The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 74: Burned Bodies

Chapter 74: Burned Bodies

>>Aelin

I healed Draegon before we left for the palace. The sun was only beginning to rise when we finally landed in the palace driveway. The sky was a soft, pale blue, streaked with the last remnants of the night. A crisp morning breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the banners hanging from the palace walls.

Despite the early hour, a crowd of servants had already gathered, waiting anxiously. Their eyes widened as Draegon’s massive wings beat against the air one final time before folding behind him. He lowered me gently to the ground, his hands lingering on my waist for only a second before pulling away.

"Aelin!"

I barely had time to steady myself before Ariston was suddenly in front of me. His brows were furrowed deeply, his concern evident in the way his sharp eyes scanned over me. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice tight.

"I’m fine," I reassured him, though I could still feel the lingering ache of exhaustion in my limbs. The events of the night weighed heavily on me, but I forced a small smile. "Really."

Ariston didn’t look convinced, but before he could press further, my attention shifted to Drakkar. He had been standing a few steps back, watching us carefully, his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze flickered to Draegon, who met his stare without a word.

A moment of silence stretched between them.

Then Drakkar’s eyes darkened. "What happened?"

Draegon’s answer was calm, measured. "We were attacked."

A murmur spread through the gathered servants, their expressions turning from curiosity to alarm. The tension in the courtyard thickened instantly.

Drakkar’s sharp eyes narrowed. "By who?"

Draegon’s jaw tightened, and for the briefest moment, he hesitated. But then he said, "An Abyss creature." The reaction was immediate. Gasps echoed through the courtyard, hushed whispers breaking out among the servants.

Even Ariston stiffened beside me. His entire demeanor shifted, his stance turning rigid. "An Abyss creature?" he repeated, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

"Where did it come from?," Drakkar said slowly, suspicion lacing his tone.

Draegon didn’t waver. "I don’t know but it wasn’t alone." The murmur of whispers grew louder, a ripple of unease passing through the gathered crowd.

Ariston ran a hand through his hair, his expression grim. "Did you kill it?"

Draegon held his gaze. "Yes."

I swallowed hard, my fingers clenching against my skirts. He’s not telling them about Ruoxy.

My heart pounded in my chest, but I stayed silent.

"Do you think there’s more of them out there?" Drakkar asked and Draegon nodded.

"After our encounter, it’s safe to assume there could be smaller monsters out there." The courtyard fell into a hushed silence.

Even in the dim morning light, I could see the way some of the servants paled at his words. The thought of an Abyss creature still lurking in the world—possibly waiting to attack again—filled them with obvious dread.

Drakkar studied Draegon carefully, his expression unreadable. After a long pause, he finally said, "We’ll need to increase the patrols."

Draegon simply gave a curt nod.

Ariston, however, still looked unsettled. His gaze flickered to me, as if he wanted to say something—but after a brief hesitation, he stayed quiet.

I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself.

Draegon was keeping the truth from them.

But why?

I glanced up at him, my chest tightening. Why didn’t he tell them we fought Ruoxy?

***

The acrid scent of burnt flesh and smoke still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating. Even with the morning breeze rolling in, the stench clung to everything, seeping into my lungs as I stood beside Draegon at the edge of the incineration pit.

The sight before me was nothing but ash.

Blackened earth stretched deep into the ground where the Abyss creatures had been thrown, their remains reduced to nothing. Embers still glowed faintly beneath the surface, flickering like dying stars.

Draegon stood unnervingly still beside me, his sharp gaze sweeping over the pit, searching for something that should have been there. His silence was heavy, like the storm in his eyes was barely contained beneath the surface.

And then, from behind us, came the sound of footsteps.

I turned just in time to see them—Draegon’s family.

The Queen stood at the front, her presence demanding attention without a single word. Her deep-blue robes billowed slightly in the morning breeze, her hair neatly pinned back, but it was her piercing gaze that unsettled me the most. There was no warmth in it, no softness. She was simply watching.

Behind her were Drakkar and Draken.

Drakkar, his expression unreadable, looked between the two of us with quiet calculation. Ariston, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his face—his brows furrowed, his mouth slightly parted as he took in the scene before him. Draken didn’t let anything show.

"Draegon," Drakkar said first, his voice neutral. "What are you doing here?"

Draegon didn’t answer right away.

Instead, his gaze moved over the workers tending to the site—the guards and servants tasked with disposing of the remains. Some of them looked away when they noticed him watching. Others shifted uncomfortably.

And then, at last, he spoke.

"Where are the remains of Ruoxy?"

The air grew heavier.

I could feel the way the workers tensed, how the guards hesitated before exchanging uneasy glances.

The silence stretched too long.

Finally, one of them stepped forward, his face pale. "We— We burned everything as ordered, my lord," he said hesitantly. "The Abyss creatures... they were reduced to ash."

Draegon’s expression didn’t change. "And Ruoxy?"

The guard swallowed, his throat bobbing. "I... don’t know, my lord."

My stomach twisted.

I glanced at Draegon, at the way his jaw clenched just slightly, the purple glow of his eyes darkening. He didn’t like that answer.

But it made sense. If they don’t know about Ruoxy, it’s obvious she was never burned. At least not by these workers.

Behind us, the Queen finally moved. "Draegon," she said slowly, carefully, "what exactly are you looking for?"

Draegon hesitated. Just for a second. But I noticed it.

I felt it.

Something flickered across his face—a choice. A decision to stay silent about something. I frowned, my heart suddenly beating faster. "I want to know if Ruoxy’s body was ever burned or not?" He looked back at the workers

"Her body was handled by the maids of her late Highness Alishay." The minotaur incinerator worker said, "So we don’t know when she was burned." He bowed respectfully.

!!!

The answer left us all quiet.

Alishay...

I sucked in a breath. The weight of those words settled over everyone like a suffocating fog. No one knew what to say.

"The work was assigned to you, why did the maids take over?" Draken asked

He shook his head, "They said they had to burn the body of the monster of killed their master themselves."

A wave of unease spread through the group.

Ariston shook his head. "So..." He looked at Draegon, "Where are you going with this?"

"Just curious," Draegon replied, his tone firm.

Drakkar’s expression remained unreadable, but his eyes flickered with something close to suspicion. The Queen stayed silent, her piercing gaze locked onto Draegon as if she could unravel the truth just by looking at him.

The air grew heavier.

"Just curious?" The Queen asked, "There are a lot of things you’ve been doing because you’ve been curious, Draegon," There was a threat in her voice, "While you were gone, I received the report of your actions."

What actions? I looked between the two. What was the Queen reported?

"I did what I had to do to make sure my wife remains safe." His reply made her eye twitch

Is this about how many servants he fired? I guess the Queen had no idea... I glanced at him and felt slightly fuzzy at how confidently he called me his wife and declared he wanted to keep me safe.

"How dare you make that decision without consulting me?" She glared at him and he stood firm, even stepping to come in front of me.

He clenched his jaw and exhaled through his nose. "Your Majesty, if you’ll do whatever you want, I’ll do whatever I want." He answered rather calmly,

"Have you lost your mind?! Carrying out a massac-"

Draegon cut her off, "Do not challenge me," His voice was heavy, "Or I’ll go even further."

!!!

I felt my heart skip a beat.

The silence stretched.

Then, with a subtle shift of his posture, Draegon dismissed the workers. "Return to your duties," he said and the servants dispersed. The Queen gave Draegon one last unreadable glance before turning on her heel, her robes billowing behind her as she walked away.

Draken followed shortly after, but not before exchanging a look with Draegon. Drakkar thought about something before following his mother.

Only Ariston lingered for a moment, his gaze darting between me and Draegon before finally letting out a sigh and stepping away.

The crowd dispersed.

Only when the last person was gone did Draegon turn to me.

"Let’s go inside," he said quietly.

I nodded, falling into step beside him.

The weight of everything that had just happened sat heavy on my chest, but I didn’t say anything—not yet. Not while Draegon was still deep in thought, his expression locked in that same unreadable look he’d had since we landed.

The moment we stepped inside the palace, the tension in my body loosened just slightly. The warmth of the grand halls, the familiarity of the space—it should have been comforting.

But all I could think about was Ruoxy.

She was supposed to be dead.

And yet... she wasn’t.

I pressed my lips together, my thoughts racing.

"Aelin."

I turned at the sound of my name and saw Ariston approaching.

His brows were furrowed, his gaze searching as he stopped in front of me. "Are you alright?"

I hesitated for only a second before nodding. "I’m fine. Why are you asking again?" Draegon had stopped a few steps away from us too.

"The creature you both fought, it was Ruoxy, wasn’t it?" Ariston asked and I was visibly surprised

He then looked at Draegon who nodded, "It was her."

Ariston sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You shouldn’t have had to go through that," he muttered.

I glanced at Draegon. I didn’t say it out loud, but a thought echoed in my mind—at least I wasn’t alone. My husband had kept me safe.

I looked at my husband and he turned back to look at us, "Ariston," He narrowed his eyes at him and Ariston paused

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"I am curious about something," He said

"Yes?" Ariston answered

"Are you and Drakkar a thing?" His question left me baffled but more than me, Ariston looked like his soul had left his body

!?!?