The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 140

CH140 Morgan

Tsuneo remained unmoved for the most part. The rest of the family shifted uneasily in their seats. I watched him. He blinked and blinked again. His eyes flickered, and then a slow creeping smile took over his face. It set my heart racing. He looked devious. He looked of vicious. He looked blood thirsty and oddly pleased about it.

I shivered a little, and I heard Pyra sigh from the back of his mind.

This is not good. Do not let him accept that challenge.

I couldn't help but wonder why she thought I could stop him.

"You challenge me?" Tsuneo asked, his voice a little darker than usual. I realized that it had to be Tarofu talking.

"Are you too afraid to face me?" Boran asked.

"And what are the terms of your challenge?"

He flinched. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, what do I get when I kill you?" Boran went pale. Everyone stopped eating. "Land? Money? Your inheritance? Do you have any land rights to name, that weren't bestowed upon you by my father?" Tsuneo tilted his head. "Though it's yet to be seen if you will have an inheritance from your mother's family given their potential involvement with her actions."

"See!" He thrust his finger at Tsuneo. "You're just a bloodthirsty killer! Hardly fit to be regent! Who said that it would be a challenge to the death?"

How else did you mean to have the right to free her if you were to want to kill me?"

"What?"

"I'm the Crown Prince Regent. The only way you would have the right to overrule one of my decrees is if you became the Crown Prince Regent. The only you can take my place is if my father gave it to you, or you managed to kill me in rightful combat-much like the challenge you've issued. But for me to accept that, I would have to know what I would be gaining from it."

"Why-You could just see that your position upon losing a game."

"And that is where you were wrong," I said, eyeing him. "Something you would know if Mei hadn't been so busy coddling you all your life, but allow me to teach you now. The first rule of war is to not leave your enemy alive. As it does give them a chance to try and kill you again. The only resolved threat is a dead threat."

He looked absolutely mortified.

""You're a monster."

"And you are unfit to

you, and killing you would be a waste of energy as you're not even willing to

"You can't just-"

family. This is not a matter of personal dispute; this is treason. If you do not wish to offer a formal challenge

was a pause, and then slowly, he sank

though nothing had happened. "Eat your meal. This is chance to enjoy a dinner as part of this family. Consider yourself confined to you

confidence and control-there was something magnetic about it. His decisiveness, his ruthlessness... I nudged him.

leaned closer, coming close enough that

have a

whiny people in their places is

brief kiss that made gasp. He winked at me and turned to

lessons coming along,

eyes lit up with excitement. I started sword training! Master

Tsuneo chuckled.

know him?"

firm without being too harsh.

by a general, but Master

felt wistful, but

your lesson yesterday,"

said that was normal. And then, he showed me how to block and stuff, and at the end,

match!"

"How did you do?"

eyes sparkling

imagining it. Master

a great guy.

me a bit of my father. When

sword, he spent a lot

time building my confidence

ve

just holding a weapon,

that thought

capable.

have that kind of experience, and I was glad that Kai would, given when he'd