The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 55: Don’t Be Selfish

Chapter 55: Don’t Be Selfish

>>Aelin

My mind reeled with a thousand questions, none of them comforting. Why now? What did he want? There is no reason for him to come and look for me.

Except...

"I—I..." The words caught in my throat, trembling like trapped birds. I clutched my hands together, hoping it would ground me, but instead, I felt my nails digging into my palms. "I’m not feeling well," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I think I should rest."

Ariston’s eyes narrowed, studying me with the keen sharpness of someone who didn’t miss much. His gaze flickered from my trembling hands to my ashen face, and something shifted in his expression—concern, maybe, or suspicion.

"You don’t look unwell, Princess," he said, his tone softening just slightly. "You look frightened." He stepped closer, "What’s going on?" He glanced at Uriel, "Why does she look like she’s panicking?"

"I’m not panicking," I lied, my voice breaking as I spoke. I turned away from him, unable to meet his eyes, and moved toward the small table by the window, pretending to busy myself with arranging the vase of flowers that sat there. My hands shook as I touched the petals, and I hated that he could see it.

"She looked bad the moment I entered the room," Uriel answered, "She said she didn’t sleep well."

Ariston stepped towards me, "Princess," he said, and his voice carried a gentleness he didn’t ever use with anyone else, "You don’t have to lie to me. If something’s wrong, tell me."

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, swallowing the lump in my throat. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell anyone. How could I explain the weight of everything—of being disowned, of being forbidden to return home, of being treated like a liability, a failure? How could I tell him that my brother’s name alone was enough to fill me with dread because I couldn’t forget the coldness and the contempt in Reagan’s eyes the last time we ever spoke?

"I just don’t feel well," I repeated, my voice hollow. I kept my back to him, hoping he would let it go. "Please, tell him I can’t see him"

For a moment, there was silence. I could feel Ariston’s gaze on my back, heavy and unrelenting. Then, he let out a soft sigh.

"I’ll tell him," he said finally, and I could hear the hesitation in his voice. "But, Princess-"

"I want to sleep now," I said as I immediately began to walk towards the bed and without looking at the two, I laid down, "You both can leave." I grabbed the blanket and took it

Uriel and Ariston stared at each other in silence for a moment, then looked back at me but I refused to look at them.

What could I tell them? There was nothing they could do... There’s nothing anyone can do...

"Alright," Ariston said, "Rest well,"

"If you need anything Princess, Call me. I’ll wait outside the door." Uriel said

"I don’t need anything," I replied, "You are free to leave."

"..." My answer was followed by silence, then I heard them turn and leave

But as soon as the door creaked open, I heard something. Ariston’s and Uriel’s voices were calm as they greeted someone outside, their tones formal but lacking warmth. Then, I heard it—a voice that was unmistakable, sharp yet deceptively smooth.

"Prince Reagan," Ariston said with a slight bow in his tone, "What brings you here?"

My stomach churned violently, and my hands gripped the edge of the blanket. I sat upright without realizing it, my pulse racing like a bird trying to escape its cage.

Reagan. He was here???

"No need for formalities," came Reagan’s voice, cool and confident. "Leave us. Go fetch something for us to eat and drink. I want to spend some time alone with my sister."

"The princess isn’t feeling well though," Ariston said, "I was just coming to tell you that."

My heart dropped at his words

OH NO!

"She isn’t feeling well?" I felt his gaze come onto me, "Well no worries," I felt the intensity, "She doesn’t need to leave the bed, I’ll just meet her here." He looked at the maid, "Get her something to eat, soup perhaps, to make her feel better."

"Yes, Your Highness," Uriel replied

"Go, help her, Sir Ariston," I knew what Reagan was doing

"Yes," Ariston bowed

NO!

I sat up on the bed

I froze. My breath hitched as my heart pounded painfully against my ribs.

No. Please, no. Don’t leave me alone with him. I wanted to scream, to call out to Ariston or Uriel, to beg them to stay. But the words lodged in my throat, tangled in fear.

Ariston and Uriel hesitated for the briefest moment. I thought, perhaps, they noticed something was wrong. Maybe they saw how pale I was, how tightly I clutched the blanket. But they said nothing. With a quick nod, they stepped aside, letting Reagan enter. Neither of them glanced at me as they closed the door softly behind them, leaving me utterly alone with him.

No...

The room felt suffocatingly quiet as Reagan stepped inside. His footsteps were measured, each one deliberate and unnervingly soft on the stone floor. His smile lingered for a moment, but it was hollow, an act for anyone who might have been watching. As soon as the door closed, it vanished, leaving behind the cold, calculating expression I knew all too well.

"What’s the matter?" Reagan asked, his tone sharp as his gaze pinned me in place. "Did you not want to meet your brother?"

I couldn’t answer. My mouth felt dry, and the words refused to come. He took a step closer, and my entire body flinched, retreating instinctively even though there was nowhere to go.

"N-no," I stammered finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

Reagan tilted his head, studying me as though I were some insignificant insect under a magnifying glass. His dark eyes scanned me from head to toe, dissecting me in a way that made me feel utterly exposed.

"You seem fine," he said flatly, his voice devoid of any real concern. There was no question about how I had been these past two years, no acknowledgment of what I had endured. That was a given though. He didn’t care. He never had, "Obviously you lied so you wouldn’t have to meet me."

"T-that’s not true," I said meekly, "I-I just didn’t sleep w-well." If Uriel and Ariston could tell, anyone could see that I wasn’t well. But Reagan chose to ignore that.

Instead, he continued, his tone laced with mockery. "I’ve heard Draegon is getting quite a bit of attention from powerful demon households." He smiled thinly, "As expected of you. You can’t even keep a man."

!!!

His words sliced through me like a dagger, and I felt my chest tighten painfully. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to stay silent. I knew better than to respond. Any protest, any hint of defiance, would only make things worse.

I really don’t want him to get physical with me here.

Reagan’s smile faded, and his expression hardened. He closed the remaining distance between us and placed a hand on my shoulder. The touch was firm—too firm—and the pain was immediate.

"Whether you can keep him or not doesn’t matter," he said, his voice low and icy. "For the sake of the truce, you will remain married to him. Do you understand?"

His grip tightened, and I gasped as the pressure sent sharp, stabbing pain through my shoulder. My entire body tensed, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice shaking as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

Reagan’s fingers dug in deeper, and the pain became unbearable. "Louder," he demanded, his tone sharp and unyielding.

"Yes!" I cried out, the word escaping in a desperate gasp.

"Good." He finally let go, and I nearly collapsed from the relief. My shoulder throbbed, and I instinctively brought a hand up to rub the aching spot.

Reagan straightened, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve as if the interaction had meant nothing to him. "One thing was given to you, Aelin," he said coldly as he turned toward the door. "You better do it right."

His words felt like chains tightening around my neck, suffocating me with their weight.

He paused at the doorway, glancing back at me with a look that sent a chill down my spine. "Hopefully, you won’t be responsible for his death if it ever happens," he said, his tone casual but laced with malice, "But it’s you we’re talking about. You have a way of ruining things."

I stared at him in silence

"Don’t ruin it," He said firmly as he glared at me, "Don’t be selfish. Don’t cling to things you don’t deserve. Let Draegon go. Let him be free. If he wants another wife, I better not hear that you protested." He glared at me with contempt, "Like you did before."

!!!

My heart skipped a beat in fear. The world came falling down on me. Reagan had stated the beginning reason for the hate everyone held for me. It was because I was the one who caused the death of my mother.

Because I was selfish, because I took her out of her room.

It was my fault

I looked down, "Yes..." I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Good," He turned to leave.

The door clicked shut behind him, and the silence that followed was deafening. I stayed frozen in place, my shoulder throbbing and my heart shattering into a million pieces. The room felt colder, emptier, and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces of me together.

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