The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 46: Corruption

Chapter 46: Corruption

>>Aelin

My voice shook a little as I asked, "T-twenty, only?"

"Yes, and that is why Ruoxy got away with her lie too." He said and I felt myself understanding things.

"I see..." Ariston had mentioned that there weren’t many survivors at the end of the war, but I couldn’t have thought that there were only this few. I stared at Draegon, the nervousness in me still not dying, "Um," Something that Ruoxy said bothered me but I wasn’t sure if I should ask

"Yes?" Draegon spoke, "Do you have a question?" He spoke softly

"I was thinking about what Ruoxy said in the dungeon."

"Yes?"

"There was something she said about corrupting," I asked, "That the Abyss had corrupted you, and you could never escape it."

Draegon’s steps faltered for a moment, but he didn’t stop walking. He let out a slow, heavy sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "I’m not entirely sure," he admitted. "But... I have an idea."

I waited, sensing there was more.

"I felt it. Many of us felt it." His voice was strained, low. "And many... succumbed to it." He paused before adding, "The more you fight the creatures from the Abyss, the more they start to consume your mind. It’s like they seep into you—your thoughts, your emotions. Slowly, they unravel everything."

My breath caught. "Consume your mind?"

He nodded, his gaze distant. "Yes. At first, it’s subtle. Doubts, fears, whispers you can barely hear. But the more you fight them, the stronger it gets. It’s... like a fog that clouds your thoughts, makes you question what’s real. Some people lose themselves completely to it." His voice grew quieter. "That’s one of the reasons so many died. It wasn’t just the battles—they couldn’t take the strain of... of feeling like their minds were breaking."

"Oh..." The single word escaped my lips before I could stop it.

It was heavy news, almost too much to process. But in a strange way, it made sense. The creatures, the endless darkness, the overwhelming despair—everything about the Abyss felt like it was designed to destroy, not just bodies but spirits.

So that was why they called it the Abyss.

The silence stretched between us for a moment before Draegon glanced at me. "Your magic," he said suddenly, his tone shifting.

I blinked, caught off guard. "What about it?"

He stopped walking and turned to face me, his crimson eyes meeting mine. "Ever since you used it on me," he began, his voice quieter now, "it feels like... the corruption in my mind, the fog, has been lifting."

I stared at him, stunned. "What?"

He nodded. "I don’t know how or why, but it’s like your magic burned through some of it. I can feel it—it’s clearer now than it’s been in a long time."

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came.

"How?" he asked, his gaze intent. "How did you suddenly start doing magic? It can’t be a sudden awakening, magic awakens in kids after all. Not this late."

"I always had a lot of mana, I was just never taught how to use magic-" I paused, my eyes slightly going wide. What am I telling him?

I’m already pathetic enough. Now he’ll know I never even learned magic?! If he asks me why, what do I tell him? I never learned anything because no one taught me? Because they thought I’d be nothing more than a waste.

My heart beat began to rise when he spoke

"Ah, since you’re the youngest princess, your family must have spoiled you." His words made me pause, "To not even teach you magic, they must not want you to do any sort of work."

!!!

I wasn’t sure how to respond to those words

"But your magic," He said, "I felt it was different,"

I nodded, "Yes, I noticed it too, it’s not ordinary." I looked down at my hands, as if they held the answers. "I don’t understand it," I admitted. "It’s not something I’ve ever seen before. I didn’t even know it was possible for humans to have magic like this."

Draegon tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe you don’t understand it yet," he said. "But it’s real. And it’s powerful. And it’s part of you."

I didn’t know how to feel about that—about any of it. The idea that I had some unknown power inside me, that it had somehow helped Draegon, was as overwhelming as it was terrifying.

Still, his words lingered in my mind. It’s part of you.

Is it though?

"Do you think it’s dangerous?" I asked hesitantly.

Draegon’s gaze softened. "I don’t think it’s dangerous to me," he said, his voice steady. "If anything, I think it’s that one thing that helped me fight off the magic from the Abyss."

!!

"Right..." He said he could break out of Ruoxy’s spell because of me.

A subtle smile spread across my face.

I was able to help him.

Asha, my dear baby. I was able to help your father.

Asha... The book... They played a major part in this.

I hesitated, my thoughts turning to the book I had hidden away.

Should I tell him about the book?

I wasn’t sure if he’d care. Will he? He might. He asked me about my magic. I don’t have to tell him about my past if I tell him about the book. It isn’t normal after all.

But

He hadn’t even asked about the child we lost. The thought stung, like a sharp blade twisting in my chest. He’s back in his senses, is he not going to ask about Asha?

I glanced up at him, trying to gauge his expression. He looked... tired. Worn in a way I couldn’t quite place.

The silence stretched between us once again, heavy and uncomfortable.

And I wondered if Alishay’s words were right. That Draegon didn’t want the baby. Because it would have been an abomination.

...

The question burned in the back of my mind, louder now, refusing to be ignored.

But It was our child—his child, too. Did he really not care?

I clenched my hands together, unsure of what to do with the weight pressing against my chest. Part of me wanted to demand an answer. But another part of me—the quieter, more rational side—whispered that there was no point in it

"I..." I started to speak but stopped myself again.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice low but steady.

"Nothing," I said quickly, shaking my head. "It’s nothing." Yea, if he didn’t ask, he must not really care. No one wanted a half human child here, it would be the same way amongst the humans.

No one would want a halfie.

No one but me...

My heart ached and I looked at the floor in dismay.

His brow furrowed, but he didn’t press me.

I bit my lip, the ache in my chest growing. Should I tell him about the book though? I still don’t know why it awakened these powers in me and I do want some answers.

>>Draegon

What could I say to her? I looked at her while she had her head down. It looked like she was worried about something.

I want to ask, but-

Every time I thought about the things she went through because of me, I felt a sharp stab of guilt that I couldn’t ignore. Because I left, there was no one to protect her. I don’t even know the full extent of things that happened when I was gone, but I saw a lot when I came back.

And even got to know about how she had lived the past two years in the abandoned wing.

I had left her vulnerable, unguarded, to endure horrors I still didn’t fully understand.

How much did she suffer while I was away at war? How much had I failed her?

The memory of her voice, trembling as she told me about our child, came rushing back to me. Her tears haunted me, echoing in the quiet spaces of my mind. I wanted to ask her more, to know how it happened. How we lost the life we had created. But the pain I saw in her eyes that day stopped me.

What if I opened those wounds again?

I stole a glance at her, my chest tightening.

I needed to say something, anything to bridge the distance. But when I opened my mouth, the words that came out were different from what I intended.

"How did you suddenly get your powers?" I asked, my voice steady but soft.

She stopped, her head snapping up to look at me. There was surprise in her expression, followed by hesitation. Her lips parted as if she were about to speak, but she didn’t.

I waited, watching her. The silence stretched, and for a moment, I wondered if I had said the wrong thing. She said it was a sudden awakening.

Finally, she exhaled and looked away, her hands fidgeting. "I... I don’t know if you’ll understand," she said, her voice quiet.

I frowned, taking a step closer to her. "Try me," I urged.

She hesitated again, her eyes darting toward me and then back to the floor. "There’s a book," she admitted after a moment.

"A book?"