Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 116: Awaken desire

Chapter 116: Awaken desire

Draven and Rhea were given separate rooms close to each other. Despite the fact that the palace seemed like it was built with ice, the rooms looked just like the fancy rooms in the human world, the only difference was the light color decor and chandelier made of ice, and humongous bed Rhea thought would fit more than five more people, at first she had found it hard to adjust to the room and fell asleep after a maid applied medicine to her cheek, but eventually she succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep on the bed within thirty minutes.

However, early in the morning, Rhea’s slumber was interrupted by someone knocking on the room next to hers, which happened to belong to Draven. She recognized the voice of Prince Ethan calling out for him. Opening her eyes, Rhea realized morning had already arrived. Since she was awake, she decided to go and see the reason behind Ethan’s summons for Draven.

As she hurriedly rose from the bed, Rhea was confronted by four young women dressed in white gowns, whom she assumed to be the maids based on their attire. These maids held trays filled with oils and beauty products that didn’t pique Rhea’s interest in the slightest.

"Miss, we are here to assist you in preparing for the day," one of the young women stated.

Rhea was unfamiliar with such treatment; she had never experienced having maids attend to her or assist her in getting ready in the morning. She had the inclination to decline their help and inform them that she could prepare herself. However, the maid seemed to anticipate her thoughts and spoke once more.

"Miss, you cannot reject this. It is customary in our society. You will be meeting the royals, and it is only proper for you to dress like one of us. Prince Ethan has instructed us to assist you."

Rhea pondered over the situation. It did seem logical for her to dress like the others since she had entered their realm. It was already remarkable that the dragons did not harm her for being human. Therefore, it was wise to conform to their customs and comply with their instructions without any resistance.

Rhea didn’t object and simply entered the enormous bathing room that housed a tub as massive as a pool. The water in the pool was steaming cold. Before she realized it, the maids didn’t consider whether the water might be too cold for her as they assisted her in removing her clothes.

Rhea felt completely vulnerable, she wasn’t used to being naked in the presence of others. She raised her arms and crossed them over her chest to cover her breasts, hastily immersing herself in the tub to conceal her nudity beneath the cold, steaming water. The coldness penetrated her bones, and she closed her eyes to savor the soothing coolness.

Throughout the bathing process, Rhea remained tense as the maid applied various weird scented oils and beauty products. The bathing experience was soothing, but also uncomfortable due to the maids touching her body.

After what felt like an eternity, the bathing finally ended. When Rhea stood up from the tub, the maid draped her body with a garment and guided her into an elegant dressing room stocked with numerous outfits.

Rhea stood in front of the mirror as the maid helped her into a type of grown she’d never wore in her life. The breathtaking light blue gown was crafted from the finest material and adorned with intricate diamonds resembling the scales of an ice dragon. It clutched tightly to her narrowed waist, and hugged her body in the right places, that emphasized her feminine curve.

However, what fascinate Rhea the most was the fabric that shimmered and reflected light, mimicking the iridescent nature of dragon scales. While the fitted bodice added a touch of elegance. The gown was completed with a detachable train, which gracefully trailed behind her.

They also fixed her silver hair, which flowed down her shoulders in waves. Additionally, they applied some color to her pale face and added a red shade to her lips. When Rhea gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. The only flaw in the beautiful woman staring back at her was the exposed raw flesh on her cheek.

Rhea suddenly became self-conscious and used her hair to conceal the wound. But then the maids showered her with compliments. She couldn’t help but agree with them when they said that the dragon attire suited her perfectly.

When Rhea exited the room, she found Draven and Ethan standing outside as if waiting for her. The moment they turned to her direction, Draven froze as he took in her appearance. Rhea blushed under his intense gaze, feeling a mixture of nervousness and self-conscious as she’d never wore anything close to this before.

Rhea was also stunned as she took note of Draven’s attire, he was also dressed in light colored attire that accentuated his broad shoulders and chiseled physique, exuded an aura of confidence and power. His sharp jawline was perfectly sculpted, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to hold a depth of emotion that Rhea couldn’t quite decipher as he stared at her.

As Draven approached her, a surprised expression crossed his face. His lips parted slightly, revealing a hint of his perfectly white teeth, as he took in her appearance. He couldn’t help but think she looked beautiful in a dragon attire. The intricate lacework on the bodice emphasized her ample bosom, which Draven couldn’t help but notice.

Draven was speechless, he knew Rhea was a beautiful woman. However, in this particular moment, she seemed to surpass any other woman he had ever laid eyes on. Suddenly, a warm sensation spread throughout his body, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in many years. It had faded away the day Alina betrayed him, becoming something unfamiliar to him. Yet, as he gazed upon Rhea in this very moment, that dormant feeling awakened once again. His stomach tightened, and he grew tense as he realized what it was.

Desire...

Draven blanked out for a moment as he realized the feeling he was suddenly having. But as he observed Rhea attempting to carefully cover her wounded cheek with her hair, as if his intense gaze had made her self-conscious, he furrowed his brow.

As if unable to resist the urge, Draven gently lifted a hand, brushing the hair away from her face. Rhea shuddered slightly. His touch unexpectedly sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn’t help but lean into it, relishing in the warmth and tenderness he exuded.

Ethan, observing the interaction between them, was about to offer a compliment to Rhea when Draven’s interruption caught him off guard. Draven’s voice, deep and husky, filled the hallway as he spoke directly to Rhea. "You look absolutely breathtaking," he murmured, his words laced with admiration and a hint of proudness.

Rhea’s heart fluttered at his words, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. She found herself rendered speechless, captivated by the intensity of Draven’s gaze and the way his voice seemed to caress her very soul, she couldn’t bring herself to speak and only stared at him. Her heart was a mess at this moment, it was pondering against her rib cage as if it would leap out of her chest.

When Ethan stepped forward and was about to make another attempt to offer another compliment, Draven caught him off again by softly asking Rhea, "Is your cheek still hurting?" He gently creased the side of the wound, "why didn’t the maid bandage it for you last night?" His voice was laced with so much tenderness that Rhea couldn’t help but glance up at him in pure astonishment.

"The...the maid only applied some medicine because she knew I would see a doctor today for proper treatment, so she didn’t bother to bandage it," Rhea explained. She noticed a flicker of pain on Draven’s face as he examined her wound, but it quickly vanished when their eyes met.

Ethan, giving up on complimenting Rhea, informed her, "Miss Rhea, I came early to let you know that the doctor who will be checking your wound is currently attending to the sickly Prince Zachary in his chamber. Also, prince Zachary wants to speak with..." Ethan paused, unsure of how to address Draven now that he knew his true identity and not wanting to offend him in any way. He looked to Draven for guidance.

"Address me as Draven, it’s fine," Draven reassured him. Ethan nodded and continued, "My elder brother wants to speak with Draven, and our father, the king, wishes to meet both of you."

"What?!" Rhea was stunned, "The king wants to meet the both of us?!

Ethan nodded.

Rhea’s heart almost leapt out of her chest. She was a human, and through out her life, she was taught that the east dragon king was a short-tempered man, who hated humans to the bones. He was second to the most powerful Dragons on earth apart from Draven’s former self.

Rumors had it that he could swallow more than five humans at once in his dragon form. Although, Rhea was braver than most human females, but she wasn’t brave enough to meet another dragon king apart from Draven, who she had gotten used to. Even her legs were beginning to shake at the thought of standing before king Henry Wyverncrest.

Given the current animosity between humans and dragons, a single misspoken remark could result in her untimely demise. Should she perish in the dragon realm, it was likely that her passing would go unnoticed, as she was a stranger here and even the people of Birhhan would remain oblivious to her fate. Eventually, she would be destined to fade out of everyone’s memory.

With those thoughts, Rhea nervously glanced at Ethan, "I...I am not going." She repeatedly shook her head,"the person your king wants to meet is definitely Draven, if he goes, that’s enough to represent me. Just take me to the doctor and take Draven to your king."

The tip of Draven’s eyebrows twitched up, he saw how easily Rhea planned to abandoned him to meet the king alone.

Ethan quickly remarked, "Don’t be scared, my father won’t hurt you. He’s aware that you once saved my life, and he probably just wants to thank you for that." He reassured, but Rhea shook her head again.

"No, I don’t want his gratitude, if he wants to appreciate me for helping you, he can just do that by giving me gold."

Ethan was taken aback, "What? How can my life be valued with gold?"

"I don’t care. To me, money amounts to everything. Tell him to send me gold, but I am not going to meet him face to face."

Ethan; "...!"

Draven was already used to Rhea, he interjected when Ethan was about to angrily reply. "Let her be. Let’s take her to meet the doctor first. That’s all that matters right now." Saying that, he didn’t give them the chance to continue arguing before he pulled Rhea’s wrist and walked out of the hallway.

They followed Ethan towards the Prince’s palace. Prince Zachary had a weakly body after an accident years ago. Everytime he shifted into his Dragon form and shifted back to a human, his body would have to undergo so much treatment to keep him alive. Thus, there was always a doctor around him, and so Ethan had made an appointment for Rhea to meet the doctor in the treatment room.

Draven and Rhea walked into the room, and immediately a servant informed them that the doctor was on his way. Standing beside Rhea, Ethan leaned in closer to whisper, "I got the sense that the doctor is in a really bad mood when I made the appointment for you. So, when she arrives, don’t say anything, no matter what happens." He cautioned.

Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound afraid of the doctor?" she asked.

"No way! I..." Before Ethan could deny it further, the servant at the door announced the doctor’s arrival, and Ethan looked like he wanted to disappear.

Rhea turned towards the entrance and her eyes widened when she saw that the doctor was a woman. The doctor’s eyes were cold, her posture was straight and proud as she walked in. She didn’t even spare Ethan a glance, instead brushing past him to stand in front of Rhea.

"You must be the injured woman, judging by the ugly wound on your face," the doctor said, her tone extremely rude.