Chapter 101: Her body is mine to mess with

Rhea was taken aback by the sword that suddenly moved toward Draven’s chest. However, before she could react, Draven swiftly dodged the attack, sidestepping as Cal’s sword whizzed past him.

Rhea let out a deep sigh of relief as the sword missed Draven. Although she knew Cal to be serious and honorable, she had never witnessed him losing his temper like this before. He had never recklessly attacked anybody in past like this.

Cal, frustrated by missing his target, angrily raised his sword once more, aiming it at Draven. But this time, Rhea quickly stepped forward, positioning herself to block him from reaching Draven. "Cal, that’s enough. Please calm down," she urgently pleaded.

However, Cal wasn’t getting any of that, his eyes were clouded by anger, all he wanted to do was kill Draven and take Rhea back with him. He raised his sword and pushed Rhea aside, "Stay out of this, little bun!"

Rhea tumbled to the ground after being forcefully shoved by Cal, catching her off guard. She winced in pain as her knees scraped against the unforgiving surface. Cal, consumed by anger, paid no attention to her suffering, while Draven’s expression grew dark upon hearing her pained hiss. At first, Draven raised his hand to retaliate against Cal but abruptly halted when he realized the consequences. Revealing his powers was not an option; his identity had to remain a secret. With that in mind, Draven’s hands dropped to his sides.

Cal desperately attacked Draven with his flaming sword. Yet, Draven effortlessly evaded each swing, his movements fluid and swift. As Cal attempted to regain control of his momentum, Draven raised his hand and lightly struck at the weak point of his hand, the same hand he’d used to shove Rhea aside. Although, Draven didn’t use any powers, Cal’s entire arm went numb. He retreated, clutching his numb arm as he sarcastically laughed, "And you claim this man is just an ordinary human? Indeed."

Rhea, who had been shoved to the ground quickly got up as she heard Cal’s words. She put on a stubborn front, "He’s human. He’s just good at martial arts, that’s all." Draven’s identity couldn’t be known at any cost. "You should get a hold of yourself, Cal. This person is my husband, you..."

Cal didn’t wait to hear Rhea’s defensive words, he turned his attention to Draven and glared at him murderously, "Rhea’s messed up human aura must have something to do with you, right?" His eyes darkened, "What did you do to her body, and what are your intentions for leading her astray?!"

Draven calmly locked eyes with Cal. He would admit, this man was brave. Although Draven wasn’t using any dragon powers nor aura. But after retrieving his powers, he possessed a dangerous presence and an overwhelming sense of authority that would make any normal person back down. However, Cal stood his ground without fear. Draven smirked, "So what if her human aura is messed up? She’s married to me, and I have the right to tamper with her body. She is no longer connected to any of you. Her body belongs to me to mess with." He remarked calmly, yet assertively.

Rhea’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest upon hearing Draven’s words. They carried an unsettling intimacy. Did he really have to phrase it that way? she wondered.

Meanwhile, Cal on the other hand only got more enraged by Draven’s words. He tightly clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, "How dare you? I will end you today, let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogance of yours!" Saying this, flame magic began to gather around Cal, the air around even started to heat up from his anger.

Cal had become a master of flame magic from a young age, and Rhea was well aware of his skill in wielding it. She could sense that he was about to confront Draven. However, Draven stood casually in front of him, showing no reaction and wearing an indifferent expression. Nevertheless, Rhea knew that Draven would surely attack Cal if he dared to unleash his flames. Rhea anxiously scanned her surroundings, but there was no one around to intervene and stop the impending fight.

Rhea’s gaze landed on a nearby rock, and she quickly picked it up, taking aim at her target before hurling it towards Cal. The rock struck the same spot where Draven had previously weakened Cal. He winced in pain and became momentarily distracted from gathering his flames. Before he could turn his attention towards Rhea, she swiftly flipped and landed behind him. Placing her palm on his neck, she summoned her ice magic and froze his muscles completely.

Cal collapsed to the ground, his muscles rendered numb. The flames surrounding him vanished instantly as he found himself unable to move any of his limbs. He stared at Rhea in disbelief, his eyes filled with anger that had not yet subsided. It seemed as though he could burn anything he laid his eyes on. "Rheanna..." he uttered, his voice filled with disbelief and hurt. Today marked the first time she had ever raised her hand to harm him.

Rhea quickly apologized, "I am sorry, Cal. I had no choice. You will be fine in some minutes, I promise. Just calm down."

How could he calm down? He had always looked after her right from childhood, he’d watched her grow into a woman, a troublesome woman. He had sworn to his aunt to be her protector the day she took her, but today, Rhea chose a complete stranger over him and even weakened him. Cal was so disappointed and hurt he couldn’t utter proper words, "You...you," he couldn’t even get the rest of the words out.

Rhea knelt in front of him and said, "Cal, I apologize, but please stop your attempts to pressure me into returning with you. Now that I am no longer able to remain in the capital, refrain from pursuing me any further. This will prevent the fire controllers from suspecting you if circumstances take a turn for the worse." She whispered, "Ever since I was given away for marriage, I have longed to go back to the Villden household. But now, I realize I don’t belong there. Let’s consider this meeting as a way to make up for not bidding me farewell on my wedding day. From this moment on... we are complete strangers, Cal. Goodbye."

Rhea had already made her decision to sever all ties with all her family members after the day she learned that Azure was involved in the same wicked actions as Alina. In the past, Azure was the motivation for her to endure hardships, as she greatly admired him. However, her perspective had now shifted. She didn’t want to return to her miserable life and pathetically looked up to him as her hero. And again, she didn’t want to ever come to hate him someday, it was best to leave everything behind in the capital city before a day comes when she’d despise him after all the things he’d done for her in the past.

Furthermore, she feared a day would come when everyone she cared about will get into trouble because of her. The best way to protect them was by leaving them and staying far away from them. Most especially Cal, who would do anything to see that she was safe.

Cal’s expression changed at Rhea’s words, he didn’t get the chance to speak before Rhea stood up and grabbed Draven’s hand and untied his horse by the side. She mounted the horse without even sparing him one last glance and rode away with Draven.

Cal’s body was frozen, he could only remain kneeling on the ground as he watched their figure disappear in the distance with his horse. His expression was a combination of fury, helplessness, and disappointment.

He still couldn’t believe Rhea had laid a hand on him for the first time. She was gifted and smart, and if she had just stayed behind and went with him, he’d have protected her from the rumors and taken her away from the capital himself. But...she so easily trusted a stranger over him. She even allowed him to mess up her human aura, and was protective of him as well. What if he had bad intentions towards her? How could he not go after her when she was with a mysterious man like that?

**

Rhea and Draven rode on Cal’s horse for several hours. Due to the horse’s speed, the space between them was limited. Rhea had to hold onto Draven’s waist tightly as the wind blew past them. She could feel his human body heat transferring to her as she clutched onto him. His long hair occasionally fell on her face, prompting her to brush it away. "Your hair is quite long for a man," she softly murmured, annoyed by its tickling sensation on her face and neck.

As they continued through the quiet forest path, Draven slowed the horse down. He glanced down at Rhea’s arm around his waist and felt her other hand brushing aside his hair, causing it to fall onto his chest. He stiffened momentarily as her fingers lightly brushed against his neck. Clearing his throat, he remarked, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t care about me or protect me again?"

Rhea, who had been preoccupied with his hair, stopped moving her hand upon hearing his question. She hadn’t realized that she had protected him from Cal once again. "If you bring that up again, I won’t hesitate to kick you off the horse and leave you here," she threatened.

Draven’s lips curved into a faint smile. He did not delve further into that topic, opting to switch to another. "You were not gentle with him when you immobilized his muscles. Cruel," he teased.

Rhea did not respond immediately, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she spoke, "I did not intend to harm him so severely, though." She had known Cal her entire life, yet she had never witnessed such aggression from him. It puzzled her why he had suddenly become so hostile. She let out a deep sigh, "Cal is usually a calm person. I don’t understand why he became mad just because I said I would follow you anywhere."

Draven’s expression slightly shifted. That was good, It was best she didn’t know what Cal was mad about. It would be great she remained unaware of everything.

Draven rapidly snapped the horse reins. Very soon, he would look for a way to return to the Dragon realm with her and finish everything once and for all.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read