The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 97

CH97 Tarofu

Tsuneo was boiling with anger, but I let him seethe, holding Anya in my arms. My own anger banked for now. This was not a pain I could fix. That was not my gift, but my Pyra, my wife and Morgan, she could fix this, alleviate the agony I could feel radiation from Anya. She sniffled, burying her face in my chest as she trembled.

"I know it hurts. I know how hard you've worked to afford even a bit of comfort from what she's

done."

She sobbed, and I could see her pushing through her agony, pushing through the blinding pain that would have dragged a weaker person into madness, all of it in silence and alone.

"I cannot apologize enough for what has been allowed to happen to you. I cannot... undo what has been done, but I can do everything I can to make it right, you understand?"

She nodded, sniffling, gripping onto me as if she didn't want to let go. She likely didn't. My Pyra was the only one who completely returned from the otherside, nestling at the heart of her future lives, but our daughter, our Iridescent Moon, Mitsuki, our first daughter had some of her mother's propensities. She seemed to melt in my arms the way she had when she was just a hatchling. I stroked her hair.

"Thank you for speaking up, Anya," he whispered and pressed a kiss to her temple. 'It'll all be over, soon, okay?"

She nodded. I draped the scarf back over her head and over her face gently then scanned the

room.

"Doctor Shang, take her into your care."

He seemed stunned but he nodded and I handed her off to him. When I turned back to Ari, she was glaring after Anya. It took everything in me no to kill her then, but I held back. Killing her would be too easy, and it would do nothing to figure out whose child Kai was. I gestured. She was pulled up by the magic that bound her on the ground onto her knees, her head pulled back to look up at me, I could see the pain she'd caused across the palace. Then, I saw Morgan and a flash of a blade, her fierce dark eyes glaring at Ari as if she would cut her head off at the least provocation.

Quite a bride you have, Tsuneo.

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He laughed from the back of my mind.

"You have betrayed the royal family," I said. "You have betrayed the confidence placed in you as a ward, the leniency, and mercy that has been granted to you. You have betrayed this kingdom. What do you have to say for yourself?"

She choked, snarling. "They're all lying. I can't believe you would believe a bunch of worthless peasants over me!"

tell," Hayato cut in. "Exactly how you came into the possession of

"It was gift."

"From who?"

have

arm rest, he glared at her. Golden scales rippling up and down his neck. Everyone gasped, and I almost smiled. "Just tell the truth, you ungrateful child! Every one in attendance knows, without a doubt, the

made and who it was

"I took you into my family in honor

that you were

"Your

glaring at her. And I have heard enough

of contrition."

cannot bring myself to kill you, Ari. It is not in my nature. However, you will not enjoy the life you have

leniency with

scowled. "He is Prince Tsuneo's

the entire kingdom for every man you've slept with in the past five years, Ari?" He asked. "Perhaps the humiliation will be enough to make you

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CH97

took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead. "I cannot think of a punishment fitting this. Severe enough... I know enough to know that there are not many options for Kai's parentage. Was it Keiji?" "It's Tsuneo," she cried.

Elia?" The gasp that went through the room

I

was exiled from the palace for attempting to take the

made sense. I could see his

look into it... Though, we could simply ask Kai,

"He's too young to know

beg to differ, he knows enough to know that his father

He closed his

take her

I said,

looked at me

looking down at her. "Well, the dungeons the guards have access to

firm. "She deserves to suffer, to know the pain she

and suffer