Chapter 13 13
ZAUGUSTUS DYLAN.
I kept pacing from one corner of my chamber to another, my hands clamped backwards and my cloak swaying on the floor behind me. At the side stood Orrifin, who hadn't even found his words since we entered the chamber.
For over a millennium, I hadn't ever felt the piercing pain that stabbed my chest back while staring at the weak fae being tortured. I had been that ruler who doesn't ignore the tyrants facing my wrath, and it never bothered me, even if they died along the line. So why did I feel that way?
It was as though needles of different sizes were being stuck to my chest each second, while watching her shed those tears that could turn bloody if time wasn't taken. I offended her by not telling her the rules, because to me, she wasn't a criminal but my captive, unlike my subordinates, especially the Flame Lords and Ash Regents, who would execute her if I ever got my eyes away from her.
That night, I didn't realise I hadn't been breathing well until I returned to my chamber, only to release a heavy breath that was so hot like boiling water. I soaked my body in hot water, hoping to calm myself, but it did nothing, and that was so unusual of me. Even when I sank into the depths of the river, I felt like I was hurting my heart the most.
And to even talk about them wanting to strip her. It was a norm before she would be pronounced my slave, but how could I stand them seeing her nude? The male dragons are always lustful, and if she were a dragon and they saw how curvy and seductive she looked, they would want to have a taste of her.
I shook my head, staring at the table. “I can't let them see that. She's mine alone.”
“What are you talking about?” Orrifin’s voice came from behind, and I shuddered at first. I had forgotten that someone was with me here. “Who is yours alone? Is it the female fae?”
Orrifin would burst into laughter if I ever nodded, so I slowly shook my head.
“Okay, how did I forget about Irian?” he chuckled, and I spared him a short glare before twitching to the seat where I made myself comfortable. My dragon flashed in my memory the nude image of that fae female, and I gasped softly, then licked my lips. If she had tried not to mess up, she should have been here with me by now.
I almost slapped my cheek, but didn't want my thoughts to be known. How could I be thinking about that? My people would be very disappointed in me if I claimed a fae female. They were our rivals, and nothing could change that.
Sitting there, I kept tapping my fingers on the armrest when a knock came on the door. I sniffed the dragon scent, and it was Irian, causing my mood to become sour once again.
Orrifin glanced at me upon finding out it was she, too, and I shook my head at him. I didn't want to be disturbed, but just to be myself.
I had shut my eyes as though asleep when Orrifin asked me, “I did notice that you keep staying away from her. Is there a problem between you two? Did she offend you? Or isn't she as delicate and gorgeous as in the past?” he asked, and I had to open my eyes.
For the gods know how long, I stared at him while he couldn't even meet my gaze, but lowered his face. “Orrifin, have I ever been fond of Irian?” I asked him, and he shook his head. “So why all those numerous questions as though I had showered her with love in the past?”
He stepped backwards and got to his knees, his head bowed slightly, “Forgive me, Dragon Sovereign!”
“You had better not mention her in my presence again,” I warned and grimaced. How could I be thinking of something important, and he interrupts me with someone whom I hadn't had any feelings for all through my life? If I weren't the Dragon Sovereign, Irian wouldn't blink at me. She was rude to lowly men and looked down on people she was higher than so much. Also, she expects a lot from a man who would want her.
But aside from that, I never fancied her and had also told her about it.
A few hours later, when the sun had set, I went to check on the water project that we had started working on. To avoid my people falling sick repeatedly, like in the past, I brought up the idea of distilling water and then the rivers for the sea dragons as well. The infections in the past were rapid, and I didn't think it was something serious until four hundred years ago.
I would say the man was a human, but he had been at the forbidden shrine to make a request, so their gods would soften the heart of their king for him to have their water distilled to reduce the infections killing their people slowly.
When I thought about that, I knew the reason the dragons didn't die so much from the infections was because of our supernatural powers, which the humans didn't have, so I took note of the idea and would make it happen in my realm, too.
I had to check through the whole clan to be sure each one had their distilled water, and when I was done and about to leave, Orrifin whispered something into my ear.
I turned to him, my forehead wrinkled, “Are you for real? How long has it been, and I'm just hearing it now?”
“I'm not sure, but they just told me now,” Orrifin responded, and I didn't hesitate to transform into my dragon form and take off to the fortress. That fortress was where I entered last night after coming to the cell to heal her wound, so since she wasn't in the cell, it could be that she tiptoed behind me and I didn't notice it.
But, wasn't she so rash? It's been hours already, and I feared she had drowned.
How could she do that to herself? I only entered that fortress because it was built by me, and no one goes there. It was a river in disguise as bare land, and I bet she must have joined me immediately for her to sink into the river, or the magic I created was for the dry land to seal the river surface after five minutes of my disappearance.
My dragon whimpered as we rode from the sky and dropped into the fortress river. ‘I bet she wouldn't survive it. She's too weak,’ my dragon mumbled, but I didn't want to believe that.
Maybe I was at fault, or not ever thinking that she would leave with me from the cell. I only came to heal her bruises because the thought of the pain she would be passing through was killing me.