The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 36: Wedding Day

Chapter 36: Wedding Day

>>Aelin

The grand throne had sunlight streaming through the towering stained-glass windows and illuminating every furrowed brow, every clenched fist. Demons of every rank filled the space, their muttered whispers and sharp glares aimed squarely at me. I stood in the center of it all, my wrists bound in heavy iron shackles, my head spinning with the accusations that had spiraled out of control since dawn.

Ruoxy’s sobs pierced the air like daggers. She was sitting at the bottom of the throne stairs, wearing her white lacy dress as she sobbed, "My wedding is ruined!" she wailed dramatically, dabbing at nonexistent tears with a silk handkerchief. Her voice quivered just enough to rile up the onlookers. "It’s all her fault!" She pointed at me, "She’s cursed this palace! How many more lives will she take before you stop her?" With tear stained cheeks, she turned to look at the Queen who sat on her throne, her eyes on me.

A ripple of agreement swept through the room. The crowd wasn’t just murmuring now—they were snarling, their words cutting through me like shards of glass.

"Human filth!"

"Send her back to her kind!"

"She’ll bring ruin to us all!"

I flinched, their venomous words pressing down on me like a physical weight.

"Will you look at that, ’Princess,’" one demon sneered from the crowd, his tone dripping with mockery. "Finally showing your true colors, aren’t you?"

"I didn’t do this," I said, panic surging in my chest. "I swear, I didn’t—"

But my words were drowned out by the rising tide of hatred.

"The body was in your bedroom!"

"Who else could it be but you!"

"Nothing like this ever happened before. But since you came to love in the main palace, people keep going missing or dying!"

All fingers pointed at me, like blades pointed at a small hamster. I frowned, unsure what to do at this moment. But just when I thought I might collapse under the weight of it all, a sharp, commanding voice cut through the chaos.

"Silence!"

The throne room froze.

All eyes turned to Drakkar, the second prince of Dravos who stood tall and imperious near the steps of the throne. His sharp golden eyes swept over the crowd like a blade, his presence as commanding as a storm on the horizon.

"No demon in this room," he growled, his voice low and dangerous, "has the right to insult the human princess."

!!!

A stunned hush fell over the room. Even Ruoxy stopped crying, her tears forgotten as she stared at Drakkar with wide, disbelieving eyes.

My own shock mirrored hers. Drakkar and I had never met before and yet here he was, defending me before a room full of his people.

"You all stand here," Drakkar continued, his tone dripping with disdain, "pointing fingers and spewing insults at the human princess, as if you’ve forgotten the treaty that brought her here. Have you no shame?"

His words struck the room like a slap, and for a moment, no one dared to respond.

"Enough of this circus." Another voice joined the fray—calm, commanding, and weighted with authority. Draken, the eldest prince, stepped forward from the crowd. His crimson eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s as he turned his attention to the queen herself.

"Why are we treating the human princess like a prisoner?" he asked, his words were calm, "We have a treaty to uphold, do we not?"

Queen Darcelle’s expression remained impassive, but her cold gaze flicked to me. "A dead body was found in her room," she said, "She is the prime suspect in this matter. We must act accordingly."

"And yet," Draken countered, his voice razor-sharp, "you allow the court to degrade her, as if she were a common criminal. Where is the dignity of our kingdom?"

Before the queen could reply, the doors to the throne room burst open, and my heart leapt into my throat.

Ariston.

Two guards shoved him forward, his hands cuffed behind his back, his face hard and defiant. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes—bright with fury—scanned the room before landing on me. For a brief moment, I saw his jaw clench, his gaze softening before the mask of indifference slid back into place.

"Hey," Drakkar snapped at the guards, his voice sharp as a whip. "That’s the princess’s guard!"

Ariston’s lips quirked in a sardonic smirk as he rolled his eyes at Drakkar. "Glad to see someone’s keeping track," he muttered as he strode forward, his movements restrained by the cuffs but no less commanding. He stopped next to me, his eyes glinting with annoyance as he glanced down at our shared predicament.

"Matching shackles," he said dryly, his voice pitched low for only me to hear. "How romantic."

I turned to look at him in horror. I knew he said that because the demons think we have an affair going on and he was annoyed but this was not the time for that. "Are you alright?" I asked, "They didn’t do anything to you, did they?"

Ariston’s gaze softened as he looked at me, then softly shook hi head, "No,"

Draken’s voice rang out again, "Remove the restraints of the princess."

The guard hesitated, glancing nervously toward Queen Darcelle for approval.

"She was found with a corpse in her room," the queen said, "Do you truly believe her hands are clean in this matter?"

"They are," Draken said firmly, his gaze never wavering from hers. "Until proven otherwise."

"So? Anyone could have placed it there," Draken said, "From what I learned, she wasn’t in her room." He folded his arms, "You’ve become quite sloppy, mother."

Darcelle stared at her eldest son, "Well, if you have a problem with my judgement, I already invited you to take the throne."

Draken stared back at his mother, then ignored her words as he looked at us humans.

"If anyone thinks about it, it’s very easy to see-" Drakkar said, his eyes narrowing, "that this entire situation reeks of a scheme. And I, for one, don’t trust the stench."

The queen’s icy gaze flicked between her sons, and for a moment, the tension in the room was suffocating.

Then, with a flick of her hand, she gestured to the guards. "Release her," she said, her voice clipped.

The shackles fell from my wrists with a heavy clink, and I rubbed at the raw skin beneath them, trying to ignore the eyes still fixed on me.

"And what of her guard?" Drakkar asked

Queen Darcelle’s lips thinned. "He will remain detained until further investigation."

Ariston rolled his eyes, leaning slightly toward me. "Wonderful," he muttered. "A real vote of confidence there."

I looked at him again.

He’s really pissed off.

I frowned. But where is he looking? I followed his gaze and saw that he had his eyes on Drakkar.

???

"I’ve been investigating," Drakkar began, his golden eyes sweeping over the gathered demons. "And I’ve learned there’s no solid proof to justify imprisoning Ariston. He should be released."

A ripple of shock spread through the room, followed quickly by an undercurrent of dissent.

"What?" Ruoxy spat, her face contorted with anger. "How can you say that when a body was found in the princess’s room? How can you trust her or her guard?"

Drakkar ignored her outburst, his gaze now fixed on Queen Darcelle. "I analyzed the body found in Princess Aelin’s chambers. The wounds, the residual energy—they were not caused by human hands. This was the doing of a demon."

The crowd erupted into chaos, voices overlapping in a cacophony of accusations and disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"She must have hired someone!"

"It’s a trick! There was a dagger in her chest. Just like there was in Princess Alishay’s chest!"

Drakkar let the noise die down naturally, "Think for a moment," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Princess Aelin’s physical strength is nothing compared to a demons’ Even a demon child could overpower her." He pointed at me, "She’s too weak to even defend herself properly, and yet you think she managed to kill Alishay? Absurd." He shook his head,

Ruoxy stood up as she pointed a trembling finger at Ariston. "He fought in the war! He’s a strong, capable human—he could have easily done it!"

"Strong, yes," Drakkar conceded, "But he was also in jail when the last victim died and when a servant went missing. So tell me, Lady Ruoxy, how exactly did he manage that?"

Ruoxy’s face paled, her lips pressing into a thin line as the crowd murmured again, this time with doubt directed toward her.

Queen Darcelle, who had been silent until now, raised a hand, and the room fell quiet. Her icy gaze swept over the assembly. "We cannot kill the humans," she said, "That was never going to happen. Doing so would violate the treaty and risk sparking another war. None of us want that."

Ruoxy’s supporters began to protest, their voices rising in a wave of anger and indignation. "Someone must be held accountable!" one of them shouted. "This all started when she returned to the palace!"

Ruoxy seized the opportunity, her voice rising above the crowd. "Exactly! This chaos began when Aelin came back! She’s cursed this place!"

"Or," a deep, furious voice cut in, "it began when ’you’ came."

The room fell silent. Everyone shot their heads at the entrance only to be surprised

!!!

Draegon stood in the doorway, his imposing frame radiating fury. His purple eyes burned with barely restrained anger as he strode into the room.

"Draegon," the queen was about to say something but then quieted down when she saw Draegon’s face. She frowned but didn’t say anything as she watched him like the rest of us.

The crowd parted instinctively, their eyes wide with unease as they watched him approach Ruoxy.

The tension was suffocating. No one dared to breathe, let alone intervene. Ruoxy frowned as she faltered as Draegon stopped mere inches away from her.

"Draegon..." Ruoxy stammered, trying to take a step back, but her heels caught on the hem of her gown, and she stumbled. She straightened herself quickly but before anyone could react, Draegon did something no one could have expected.

His claws extended with a sickening snikt, gleaming in the daylight streaming through the tall windows.

And then he struck her face.

The slash was so swift, so sudden, that for a moment, no one realized what had happened.

Then Gasps of horror rippled through the room like a wave as everyone recoiled in shock.

Ruoxy let out a piercing scream as blood blossomed on her face, a jagged line running from her temple to her jaw.

!?!?!?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.