The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 88: Challenge For The Throne

Chapter 88: Challenge For The Throne

>>Aelin

Alishay’s eyes widened as the weight of Draegon’s accusation settled over the crowd. "No," She shook her head, "I didn’t," She looked at her mother innocently,"That’s not true."

Darcelle whipped around to face Draegon, her expression twisted with rage. "You’re lying," she snapped. "I can’t believe I doubted my own daughter because of the nonsense you spewed. I knew you could never be a real sibling to my children!" Her words clearly indicated she never thought of Draegon as family.

Draegon let out a slow breath through his nose, his patience waning. His purple eyes burned with barely contained fury as he took a step forward.

"My whole life, I have watched you be unfair to me," he said, voice low and bitter. "But you crossed into cruelty when I got married. You stood silent while your servants and court humiliated my wife. You turned a blind eye when she suffered. And now—" his voice darkened—"you protect the very monster that killed my child."

Up until this point, I never knew why Alishay did that to me. I simply thought she was being cruel to me. But it was for herself. She killed Asha for... her own resurrection...Or maybe she never properly died, she used my baby for some sick show...

My chest constricted.

Darcelle’s lips curled in disgust. "She is nothing more than a human. There was no need to protect her from words. She’s not a child." The look in her eyes didn’t wane, "And Alishay didn’t kill your half bastard child." She glanced at me, her gaze piercing through me, "Someone poisoned you with their words."

The words pierced straight through me.

I felt something twist in my chest. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Shouldn’t have let it affect me. But the cold finality in her voice, the complete dismissal of my existence—of my pain—felt like a blow straight to my soul.

I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat.

But then—

A shimmer of movement caught my eye.

Alishay. She was slowly stepping away. I barely noticed it at first, but she was shifting her weight, inching backward, her expression blank and unbothered. Like she thought—knew—Darcelle’s outrage would buy her time to escape.

I gritted my teeth.

My hands trembled at my sides.

I stared at Alishay, standing just a few meters away from me, her back straight, her face unreadable.

Her chest still gaped open, black blood seeping from the wound Draegon had torn into her. Yet she stood there as if it meant nothing. As if the life she had stolen from me meant nothing.

A sharp, shuddering breath tore through my lungs.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

My vision blurred, my hands clenched into fists, and the world around me felt too loud in that moment. The murmurs, the whispers, the eyes boring into me. Judging me.

My misery choked me.

I had cried so much for my child. I had grieved, I had screamed, I had prayed. When Asha was taken from me, my world fell into the pits of hell.

I stared at Alishay. She had stolen her life. She had taken what was mine.

The crushing weight of my grief twisted.

Shifted.

And turned into something else.

Something sharper.

Something burning.

I swallowed hard and raised my hand. As I stared at her, I remembered that there was something I could do.

My palm pointed directly at her. The mark on my forehead glowed.

"You," I whispered, voice hoarse with fury. Alishay turned her gaze to me, tilting her head slightly—not in fear, not in remorse.

But in curiosity.

My teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. She’s an abyss worshipper, like Ruoxy, meaning like Ruoxy, I can do something to her.

It was a weird realization. Knowing that I wasn’t completely powerless. And for once, I had a chance for revenge. No- Not once. This was the second time. I didn’t get to think about it much before, but I did defeat Ruoxy too

The golden string connected from my palm to Alishay’s forehead and an unconscious smile appeared on my lips.

The Queen noticed. Her instincts were sharp. Her head snapped toward me, sensing the danger, "What are you doing!?" She knew something was wrong but I didn’t answer her, I didn’t even look at her.

I just whispered the chant meant for the abyss worshippers and the flames ignited from my palm, traveling with intense speed towards Alishay.

But just in the nick of time, Darcelle rushed to Alishay’s side and pushed her very far away from my attack range.

My flames reached Darcelled but disappeared without any damage to her.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING!!?" The Queen screamed at me.

My breath hitched. I felt a cold chill race down my spine as her furious gaze locked onto me. The weight of the gathered demons’ stares fell upon me.

I froze.

I—I had been about to kill her.

I had the power to do it.

My lips parted, but the words barely made it past my throat.

"I... I have the power to kill her,"

"WHAT!?" Her anger got more intense.

"But I can only kill creatures related to the abyss." My voice was meek. Too small against the vastness of their anger. I had read about it in the book, that my magic wouldn’t damage people not related to the darkness and the theory was confirmed just now when my flames hit Darcelle.

Darcelle’s face twisted in fury, "You were about to kill my daughter!?"

But Draegon’s voice cut through the rising tension like a blade.

"That is not your daughter." He pointed at Alishay, his purple eyes ablaze. "She is a creature—just like Ruoxy. And she should be killed." Darcelle’s face darkened with rage, "Didn’t you hear, Aelin’s magic only kills people from the abyss. It means nothing would have happened to Alishay if she was still a person."

Darcelle stepped towards me, "Didn’t you hear," But she looked at Draegon, "She said she was going to kill my daughter."

"Have you finally lost your mind?" Draegon said, "That thing is no longer a person." He glared at her, "And Aelin only said her power can kill her, it can kill monsters, not people."

"You’ve been taking the side of that human too much," She stepped further towards me, "And you’ve been getting on my nerves." Draegon stared at her, "You—" Darcelle’s voice shook, and then she turned on me. "You are the cause of all this chaos in the palace!"

I flinched as her fury zeroed in on me.

"Because of you," she spat, "Draegon slaughtered so many of my people. Because of you, the palace is drowning in blood."

"What?" I wasn’t sure what I heard. But before I could react—

CRACK.

Her palm collided with my cheek.

A sharp, stinging pain bloomed across my skin, my head snapping to the side. A stunned breath hitched in my throat. But before I could even process what had happened—

A blur of movement.

Draegon’s clawed hand snatched Darcelle by the throat and hurled her aside. She crashed onto the ground, skidding backward in the dust.

A gasp rippled through the watching demons.

Draegon’s purple eyes blazed with fury as he loomed over her. "They all deserved to die," he snarled. I was baffled. With one hand on my cheek, I looked at Draegon in confusion.

He killed the palace servants? They weren’t fired? But killed?!

Darcelle coughed, glaring up at him. "You, you little bastard."

"Don’t blame me for your incompetence" His voice was cold as ice. "This all happened because you are an incompetent ruler," he hissed. "Because of you, my wife suffered." My feelings were a mush. I admired how he constantly stood for me.

But I wasn’t sure if murder was the right answer to that.

Darcelle’s hands curled into fists. "Alishay has nothing to do with this!"

Draegon’s gaze snapped to Alishay—who was standing still, her face calm.

"You still think she’s innocent?" His voice dropped deadly low.

Darcelle’s glare didn’t waver. Draegon took a step forward, "The only reason Alishay is alive today—" he said, his voice shaking with rage, "—is because she murdered my child." A cold silence fell over the crowd. "She used my daughter," Draegon continued, his voice quiet, but merciless, "as the medium for her own resurrection."

"Don’t repeat your lies," Darcelle said, "You have no proof!"

Draegon let out a sigh, "We all saw Alishay’s dead body." He shook his head, "What more proof do you need?"

A sharp gasp cut through the tension. The demons stared at Alishay in horror. Then—they looked at me.

My breath caught.

"The human princess—"

"She didn’t have a miscarriage?"

"It makes sense, doesn’t it? How else is Princess Alishay alive right now if not for that forbidden ritual."

"It was murder?"

A sharp wave of nausea twisted in my stomach. I felt raw and exposed, like they had ripped the truth from my flesh and laid it bare before the entire kingdom.

My hands clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my skin.

I didn’t know whether to be angry, horrified, or just—

Humiliated.

Draegon spread his claws wide, his black talons gleaming under the faint moonlight. His wings curled inward, his body tense and ready for battle.

"You know what, you no longer deserve to sit on the throne," he said, his voice low, boiling with fury. "I’ll ask you only once, Darcelle. Give it up."

A hush fell over the gathered demons.

Queen Darcelle’s gaze darkened as she took a step forward, her robes billowing around her like a crimson tide. She looked at Draegon with the same icy disdain she always had—as if he were nothing more than an ungrateful child throwing a tantrum.

"Give up the throne?" She scoffed, "To you?" She mocked Draegon, "I will never give the throne to someone like you," she said, her voice cold and cutting.

Draegon’s lips curled back into a snarl. "Then I challenge you for it."

A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd.

"No!" Drakkar’s voice cut through the air, his eyes wide with horror as he lunged forward. "Not like this!" he shouted. "You’ll have to kill her to take the throne, and she’s not going to pass it on to you willingly!"

The tension thickened, heavy like storm clouds ready to burst.

Every demon here knew the rules. In the demon kingdom, the strongest ruled. It had always been that way. And if the throne was to be taken from a reigning monarch, it had to be won in blood.

A formal duel to the death.

And the moment Draegon had issued his challenge—he had sealed their fates.

Drakkar tried to run forward, to stop this madness, but before he could reach them—

A blade.

A gleaming sword, pointed directly at him.

Drakkar skidded to a halt, his breath catching as his gaze snapped to the one holding it.

Ariston.

Drakkar’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. "Move," he ordered, his voice tight, "What do you think you’re doing?!" But Ariston didn’t move.

He stood firm, his grip steady, his red eyes unwavering.

"I’m on Draegon’s side," he said calmly.

Drakkar’s stomach dropped. "What?" His voice came out like a whisper, raw with shock. Ariston simply held his ground, the tip of his sword gleaming under the flickering torches, "Are you out of your mind?! MOVE!!" He tried to get to his family but Ariston wouldn’t let him, "Stop it!" He shouted at Ariston, then looked at his brother and mother, "Mother! Don’t!!!"

The Queen glared at Draegon, eyes full of malice as she opened her mouth to answer.