Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 122: Didn’t want to love

Chapter 122: Didn’t want to love

After Draven and Rhea had taken a similar extravagant bath as the day before and changed into different outfits, Rhea donned a silver dress that was tight from her waist to her knees before cascading down like a waterfall with a long train trailing behind her. She’d noticed that attires like these were a common clothes in the Dragon realm.

As Rhea’s eyes landed on Draven, who had just entered with Ethan trailing behind him, her breath caught in her chest. He wore a white button-up shirt that effortlessly complemented his toned physique, clinging to his muscular frame like a second skin. The way it accentuated his broad shoulders and defined chest sent shivers of admiration down her spine. The shirt was slightly snug at the waist, highlighting his lean yet powerful build, while his flowing cloak emphasized the elegance and fluidity of his movements.

His black trousers clung to his long legs, emphasizing their lean and muscular shape. Each step he took exuded effortless grace. However, as Rhea realized the reason behind this dramatic dressing was their upcoming meeting with King Henry Wyverncrest, she felt a sense of dread and began pacing around the room, wearing a worried expression. She truly did not want to go and meet the king.

Ethan, who stood by the doorway behind Draven lost his patience as Rhea didn’t make any attempt of stepping out and continued to pace around worriedly. "Rhea, if you don’t get yourself together now, we will be late and the king isn’t going to like it. It’s a sign of disrespect to keep the king waiting." He informed.

However, Rhea’s expression was filled with bitter suffering. But Draven, who had also leaned against the wall, spoke up, trying to reassure her. "You have nothing to fear, Rhea. King Henry is not as evil as you were told. He won’t harm you. Pull yourself together, and let’s go."

Rhea frowned, voicing her concerns. "It’s easy for you to say. You’re a dragon, so of course the king won’t hurt you. But I’m not a dragon. What if something happens to me when we meet him? In this world, I have no one to protect me from King Henry’s anger."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, preparing to assure her that he would protect her. However, Draven’s deep voice interrupted him. "I will make sure no one harms you, Rhea. In the dragon realm, I will be your protector, just as you were mine in the human world."

Rhea was left speechless by his words. Meanwhile, Ethan felt disheartened once again that Draven always stole his spotlight. Whenever he wanted to act like a hero or give a compliment, Draven was always one step ahead. Ethan glared at him but refrained from voicing his complaint or disrespecting Draven, as he was older. Instead, he grumbled some words under his breath and looked away.

Rhea cleared her throat and murmured, "Fine, now that you’ve said so, don’t go back on your words later." Saying this, she finally adjusted her dress and prepared to step out.

Draven looked down at her and saw how she awkwardly walked over to his side from the corner of his eyes. His face softened, but his voice remain indifferent as he said to her, "King Henry might assist us with some men to go back to the mountain to get my dragon form." He informed her.

Rhea looked up to meet his eyes, "Really? Is that why you wanted to meet with him?" She asked, and when Draven gave a curt nod of his head, she added, "That’s a good idea in case we come across those fire controllers in the mountainside. Let’s go." Rhea said as she started to walk ahead.

However, it wasn’t until they stepped out of prince Zachary’s palace that she realized something. Wait, hasn’t she already told Draven that she would no longer assist him get back anything again? And just now he had said he was meeting the king to ask for assistance, but yet she followed behind him even though it had nothing to do with her!

She had not made any promises at all to accompany him to the volcano, but then she felt a strange sense of obligation towards Draven; to carry the burden for him, to automatically stand up and support him like a protective mother bear! What a terrible instinct...

Rhea inwardly cursed herself. However, at that moment, they had already arrived at the grand palace of the king, but instead of entering the palace, Ethan led them behind it where a massive snow-covered mountain stood tall. A cold, refreshing wind blew from the summit, carrying a strong presence with it.

Rhea was slightly shocked. Compared to the fire controllers and dragons, humans without powers would not easily sense a presence unless it was powerful, and yet she felt a shiver down her spine in the presence of someone formidable. She looked towards the source of the wind, raising her head to gaze at the peak of the mountain behind the king’s palace.

There stood a silhouette of a man, tall and imposing. "Who is that?" Rhea asked. Just as she uttered the question, the dragons by their side all bowed respectfully in the direction of that person. Even Ethan knelt down in a gesture of respect, but Draven made no attempt to bow.

Rhea didn’t need to ask again to know that the person up there was the king of this clan, the second most powerful dragon on Earth. His presence was strong enough to reach them down here. However, Draven’s presence was supposed to be stronger than this. With this in mind, Rhea turned her head to look at Draven. His expression remained unchanged, as if this presence was not rare to him.

If Draven had not experienced that betrayal twenty years ago, how would he be now? His presence would likely be just as powerful, and he would still be a king. The wind that passed by him would carry his aura. After all, he was Draven El-Dezeus, the legendary and mighty king.

She couldn’t help but wonder what he was like in his dragon form, soaring high in the sky. However, one thing was certain: if Draven had not faced that betrayal years ago, he would have never known who she was, and she would not have had the opportunity to be here with him nor possessed his core.

Lost in her thoughts, Rhea stared at Draven’s profile. She focused intensely on his face, causing Draven to notice and turn to look at her. His clear blue eyes reflected her small figure beside him. He didn’t speak or ask why she was staring; he simply stared back at her.

What made Rhea more embarrassed in that moment was the fact that Draven’s gaze wandered down to her lips, as if he remembered what had happened between them the other night. She hoped he had no recollection of it and that he had just accidentally glanced at her lips. However, his gaze remained fixed on her lips, causing her face to immediately flush as she realized he seemed to remember.

Rhea’s heart raced faster, pounding rapidly, just as it had when he had passionately kissed her and pulled her close, and as he softly whispered against her lips the previous night. Damnit! She couldn’t believe she was experiencing those same intense sensations again.

A knot formed in her lower abdomen, her face flushed with heat, and she longed to be touched by him. It was unbelievable! Just his gaze alone could awaken emotions within her and cause her innocent body to react in such a strange manner.

’Rheanna, sometimes I wonder if you were the one I met a century ago. If the woman I loved back then was you and not Alina, what would have happened? Would we still be happily married with children by now, or would it have come to a woeful end?’

Draven’s question popped into her mind at the most inconvenient time. For a split second, she tried to imagine what would it really be like if she was the one he’d met a century ago. However, that thought vanished from her mind as quickly as it came. She then looked away from Draven’s face and tried to clear up her embarrassment. But then her stupid heart continued to beat faster as if it would rip open her chest.

She then began to assure herself to calm down and stop feeling excited about someone who would never consider to love her. Even though she hated to admit it, she was aware that all these crazy feelings she was starting to develop for this Dragon had something to do with...

Love? Was it love? She wasn’t sure but whatever that was, she wanted it to end, because she didn’t want to play a fool of herself knowing full well she was the last person Draven would ever love. She didn’t want to be like a love-struck fool like the girls in love, just like Aria her friend who loved someone who didn’t love her back. Rhea didn’t want to fall in love, and certainly not for Draven.

Rhea scolded herself and tried to make her mind stop thinking of Draven nor her feelings, she turned to look at Ethan, who had just finished his greetings with the other servants around them. She quickly found a good topic that would distract her and break the awkwardness between she and Draven.

"Is that your father? Why is he standing at the top of a mountain? Are we also going to walk up there to meet him?"