Leila was sitting in a grand room. It was a much larger space than she was used to. The room was quiet, as it was facing the opposite direction from the noisy courtyard. She wiggled her toes deep into the thick carpet and played with her fingers absentmindedly. There wasn’t anyone else in the room, but she could’t help feeling like a horrid stranger might barge in at any second. Even so, she decided to tiptoe to the other side of the room and peek outside.
The large, floor-to-ceiling window was absolutely mesmerizing. Leila had never seen a window so enormous. Peering outside, she realized how wonderful the weather was, regretting wasting such a perfect day on escaping. The view was simply extravagant. A sprawling field of crops stretched on without an end in sight under the crystal blue sky. In addition to a few farm houses and wandering cows, several watchtowers also dotted the lively green. Leila wondered if she might be at the edge of King’s Harbor; the view was quite different than where she’d escaped from.
Then, she heard footsteps. Leila stopped admiring the view and quickly returned to where she sat before. A boy came in, around eight or nine years old. His eyes were pale grey, and his skin didn’t glisten, just like a dark knight’s. She recognized the boy as a grey dragon. How could a grey dragon work for the prince? Leila wondered curiously. Her aunt had told her they were never allowed to go near to the palace or do any work related to royal affairs, not to mention work directly under an actual royal.
“These were sent for you.” The boy looked at Leila as he put a large tray down on the round table beside her. A mixture of freshly-cooked bacon and creamy cheese was tantalizingly floating through the air. On the table, a feast was neatly laid out. It was the most wonderful food she had ever seen. She couldn’t believe that food could be cooked like this.
Moist cakes, juicy chicken and beef, salami and cheese; orange apricots and dewberries, green grapes and red mulberries, and exotic fruits that she had never tasted before; everything was fresh and appealing. Back at her aunt’s house, she was never allowed to eat anything other than dry bread and vegetable broth. A chunk of sausage would be a hard-earned reward at the end of the year. She looked at all of the food in front of her and didn’t know where to start. Could food like this really be eaten by a mongrel like her?
The boy spoke up again. “My name is Ben. I’m the prince’s pageboy. You must be terribly hungry. If this isn’t enough, please just let me know.” He then quickly glanced over Leila’s bruised skin. “A female healer is on her way… I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit longer. We don’t have any women working in the battalion. She was specially summoned by the prince just now.”
“Thank you,” Leila said to him. She liked the boy and had a sneaking suspicion that they would become good friends.
The boy nodded and left the room. As he opened the door, Leila saw the dark knight who had escorted her standing outside. He seemed to be in a middle of a quarrel with a couple of golden knights.
Leila quietly moved toward the door after it closed and listened.
“But she’s clearly a crossbreed, right? It’s against the law to even let her continue breathing!” One of the golden knights said, “I think you’d better remind the prince, Hugo. We just saw Ben send a full tray of food in, and I heard the commander was even sacked because of her.”
“It was the prince’s decision. He fired the previous commander because he intended to rape that girl. Are you resisting the prince’s orders?” Hugo firmly snapped.
“What Jack means is…” The other golden knight spoke, and Leila realized he was the young knight with golden hair from before. “It’s not good for the knights to see her treated so well, like a guest. The whole army is pureblood, and we guard pureblood citizens in the capital. A crossbreed is considered an animal in the dragon kingdom. It’s bad publicity for the army. Simple as that.”
In no time, Ben had come back with a silver dragon woman who was panting and sweating aggressively.
“Really? A female healer?” the other golden knight raised his voice a bit, “for that mongrel?”
Hugo quickly glanced at the lady behind them, then turned to the golden knights. “Jack and Kevin, right? I repeat: It was the prince’s decision. If you want to stay in the battalion and keep your head, then fuck off, grab your sword, and practice. Leave the girl alone.”
He bumped the young knight with his shoulder as he walked towards the room. He knocked on the door, and Leila opened it.
The silver dragon woman was around fifty years old, but she was still beautiful, with just a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. “You must be Leila,” she said politely, and reached out her hand.
Leila stepped away from her at once, looking at Hugo.
“This is June, a healer. She’ll take care of your wounds,” Hugo said, “Please don’t worry. She can be trusted.”
Leila led her guard down a little and sat back down in her seat. Unknowingly, she had already started to trust Hugo and Ben, but she began to wonder where the prince was. Since he had organized the food and the healer for her, why wasn’t he around?
“I’ll check her carefully and report back with the results later,” June said. Hugo and Ben left, and the door was closed.
Just as they turned around, the prince returned. He was putting on a navy blue, double-breasted jacket to cover his naked upper body. He was perfectly toned and muscular; deep, defined lines tightened throughout his lean and firm muscles. “Did the girl eat? Has the healer arrived yet?” The prince asked Hugo and Ben.
“Yes,” Ben answered, “She’s being checked by the healer now.”
“Good.” The prince patted Ben’s shoulder then leaned against the wall while knotting the buckles with no intention of leaving with them.
Hugo and Ben exchanged a look. This was a first; the prince was clearly worried about the girl. It was rare to see him worry about any woman.
But his usual icy expression didn’t falter in the least. He still looked unwilling to waste another word on anyone, which, oddly enough, was the same feature that made all women pine after him. Hugo and Ben chose to leave the prince alone, but they heard him speak again.
“The Grey Below. In the last column and farthest row. The house was empty. I made my mark on the gate. Keep an eye on it.”
“Aye,” Hugo replied, clearly aware that it was Leila’s aunt’s house, “And one more thing. Thought you might want to know. The golden knights have some opinions on the previous commander’s sudden expulsion.”
“Let it be. But make it clear: Any knight dissatisfied with my orders will be expelled from the battalion, no matter their rank,” the prince said before he turned to fix his eyes on the council room door, as if he knew June was almost finished with Leila.
Seconds later, June came out and closed the door behind her. “My prince.” She nodded to Thorn as she put her right hand over her left shoulder.
“June, thank you for coming under such short notice. You were the best healer nearby.”
“I’m glad to be useful.” June glanced at Hugo and Ben, then back to the prince, “May I speak with you privately?”
Hugo and Ben acknowledged the prince and left.
“Anything irregular?” the prince asked June, “Is it as I predicted?”
June nodded, furrowing her slender brows. “Yes, I’m afraid. The girl isn’t a mongrel. I couldn’t detect any human traits, but she also doesn’t possess regular dragon blood. With my limited experience, I’m unable to say what she is.”
“And her wounds?” he asked, without showing any emotion.
“I’ve taken care of them. She’ll recover soon with the help of my herbs, but her body is still too fragile. Please make sure she’s eating enough, and no more excitement.”
The prince made a mental note and said, “Thank you. I’ll walk you out.”
“No need. My carriage is still parked out front. I’ll hurry off to my next patient. Just send a raven if the girl needs me again.” June curtsied, then briskly walked off.
The dragon prince put his hands on his hips, then exhaled slightly. He gently knocked on the door three times and walked into the chamber.
Leila knew it was the prince who had come into the room. She recognized him right away, and this time, she was able to get a good look at him. Although his thick, black hair appeared untrimmed, she was instantly struck by his elegant cleanliness and regal poise. He wore a neat, navy velvet jacket and black pants. Along with his perfectly pointed nose, his eyes were as dark as an abyss. The pressure of their eye contact was too much for her. She quickly broke her gaze and lowered her head. The prince briefly glanced at Leila as he walked past her; he seemingly had no intention of speaking with her. Taking a thick stack of letters in his hand from the large ironwood table by the window, he started to read the documents one by one. The prolonged silence gave Leila a small amount of confidence to peek at him again. The prince was a breathtakingly handsome young man, chiseled like a diamond. But she had never seen a more stern expression than his. He was the prince of the dragon kingdom,
Leila startled awake as a loud bang resounded from somewhere downstairs. She felt her heart jump from the sudden noise. She quickly got to her feet, put on a plain cotton dress, then rushed out to the door. It had been three days since Leila returned to her aunt’s house. Unsurprisingly, not a single day had she ever got her peace back. Just as Thorn told her, the house was completely emptied by her family; not even a single pot was left behind for her. Leila guessed that her aunt must be hiding somewhere far away from the capital now, and that she wouldn’t return until things cooled off. It was better this way though. She could rest for a few days and use that time to think about her future. Staying with her cruel family was the only thing she wanted to do now. But apparently, the prince couldn’t even let her have that. Leila rushed downstairs and spotted a pile of black and blue fabric, ripped to shreds, at the end of the stairs. It was the third time she had found a pile like this
Leila was agitated and grumpy, which were entirely unfamiliar feelings for her. She planted her hands on her hips and paced across the room, with only one thought circling in her head. Could Thorn still have his dragon spirit? What exciting news! Hardly anyone in the dragon kingdom had seen a real dragon for years. It was only a few days after the previous dragon queen, Tora’s, funeral. When the sun came up above the stretching horizon, the dragon spirits didn’t wake up as usual. Instead, they had all left their hosts’ bodies and disappeared into thin air. The whole realm was heartbroken with grief; some with weak minds even died because of the pain of the separation was beyond a toleration. The Dragon King, Eros, had handled the event terribly. He canceled a series of traditional holidays that had been handed down from generation to generation since the beginning of the dragon era in an attempt to avoid any interaction with his citizens. All he did was hide in his palace, heavily
Never had Leila experienced such a complete shutdown of her mind with her eyes wide open. Even so, a subconscious level, a deadly alert was screaming inside her head. She was still completely naked! Groping around to find the towel, she felt a seething heat enveloping her. The heat was too fierce to be ignored; she wasn’t even sure if it came from her own shock and embarrassment, or if it came from the naked prince on top of her. Even though the house was crumbling around her, Leila’s surroundings were somehow muted. She was seemingly having trouble connecting reality with her own perception as Thorn’s gorgeous, dark eyes emblazoned on his perfect face utterly dazzled her. Thorn finally asked, “Are you hurt?” as he looked down at Leila. He felt his dragon blood rushing with excitement. Leila shook her head mechanically. “Good.” He nodded and tried to push off the ground and back up, yet her peach colored nipples on her soft, plump breasts were mischievously in his way. Just as he
Leila wondered if Thorn’s lips were generating a kind of magical power, making hers reluctant to part from them. When she was little, Leila loved to collect cookie wrappers, as each one was inscribed with short tale. Among all the stories, her favorite had always been about the romance between the dragon queen and king. She often imagined what her own first kiss would be like, visualizing the circumstances, the emotions, and, most importantly, the person she would share it with. But she had never had the opportunity with anyone other than Arthur, the milk boy. Despite his decent looks, he would always only be a friend. Even if she had the choice, she would have turned him down. But she has never expected for her first kiss to be stolen by Thorn, even if everything felt just right. The slight moisture, feathery softness, and his pristine, fresh breath enveloped the brief kiss. Furthermore, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity that caused Leila to linger there. Thorn was als
Leila turned and saw a group of people holding trays of food and jugs full of liquid. Their skin glistened with a silver sheen under the sunlight. White robes were wrapped around their bodies, tied with silver sashes. They each wore a stack of thin, gold bracelets on both arms. The man who shouted at her seemed to be the leader of their group. “Who are you? And why you are here?” The chamberlain looked down at Leila patronizingly. “I…” Leila looked up at him tentatively. Everything about the chamberlain was graceful–the way he gestured and even the way he spoke. But there was a dangerous sneer hidden behind his thin lips. “Why have you come to the Dragon Prince’s castle?” The man asked again. Left tongue-tied by her recent bizarre experience, Leila’s mind was racing, unsure how to explain her situation. She shouldn’t have followed that butterfly and left the bedchamber after all. Upon discovering Leila’s peculiar eyes and dull skin, the chamberlain’s many years of royal domestic e
Thorn arrived at the garrison first thing in the morning. He had received a note, carried by a royal raven and marked with a black wax seal, sent by Hugo. “My prince,” Hugo came to his side when Thorn entered the yard, “They’ve been locked in the dungeon and are ready for you.” Thorn nodded and asked, “Where were they found?” “At a farm house, located at the edge of King’s Harbor. We discovered many signs indicating that the house has been unoccupied for quite a long time—rusty pots, dried-up drains, and a messy backyard. And this…” Hugo pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and showed it to Thorn, “I found it inside a hollowed-out pit. It was concealed by a wooden board under a bed. They claim they didn’t even know about its existence.” Thorn glanced at the paper, slightly furrowing his brow. It seemed to be Leila’s birth certificate. On it, her name and birth date were clearly marked, but all information about both of her birth parents had been scratched off. No matter a pure bloo
Leila was wandering around the amethyst castle alone. It was exceptionally quiet. The usual bustling servants were nowhere to be seen; only a few were traveling through the long shimmering passages linking massive chambers and grand halls. Thankfully, this gave her the confidence to explore the castle But Leila wasn’t actually alone. She didn’t notice that someone had been following her in the shadows from the second she stepped out from the bedchamber. Soon, she came upon a vast gallery off to the side of the flourishing garden. The room gave her an indescribable feeling. The sensation was undeniably beautiful, but also troubling. It was twice long as it was wide, and it was filled with numerous rare oddities; swords, shields, and finely-forged melee weapons were all symmetrically displayed in the space. At the end of the gallery, a shiny round button, made of obsidian and roughly the size of Leila’s palm, was inlaid on the wall. She was drawn in by its beauty. An obscure, mythica