The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 111

Bride

CH111

Tsuneo

Beautiful.

Breathtaking.

My Pyra....

Pyra... I blinked as the name, the word, rang through my mind. I had never thought about it. before, but it was an old word for light and fire, generally meaning life-giving fire. It was generally our word for true, healing fire? ad it become our word for healing because of what Tarofu called his wife? The stories said that when the phoenix died so long ago, all life went cold and nearly vanished.

Slowly, her body floated and landed on the banks. The glow began to fade. Her face was serene and peaceful. I reached out, my hand hovering between us. A wave of warmth washed over me, a comforting energy that seemed to radiate from her. My feet dragged me forward, drifting like a moth to a flame. Then, I reached her, my fingers brushing against her cheek.

I felt a jolt of energy, a connection forming between us. Morgan's eyes fluttered open, her gaze meeting mine, no longer that rich brown, but glowing golden and red, like red-gold and molten

gold.

*Morgan?"

"Tsuneo," she whispered. 'I hope... you've been behaving with that troublemaker in your head."

I laughed, sweeping her into my arms.

"Don't ever do that again."

"I don't plan on it... I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Much better now."

Hayato

the bench as Tsuneo and Morgan embraced. Hearing my son's laughter eased some of the pain in my chest, but not the the guilt. The air was charged with something I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt it thrumming in

1/4

CHÍ

Hope.

hope that things would be okay. Hope that maybe I could go back to that beautiful place with Haruka and stay there next time without the guilt, knowing that Tsuneo would be

emotion unless in private. He'd loved Haruka just as fiercely as I had, and she was really the only person he'd

wasn't convinced. It had started after he'd woken up from the four-day coma, after all. Looking at them now, it felt even more obvious. The way he looked

visited when I was alone and could lay down my guard in the privacy of my chambers, but that dream, that place, had ripped me open, unleashing the deep well of grief that I had nearly drowned in years ago. Haruka's absence felt as

there, still gnawed at me,

something. His voice too low for me to hear, and she smiled resting her head

care that there was anyone or anything else in the

reunion in

had used them for years to come to this garden or get around unseen in the palace, either to visit Tsuneo or handle court affairs. These past five years, they had been a sanctuary

that sanctuary

I reached the entrance to the passage, I heard something-a

2/4

CH111

No one should have been in

gotten

a chance to ready myself. Then, I froze in place, stunned and haunted by what I was seeing. I recognized every detail on the robe, every piece of jewelry

my throat. I stumbled back as if I had seen a ghost. As much as I wanted to run to her, I could make myself

garden, not that place. It wasn't possible. I had to be hallucinating. She was

dream I'd had of

how... How could she be

every detail of her running toward me. Her short curly hair was a bit longer than she usually had it. It bounced with every