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

watched from 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 my chest as I leaned forward and

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Hope.

would be okay. Hope that maybe I could go back to that beautiful place with Haruka and

loved Haruka just as fiercely as I had, and she was really the only

from the four-day coma, after all. Looking at them now, it felt even more obvious. The way he looked at her, the way Morgan's hand rested gently on his chest, it was as if they had

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 acute and as heart-wrenching-as painful-as the moment I'd found her body. I thought of Tsuneo's words, the confession, and tried push it down, but I couldn't. I thought of the dream again. I could almost feel her warmth in my arms. The guilt of wanting to go

to stay there, still gnawed at

too low for me to hear, and

there was anyone or anything else in the world. I pushed to my felt, feeling

their reunion in peace and return to

back to my chambers. The secret tunnels beneath the palace were as familiar to me as the back of my hand. I 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 for me, and

needed that sanctuary more

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

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No one should have been in these tunnels. Few knew of their

gotten this far

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

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

wasn't possible. I had

had of

how... How could she be

a bit longer than she usually had it. It bounced with every step. The crown bounced off her head, clattering to the ground. The sound rang true, but still I back