Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 102: Big news

Chapter 102: Big news

Rhea and Draven rode for hours on the horse until it was starting to get dark, so Rhea suggested they spend the night at an inn before they continued their journey the next day.

After they checked into the inn, Rhea asked for separate rooms this time, she didn’t want to share a room with Draven anymore, perhaps that way she’d be able to get hold of her emotions and fast heart rate. However, after they freshened up they both stepped out of their rooms to go down and eat dinner.

As they finished eating their dinner and were heading back towards their rooms, Rhea said to Draven, "If in the future you get back all your wealth, I swear to the heavens, you’ll pay me back every single cent I spent on you."

Draven didn’t respond, as his eyes were carefully scanning the surroundings with a serious expression. Upon noticing his demeanor, Rhea became tense, knowing that things never went well when he wore that look on his face. Worried, she asked, "What’s wrong? Are you searching for signs of danger?" Leaning closer, she whispered, "Are there dragons in the area? Is that why you’re on high alert?"

Draven glanced down at her with a raised brow, "I am a dragon, Miss." He deadpanned.

Rhea went silent. Now that His majesty had gotten back his powers, he had also gotten back his arrogance. She thought to herself.

Draven glanced around one more time before saying, "it’s nothing. Let’s head back to our rooms." Leading the way, he walked ahead of Rhea. However, upon reaching the hallway leading to their rooms, he halted and directed his gaze towards the large window situated at the hallway’s end. The window was open, allowing fresh air to flow into the confined space.

As lightning streaked across the night sky and rain gently descended upon the roof, Draven observed the raindrops falling and the trees swaying in the strong breeze outside the window. The downpour intensified, creating a deafening sound that drowned out all other noises within the inn’s corridor. Draven approached the window, the only thing he was fascinated about in the human lands, was rain. It never rained in the dragon realm.

Rhea, trailing behind Draven, also made her way to the window. Looking outside, she noticed a small garden being showered by rain. Draven then remarked, "It’s fascinating how water can descend from the sky. Dragons aren’t particularly fond of rain, but I find it to be beautiful."

Rhea glanced at his sharp profile from the side, noticing how the lightning illuminated his handsome face. She could detect the amusement in his expression, almost resembling that of a curious child. It was surprising to see this typically cold-faced dragon look so adorable and captivated. "Were you looking around earlier because you sensed the rain?" she asked.

Draven shook his head, his gaze fixed on the pouring rain. "No, I sensed a familiar aura in the area, a faint royal dragon aura."

Rhea was taken aback. "What is a royal dragon doing here?"

Draven shrugged, still staring at the rain without blinking. "I don’t know," he muttered.

Rhea was quiet for a moment, she didn’t think much about his words and said, "Draven, don’t think you can ignore my words about the debt you owe me. And it keeps on increasing everyday."

"I know, I owe you big time." He replied, finally turning away from the rain to look towards her, but it turned out she was also staring at him, with her sparkling black orbs, that was reflecting the lighting strike. They locked eyes, the sounds of the rain blurring away in the background.

Rhea felt her heartbeat pick up again, his intense gaze seemed to penetrate into her very soul, that made warmth spread through her body. She felt uncomfortable and quickly looked away from him. She couldn’t describe what was going on with her emotions anymore; it seemed as though her heart only raced whenever she was in his presence. She no longer knew how to label her feelings.

Even though she had looked away, she could still feel his penetrating gaze on her. Blushing, warmth crept up to her cheeks. In an attempt to break the tension, she spoke up, "Hey, don’t think I would accept a small sum from you to pay off your debt."

Draven let out a soft chuckle in response to her words. This time, Rhea’s body reacted to even his laughter, as she could hear the deep and smooth vibration resonating from his chest. It acted as a trigger for her fast heart rate. She couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to her lately. Placing a hand on her racing heart, she tried to steady herself.

"Rheanna," he whispered, calling her name softly, "if there comes a day when I regain my former power and status...everything that belongs to me will be yours. My castle, my diamonds, my jewelry, all of it will be transferred to your name." He had never truly cared about material possessions before, but for all that Rhea had done for him, she deserved more than that.

When Rhea heard his words, her eyes lit up and she looked at him in amazement. She couldn’t hide her joyful smile, staring at his perfect lips, and those amazing light blue eyes just as complex and beautiful as the ocean and sky they resembled. She couldn’t believe he had actually said that. However, as if realizing something, her smile faded and her expression became pensive. She looked away, biting her bottom lip, and said, "You always speak casually, without considering the weight of your words. Only a true wife would take possession of your property and home...and I am not your wife, nor will I ever set foot in your world. All I want is to be reimbursed for what I’ve spent on you."

She murmured softly, "I belong with my own kind, humans." With that, Rhea turned around and hurriedly entered her room. Draven watched her retreat until she slammed the door shut. Then, he turned back to the window and said, "You no longer belong with the humans, Rhea."

**

The following day, Rhea woke up earlier than her usual time. To her surprise, she noticed that Draven was still standing by the window where she had last seen him the previous night. It seemed as though he had not entered his room to sleep. Despite the rain that had fallen overnight, it had now ceased. Rhea couldn’t help but wonder if Draven had been watching the rain throughout the night. However, when she noticed that he had changed his clothes, she realized that he hadn’t spent the night there.

She walked towards him and declared, "It’s time to go."

Draven turned to look at her, "Where are we going?" He asked.

Rhea rummaged through her bag and brought out a document, "We are going to the place Valen had prepared for me as a reward, for nearly sacrificing my life."

Draven stared at the document without a word, but his expression twitched slightly before it turned back to normal. He then nodded his head.

The duo departed from the inn. The town where Rhea was given a house was a bit distant from here, but since they still had Cal’s horse, it would be easier for them to reach there. They mounted the horse, just like before, with Rhea sitting behind Draven. At first, she avoided holding onto his waist to prevent her heart from being triggered. However, as he snapped the reins, she had no choice but to quickly hold onto him tightly.

The horse accelerated, and the morning breeze blew away all her tension and hesitation. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his back. By sunset, they reached the next town. Although they were unfamiliar with this town, finding an inn wasn’t difficult after reading the signs. As before, they requested for separate rooms.

As Rhea stepped into her own room, she tiredly collapsed on the bed, and curled up in a ball. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her ears picked up hurried footsteps, it sounded like people chasing each other. Then she heard them talking. Though their voices were distance, but due to her sharp hearing, she was able to pick up everything they were saying.

"Your Highness, you have to stop this already. The lady you’re looking for is not here nor is Her Highness. Princess Aurora isn’t here, yet you still persisted on looking for her in every single town. His Majesty must be worried about you as well, please, let’s go back." Said an elderly voice.

"Whatever, if you don’t want to come along with me, uncle Nino, you can fly away and let me do my searching. I’m not returning home until I find big sister Aurora, or the lady who helped me before." Remarked another young man’s voice, who sounded strangely familiar to Rhea.

Where had she heard that voice from?

"You little rascal! Have you already forgotten what happened to you the last time you stepped into the human land to visit the princess? You almost lost you life, and now because of that you can never be a complete dragon again." Scolded the elderly voice, "We’ve been in the human land for too long now, Your Highness. Please, let’s not linger here anymore, we’ve also searched almost all the towns but yet, Her Highness is not there, let’s go back home. The king’s spies will handle the rest."

Rhea raised her eyebrows at what she overheard from the distance. She put her sleep aside and hurried towards the window. However, she couldn’t see the people talking but could hear their hushed voices.

"You are such a brat, my prince. If only you still had your dragon form or core, I wouldn’t be here following you around. But because I have to fly you back home, I have no choice but to stay with you. If the fire controllers caught a smell of our presence in the human land, we would be in trouble and you will be dead in a second."

"Uncle Nino, if you don’t shut up, your voice alone will get us in trouble."

The pair’s footsteps passed away, and their voices began to fade away in the distance. It turned faint until Rhea couldn’t hear them anymore.

Royal tittle, scared of being caught by the fire controllers. If not dragons then these people were another type of creatures.

However, remembering that Draven had mentioned something about sensing a royal dragon aura, it seemed they were really dragons. Furthermore, from the conversation she’d overheard, the Prince was determined to find his elder sister.

And his sister was a princess. East dragon princess! Rhea recalled the day Valen had come to save them from Edmund’s flames, he had mentioned something about the east dragon princess missing, but then she hadn’t thought too much about it because she’d thought Valen had only made it up to distract his stepfather. But it turned out he hadn’t made it up.

This was indeed a big news. However, it had nothing to do with her anyway. She’d already decided to stay out of any trouble that concerned breaking any other rules. She was on the path of starting a new life. Rhea curled her lips and yawned, she minded her business and collapsed on the bed.

However, in the other room next to hers, where Draven was, he also hadn’t slept. He stood by the window. "The east dragon princess is missing, and the Prince is here to find her...they will be our ride back to the dragon realm." He muttered.