Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 126: Family dinner

Chapter 126: Family dinner

After leaving the mountain, Rhea swore to avoid that cold-hearted dragon no matter what, she decided to stay away from him as she didn’t want to feel excited at his mere presence again, she had already pushed away the thoughts of their kiss, and instead concentrated on other matters, like starting anew in the dragon realm.

The most important thing now was to get rid of her wound and make sure it didn’t scar. Thus, she spent most of her time with Gail now.

Nevertheless, when Rhea visited Gail, Gail informed her that the king had called for all the relatives to attend the royal family dinner, and Rhea was expected to accompany them as a guest in the palace. However, Rhea did not believe it was alright, as none of the family members had bothered to invite her since her arrival. But then she discovered that Gail was actually taken as one of the royal family members, she was Prince Zachary’s adopted daughter.

Rhea had been shocked on this revelation, but then Gail explained that since Prince Zachary had a weaker dragon, he’d decided not to ever get married like his other brothers, as he thought he would only be a burden to his wife. Thus, when Gail’s real parents tragically passed away, he took her in as his. And when she grew up and became an expert in medicine, she took over his old doctor and started treating him.

No wonder Gail spoke freely to the princes, it was because they all considered her as one of them. Rhea thought. But that didn’t ease her anxiety of going to the royal dinning hall with Gail, who had surprisingly taken Rhea as a friend after the night they sat on the tree and talked.

The grand dining hall was adorned with an exquisite long polished glass table. The hall was filled with the bright glow of the ice chandelier lights. But as they entered the family’s huge dining hall, all eyes turned to look at Rhea. She could practically feel the weight of their judging gazes, and it only intensified her unease.

All the five princes were present, three of them were married with their wives and children also sitting beside them. Even Draven was present, he sat close to Prince Zachary, and when she momentarily locked eyes with him, she quickly looked away from him as she recalled his words on the mountain.

’Cold-hearted jerk!’ she cursed internally.

Gail led Rhea to her seat, which was directly opposite Prince Zachary and Draven, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of her the entire time she’d entered. This was Rhea’s first dinner with the royal family in the dragon realm, and she couldn’t help but feel unease. She nervously sat down on the chair.

Rhea glanced at Prince Zachary, noticing that he hadn’t shot her the hateful gaze she received when they first met. But at the same time, he didn’t give her any welcoming expression either. She wondered if he was simply being polite or if there was something more behind his guarded demeanor.

Not long after everyone was seated, the king walked in gracefully, his sliver hair tied behind his head. His overwhelming presence swirled in the hall. Everyone one stood up to pay their respect, so did Rhea.

And when they sat back down, Rhea shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she was surrounded by the royal family. She had come along with Gail with the hope of getting to know the royal family better, but it seemed that the family wasn’t exactly thrilled to have her there.

Gail, sensing Rhea’s discomfort, leaned in and whispered, "Don’t worry, Rhea. They might seem distant now, but I promise nothing bad will happen. Relax, don’t let their eyes intimidate you." She assured softly.

Rhea nodded, trying to believe Gail’s reassurance. At this moment, her heart was beating in anxiousness with how the Princes’ wives were throwing glares at her, and the princes were intimidating her with their piercing eyes.

The tension in the hall seemed palpable, and Rhea struggled to find a way to relax. She tried to engage in polite conversation with one of the prince’s wives who sat beside her, but the responses she received were short and distant. It was clear that some of the family members were not thrilled about her presence in the palace.

Just when Rhea thought the evening couldn’t get any more uncomfortable, chaos erupted at the other end of the table. The princes’ children, lively and energetic, started fighting over a piece of steak. Their laughter and playful banter filled the hall, momentarily breaking the tension, and drawing everyone’s attention to them.

"Nelly let your brother have it, you shouldn’t fight with your little ones for food." Scolded the second elder prince, Prince Zade, who seemed to be their father.

The little girl named Nelly, pouted, "Papa, Devin snatched it from my plate! He’s being unfair." She complained and glared at her little brother, who was giggling mischievously as he munched on the streak.

"Look he’s laughing!" Complained the sister as she also started to giggle.

Despite Rhea’s uneasiness, she couldn’t help but smile as she watched the siblings little fight. Their uninhibited joy was infectious, and she found herself momentarily forgetting about the judgmental stares and awkward atmosphere.

Gail noticed Rhea’s smile and nudged her gently. "See? They are not animals who’d eat you up, they are just like every other family you know in your world. They’re just not used to having a human around. Now relax and eat."

Rhea nodded, grateful for Gail’s words of encouragement. As she continued to observe the family dynamics, she realized that it was true, they acted more like a human family. She had never thought dragons would eat as one big family before until now. Everything she’d learned about dragons in the human world was nothing but a big fat lie.

With that realization, Rhea made a silent vow never to judge these people by what she was taught in the human world. Rhea’s eyes momentarily settled on Draven again, and she realized he had been staring at her the whole time instead of eating. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly ignored his gaze and looked down at her plate instead.

As the evening progressed, Rhea’s discomfort slowly subsided. She began to eat the colorful food served on the table. Everything tasted good, she thought as she ate. Food was always her favorite thing, and once she started eating, everything blurred away in the background and all that mattered at that moment was her food.

Draven observed Rhea with a slight smile on his face as she savored the food in front of her, her eyes sparkling with joy. However, when he felt Zack’s stare on him, Draven turned towards his friend and noticed a deep frown on his face. It dawned on Draven that Zack had probably caught him gazing at Rhea with a smile and was now demanding an explanation.

Clearing his throat, Draven quickly glanced down at his plate, not wanting Zack to accuse him of falling in love with Rhea once again. He resumed his emotionless demeanor and continued eating.

As the dinner progressed, the king, who had gathered everyone together, finally spoke up. "I have given Draven permission to lead our soldiers to the mountain in a few weeks," he announced to his family. Murmurs erupted at that moment, it seemed the princes were also opposed to the idea, much like Ethan had been.

However, King Henry raised his hand to silence the murmuring. "Enough! I am not seeking your opinions. I have already made my decision. I expect you to assist him in planning with the soldiers," he said sternly, looking at each of his sons. They dared not refuse their father’s command, and thus, they responded in unison.

"Yes, father!"

The king nodded in satisfaction, then said again, "Given that the war is unavoidable, Zade," he addressed his second son, "instruct your spy to go to the human realm and inform your sister to come back home at once. I do not wish to experience the loss of any more of my children, Rian should be here with us, not in the human world."

"Of course, father, I will send your message immediately." Zade replied.