Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 108: Jealousy

Chapter 108: Jealousy

How could it be possible for Rhea to follow him back to the dragon realm and become one of them? Draven even claimed that she was more like a dragon than a human. Rhea found it hard to believe and laughed off his words as nonsense.

She had never heard of a human successfully transforming into a dragon before. She was born a human and believed she would always be one, both in body and soul. Even if Draven’s words turned out to be true, if she were to embrace the dragon race, wouldn’t that be like changing her human bones?!

How much pain would be endured before her human bones transformed into those of a dragon? Although, there had been some ancient myths about humans becoming dragons through the use of a magical potion, no one has ever successfully accomplished this feat and survived. Only a fool would dare risk their life to do such a thing, and she was not that fool.

Rhea frowned and disregarded his words, asserting, "I have no intention of stepping into your realm or becoming part of your race. I will always remain human, and this will always be my home." With that, she rose from the ground and hurried into the bathing room, leaving Draven behind in the room.

He let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself, "Let’s see how long you hold onto your belief in humanity. You do not belong here, little girl."

***

Within a day, the news of the dragons war declaration spread across Birhhan and the entire human lands. Every single person was shocked by the news, as some were even unaware of the missing princess.

However, the fire controllers who were aware of what Alina had done with the princess, were not surprised that she has been killed, the only thing they were surprised about was the unexpected war declaration and how the king found out about his daughter.

The fire controllers still held the beliefs that all outcast creatures were a threat to humanity and needed to be killed before they cause harm; those were the teaching they learned from their leaders, thus they had no remorse for the princess’s death. They were only worried about the lives that would be lost if the war happened.

Even the Emperor called for a meeting, he invited the fire controllers and few of the leaders. Fighting with dragons was a huge challenge, no regular soldiers could face the creatures. Hence, the Emperor declared that if the war was to happen, the fire controllers would be the ones to protect the humans.

Nonetheless, as all of this was happening, Alina, who was the cause of the war, has been gone to who knows where. All of the humans were in turmoil, some of the nobles even started moving out of Birhhan before the war would happen.

Meanwhile, In the town where Rhea and Draven had recently been staying, an increasing number of fire controllers were beginning to crowd the area. Despite being quite far from the capital, the town quickly became overrun with them as they prepared for the upcoming war.

Upon noticing this, Rhea realized it was time for her to leave the town before she became caught up in the chaos. She began making plans for her next steps, strategizing where to go in order to avoid being spotted. She also decided to have a conversation with Draven to learn about his future plans. If he intended to search for his dragon form, she respected his choice.

However, if he planned to participate in the war, it would be best for them to part ways as soon as possible. This would be the only way to avoid further trouble. Additionally, Draven still held the belief that humans and dragons could never coexist, and perhaps it was also true that the both of them could never coexist.

Rhea carefully considered her actions as she exited her room, preparing to go and meet Draven. But just as she was about to knock on his door, she caught the sound of voices emanating from prince Ethan’s room next to Draven’s. She noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and she could hear the prince’s guardian speaking with him.

"...the king has commanded your immediate return to the dragon realm."

"I am not going, I have told her I’d wait until tomorrow for her to decide." The prince remarked. He had left the dragon realm without the king’s knowledge, as he was hell-bent on finding Rhea, who once saved him. Furthermore, his elder sister, who usually sent him letters, hadn’t sent him any for so long. Thus, he covertly left the dragon realm with his guardian and traveled to Birhhan when his father dispatched spies to search for Aurora’s whereabout.

And now that he had given his words to Rhea, he wouldn’t leave until she’d decided what she wanted. With this impending war, only the dragon realm would be safe for her. She had once saved him, so will he save her.

Despite his guardian, Nino, who has been trying to convince him to leave, Ethan was still insisting on waiting for Rhea. Furthermore, Nino could not leave without the prince as he had been assigned to him ever since Ethan’s dragon powers and core was destroyed by the fire controllers when they caught him last year sneaking into Birhhan to meet his sister.

The middle-aged man was starting to get frustrated by the young prince’s stubbornness. "Heavens, you brat, if the king gets angry, you’re not going to like it. The young girl didn’t look like she wanted anything to do with you or our realm, stop with your obsession and let’s get out of this land before we get caught up in their mess, my prince."

Despite Nino’s words, the prince wasn’t getting any of it. He firmly stumped his feet, "I am not going until tomorrow!"

Such a stubborn brat, Rhea thought to herself as she peaked at the two through the small gap on the door. She slightly pushed the door open and glanced at Ethan, "Don’t waste your time waiting for me to decide, I have already made my decision. I am staying here, you should leave with your guardian."

Ethan’s mouth opened and closed at Rhea’s words, he glanced at her, but in the end, he could only pout his lips. He finally looked a little childish in that moment, he then crossed his arms against his chest and said, "Still, I won’t return until tomorrow." He still believed she’d change her mind and return with them before the war.

Rhea saw how he was still putting on a stubborn front, she knew people with this kind of temper couldn’t be easliy swayed. Thus, she ignored him and knocked on Draven’s door instead. She called out, "Come out, let’s go down and eat breakfast. I have something to talk to you about."

Draven, who had been busy meditating in his room to get his human body to get well with his magic, opened his eyes upon hearing Rhea’s voice. He calmly stood up and put on his shoes before walking out to meet her outside his room.

However, as Draven emerged from his room, he immediately sensed an intense, burning stare focused on him from behind. With a quick glance to the side, he noticed that it was the young prince, Ethan, who had also just left his own quarters. Ethan’s eyes, once blue, had now darkened to nearly black as he glared at Draven.

Draven was familiar with that particular expression on Ethan’s face. It was the same look a possessive dragon would give when something dear to them had been taken away. It was a mixture of jealousy and fury, but above all, it conveyed a clear message of "how dare you."

With a smug smile, Draven tilted his head down to confront the prince. His expression seemed to say, "I see right through you, but she is off-limits." This smugness only fueled the flames of anger within Ethan’s chest, as he understood the meaning behind Draven’s gaze as well. Clenching his fist, Ethan couldn’t believe that this mere human was daring to challenge him, a prince and a dragon. How could this person have the audacity to challenge someone of his royal status?

"He clearly wishes to meet his demise by my mighty hands, looking at me in such a way!" He muttered to his guardian, who glanced at Draven with a frown, but said nothing. However, Draven who had a sharp sense of hearing, heard him clearly. He simply shook his head and smiled faintly, as he thought the prince was really full of himself to think he could challenge him, an ancient Dragon king.

Rhea on the other hand was too occupied with her thoughts as she climbed down the stairs to notice what was happening behind her.

Draven no longer wasted his time with the young lad and followed behind Rhea, who had taken the window seat in the inn’s eatery. He simply sat across from her, but then he noticed that she was staring at him with her usual complicated expression, indicating that she was about to say something serious.

Draven pretended not to notice her change in demeanor and casually looked back at her. He had become accustomed to her different moods and didn’t find it strange. He casually picked up the menu on the table and glanced at the list of food while saying,

"My human body is starting to heal with my powers. Soon, I will be back at my peak, and we will be able to find my dragon form. Although, I have an idea of where it might be, I can’t trust the source who gave me the information. So, we have to investigate it together."

He said these words so casually that Rhea took a few moments to react. Her original intention of what she was going to talk about slipped from her mind. Hadn’t she already told him that she wasn’t going to be a part of this anymore? She raised an eyebrow and said, "Excuse me, but I don’t recall ever agreeing to help you find your dragon form. So, what investigation are you talking about?"

Draven glanced skeptically at Rhea’s statement, "Hmm," he murmured gently, "If you don’t join me in investigating, no one else will, and no one else will make arrangements for our accommodation and meals..." He glanced at the menu and casually slipped in another question, "Would you like to have chicken and sweet rice cakes?"

"Yes, I would love to eat!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting that she was planning to suggest they go their separate ways. But then she remembered and frowned, "Hey, I’m trying to have a serious conversation here, let’s not bring food into it! I have actually decided to-"

"To part ways with me," Draven interrupted her. Rhea was surprised that he knew what she was going to say. She gazed at him; he understood her temperament completely - how to persuade her without being forceful, how to handle her sharp tongue while knowing she had a soft heart...

There was nothing he didn’t seem to know about her. He was the only person who could grasp her temperament, her weak points. In that moment, she felt her determination waver, as if her resistance was futile. She no longer had the strength to express that she was leaving once more. However, regardless of the circumstances, she knew she had to go.

Rhea was just about to inform him that she was going to part ways with him no matter what when she was interrupted by the sound of her name being called. "Rheanna?" The mere sound of that voice caused her to become immobile.

Not again!