Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 203: Take revenge

Chapter 203: Take revenge

Draven didn’t let his wife down stairs until it was almost lunch time, he kept her busy even in the bathing room, and by the time they came downstairs, Prince Zachary was already waiting for them in the parlor room. And when Rhea saw him, she felt the urge to hide under the ground from embarrassment. Sure enough he must know what they had been doing in their room still at this time of the day.

To her relief, the prince betrayed no hint of concern for their private activities. Instead, he swiftly conveyed the urgency behind his presence. He told Draven that he was needed urgently in the royal dragon courtroom. King Henry had requested for his presence.

Rhea insisted on coming along with him as she could see the urgency of the situation in the prince’s eyes, but Draven calmly refused, he told her, "You don’t have to come, stay at home and instruct the servants on how you wanted the house to be run. If you get bored, you can always go out with Aria, I kept some money for you in your drawer." He kissed her temple and left with the prince without waiting to hear her insist on coming with them.

Draven had left for the palace an hour ago now, and Rhea still couldn’t stop worrying as she thought the urgent matter might be something concerning Alina and the humans. She wasn’t used the life of just sitting and doing nothing at home, she was used to always being involved in any dangerous and urgent situations. However, now that she was married, she would have to learn to let all that habit go and learn to be a wife and the mistress of the house.

But If there was one thing that bothered her more than anything, it was Draven being confronted by Alina one day. Rhea feared what would happen if he was unable to fight her.

What if she harmed him? What if she stabbed him with her flame sword? Those questions had haunted Rhea the whole time, she could never relax knowing Alina was still out there and probably planning something evil to do next.

Rhea could barely eat the food in front of her as her mind kept being restless about the worst thing that could happen. Finally, she dropped the food and instead decided to pass her time by getting to know the servants in their house. To her surprise, Draven was thoughtful enough to assign the same three maids who had attended to her in the palace, they were part of the twelve other servants in the house and a butler.

Rhea instructed everyone on how she wanted things done in the house, and she also toured the other rooms she didn’t get to see that night with Draven. She discovered that they also had a big library with lots of ancient history books and novels, she was going through the books and remembering how much she had loved reading in her teenage years, when a maid came to inform her that princess Aria and Princess Lyra, the wife of the second Prince, (Prince Zade) were here.

Rhea left the library to go and meet the Princesses. Her descent down the grand staircase felt like a silent journey through anticipation. As she approached the parlor, the murmur of conversation reached her ears, and the sight that awaited her was one of calmness. Aria and Lyra sat amidst the plush furnishings, glasses of cold refreshment in hand, the tinkling of ice against crystal cups resounded in the room.

Yet, Rhea’s keen eyes swiftly detected a strange air around her friend, a hint of worry etched on Aria’s face, a shadow that belied the usual radiance of the princess. But the moment Aria noticed Rhea’s entrance, the solemn expression on her face vanished, replaced by a bright smile as she greeted her friend.

"Oh my goodness, Rhea! You look stunning, as always. But you’re glowing today." Aria exclaimed, her voice was filled with enthusiasm, as if she hadn’t carried the weight of an unsettled expression just moments ago.

Returning the smile, Rhea exchanged pleasantries with princess Lyra and Aria, but their casual banter seemed like an attempt to mask the unease lingering beneath the surface. Rhea couldn’t help but feel there was something they weren’t telling her. Even as their laughter resonated in the room, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something grave was happening in the palace.

Rhea could feel the uneasiness in her heart, and she could tell it wasn’t hers, but her husband’s. She only felt like this whenever Draven was troubled, and right at this moment she could tell something was troubling him. Furthermore, it seemed the two Princesses knew the reason her husband was called to the palace.

In a moment of silence, Rhea’s gaze turned to Aria, her eyes searching for answers. "Aria, what brings you here today? I mean what is happening in the palace?" Rhea asked, her voice carrying a note of concern. She didn’t like to be left out on anything, especially when it was something that concerned her husband.

Aria hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty before she finally spoke, her tone measured. "Rhea, a message arrived at the palace at the break of dawn. Chaos has gripped the human realm, especially Birhhan’s capital city and people are leaving the Empire. The cause is unknown to us, but our spies in the human world said whispers of black magic taints the air. The humans believed it has something to do with the forbidden powers, people are dying and being sucked dry."

As Aria’s words hung in the room, a chilling realization dawned on Rhea. Fear tightened its grip around her heart, and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine. The thought that Alina might be behind the chaos, because she has awakened Erebus and unleashed havoc upon Birhhan, struck her with paralyzing horror. If that was the case, it would only be a matter of time before the chaos spread to the world like it had done centries ago when Draven’s parents were still alive.

Swallowing hard, Rhea lifted the cold drink to her lips, attempting to quell the burning anxiety constricting her throat. The cold drink offered a fleeting reprieve, but the weight of the revelation lingered In her heart, casting a shadow over the once serene afternoon.

Aria was worried about Valen in Birhhan, while Rhea was worried about history repeating itself because of Alina’s evilness.

***

As chaos gripped Birhhan, people began to leave the Empire. Countless lives had been lost and they feared how many more would lose their lives in the unseen evil that sucked humans to death.

In the gloomy depths of a foreboding hall, shadows danced with an ominous rhythm, and a palpable darkness clung to the air. The silhouette of a sinister figure emerged, gradually taking on a human semblance. Erebus, the embodiment of malevolence, began to materialize, his form still a grotesque tapestry of shadows and swirling mist.

Kneeling before this manifestation of darkness was Alina, her expression devoid of emotion, as cold and impassive as the blackness around her. She spoke to Erebus, her voice a whisper that echoed through the hall, "How many lives must be extinguished before your form is complete, my lord?"

A haunting, malicious laughter resonated in the dimness as Erebus responded, his voice dripping with evil amusement. "More than a thousand souls, my dear Alina, more than a thousand human essences to shape this incomplete vessel of mine into its true, a formidable dashing human form." He laughed, "Since you have failed to get me the core, I have no choice but to use this way to have a form."

Alina, unfazed, replied with an eerie calmness, "Our agreement, my Lord. Once you take on a form, you are bound to grant me what I desire."

After Draven and Rhea had killed her only family members left, Alina had turned even more evil. Now, she felt she’d lost her heart and every reason to smile. Her heart was an endless abyss of darkness, she wouldn’t be complete without the love of her life. She had brought him back before, and she would do anything to bring him back again and avenge herself from those who wronged her. Rhea and Draven must pay for what they had done.

Hearing Alina’s words, Erebus chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating with a sinister undertone. "Worry not, Alina. I shall fulfill my part of the bargain once I take a complete form."

As the shadows continued to coil around the not-yet-complete form of Erebus, he spoke with a voice that resonated like distant thunder. "Once I attain my complete form, I shall unleash chaos upon the Dragon world. I will make them pay for the centuries of imprisonment." He said, "Especially the son of the two people who imprisoned me, I shall kill him and let him join his parents!"

The deformed silhouette of Erebus hinted at the nightmarish visage that awaited, a twisted being of malevolence and dark power, still in the process of transformation. His ominous laughter echoed through the desolate hall as he imagined himself taking over the world.