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

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

1/4

CHÍ

Hope.

was 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

for outward displays of emotion unless in private. He'd loved Haruka just as fiercely as I had, and

this, but there was something different about him now, something I couldn't exactly put my finger on. It may be that he's just stepping more into his position as the crown prince now that he had Morgan, but I was 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 at her, the way Morgan's hand rested gently on his chest, it was as

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

stay there, still

something. His voice too low for me to hear, and

made me wonder if they even realized or care that there was anyone or anything else

let them have their reunion in peace

familiar to me as the back of my hand. I had used them for

that

passage, I heard something-a sound that didn't belong. Running

2/4

CH111

time I carried a sword regularly. No one should have been in these tunnels. Few knew of their existence, and even fewer had access to them. My mind raced, wondering who it could be. An assassin? A spy? One of

gotten this far into

Whoever it was, they were ming quickly, almost frantically, so fast I barely had a chance to ready myself. Then, I froze in place, stunned and haunted by

I had seen a ghost. As much as I wanted to run to her, I could

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

I'd had of her was just

how... How could she

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