The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 44: Ignore

Chapter 44: Ignore

>>Ariston

I woke up to the distinct ache of phantom pain rippling through my body. My head throbbed as if someone had taken a hammer to it, and the dull, radiating soreness made me groan as I tried to shift. Every muscle protested as I moved, and the memory of being crushed flooded back like a cruel nightmare.

"Careful!" a voice came, sharp but not unkind. I felt hands on me, steadying me as I attempted to sit up.

I didn’t bother looking at who it was, too dazed to care, and let them help me upright. My throat was dry, like I’d swallowed an entire desert. "Water," I rasped, my voice hoarse and barely audible.

The other guy—whoever he was—immediately moved to the table. I heard the faint clink of a jug being lifted, followed by the sound of liquid pouring into a glass.

While he busied himself, I blinked against the blurry haze clouding my vision, waiting for the room to stop swimming. After what felt like an eternity, my mind steadied enough for me to take stock of my surroundings.

I frowned.

This wasn’t my room.

The walls were far too ornate, lined with carvings and tapestries that looked too expensive for any normal person. The air smelled faintly of incense, and the furnishings were far grander than anything I’d ever call my own. My frown deepened as I glanced down, taking in the elaborate blanket draped over me. Even the bed beneath me was softer than anything I’d ever slept on.

Before I could puzzle over it further, a glass of water appeared in front of me. I turned my head to the side, my scowl firmly in place.

Drakkar.

Of course.

I rolled my eyes, the irritation bubbling up instinctively as I realized whose room I was in.

Snatching the glass from his hand, I drank without acknowledging him, the cool water soothing my parched throat.

"I was looking for you," Drakkar said, his voice tinged with exasperation. I could feel his eyes on me as I drank. "All over the place. But to think you came and started living in my own home."

I ignored him, focusing entirely on finishing the water

Drakkar’s face tightened, his jaw working as if to hold back a sharp retort. "Why are you ignoring me?" he snapped, his tone brimming with annoyance.

I brought the empty glass down slowly, refusing to meet his gaze. "I have no reason to talk to you," I said flatly, staring at some point on the far wall.

He opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, but the door burst open before he could get a word out. We both shot our heads towards the door.

Princess Aelin came running in, her dress swishing around her as she hurried toward me. Her eyes were wide, a mix of relief and worry etched into her expression as she took me in. "Ariston!" she exclaimed, her voice soft but urgent.

I blinked, surprised to see her like this.

Behind her, the third prince—Draegon—followed.. His face was an unreadable mask, but there was a tightness around his eyes that suggested irritation, though I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me, at Drakkar, or at the situation in general. Either way, he didn’t look pleased.

At least the spell was gone. I’m glad I came here.

When I met him just before I was going back to Havenmoore and saw he suddenly had a girlfriend, I was beyond astonished.

I turned to look at the Princess

And I thought about Princess Aelin and what it would be like for her. But at that time I chose to ignore it and go back because I had someone I wanted to avoid.

Though I eventually couldn’t stay put and came here.

Aelin didn’t seem to notice the tension between the two brothers—or if she did, she didn’t care. Her full attention was on me as she rushed to my side. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as her hands hovered near me, unsure if touching me would cause more harm. "Does it still hurt anywhere?"

I couldn’t help but smile at her, even though it made my face ache slightly. Her worry was real, genuine. And that is perhaps why I chose to stay with her here.

"I’m fine," I said softly, my voice still scratchy but warm. "It’ll take more than that to get rid of me."

Her lips quivered into a relieved smile, though the worry in her eyes didn’t completely fade.

Drakkar stepped closer, clearing his throat and breaking the moment. "We brought in the best healer for both of you," he said, addressing Aelin more than me. "You should focus on resting. A few days, and he’ll be good as new."

I shot him a sidelong glance, resisting the urge to roll my eyes again.

Aelin, however, nodded earnestly, her concern still evident as she glanced back at me. "Good," she murmured, her voice soft again. "That’s good."

Draegon glared at me and Drakkar turned to look at him "Calm down," He told Draegon

Drakkar crossed his arms, leaning casually against the edge of the room’s ornate table, though his eyes betrayed a seriousness that rarely made an appearance. "So, Draegon," he began, "What exactly was that thing—Ruoxy?" He asked something we all were curious about, "And where did it come from?"

Draegon walked over to the nearest window, with his back to the room, seemed lost in thought. He stared out into the sprawling palace grounds, his expression hard and distant. Finally, he sighed, turning slightly toward us, though his gaze didn’t fully meet anyone’s.

"I don’t know," Draegon said simply, "I found her in Raki village, she claimed she had run away before the village was attacked."

"Attacked?" I said

"It was clearly a lie," He said, "The village showed no sign of being attacked."

Drakkar raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "And? How did she manage to get to you?"

Aelin, sitting quietly by Ariston’s bedside, looked up, her face shadowed with worry. Draegon’s eyes flicked to hers briefly before he continued.

"I did not fathom that she could be a monster from the Abyss," Draegon began, his voice low, almost reverent. "We had never met an intelligent monster after all," He paused, his jaw tightening, "It was my carelessness that I let her approach me."

"That’s true," I replied and Drakkar agreed, "All the monsters that came from beyond the gate were mindless. None of them possessed the abilities like Ruoxy did."

"Then, where do we put her? If she wasn’t from the Abyss, where did she come from?" Drakkar asked while the princess simply stared at us as we talked.

"Well, one thing is for sure," Draegon said, "The Abyss gate was opened indeed." He then looked at me, "Like you had said."

!!!

"How did you know?" Drakkar asked and I paused

"Someone once told me about it," I said as I avoided their gaze, "When I was a kid." I let out a sigh, "And I was sure that must be the case because how else would a gate that massive open? On it’s own?" I shook my head, "Impossible. Someone did it."

"Someone like Ruoxy," The Princess said as she looked depressed. We all looked at her but she didn’t pay much attention to the rest of us.

"From what we saw in the dungeon. It seems that live sacrifices are needed to open the gate." Draegon said

"Yes, but this was a small gate. Very small compared to the one that opened two years ago and it closed up pretty fast too." Drakkar replied

"Not just live sacrifices," I balled my fists, "It seems the people were tortured too." I pursed my lips, "I’m sure the people from Raki village were sacrifices used to open the gate two years ago."

Silence took over the room. We had some answers now but there were plenty of unanswered questions.

Like what was Ruoxy? Why did she want to open the gate?

Drakkar frowned, his usual smugness replaced by genuine concern. "Why would anyone want to open a gate like this? Someone’s clearly been busy playing with forces they don’t understand."

"That’s the problem," Draegon admitted, his frustration slipping through. "I don’t know who they are... I have more questions than answers."

"But do you think there are more of them out there?" The Princess asked and we all grimaced

Draegon nodded grimly. "Probably. We don’t know but it’s safe to assume there are."

"I have a question." I said, "You said there were no signs of the people from Raki Village being attacked." I looked at Draegon

He nodded, "None that I noticed. As a matter of face, the houses were locked, as if the people had gone somewhere on their own accord."

"Doesn’t that mean someone must have manipulated them? Made them leave on their own?" I said

The demon princes paused, then nodded, "If they left on their own..." Drakkar frowned, "Only to walk to inevitable doom-"

"Someone must have made them believe some sort of lie." Draegon completed his brother’s sentence.

"But what?"