Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 40: Last night

Chapter 40: Last night

The next morning.

The morning sun casted a soft glow over the peaceful forest. Birds chirped in the distance, but the peacefulness was shattered as Rhea slowly opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she was laying down on Draven’s chest, both of them sprawled on the cold ground. She deeply furrowed her brows as memories of the previous night rushed back to her - the laughter, the drinks, the blurred moments. She had gotten drunk with him, but how did they end up outside in the woods?

She sat up, her heart pounding with a mix of confusion and panic. She glanced at the Draven, who remained blissfully unaware of her presence. His face was peaceful, the morning light highlighting his chiseled features. She couldn’t help but be captivated by his handsome face.

"What on earth happened last night?" She whispered to herself in confusion.

She reached up to brush a stray strand of hair away from her face, her gaze lingering on the Draven’s face a moment longer, momentarily forgetting her predicament.

But then, a rustling sound nearby jolted her back to reality.

Rhea’s eyes darted around, searching for the source of the noise. But there was no one around. How did the both of them end up here? She thought again.

Slowly, some images began to flash into her mind.

Rhea and Draven had left the study room with the determination to go and teach Alina a lesson and to clear Draven’s name in Birhhan. However, in the end they ended up falling here, in the woods!

Rhea nudged Draven on his side. His eyes immediately flew open, he quickly sat up on the ground with one leg bent. His elbow resting on his knee. He raised a hand and pressed his fingers between his eyebrows as if to ease the hangover.

Draven raised his head locking eyes with the somewhat panicked Rhea. They stared at each other for a long time, until a gust of wind rustled the leaves overhead, breaking their trance-like moment. They snapped back to reality.

Rhea rubbed her throbbing forehead, "We should go back, I need some lemon water to sober up, then we can talk about the divorce letter." She muttered softly as she got off the ground dusting her dress.

Rhea started moving ahead, but Draven made no effort to follow her or stand up from the ground. He spoke, "We must depart for the capital immediately to avoid being detected by the shadow stalkers."

As soon as Rhea halted, she heard Draven’s deep voice utter those words, and it startled her slightly. She turned around and exclaimed, "What? Why on earth will the shadow stalkers detect me? And why will I ever go back to the capital with you?" She raised a questioning brow.

Could it be that this dragon was still under the influence of alcohol? Or else why would she leave with him? Rhea thought.

"Because you promised to stick with me until I get back what was once mine from Alina. You promised to fight beside me and clear my name in Birhhan." He remarked nonchalantly.

Rhea was taken aback for a moment, before snapping back to reality and exclaimed, "The heck! I never said such thing. You are trying to..."

Before she could complete her statement, a memory from last night flashed to her mind. She had indeed promised him, which was how the both of them ended up in the woods because they were going to look for Alina.

Oh no!

Rhea’s throbbing headache made her pinch the space between her eyebrows. How much had they drank last night? How could she promise him such a thing?

_’Alina, my sworn enemy...I loved her with all my heart, but in the end...she betrayed me for another man. She ruthlessly stabbed me with my weakness, she mercilessly separated me from my dragon form. Took away my essence and ice powers, reducing me to a mere mortal.’

Draven’s voice from last night floated through her head. Rhea stared at him in daze.

Draven didn’t speak for awhile and got up to his feet while casually dusting his trouser. "Have you recalled what happened last night?"

Rhea quickly shook her head in denial, "No, I don’t. Let’s go back to the remote house so you can write me the divorce letter. I have no time to waste."

Draven frowned and leaned against a tree with his hands casually tucked in his pockets. Then he raised an eyebrow. "If you don’t remember, let’s revisit last night’s conversation again."

Rhea was completely speechless. She didn’t know why she would agree to help this person who had done nothing but hurt her. Rhea was still stunned by how drunk she was last night when she heard Draven speak,

"Decades ago, Alina tore me away from my dragon form."

His sentence snapped her away from her remorseful thoughts about getting drunk. She stared wide-eyed at Draven,

"What? So it wasn’t my imagination, Alina really did that to you for another man?!"

In contrast to Rhea’s shock, Draven’s demeanor was calm, he gave her a once-over look, "You weren’t this shocked or surprised when I told you about it last night."

"Huh, of course. I was drunk to fully understand everything you were saying last night." Rhea walked back towards him, "Now that I’m back to my right senses, tell me everything in detail. From your first meeting and why she betrayed you."

Draven paused for a brief moment before saying, "Because she wanted my core." His tone was detached as if he was telling another person’s story,

"There’s a legend in the dragon realm that said; once a human possessed a powerful dragon’s core, the human would become immune to death, no amount of time can bring harm to the human’s body. Not even death itself."

"I don’t get it."

Draven’s piercing blue eyes fell upon Rhea’s body, his deep gaze made her shrink back a bit. It was like he was trying to see through her soul.

"It means mortals who possess the most powerful core will become immortal, with powers like that of a dragon if practiced properly."