Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 132: Certainly love

Chapter 132: Certainly love

Draven’s grip tightened around Rhea’s body, his eyes filled with concern. He could feel her anguish, her heartache, as if it were his own. Slowly, he ran his hand up and down her back, offering her comfort in his embrace as he led her out of the room, where everyone was panicking about Gail’s tragic suicide.

"Rhea," he whispered, his voice steady, "I know it feels overwhelming right now to have witnessed such a thing, but you’ll be fine."

Tears streamed down Rhea’s face as she tried to regain control of her trembling body. The image of Gail piercing out her own heart and the way her lifeless form had collapsed to the floor kept replaying in her mind, haunting her every thought, she had no control over her own mind or body, to the point she allowed Draven to continue to hold her in his embrace.

"I could have done something," she choked out, her voice filled with regret. "I shouldn’t have fallen asleep and stopped her on time...i...I have never seen anyone pierce out their own heart like that, it was a horrible sight, I..."

Draven slowly pushed away from the embrace, and he gently brushed a strand of sliver hair away from her tear-streaked face. His voice was filled with compassion as he spoke, "You did everything you could, Rhea. You were there for her until the very end. Sometimes, life throws us into situations beyond our control, and all we can do is be there for one another." He said, "I think Gail had made her decision. Don’t blame yourself for anything."

Rhea’s sobs grew louder, her body shaking uncontrollably. Draven held her tighter, providing a sense of stability in the midst of her turmoil. Rhea wasn’t only crying because Gail had killed herself, she was crying because she hated the fact that everyone she’d knew who fell in love seemed to have a tragic ending, just like Draven and Alina, Sila and Rinus’, Princess Aurora and Enzo, and now Gail...

Furthermore, what broke her heart the most was the fact that she’d suddenly found herself realizing that all the unexplainable feelings she was having for this Dragon could be...no, certainly was love, she was scared of accepting that feeling and ending up with a tragic ending like all the lovers she’d come to know. She was scared that her own feelings wouldn’t even be acknowledged by Draven, whose heart was only filled with revenge. She was scared that one day she might end up like Gail and Rinus’ if she ever allowed herself to love him the way her heart had wanted.

With those thoughts, Rhea’s sob grew louder and she clenched tightly to Draven’s shirt as she let herself cry into his arms for the first time in her life. She’d always kept her emotions buried inside her heart, always cried alone with no one to console her, but today, she let everything out not caring if she looked like a mess.

"Let it out, Rhea," he murmured, his voice laced with understanding as he ran his hand up and down her back. Draven thought she was only crying for Gail’s death, and so he tried his best to make her feel better by saying softly, "It’s okay to grieve, to feel all these emotions. But remember, guilt won’t bring her back. What matters now is how you honor her memory and find a way to forget what you witnessed today."

Rhea’s cries began to subside, and she slowly pulled away from Draven’s embrace. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if realizing that she’d been crying In the open, she wiped away her tears and softly apologized, "I am sorry..." She whispered.

Draven had the strong urge to wipe off her tears and pull her back into his embrace and tell her she needn’t apologize for crying in his arms because the gesture of him being her consoler made his heart swell with an unknown joy, but then he decided against that action and only watched as she brushed past him and left the hallway of the room as if she didn’t want to witness anymore heartbreaking scenes.

The first thing in the morning, a royal burial ceremony was held for Gail, she was placed in a coffin that looked like glass, but then it was an ice coffin. Her face was pale white like the snow, she was dressed in a white gown.

Rhea and Draven attended the burial ceremony, where everyone was dressed in white. A lot of people from the dragon realm came for the ceremony to bid farewell to their doctor.

Rhea watched as the coffin was placed into the deep hole and being covered. She no longer cried again after last night, because she’d come to accept that Gail killed herself because she couldn’t accept the fact that the man she loved with all her heart had betrayed her like that. Not to mention she was pregnant with his child. Rhea’s heart thightened, but then she stood there with an emotionless demeanor.

After the coffin was covered under the snowed ground, a tombstone was placed with Gail’s full name on its, with her smiling portrait on it as well.

Everyone who came to witness the burial put down their flowers on the grave and started to leave one by one. Not long, everyone left leaving behind only Draven and Rhea including Prince Zachary, who remained crouching down beside the grave with a sorrow filled expression, after all she was like a daughter to him.

"I never thought a day would come when I’d witness her burial. I’ve watched her grow into a beautiful lady," Zack’s mouth hooked into a bitter smile, "She was a wild child, stubborn as hell when I first took her in as my own."

Draven stayed silent beside his friend, but Zack sighed then spoke with a pained expression, "I took her in twenty two years ago, she’d always follow me around calling me father, until she stopped calling me that at the age of twelve. I saw how her passion for medicine ignited at the age of thirteen, and she promised to be the one to treat my weak dragon..." He stopped talking, unable to continue reminiscing about his foster daughter. He then stood up and left the grave, no longer wanting to show his emotions.

However, Draven didn’t follow behind his friend, he remained standing with Rhea, he wanted to keep her company. The cold wind blew towards them, messing up Rhea’s hair, strands of hair fell all over her face, but she didn’t bother to push the hair back.

Draven had the urge to tuck them away from her face, but held back again. Rhea was staring at the tombstone that had Gail’s picture, but Draven was staring at Rhea’s face.

"Draven," Rhea suddenly called, and when he hummed in reply without taking his eyes off her, she spoke again, "How did you feel when you were betrayed by Alina on your wedding day?" She asked, but then she didn’t wait for him to reply and quickly said, "Let it be, don’t answer that question. Pretend you didn’t hear what I said."

She didn’t want to know his pain.

Draven nodded, pretending like he hadn’t really heard her question. And the both of them remained standing in silence until Rhea spoke once more,

"Draven, you can go ahead, I’d like to stay here for awhile."

Although, Draven wanted to stay and keep her company, but her dismissal was clear that she wanted some time alone. Thus, he didn’t insist on staying with her and silently left the graveyard.

After Draven left her alone, Rhea glanced at the ghost figure near the grave and said, "Aren’t you going to leave and cross over instead of standing here after you’ve taken your own life in such a way?"

Gail’s ghost figure swayed with the harsh wind, but when she saw Rhea speaking to her, her eyes widened in astonishment, "You can see me?" She asked.

Rhea nodded, "Yes, I can, but I don’t want to see you because it only reminds me of how you killed yourself, "she said, "If you know you weren’t ready to cross over the living world, why did you kill yourself then?"

Rhea was aware that only ghosts who had unfinished business normally turned into wandering ghosts without crossing over. Which meant Gail still had some business here.

"I can’t leave yet," Gail paused, then glanced up at Rhea. "Aren’t you going to reprimand me or ridicule me for my foolishness in falling in love? You have warned me repeatedly, but I ignored you and sneaked out to secretly met with him. Prince Zachary also warned me about the fire controllers, but I disregarded his advice. You should mock me by saying ’I told you so,’ but I did not pay heed." She forced a bitter smile.

"Gail, if those words would bring you back and make you forget all those bad memories, I’d sit here and mock you all day long until everything is alright." Rhea said as she bent down to gather the flowers the people had brought for Gail, which the wind had blown away, then carefully placed them back on top of the grave while saying, "Me mocking you or scolding you won’t change anything, all I can say is that you should let go of everything in the living world and cross over to find peace, the dead don’t belong among the living, you will turn into an evil spirit if you don’t let go."

Gail responded with a shake of her head. Murmuring softly, "I can’t..."

Rhea no longer insisted that she leave, thus, she sat down by the side of the grave and kept Gail company. Although, their conversation wasn’t like when she was still alive, but Rhea didn’t run out of things to say to help the ghost find peace.