The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 122

CH122 Tsuneo

"With them? Yes. You? No... But Pyra and Morgan do. He shook his head. "Those that have their own agendas will be looking to exploit your doubts. You must be ready."

I nodded, though the weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders.

"And what about... Siora?" I asked, my voice quiet. The name had been haunting me ever since Morgan told me about her. "Does she have something to do with... this uneasiness you feel?"

Tarofu's eyes darkened, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "Siora... was our daughter," he admitted, his voice tinged with sorrow. "She was our youngest and the only iridescent dragon. She came of age in the midst of the war between the dragon and tiger kingdoms and died merely three days: after her birthday."

I remained silent, letting him continue.

"She was... such a gentle soul," Tarofu said, his voice growing heavy with emotion. "Beautiful, powerful... and a beacon of hope for our people. But the war... it took everything from us. Sioral wasn't a warrior by any means, but the tigers were out for blood and conquest. She was killed. The loss was... devastating.'

I felt a chill run through me as I listened, the weight of his words pressing down on my chest. I could see the pain etched into his features, the memory of their daughter's death still raw, even after all this time.

"Pyra... Pyra couldn't bear the loss," Tarofu continued, his voice barely more than a whisper now. "It sent her into a madness... a rage that consumed her. She blamed herself, blamed me, blamed the entire world. The pain of losing Siora twisted her into something unrecognizable. She became consumed by her anger, her grief, and she lashed out at anyone who dared come near her. The fight raged for several more weeks, nearly reducing all of the realms to ashes."

The image of Pyra, the phoenix, destroying the realm was difficult to process. Unheard of, but I could see that ruthlessness in Morgan, I could believe that it had happened.

"I'm sorry

"I don't know if Pyra thinks I remember or not, but she cannot fall to her rage, he grief, again. There will be no rekindling her. I rose the veil between the realms to try and contain the damage and force her to be reborn."

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My heart sank. "You... You had to kill her?"

He closed his eyes and gave one nod. "She would have killed everyone, her children and in the end herself when she'd realized what she'd done. And now, I fear that history may repeat itself if we are not careful."

shuddered at the thought. "What

given quarter," he said. "And

like

gleaming with a flicker of pride. "You have grown stronger than I could have ever imagined, Tsuneo... You remind

I blinked. "Your eldest?"

nodded. "The one for which you were named. He was a golden dragon and

that I was named for an

sleep over it," He said, the hall grew hazy around us. "Sleep

I looked up at the ceiling, taking in the silence of the morning. Morgan was still asleep beside me. I swallowed, turning over everything. The road ahead had never seemed so uncertain, yet I felt as though it was

My mother was alive.

longer teetereing on the edge of

of my mind. His amusement was warm and settling. He seemed happy. The gloom that had

groggily, her voice laced with concern. "You

I nodded. "Just thinking."

"Too early."

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and turned over, kissing her cheek. "Go

hm?"

it would be worth. staying in bed for a little longer. As I lay there beside her, I wondered what she'd spoken to Pyra about, if she'd gotten any answers. Did she know that Pyra had lost her mind? Morning light streamed through the windows of our chambers, slowly brightening the room. I slipped from bed, leaving Morgan there. I dressed and headed out, running into Maya and Anya in the hallway. I couldn't help but

morning, ladies." I nodded back toward the door. "The queen hasn't risen

her busy all night,

"Noy just yet, Lady Maya. Though I'm sure you'll be the first to ask for details, as invasive

have no interest in what you get up

laughed. "That's good

and saw the stack of files on the table.

rejections. I left my

cannot mean that they have