Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 139: The Emperor’s punishment

Chapter 139: The Emperor’s punishment

Rhea barely had time to comprehend the meaning behind his words before she beheld the appearance of his huge sword. She was aware that his weapon had been used to eliminate the outcasts, and now that she had become one of them, she realized he intended to wield it against her as well.

However, she didn’t think she’d done anything wrong to the point Azure would summon his sword to kill her as a punishment.

"I have been given away by my father, and I have been labeled a traitor in my own homeland, and now that I have accepted everything and found a new path to follow, you want to kill me for a crime I haven’t committed. That’s unacceptable Azure!"

Oriana harshly spoke from behind Azure, "Dragons are selfish evil creatures, they’re filled with greed and ought to be killed. Changing your race means you’re also one of them, you’ve gone against humanity, you will be killed like an outcast!"

Rhea looked silently at Azure, wondering if he shared the same belief that dragons were evil, especially considering what Alina had done in the past. Perhaps he too thought that way. After all, he had agreed to create elixirs using dragon parts and had been Alina’s accomplice in her wicked plan. He had even harmed Rinus and left him to die for opposing their scheme. It made sense that he and Alina were now leading the war, because they’d been partners in crime for centuries.

Both Alina and Azure were the ones who had committed evil acts, so it was no surprise that he wouldn’t admit that dragons were innocent. He had been part of the scheme to deceive everyone with a fabricated story in the book of legends, making them believe in falsehoods.

Rhea didn’t voice her questions because she already knew the answers. Azure, as the leader of the flame, was now her enemy. However, she also had to fight back in order to survive. He was no longer the idol she had once admired in secret; he was now an enemy.

Even if the entire human race opposed her, Rhea would stick to her principles and not be forced to believe in something she didn’t want to.

Rhea didn’t wait for Azure to strike her with his sword, she closed her eyes and focused on the core’s powers. Draven had said that her body was too weak to use the core’s power to it’s fullest, but to fight against Azure, she had to give it a try.

Rhea felt the core chilled up in her chest, it flowed in her veins. It was probably because she had never used so much of its powers before. The chilling sensation in her blood gave her both support and strength, it also reminded her that Draven was still alive in that hell of a hot lake and needed to be saved, he needed her more than ever. And she had to hurry up to get him out before it was too late, before his ice shield ran out...

Despite that she was determined to save Draven, she wasn’t confident enough to face Azure in a fight. Deep in her heart she knew full well she wouldn’t be able to defeat him, but she couldn’t let him kill her without a fight, she couldn’t die yet. Even though she had Draven’s core that would grant her an eternal life, a flame sword could strip her of that life in one strike, and in return strip Draven of his life as well. Thus, for both of them, she had to survive.

With a determined cry, Rhea lunged forward to attack Azure. However, Azure easily evaded her strike by teleporting, disappearing and reappearing behind her. With a quick motion, he aimed his sword at her neck, but hesitated when he lifted it to strike. His eyes betrayed uncertainty, as if he struggled to follow through. Eventually, he turned his sword and used the edge to strike her neck instead.

Rhea had no opportunity to defend herself before she felt the blow against her neck. The world began to darken around her, but before she succumbed to unconsciousness, she glanced towards where Draven had fallen, tears welling in her eyes. Then, her body went falling to the ground.

Swiftly, Azure caught her falling form before it hit the ground, cradling her small frame against his chest. He embraced her gently, his arms slightly squeezed around her body as he saw a tear escape from the corner of her closed eye.

"We are returning to Birhhan," he announced apathetically to the others.

Oriana frowned as she witnessed how Azure held Rhea close. "Azure, that girl has broken too many rules. It would be best to throw her into the lava and let her die."

Azure bent down and gathered Rhea’s unconscious body into his arms, he then brushed past Oriana while saying, "No matter how many rules she’s broken, it wouldn’t change the fact that she is still a member of the royal family. Only the Emperor can decide her fate, he will be the judge of her wrongdoings not us."

Oriana clenched her teeth to suppress her anger upon seeing how Azure was holding Rhea. She impatiently spoke, "But the Emperor wouldn’t mind if you pass judgement on her. Last time she released those Dragons, the Emperor entrusted you with the task of giving her a punishment, but you made it too easy for her. Don’t tell me you plan on letting her off the hook again? She’s-"

A sharp glare from Azure was enough to quickly silence Oriana.

He responded, "I am not trying to protect her or let her off the hook. She has broken the laws and should be punished, but we should report it to the Emperor first." After saying that, he left the cave with Rhea in his arms.

The other fire controllers didn’t rush to catch up, so they didn’t notice that as Azure exited the cave, his gaze fell upon Rhea’s face. Despite being unconscious, her brows remained tense. He silently observed her with a gentle expression. Then his attention shifted to her hands, which rested on her stomach. When he noticed the bloodstain on her wrist and saw a piece of grey fabric that didn’t match her current attire, his expression darkened dangerously before he disappeared from the mountain.

***

By the time Azure reached Birhhan, it was already early in the morning, and even by then Rhea was still unconscious. However, that didn’t stop him from taking her to the courtroom where he’d already sent someone to inform Rhea’s family members about the current situation, and also informed the Emperor about bringing back his traitorous niece.

Azure carried the unconscious Rhea into the grand courtroom. The room was filled with high-ranking officials, courtiers, and Rhea’s own family, all eagerly awaiting the Emperor’s judgment on the traitor, who had gone against humanity and even changed her race and released the forbidden powers for the dragons.

The Emperor seated on his magnificent throne, surveyed the scene with an air of authority. His eyes fixated on Rhea as Azure gently placed her before him, he layed her on the floor of the courtroom.

If it were a normal judgment, Rhea was supposed to be conscious for it, but the fire controllers had said it was best to let her remain unconscious as no one knew what she might try to do if she were awake. After all, she’d changed her bones and turned to the Dragons, she might try to attack with her newfound ability.

One of Azure’s men stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, we present to you Rheanna, the traitorous girl who went against the rules of Birhhan. She’s helped a dragon kill lord Edmund and also helped them into the forbidden cave. She has committed heinous crimes against the human land."

The room fell into a heavy silence. Rhea’s family, including her stepmother and step siblings stood among the crowd, their expressions a mix of disdain, but Duke Gerold, her father had an unexpected concerned expression as he glanced at his troublesome unconscious daughter with a deep sadness in his eyes.

He might have blamed her for his wife’s death, but he couldn’t change the fact that she was still the child of the woman he loved the most. Rhea had the exact face of her mother, the only difference was that his wife was a gentle soul, wherein his daughter was a wild soul. She was nothing like her mother in behavior.

She had brought him disgrace, but then looking at her unconscious form, only made him felt like a terrible person. He had been the cause of this, if he had treated her like he did to the rest of his daughters, Rheanna wouldn’t have come to be different, she wouldn’t have been like this. If only he had held her in his arms when she was born, she wouldn’t have ended here. And now that it had came to this, he realized he couldn’t stand for her like a father.

She probably hated him for all the things he’d put her through. All this while, he had been hearing rumors about her, all the newsletters In the City was all about Rhea and how she’d supported a dragon to kill Edmund, but as her father, he couldn’t do anything to protect her, he had even sat in the Emperor’s chamber with the officials and supported she should be brought to death for her wrong doings.

Gerold bitterly looked away from his daughter and turned to the Emperor, he didn’t want to feel remorseful of his past actions anymore. He couldn’t change his wrongdoings, perhaps, this was the only way to clear himself of the guilt. To let her face death as punishment.

The Emperor finally spoke, "About the case of Rheanna Villden, her sins are too great to be overlooked. The punishment for her crimes shall be severe, a lesson to others who dare to defy humanity. We have come to the conclusion that she will be punished regardless of her relation with royalty. Because of her actions, we’ve lost a lot of our soldiers and fire controllers, she has brought shame upon us, and even went as far as to change her bones and race." He paused for awhile and looked towards his brother, who gave him a curt nod of approval, he then continued to speak,

"We have decided that Rheanna’s punishment will be...a hundred whips everyday with the fire whisk until she loses the ability to use her newfound Dragon powers and loses the breath of life. This punishment will be given by Azure as Lady Credan hasn’t returned yet, and it shall take place in the execution center each day until her death."

Although standing nearby, Azure frowned upon the Emperor’s words but did not voice any objections. He respectfully bowed his head and replied, "Yes, your majesty."