

Tsuneo was rigid beside me, bracing himself. I took his hand gently and squeezed. The heart was light. It was harder to hold back a smile than I first imagined. Honestly, I really seem to think that just because the Elders were going along with this and everyone else would.

The Elders made their preparations, and I got a strange sense of... familiarity. As if I had been here before, as if I had watched this ceremony before. The test began with a swirl of light around Kai. It flashed and flickered before turning into a golden crown above his head.

For a moment. And Kai's place was a much smaller child with Tsuneo's dark hair and eyes, I turned my hair just slightly and saw the image of a woman with a coming smile, and a superior expression. She was draped in the Queen's colors. Was that his mother? Was I seeing some tone of vision of her?

about Tsuneos paternity? I have to take the

were quiet. The Elders, their faces a mixture of shock

are conclusive," he announced, his eyes locking with mine. "The child

crowd, the implications of the revelation sinking in. I breathe a sigh of relief. It was exactly as I expected, which meant that my plan could go into effect immediately, and I'd get Kai free of Ari, and maybe Tsuneo as well. I glanced over at Arl. Her face was filled with

old man with a sharp gaze, stepped forward. "This

Ari

surge of triumph surged through me. Then the whole bitch was going to be out

I've said before!" I cried. I've already made my demands known.

in this manner," one of the Elders said. "If you had simply told us that you, and maybe I were involved, you would not ever even drop

smug almost. Or rather, she looked completely unbothered, which felt smug. It was almost, as if she knew. A cold dread settled

frighten, to have said much of anything. And even if he did, what could he possibly

Your Majesty. We will have the human taken back

the human and the Elder. She

only reason I am here is because you all initiated the Triall in the first place. Let's not pretend that I wanted to be here:Tumen went still, and the human squeezed his shoulder. "Let's not pretend that I had a choice, and let's not forget that Ari still hasit passed the Trial.

CH?1

a while longer. Those on the other side are pledged their loyalty to the crown. If they die, it will be in honorable service "And how convenient of you to say that when it's no one in your family that's trapped on the other side." He flinched. "I think a lot of people would disagree with your stance on it. And to try to get rid of me because Ari has suddenly come up with

"What-"

just as easily be keiji's child as Tsunro's. The king could

snorted, and