Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 141: I like you

Chapter 141: I like you

Rhea was back inside the hole of the prison, and the people outside started to disperse. Rhea laid on the ground unable to move a muscle, she stared blankly at the sky until it was starting to get dark. As she was staring blankly at the open roof of the prison, she noticed a silhouette hovering over the hole.

She slightly blinked and saw that it was Cal peering down at her, he didn’t say a word, he just stared at her with a pained expression.

Summoning her last ounce of strength, Rhea mustered a smile and croaked, "Cal, you don’t need to plead for me anymore. It’ll tarnish your reputation..." She trailed off as she felt a droplet land on her cheek. Squinting, she noticed Cal hastily wiping away tears before apologizing and retreating from the prison hole, he left in a hurry as if not wanting her to see him cry.

Rhea was taken aback to see him shed tears. Cal was not one to openly display his emotions, so why was he shedding tears for her? He seemed to shoulder all the blame and responsibility, even though he had no reason to feel guilty. He hadn’t been the one to whip her. He had done everything he could. However, it brought her some solace to know that someone cared, unlike her own father whom she had glimpsed in the crowd, seemingly unaffected by her suffering. She would never forgive him for the pain he had caused her since childhood, just as she would never forgive Azure...

Rhea started to drift off into sleep, but then she suddenly heard approaching footsteps from above and opened her tired eyes to see who it was again. Before she could make out who it was, she saw a basket of food being dropped down in the hole, the basket was tied to a rope.

Rhea narrowed her eyes to look closely, and when the moonlight shone on the person’s face, she was taken aback. "Delia?" She called.

Her stepsister tensed up as though she hadn’t anticipated Rhea being awake. She had been cautious, not wanting to be caught by the guards or by Rhea. Hastily, she dropped the basket into the hole and whispered harshly, "Cal asked me to bring you the food, eat quickly before the guards return."

Rhea slowly propped herself up, she peered into the basket and noticed two bowls of food. She had been aware in the past that Delia had a hidden crush on Cal since they were little, but Selena, Delia’s mother, had always disapproved of her daughter being close to Cal.

However, Rhea hadn’t expected Delia to sneak in here with food for her. After all, they weren’t on speaking terms after what had happened years ago with the ghost. It was astonishing to see her sneaking here with food, reminiscent of their childhood when she would always outsmart her mother and sister just to bring food for Rhea.

Rhea smiled weakly, then with trembling hands, she picked up the bowl containing steaming chicken soup that smelled exactly like the one made in the Villden mansion. She held the bowl and gulped it down her dry throat, then opened the other bowl and stuffed her mouth with the sweet moon cakes.

Truthfully, she had no appetite, but she forced herself to eat because only by eating would she gain the strength to endure another hundred lashes tomorrow. She wanted the strength to escape when the opportunity arose, she desired to survive so desperately, not for herself, but for Draven...

Only if she survived would she be able to witness his revenge, and only if she survived would she make Oriana and Azure pay for this pain. And she longed to escape to see for herself that Draven was safe.

With those thoughts, Rhea devoured the food and emptied the bowls. It was when she was about to put the bowls back into the basket that she noticed a small bottle of medicine, it was a popular medicine known for treating burns.

For Rhea’s condition, such medicine wouldn’t work for her burns, it was unless for those deep wounds on her back, but she accepted the medicine anyway.

"I’m done..." She whispered to Delia, who had been patiently waiting for her. Delia quickly pulled back the basket and then glanced down to speak.

"I am not doing this for you. I am still angry at you for almost killing me years ago, despite my kindness and even sneaking out to bring you food. Do not think I will easily let go of that grudge. I am still as furious as hell, but I am only doing this because I do not want to see Cal sad anymore. He needed my assistance, so I agreed to help willingly." She explained hurriedly, then added,

"Ensure you don’t die. Only if you survive will he find happiness. I hate to see that sadness in his eyes. If you do not die... I may consider forgiving you and repairing our relationship_Damn it, the guards are coming back. I must leave." Saying that, she sprinted in the opposite direction.

Rhea’s lips curved into a smile as she watched Delia flee. It was against the rules to provide a prisoner with food, yet she had risked it and brought it to her. Cal and Delia still wanted her to live, so she had to survive. At least not everyone wished for her demise.

Rhea drifted into a deep slumber, curling up into a small ball and hugging her knees tightly on the ground.

In the middle of the night, Rhea’s wound flared up in pain. Despite the fact that she was sweating so badly, her entire body was trembling. She was shaking uncontrollable as tears rolled out of her tightly shut eyelids.

In her current state, she dreamt of Draven. In her dream, he sat motionless within her prison, observing her trembling on the ground. His expression remained emotionless, as he made no attempt to speak or move.

The pain was unbearable for Rhea, causing her to weep. Desperate for relief, she pleaded with Draven to use his ice powers to stop the burning sensation on her skin. However, Draven remained statuesque, offering no assistance.

"Draven," she managed to utter through her chattering teeth, "When Alina betrayed you on that snowy mountain, stabbing you twice and leaving you to die, were you in as much pain as I am now?" Her question went unanswered, with Draven in front of her neither responding nor even blinking.

Rhea had witnessed the traumatic event where Draven was left to perish after being stabbed. She had seen it and felt his pain. She had believed she understood his suffering after experiencing it herself, but now she realized her understanding fell short.

Only Draven could truly comprehend the pain he endured that night, the pain of betrayal and losing his true self. And now, only Rhea could understand her own torment within this wretched hole, only she could understand the depth of her feelings towards Azure’s betrayal. She had once placed such trust in him that it nearly cost her life.

Rhea smiled bitterly with tears falling down her eyes, "Draven... it hurts so much I wish I could just die than endure the same pain tommorow. It’s burning..."

She reached out her hands and clasped Draven’s large hands with her pale small hands, she interlocked their fingers together, "Draven, it’s crazy but I want to tell you something in case I don’t make it out alive," she said. With this insane pain, she was starting to doubt if she’d be able to really survive. And knowing this was just nothing but dreams, she wanted to let her heart out to him.

"Draven...I...I like you. Yes I do, I think from the moment I saw you entering the stables that night, I fell in love with you, but I denied it all the time. I know you might never love me someday, it’s fine with me as long as you will not push me away from you..."

Draven was still silent with no reaction at all. However, she wasn’t expecting any reply knowing it was just a dream. And so she was proved right when she felt her heavy chains being tugged upwards to pull her out of the hole for another punishment.

Rhea was pulled out just like yesterday, but this time, there were no crowds not even her family were present. Only the guards, a few fire controllers and Azure were there.

Rhea was lashed another hundred lashes, she didn’t even have the strength to cry again, as her voice was already hoarse from all of last night’s crying. She was placed back into the hole again after the punishment.

Before Azure could walk away from the prison, Rhea thought she caught sight of remorse in his expression, but it quickly vanished when their eyes momentarily locked. He looked down at her with an emotionless face, that made Rhea return it with a hateful one.