The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 60: Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 60: Unexpected Encounter

>>Ariston

The moon, which was an off-white neon ring hung low in the sky, its pale glow spilling over the duke’s property like a ghostly shroud. Shadows stretched long across the cobblestone paths and manicured gardens, and the night air was thick with the scent of damp earth. I moved quietly as my eyes scanned for anything out of place.

I kept thinking about the princess and I couldn’t help but think it has something to do with Crown Prince Reagan. She refused to visit him even though he’s family. Fine, I guess that can be put aside considering she wasn’t feeling well but when he did visit her in her room, she seemed to have gotten paler.

And at the party, many humans simply ignored us by saying they have no idea what happened, but I feel like they know.

How is it that no one noticed when the Princess was taken away. Someone has to be lying.

I clenched my fists.

I should have been more careful.

But if no one was lying, then whoever Aelin went with used concealment magic. Magic and mages are rare. The common people don’t possess much mana, so they rarely ever learn magic. To possess magic means you have a rare ability. Other than the royal family, the mages of the magic tower are strong magicians.

Hmmm

Prince Reagan’s assistant is a mage...

I kept walking. Since it was late, almost everyone had retired to their room and the place looked empty. I did spot a demon servant or two on night duty but that was all.

The duke’s estate was vast, sprawling out in all directions, and while it was well-guarded, I’d learned long ago that appearances meant nothing when danger lurked in the dark.

I rounded a corner, keeping my footsteps light, when I felt it—a presence.

Heavy.

Overbearing.

"Ariston," came a voice, deep and edged with irritation. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

Drakkar.

I sighed internally,

"What are you doing out here?" His tone was demanding.

I ignored him, as I always did, and continued walking toward the back door of the estate. The faint creak of his boots against the gravel followed me.

I didn’t have time for his questions—or his towering, smug presence. It’s annoying how big and tall these demons are, especially dragons.

"Ariston." He said my name again, this time sharper. I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. The back door loomed ahead, barely visible in the shadows. My focus was on that and nothing else.

I wanted to go out and do a check myself even though the duke has good security.

Drakkar’s footsteps quickened, closing the space between us. "Are you deaf, or just rude?" he bit out, the faintest edge of annoyance creeping into his usually smooth voice.

I felt the prickle of irritation rise in me, but I forced it down. I didn’t need this right now. I didn’t need him right now. The man was like a thorn, always there, always irritating, always too close for comfort.

But when I reached for the back door, a sudden, firm grip closed around my wrist.

I flinched, the touch sending an unwanted jolt up my arm. Instinct took over, and I yanked my hand free with a sharp motion, spinning around to glare at him. His height didn’t intimidate me—not now, not ever—but his persistence was grating.

"Don’t touch me," I snapped, my voice low but laced with venom. "Or come close to me."

Drakkar didn’t back away. His dark golden eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he looked as if he might argue. His towering frame seemed to take up all the space in the doorway, and the faint moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face, making him look like a predator

"I wasn’t—" he began, but I didn’t let him finish.

"You were," I cut him off coldly, turning back to the door. My hand rested on the handle, but I didn’t move to open it just yet. Instead, I threw a glance over my shoulder, meeting his gaze head-on. "If you’ve got nothing better to do than follow me around like a stray dog, find someone else to bother."

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t say anything.

Good.

I didn’t need his excuses, his questions, or his invasive presence. I pushed open the door and stepped out into the chilly night air, leaving him standing there in the shadows.

The gardens stretched out in all directions, bathed in a soft, silvery glow from the moon above. My steps were slow, deliberate, the muted sound of my boots against the cobblestones blending into the stillness. It was peaceful, almost unnervingly so.

Too quiet.

And I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I already had an idea where the culprit was but I didn’t want to turn and look at him.

I had to ignore him

But then I felt the gaze intensify, my shoulders tensed, and instinctively, I glanced back toward the mansion.

!!!

There, in one of the windows, stood Drakkar. Even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his gaze piercing through the glass. He wasn’t trying to hide it either, which is why it was so strong.

He watched me openly, arms crossed, the light from inside framing his tall, imposing silhouette like some ominous painting.

Tch!

I turned away, irritation bubbling beneath my skin. His stare was suffocating, a silent demand that I wasn’t in the mood to entertain. Let him stand there and watch; I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of my attention. Without a second thought, I veered off the main path, following a narrow trail that disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

Weirdly enough, there was no other trail like this one. The trees were forming a tunnel, leading to somewhere but because of how dark it was, I couldn’t see.

But I had to get away from Drakkar’s gaze.

The air grew cooler the further I went, the soft whisper of leaves overhead filling the silence. The path was tight, barely wide enough for a demon, but I managed well enough since I was human. The trees here were ancient, their trunks thick and twisted as if they had grown in defiance of time itself.

Eventually, the path opened into a big hidden clearing, and my breath caught for a moment.

Woah

The space was enclosed, the sky above and the surrounding obscured by a dome of vines that wove together so seamlessly it felt intentional, like nature itself had shaped this place. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the vines, dappling the ground in pale, shifting patterns.

In the center of it all stood a tall tree, unlike any I’d ever seen. It was jet black, its thick branches stretching outward in defiance of its barren state. No leaves. No life. Just the stark, ominous beauty of its skeletal form. The thing was, the skeletal form was weird too, it didn’t look like bark.

In fact, it didn’t look rough at all, but considering how dark it was, I couldn’t be too sure.

"What a pretty place," I murmured to myself, the words barely audible even to my own ears.

I stepped further in, taking it all in—the moonlit dome, the strange black tree, and the benches scattered around the clearing. There were four of them, each positioned across from the other, made of wood but overgrown with grass and moss. The sight struck me as odd. Why grow grass on the bench?

I glanced around. Everything else looked neat.

I walked to one of the benches, running my fingers over the moss-covered surface. The wood beneath wasn’t rough, rather, I noticed a thick amount of mud there. Looks like the benches were made to me soft

I took a step back

And big...

As I inspected the size of the bench, a sudden gust of wind blew through the clearing, carrying with it a faint rustling sound that I didn’t pay attention to since it was bound to be the sound of the tree

My thoughts wandered to the strange, eerie beauty of this place when something warm and thick wrapped around me from behind.

!?!?!?

I froze for a split second before instinct kicked in. The thing tightened, binding my torso, just below my ribs, in a vice-like grip. Panic surged through me as I felt the texture—soft, yet unnervingly firm, like something organic.

Squishy.

Almost like a tentacle.

My arms were pinned to my sides, and I could feel myself being lifted off the ground. My boots scraped uselessly in the air, the dagger in my boot suddenly feeling miles away.

The hell!?!

What is happening!?!? I didn’t sense any danger!? Where did this tentacle come from!??!

I twisted, kicking out wildly as my mind raced.

Get the dagger. Get the damn dagger.

I threw my legs forward, trying to gain enough momentum to hook my foot over the hilt. Whatever had me was strong, unyielding. It had me wrapped tightly yet weirdly enough, it wasn’t hurting me.

I should get rid of it before it tries to hurt me-

!!!

The panic in me grew when suddenly two other tentacles came in wrapped around my legs, pulling them apart in a very embarrassing position

!?!?

And as if that wasn’t enough, there came a fourth tentacles, slimy and oiled up, which went ahead and grabbed my pelvis, making my heart almost jump out of my chest.