Chained to old wounds

The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride.

CH27

Morgan

I rolled my eyes. “That’s because you practically bankrupted the family.”

She whirled on me. Her tear–filled eyes narrowed, morphing from childish frustration to fury.

“You!” she screeched, her voice shrill. “You’re the reason it’s like this. You hid the money from Daddy and-”

“Mizuki,” I said. “Shut up.”

“Don’t tell me-” She broke off with a little glint of light. I looked at the guard, who smiled at me.

“Teach me how to do that one day.”

She went pale, rearing back and clawing at her throat when no sound came out. I stood. My jaw clenched as I looked at her. I had expected challenges. Figuring out a path forward was bound to come with obstacles, as was navigating the political intrigue of the nobles who would undoubtedly want to speak to me and even the potential hostility of the human realm towards the return of the dragons‘ reign, but Mizuki was not on my list of things I was willing to deal with.

Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze.

“Since I’m here, you understand what’s about to happen. Your father is no longer ahead of the family, meaning you are no longer air.” Her eyes bulged. “If you expect to keep up your lifestyle and pay for the things that you want, you’re going to have to work. If you choose not to work, then you’ll have to rely on your father’s work, and unfortunately for you, he has a whole other child and a mistress to take care of.”

I looked back at Goro. “And you will be taking care of Adele and your son.” He set his jaw and nodded. “You will marry her.” His eyes bulged. “And no, I don’t care what the rest of the family will say about it. No, I don’t care what you tell your wife about it or how you explain it to Mizuki. If you don’t, I’m sure there’s a jail still around to throw you and your accomplices in.”

He went still, and we stared at each other for a long time. It felt a bit like being back at the house when I first decided to go through with the Trial, except this time, I was sure that there was no way Goro could ever get the upper hand. He liked money too much and being told what to do by me after messing up so badly was nothing in the face of being related to the dragon queen.

Finally, he nodded. I looked at the guard. “How long is this spell going to last?”

CH27

“A few hours if I don’t recast it.”

“Good. Leave it. This place needs some peace and quiet.” I turned back to them. “I have other things to do. I’ll be back before I return to the other realm to check on things.”

With that, I left and headed into town to make my presence known.

I stayed at Ael’s unit’s house, noting how much more energy everyone seemed to have. Relief

washed over me as I surveyed the bustling shop a few days later. Customers browsed the shelves, their arms laden with clothes. The buzz of conversation and the clinking of coins against the counter were a welcome change from the tense silence that had initially greeted my return. The structured slip, as we had named it, had been an unexpected success. The innovative design, coupled with a clever marketing campaign that touted it as a symbol of the new era, had captured

the imagination of the town. I was pretty sure people from other towns were coming, too.

With a satisfied smile, I finished helping a customer and glanced at the clock. Time to visit Hiro. I

stopped in the back of the shop to tally up the sales for the day and take the money necessary to pay back the loan to Tsuneo before leaving.

I headed out and walked to the hospital. The treatments were doing great things for him, but he still wasn’t awake, yet he regained some color, and his breathing seemed deeper and easier. Ael said that he wasn’t in as much pain anymore and that his vitals were improving. I stayed by his bedside for a few hours, just letting myself rest before heading back to Ael’s unit’s house. I stepped through the mirror once more, the familiar coolness of the hidden chamber washing over

1. me.

With a deep breath, I walk down the hallway toward Tsuneo’s chambers, hoping not to run into Keiji or Ari. By my count, it hadn’t been more than an hour or so since I’d left on this side of the veil. I was greeted by an unsettling silence when I reached his bed chambers. The room, usually bathed in a soft, golden light, was shrouded in an unnatural darkness. A sense of dread coiled in

my stomach.

I locked the door behind me and threw up the privacy barrier, then I drew my sword, looking around for some sign of an intruder or something that would be setting me on edge like this. Then, I heard ragged breathing coming from the bedroom. I crept forward slowly, thinking that maybe whoever had poisoned him had come back to finally finish the job.

The bed was empty. I rounded it slowly and found Tsuneo sitting beside it. His usually stoic face was contorted in a grimace, his eyes blazed with an unnatural light in the darkness. His hand, clawing at his shoulder, was covered in blood as it dripped down his shoulder, staining his robe and pooling on the floor. The sight sent a jolt of terror through me his veins were turning a sickly black, spreading like a venomous spiderweb across his skin and up his neck. As I entered the room, the lights flared to life, revealing how large of a puddle of blood was collecting beneath

CH27

him. I could smell the metallic tang of it.

“Tsuneo!” I gasped, rushing forward.

He snarled, turning his head in my direction. I stopped just out of reach from him, angling my sword at him, wary of his attack.

My words elicited no response. His eyes, glazed with a feverish light, seemed to focus past me, seeing something only he could see. The air crackled with a raw, primal energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Tsuneo?” He twitched. His jaw popped. Panic clawed at my throat. Fear warred with a desperate sense of protectiveness.

“What’s wrong? What happened to you?”

He said nothing. Instead, he twitched again. I approached him slowly, putting the blad as ide when his eyes drifted up and met mine. Reaching out, I gently placed a hand on his forehead. His skin burned with an unnatural heat, and a guttural growl ripped from his throat. Instinct urged me to retreat, but I couldn’t abandon him like this. There was a wave of anxiety coming from him, then fear like I had never known. I could almost hear him crying out.

Taking another shaky breath, I steeled myself and slowly wrapped my arms around him, drawing him against me. I stroked his hair.

“It’s okay, Tsuneo. I’m here now.”