Chapter 177: Her feelings

Rhea’s heart raced as she dashed to her room, her drenched nightdress clinging to her skin, the fabric heavy with the memory of their heated kiss by the pool. She couldn’t contain the wide grin that spread across her face, a deep blush burning on her cheeks.

In her haste, she slammed the door behind her, as if afraid Draven might follow her. She leaned her back against the closed door, the room’s dim light casting a soft glow. The lamp in her hand slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor, forgotten.

Her hand found its way to her chest, and she could feel the erratic beat of her heart beneath her fingertips. She couldn’t help but recall Draven’s husky voice and the whispered words that still echoed in her ears.

_’You should go back to your room before I wolf you down in the pool.’ he had whispered in her ear.

She thought about how she felt when his lips met hers, how his kiss had sent shivers down her spine and made her lose herself. Though she was inexperience, but she wasn’t naive enough not to understand the meaning behind his whispered words. He desired her in a way that was undeniably sexual, yet she knew he didn’t love her.

She pressed a hand to her still-swollen lips and couldn’t help but smile. Draven was undeniably skilled in the art of kissing, leaving her to wonder just how many girls before Alina had succumbed to his charm in the past. He had lived more than a thousand years, surely before Alina he had met many women before. Had he done things more than kissing with them? Her thoughts made her blush even deeper, a mixture of displeasure and curiosity swirling within her.

She couldn’t actually imagine Draven with other women; she hadn’t known what jealousy felt like In the past, but now she knew. She wouldn’t be able to handle it if she saw him with another woman kissing like they had just done. She might end up killing that woman from jealousy.

Rhea knew she wasn’t called a rebellious daughter for no reasons, she might have calmed down her craziness now, but she was sure with how much she was falling for Draven, her possessiveness over him could drive her to do anything. She wanted so badly to mark him as hers alone, but she knew that could only be possible if Draven loved her.

How did she end up like this? She wasn’t an easy going person in the past, nor was she the type to want to be all womanly and lovingly; she was the kind who loved trouble and fights, she was an aggressive uncouth young woman who would beat up nobles and get away with it, but now love was changing her. Love, Rhea thought, was the most dangerous thing in the world. It could make you do things that you, yourself would never imagine you could do.

With her heart still racing and a blush on her cheeks, Rhea knew she needed to change her drenched nightdress. She quickly shed the wet fabric, slipping into a dry nightdress, her trembling fingers fumbling with the belt of her robe. Each touch of the cloth against her skin sent shivers down her spine, a reminder of the intoxicating encounter she’d just had in the pool.

She climbed into her bed, the sheets cool against her strangely warm skin. Rhea couldn’t help but feel like a teenage girl with a secret crush, her mind awash with the vivid memories of their passionate kiss in the pool. It replayed in her thoughts like a favorite scene in the theater hall, and she couldn’t help but smile.

She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, the soft light from her bedside lamp casting a warm and comforting glow. The images of Draven’s lips against hers, his strong arms wrapped around her, floated in her mind like a dream. Her heart fluttered at the thought of his desire for her, mixed with the bittersweet understanding that it wasn’t love.

The memories played on a loop in her mind until the exhaustion of the emotional rollercoaster took its toll. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy, and Rhea drifted into a peaceful sleep, still blushing and dreaming of the two captivating nights she had shared with Draven in the pool.

The next morning, Rhea was awoken with the news that king Henry summoned her and Draven to his chamber. Rhea didn’t even have the chance to protest or ask questions before the servants rushed her into the bathroom and helped her clean up and dressed up into a simple dark blue lose dress, that wasn’t tight around the chest area because of her wounds that were yet to heal completely.

As Rhea made her way outside the dressing room, she was taken aback when she reached the entrance of her room. There, waiting for her, was Draven, with Ethan by his side. A pleasant surprise that made her heart race even faster.

Draven’s presence was magnetic, and he looked incredibly handsome. His dark hair was tied behind his head, and the morning light streaming through the window caught in his piercing blue eyes, giving them an almost otherworldly gleam. He was dressed in a casual yet stylish manner, a look that effortlessly accentuated his rugged charm.

A blush crept up on Rhea’s cheeks as she couldn’t help but admire him for a moment before her attention shifted to the matter at hand. The memory of their passionate night was still fresh, but with Ethan present and with the king summoning, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Good morning, Draven," she greeted him with a warm but slightly shy smile, trying to focus on why the king was summoning them.

"Good morning, Rhea." He greeted back with a faint smile playing across his face as he momentarily locked eyes with her. Last night’s encounter felt like a shared secret between them.

However, Ethan who stood beside Draven couldn’t help but notice something strange between the two, but he didn’t dwell on it as he was sent here by his father. He cleared his throat, "Are you two ready?"

Before Rhea could reply, Draven spoke, "Rhea is still in the process of healing, walking all the way to the king’s palace isn’t going to help her condition in anyway." He voiced his concern.

Ethan nodded, "My father knows about that, which is why he sent a carriage to carry her there. We don’t use carriages here, but we have a few in the palace that were used by my late mother." He explained.

As the three exited prince Zachary’s palace, a carriage was already waiting outside for them. Draven would have transformed and flew Rhea there. But transforming into his dragon was a bit troublesome because his clothes would be gone and he had to get another set of clothes. Thus they entered the carriage and headed towards the king’s palace that was a bit far from Prince Zachary’s.

As they arrived at the king’s palace, they entered the enormous palace grounds with guards standing on every corner. Ethan led them to the king’s chamber, but when they arrived, he said, "You two should go in, my father only wants to meet the both of you, I will wait outside."

Rhea and Draven entered the grand king’s chamber, a room of opulent splendor befitting a ruler of great power. The room was bathed in an ethereal blue light that seemed to emanate from the very walls, casting a cool and serene atmosphere. At the far end, upon a towering ice throne, sat King Henry, an imposing figure of both regal and chilling demeanor.

He was a sight to behold; his skin was as pale as the snow, and his silver hair cascaded down his shoulders. He was dressed in shimmering blue robes. The chamber was adorned with ice sculptures, and the throne itself appeared as if hewn from the very heart of a glacier.

King Henry appeared as if he was deep in sleep on his throne chair, his head cradled by one hand, and his eyes closed. Rhea had been in the presence of King Henry before, but each time it sent a shiver down her spine. His aura was overpowering, even with his eyes closed. She couldn’t help but feel a wave of trepidation wash over her; his imposing presence was something she could never quite grow accustomed to.

Draven, on the other hand, showed no signs of fear. He took a step forward and called out, "King Henry."

Rhea’s heart pounded in her chest as Draven disturbed the seemly resting king, and she dared not move a muscle as he stirred on his chair.

Slowly, King Henry’s eyes opened, revealing blue orbs as cold and piercing as the northern glaciers. His gaze fixed upon Draven, and in that moment, Rhea understood the true extent of his power and presence. His voice, when he finally spoke, was like a distant snowslide, rumbling and resonating through the chamber. "Only you could dare disturb my peace, Draven. Instead of waiting for me to finish meditating, you distract me as usual."

Of course, only Draven could disturb a king instead of waiting on him to finish. Rhea thought, after all he was a more powerful king in the past.

King Henry didn’t wait for Draven’s reply, he turned his gaze towards Rhea and sized her up. That was a very strange look. Rhea thought, because before, the king never sized her up like that.

"I heard you passed through the first day of bone changing."

It was more of a statement than a question. Rhea didn’t understand why his attention was directed at her, but she replied calmly, "Yes, your majesty. But I am still in the process of the change."

"It a surprise you live through the pain as a human. You must be a strong human."

Rhea was a little overwhelmed by the king’s praise, but she allowed herself to smile in response as she had no idea what he meant by those words and how to reply to it without telling him about why she was able to pass through the changes.

King Henry didn’t even wait for her reply, he turned his gaze back to Draven and asked, "Have you found all your body parts?"

Rhea found it strange that the king was asking that question. Couldn’t he tell if Draven was complete or not as he was a king himself? She thought as she glanced at Draven, who didn’t reply immediately and paused for some few moments before saying, "Yes, I am complete now."

When king Henry heard Draven’s reply, he raised a brow. Then stood up from his throne and walked towards Draven while saying, "A of piece news came this morning. The Emperor of Birhhan said you committed a massacre in the fire leader’s territory. Is that true?"

Rhea was taken aback by those words. She hadn’t actually seen the damages Draven did in Alina’s mansion because she was unconscious when they left the place. However, it seemed Draven had killed a lot of the fire controllers...

"Oh," Draven’s mouth curved into a faint sneer, "Did that little thing I did count as a massacre? The fire controllers really exaggerated what a massacre is." He nonchalantly remarked, "I didn’t kill much of them because they retreated."

King Henry, who naturally had cold eyes and aura, seemed to be displeased by Draven’s words, eyes turned even colder and his aura was overwhelming the atmosphere. Even though he wasn’t looking at Rhea, his aura was enough to make her hands and legs tremble.

The king’s cold eyes locked on Draven as he said, "Draven, you are the offspring of the most powerful Dragon on earth. A thousand year old creature, you could finish the whole of Birhhan with a breath, and yet you could only kill a little of them? You should be ashamed of yourself." He rebuked harshly.

Rhea was stunned by king Henry’s harshness. What did he mean? Draven had obviously just gotten back his Dragon form not long ago, and had also just gotten his scales, and he, by himself, used his strength to break Alina’s spell barrier and fought hundreds of men alone in Birhhan. Wasn’t that considered powerful enough?

When Rhea saw that Draven did not reply, and king Henry was going to continue his harsh words, she momentarily forgot about her fear for the king and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, Draven has only just regained his scales, and I’m certain he’s still enduring some pain. It’s unrealistic to expect him to swiftly kill all the fire controllers on his own. He..."

"Rhea," Draven cut her off, his gaze shifting from King Henry to her. His face was devoid of emotion as he requested, "You should return to Prince Zachary’s palace. I need a private audience with King Henry."

Rhea’s heart sank at the tone of his voice. This was the first time Draven had ever asked her to leave him alone with someone. They had always shared everything, leaving no secrets between them, which was why their bond was so strong. But now...

In an instant, Rhea realized that there were certain matters Draven preferred to keep to himself. She met his emotionless tone with a firm nod and replied, "Very well," before turning and exiting the chamber.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read