Chapter 55

The reason everyone could sense the dragon's emotions might be because of those eyes. When angry, the dragon's eyes deepened in color, looking like metal heated in fire.

'Come to think of it, Helio was like that too.'

Others said they couldn't tell what the expressionless Helio was thinking, but Kinaine couldn't agree with that. His eyes brightened like sunlit beads when he was in a good mood, and darkened like this when he was in a bad mood, so it would be stranger not to know.

Suddenly, Kinaine smiled bitterly. It was ridiculous how his train of thought always led to Helio. Despite trying hard not to think about him all this time, he kept recalling Helio every time he encountered the dragon. He couldn't understand himself for being confused just because of one similarity in eye color, when everything else was different from Helio.

Feeling that something irreversible might happen if he thought about Helio any further, Kinaine forcibly changed his train of thought.

He couldn't understand what part was making the dragon angry. If it was a night he wouldn't take responsibility for anyway, wouldn't it be better if the other party didn't remember?

However, Kinaine was in the weaker position in this situation, so he needed to appease him first.

"It's not that I don't remember anything... I meant that I don't remember everything clearly."

"Who is Helio?"

Kinaine was so surprised by the sudden mention of the name that he almost gasped.

'Did he read my thoughts?'

The eyes glaring at him, who couldn't answer and just opened and closed his mouth, were fierce.

"You kept calling for someone named Helio the whole time."

"Ah..."

"Is it perhaps that winged tribe guard?"

"No, that's Rahu."

Though he didn't understand why Rahu was suddenly mentioned, Kinaine answered obediently for now.

Come to think of it, what happened to Rahu? He started to worry as he hadn't seen him since they parted in the forest.

However, Asad didn't let Kinaine continue his worries.

"Ah, is it another lover? Did you bring him here too?"

"What? No, that's not possible. I think you're misunderstanding something."

"No, you must be trying to insult me. How you cried out Helio, Helio while in my arms... it was pitiful."

"..."

If Kinaine had a single weakness that prevented him from being shameless, it would be Helio. When his name came up, his expression inevitably hardened.

Seeing that face, Asad's eyes flashed as if confirming his suspicions.

"Where have you hidden him?"

"Hidden...?"

"For someone who might become the dragon's bride to sneak their lover into the dragon palace... You're prepared for disqualification and punishment, right?"

The dragon's anger was like a cold flame. Though it blazed fiercely, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop instead. It might not have been just a feeling, as when he exhaled to speak, white breath came out.

"Please calm down, Lord Asad."

It seemed he wasn't the only one whose anger became a driving force for power.

The dragon was misunderstanding that he had hidden a lover in the dragon palace. No wonder he was this angry, thinking that the human he already disliked had deceived him.

Feeling cold frost forming on his cheeks, Kinaine decided to answer honestly.

"Lord Asad. Helio is indeed my lover."

"I knew it. Where is that bastard?"

He looked ready to tear him to pieces the moment he spoke.

"He is not here."

"You're lying..."

"Helio is dead."

"..."

"So he can't be here."

It took more courage than expected to say those words out loud. The trembling of his body wasn't just because of the cold emanating from the dragon.

"The reason I called Helio's name was because, due to the dream incense, I dared to overlap his image with you, Lord Asad. I'm sorry."

Despite his trembling body, Kinaine confessed calmly.

"I saw Helio's image probably because that mysterious incense has the power to induce good dreams. I was glad to see him even in a dream, since I can no longer see him in reality."

"..."

"Lord Asad, Helio returned to God's embrace years ago, and I've never had any other lover. So please, withdraw your anger."

Cough, Kinaine broke into a cough mid-sentence. The coughing continued for a while before stopping.

He wasn't sure if the taste of blood in his mouth was due to dryness or some other reason. He felt he had used his already poor body too roughly. But he had no choice since his body was all he could rely on.

"I don't believe you."

Asad said in a chilling voice. But contrary to his words, the room's temperature started returning to normal.

"...However, a mere human probably wouldn't have the ability to hide a lover from my eyes. What's your relationship with that winged tribe guard?"

It was a sudden question, but this time he could answer immediately.

"We have no relationship. He's just an ordinary guard."

"For that, he doesn't seem to be doing his guard duties at all."

There was nothing wrong with that statement, so Kinaine smiled awkwardly.

"Well... he didn't exactly become my guard because he wanted to. I don't know why you misunderstood him as my lover, but we're not like that."

"We'll see about that."

Asad replied coldly and took out a pouch made of blue silk from his bosom and handed it over.

"Take it."

Kinaine received the pouch in a daze. Peeking inside, he saw round pills bundled together in the pouch.

"What is this?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm not sure. It looks like medicine..."

He couldn't easily be certain since Asad was the one who gave it to him. Was there any reason for the dragon to give him medicine?

Surprisingly, Asad provided the answer easily.

"It's poison. A very precious poison. I just got it from the scaled tribe leader. They say if you eat it, your whole body will feel like it's burning."

There was no reason for the dragon to lie to him, so his words must be true. Kinaine's fingertips holding the pouch twitched. As if anticipating what would happen next.

"Eat it."

I knew he would say that.

"...Didn't you say it was poison?"

"It's poison gifted by a dragon. Aren't you honored?"

What kind of talk is that... Kinaine swallowed the words that almost burst out of his mouth.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?"

"You'll be in pain like you're dying, but you won't die. Well, humans are weak, so you might die from the pain."

"Do you want to see me suffer that much? Why do you hate humans so much?"

Come to think of it, this was a question he should have asked long ago.

Why did the dragon hate humans so much?

He was supposed to become the dragon's mate. Not a toy to vent his anger on at will. It seemed he needed to know the cause to figure out where to start.

"I don't see any reason to tell you that."

The problem was that the dragon had no will to communicate with him. What words could he use to persuade the dragon?

"I want to know. About you, Lord Asad. I'm a bride candidate who might become your mate, and we even spent a night together, didn't we?"

He pulled up every reason he could think of. The dragon seemed to notice Kinaine's meager ploy and sneered.

"It's laughable that you dare to think you could become my mate, or that you think you've become something just because I played with you once."

There was not even a sliver of an opening. The dragon would not tell him the reason. Kinaine noticed the dragon's closed heart and resigned himself. But he hadn't given up.

'That horned tribe subordinate of the dragon seemed quite weak to emotions. Should I try probing? He might tell me if I kneel and plead.'

His princely pride had worn down to almost nothing now. If necessary, he could kneel many more times.

Fortunately, before Kinaine could kneel to the horned tribe subordinate, Asad provided a method.

"But if you eat this, I might feel like telling you."

Though no one had touched it, a pill floated up from the pouch and fell onto Kinaine's palm. Looking at the pitch-black pill that looked as if it had been burned, Kinaine swallowed a bitter laugh.

Another test?

While others had to take three tests here, he was taking more than that. And tests where one wrong choice could cost him his life.

He had said it wasn't a medicine that would take his life. But the claim that it would cause pain like burning must also be true. Could his body, already weakened by past events, endure that pain?

'No, I must endure.'

The deliberation was brief. Kinaine put the pill in his mouth while looking at Asad.

As if he hadn't expected him to actually eat the pill, Asad's eyes widened.