The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 63: You Who I Wish Would Stay Away

Chapter 63: You Who I Wish Would Stay Away

>>Ariston

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to will my panic away.

Think! Do something! Think.

But my mind was blank, consumed by the terror of what would happen if I was discovered.

In that moment, I hated myself for getting into this situation. I hated him for his smug smirk and his infuriating words. And I hated the tree, the dome, the whole damn night for conspiring to bring me to this point.

The sound of footsteps grew louder. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my ears. Please...just turn around. Don’t come this way.

But I knew luck wasn’t on my side tonight.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and with it, the deep rumbling voices of demons. My blood ran cold, and I held my breath, pressing myself against the shadowed edge of the tunnel.

"This is the Duke’s secret garden," one of them said, his voice smooth but tinged with malice. "Reserved for... fun play."

Another chuckled darkly. "Why are we coming here so late?"

"So that no one else follows us," the first one replied, his tone suggestive, sending an icy chill through my veins.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I peeked around the bend. Their forms were coming into view, massive and towering, horns gleaming faintly in the moonlight. I felt the heat rising in my face again—not from embarrassment this time but pure, raw fear.

I looked down at myself and shook my head

NO

I couldn’t let them see me like this.

Run. Hide, Do something!

Without thinking, I turned on my heel, desperate to get back inside the dome. But the moment I spun around, I slammed into something

!?!?

It only took me a second to realize that I had run not run into a thing, no, it was someone—solid and unyielding.

The air knocked out of my lungs as my forehead hit a broad chest. I staggered back, but before I could fall, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me into an unshakable hold.

"Shhh," Drakkar murmured near my ear, his voice low and steady.

I barely had time to process his presence before his wings snapped open, casting a shadow over us just as the demons rounded the corner.

"Who’s there?" one of them called, his tone sharp.

Drakkar’s arms tightened around me as he shifted his wings, folding them in until they completely enveloped me. My world went dark, the leathery texture of his wings brushing against my bare skin as his body heat radiated through me.

"Just me," Drakkar said smoothly, his voice carrying an edge of authority. "Move along."

The demons hesitated, their footsteps slowing. As they identified Drakkar, they all froze

"Your Highness?" One of them said, "W-what are you doing here?"

"You’re in the Duke’s garden?" Another one of them asked suspiciously.

"I’m entitled to my own fun, aren’t I?" Drakkar replied, his tone light but dripping with an unspoken warning.

"Um," One of them tried to speak again but Drakkar cut him off

"Keep moving." He said as he held me close.

The demons exchanged glances, their voices dropping to murmurs as they continued down the path. I could tell they were trying to see who he had inside his wing, but other than my bare feet, nothing else could be seen.

Inside the cocoon of his wings, I could feel the steady thrum of his second heart, lower in his right chest. It was rhythmic, strong, and somehow calming despite my current predicament.

I clenched my fists against his chest, hating every second of this situation. But at the same time, I couldn’t deny the slight comfort his body heat provided. The warmth seeped into my skin, chasing away the chill of fear that had gripped me moments ago.

When the footsteps finally faded into the distance, Drakkar tilted his head down slightly. "You’re welcome," he whispered, a smirk evident in his tone.

I gritted my teeth, my face burning with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Let me go."

He chuckled softly but released me, his wings slowly retracting as the moonlight returned.

As much as I hated it, I muttered under my breath, "Thanks."

"Don’t thank me," he said, his smirk growing. "I didn’t do it for free."

I shot him a glare, but before I could respond, I took a shaky step back, trying to compose myself. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment, but I refused to show any more weakness. Drakkar’s eyes remained on me, his gaze piercing and intense, as if he was savoring every second of my discomfort.

Before I could make sense of what was happening, he bent down and scooped me up effortlessly, his strong arms cradling me like I weighed nothing. His wings unfurled again, the leathery black expanse wrapping tightly around us. My vision was swallowed by darkness once again, his body heat surrounding me entirely.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled, struggling against his hold, but his grip didn’t budge an inch.

"How do you plan on going back to your room?" he asked calmly, his voice carrying an almost smug undertone. His question made me freeze for a second. "You don’t even have your shoes. And unless you’ve magically learned how to disappear, you have no way of hiding yourself."

"..."

I opened my mouth to retort but stopped when his words sunk in.

He wasn’t wrong.

My chest tightened in frustration, and I looked away, biting my tongue. Drakkar must’ve noticed my silence because he didn’t say anything more—just started walking.

The rhythmic sound of his boots against the stone echoed softly as he carried me back toward the mansion. His wings stayed firmly around me, not letting a single sliver of moonlight in. I felt his heartbeats again, that strong rhythm reverberating through his chest as his arms stayed steady beneath me.

Despite my best attempts to keep my composure, I couldn’t help but feel the humiliation burning in my chest.

I hated this—hated being carried, hated being seen as weak. But I hated most of all how much safer I felt in his arms, even if I refused to admit it. This was a situation I couldn’t have solved on my own and if I was on my own, I would have ended up in a very bad situation.

To begin with, I couldn’t get myself out of the tentacles. And if Drakkar hadn’t come, the other demons who came to the dome would have seen a very humiliating image of me.

Imagining the scenario made me shrink in his arms.

I bit my lower lip in frustration. I still can’t believe something like that happened. I have never failed at detecting attacks before, but that tree held no malice. In fact, it wasn’t even attacking me. It was trying to please me and that’s most likely why I failed.

But still

It was a very embarrassing situation.

When we reached the mansion, I could feel the shift in air. The distant sounds of servants moving around reached my ears.

I stiffened, but Drakkar didn’t hesitate. His wings shifted slightly as he maneuvered through the halls, shielding me completely from any prying eyes.

"What’s Prince Drakkar doing?" I heard one of the servants whisper.

"Carrying someone?" another guessed, though their voice was low.

"Who is it? I can’t see."

I could tell they were all trying to take a quiet peek at me but all of them failed.

Drakkar ignored them all, his steps unfaltering. I, on the other hand, wanted to bury myself in the ground. My face burned hotter than it ever had before.

How many of them noticed? How many of them would talk about this tomorrow?

Drakkar kept walking and the voices faded away.

When we finally stopped, I heard the faint creak of a door opening and then the soft click of it closing again.

!!!

We’re finally in my room! I let out a sigh of relief but it was very short-lived. The moment his wings peeled back and light flooded in, I realized where we were.

I was standing in HIS bedroom.

"Why did you bring me to your room?!" I snapped, shoving his chest with what little strength I had left.

Drakkar raised an eyebrow, utterly unfazed. "You’re welcome, by the way."

"That’s not an answer!" I yelled, stepping back from him as I jumped out of his arms.

He leaned casually against the door, crossing his arms over his chest. "You’re covered in tentacle saliva," Tentacle saliva?!? This is tentacle saliva!?!? "Your clothes are melted off, and you’re one step away from total humiliation. My room was closer. Would you have preferred I parade you through the entire mansion to get to your own? So that everyone would know it was you in my arms?"

!?!?

I opened my mouth to argue but couldn’t find a response.

He wasn’t wrong. But that didn’t make this any less infuriating. My hands clenched into fists as I glared at him, willing the heat on my face to subside. My only wish is for him to stay away from me, but he doesn’t want to comply.

"Honestly," He said, "I won’t mind anyone finding out that it’s you in my arms but-"

"FINE," I said, "I won’t complain."

"..." He paused with a grim expression, his golden eyes piercing me, "You sure love being rude to me."

I only glared back at him

His lips curled up into a smile, "Well, no problem." He began to step towards me, "I’ll let it slide." I could see the lust in his eyes again, "We should take a bath now."

"We?" I began to step back

"Yes," His smirk got wider, "We, us, together." I stared at him wide-eyed and at his audacity but right then I hit the wall and he immediately closed the distance between us. Placing one hand on the wall, above my head, he slid the other around my waist

"I’ll wash the saliva from your body myself."

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