The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 83: Follow Ari

Chapter 83: Follow Ari

>>Ariston

The festival lights flickered behind us as we left the lively streets and made our way toward the riverside. The further we walked, the quieter it became, the noise of the festival fading into the background until all that remained was the gentle lapping of water against the stone embankment. The river stretched ahead, guiding us toward the outskirts of the city, where the air was cooler and the shadows stretched longer.

Drakkar walked beside me, his arms crossed. The rhythmic click of my shoes against the cobblestone echoed in the silence.

"It’s strange," Drakkar finally said, his voice breaking through the quiet. He followed me down the steps leading toward the river’s edge. "I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but you talk as if you already know stuff."

I halted mid-step and let out a long, exasperated sigh before slowly turning to face him.

"You would too if you used your brain, Drakkar."

His lips parted slightly, as if offended, before he let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Is that so?" He smirked. "Well, I do use my brain, Ari. I just prefer using my eyes."

I rolled my own eyes and turned back around, continuing forward.

***

>>Draegon

I reached out, brushing away the last traces of her tears with my fingers. Her skin was still damp, her cheeks flushed from crying so hard, and it made something in my chest twist painfully. I still can’t believe Alishay did something like that.

A ritual and the sacrifice that was done on Asha does exist, but I know for a fact that I never received anything like that.

I exhaled slowly, trying to push down the wave of anger threatening to rise within me.

And The Queen.

Whenever I wrote home and asked about Aelin, I never received a reply. I had thought it was because Aelin didn’t want to speak to me—or worse, that she had nothing to say to me.

But now?

Now, I knew the truth. And it enraged me.

The Queen had always done things like this. Always interfering, always pushing where she didn’t belong. But this—this was unforgivable. Because of her, my wife had suffered alone.

Because of her, Aelin had endured everything without me knowing. I forced my hands to stay still, even though every fiber of my being burned with fury.

Aelin’s tears had finally stopped. She sat there, quiet and exhausted, her small frame still trembling slightly from the weight of everything she had just told me.

I frowned as I looked at her.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, my voice coming out lower than I intended.

She lifted her gaze to meet mine, and what I saw there made my breath catch.

A hollow, broken sadness.

It was the kind of look that settled deep in someone’s soul, carved there by years of pain and loneliness.

Her voice was quiet, almost fragile.

"I wrote you so many letters." She whispered. Something inside me went cold. "But you never gave me an answer."

I stared at her.

"Letters?" The word felt foreign on my tongue. She had written me letters? I had never received a single one. "You wrote me letters?" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

***

>>Ariston

I led Drakkar through the twisting, narrow paths of the city’s underbelly. The deeper we went, the stronger the stench of filth and damp stone became, the air thick with the scent of rotting wood and discarded food. The smooth stone streets gave way to uneven ground, littered with broken crates, forgotten rags, and the occasional rat scurrying between the shadows.

Drakkar followed closely behind, his boots crunching against debris as he trailed after me. He was skeptical, I could tell.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

I didn’t stop, my steps unwavering. "I saw a weak demon go in this direction."

He hummed in thought but didn’t argue, though I could feel his eyes boring into my back, watching every move I made.

"And why are we going this way?"

"Because I’m still on duty," I replied

"You’re still on about that investigation?" He licked his lips in frustration, "How about letting it go for the night and actually enjoying it?"

"As if I would ever lose a chance like tonight." I replied.

"Tell me why," He asked

"Why what?"

"Why did you choose to follow a weak demon here? Just because you saw one go in this direction, why would you follow him?" He asked

"There are some things, one only understands when he has gone through it himself." I replied

"..." There was a pause. I could tell he was looking at me stupidly, "And what does that mean?"

I let out a sigh, "It means I know what I’m doing. I came out today for the investigation for a reason."

Drakkar didn’t say anything after that and we continued to walk.

The alleys twisted like a labyrinth, each path darker and more cramped than the last. I paused at several crossroads, analyzing the surroundings before making a decision. The walls here were high and damp, trapping the cold air between them, and the deeper we ventured, the fewer lanterns flickered above us.

I made a sharp turn into another alley, and Drakkar sighed behind me.

"Are you guessing?"

I scoffed. "If I was guessing, we’d be lost already."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," he muttered, but he followed without complaint.

After several more turns, we finally reached a passage that looked far different from the rest. A large, ragged red cloth hung in place of a door, acting as a curtain to whatever lay beyond. The ground here was filthier, damp with unidentifiable liquids, and the air stank of decay and neglect.

Drakkar stopped beside me, eyeing the entrance with mild disgust.

"I had no idea there’d be a way like this... that led to a passage."

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "As if a prince would ever know this."

His golden eyes flickered toward me. "And why do you know this stuff?"

I stopped just before pulling the curtain aside and met his gaze.

"Because I grew up on the streets." I held his stare, unwavering. "I know that these places exist everywhere."

He was taken aback, his usual arrogance faltering for just a moment. "I didn’t mean anything bad—"

I ignored him and stepped forward, slipping into the narrow, filth-filled alley beyond the curtain. The space was even tighter, the walls pressing in, forcing me to maneuver carefully.

"Hey!" Drakkar called after me, but I could hear the struggle in his voice. His broad frame made it difficult for him to squeeze through the passage as easily as I could.

***

>>Draegon

"Yes," Aelin gave me a weak nod, but she didn’t say anything else.

I could feel my own heart start to pound.

If she had written me letters—if she had reached out, if she had been waiting for me to respond all this time—

Then someone had made sure those letters never reached me. The answer came to me immediately. I knew who stopped the letter

I gritted my teeth in anger

The Queen, or, it could be Alishay too. Considering what she did to our daughter, I can’t rule her out. Except now I can’t take my anger out on her because she’s already dead.

Anger blooded my senses, and I felt so infuriated by everything she had ever done and I probably would not have gotten out of it, if it weren’t for what I saw in a distance

***

>>Ariston

The narrow passage led to a set of crumbling stone steps, winding downward into the earth. The deeper we descended, the heavier the air became, thick with the scent of damp moss and something faintly metallic—like rusted iron. The dim glow from above faded entirely, leaving only the eerie light of scattered bioluminescent fungi clinging to the stone walls.

At the base of the stairs, a tall, veiled figure stood before an arched doorway, the passage beyond lost to complete darkness.

The witch looked like the night sky itself, her form shifting with a thousand swirling stars, galaxies blooming and collapsing within the fabric of her being. Only her pale, slender hands were visible, folded neatly in front of her as she regarded us with unseeing, cosmic eyes.

"First timers," she murmured, her voice a whisper of the void. "What brings you here?"

Drakkar tensed beside me, his fingers twitching. I could tell he didn’t like dealing with witches—few did. But I stayed still, waiting.

"We have a meeting to attend," I said, "Let us pass."

The witch’s presence grew heavier, pressing against us like an unseen force.

"If you wish to pass," she continued, "then answer me this—" Her voice warped, becoming layered, as if multiple voices spoke at once. "Where do the weak turn when the world abandons them?" What do they consume to be noticed?"

The words echoed through the passage, humming against my bones. I stared at the shifting darkness of her form, my mind working through the riddle.

Beside me, Drakkar leaned in close, his breath brushing my ear.

"You want to fight her instead?" he whispered, his tone almost eager, as if already picturing the battle.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him back but didn’t answer. I simply looked at the witch and answered,

"We all desire black milk."

The moment the words left my lips, the darkness behind her shifted, the stone archway creaking open, revealing a deeper, yawning abyss beyond.

Drakkar stiffened, eyes widening slightly as he looked between me and the now open path.

The witch tilted her head slightly, then gave a slow, knowing smile which was very hard to make out since she was pitch black. I could only guess that she smiled because the stars around where her lips should be shifted.

"Enter," she said, stepping aside.

Drakkar exhaled, muttering under his breath, "What the hell..."

He glanced at me, frowning. "You knew the answer that fast? You knew she’d let us through?" I didn’t pay attention to his whispering and walked ahead.

He followed

We descended for a while and then reached yellow stone hallways. From there we could hear the faint sound of chanting. I turned to follow it and Drakkar quietly came behind me.

We reached a metallic door and it was only a moment’s difference from before and after we opened the door that our ears got flooded with moaning voices.

And a sight that a prince like Drakkar couldn’t believe.

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