CH71


    Morgan


    ely whispered. His whole body thrummed with energy. The


    Tsuneo’s words carried through the room as if he had shouted them, though he <b>had </b>barely shadows of the room seem darker and I realized that this had to be why ck dragons were so feared.


    I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder. I felt the heat radiating off of him flowing into me. It was an <b>odd </b>sensation, but he turned to look at me slowly. The beat in his eyes was still there, But he didn’t look so murderous. Slowly, I watched him calm down and I smiled at him.


    “It’s all right,” I said. “I don’t <b>think </b>you’ll have to kill her.”


    Across the room, Ari turned bright red, but she said nothing more and neither did L.


    The king looked almost amused. “Very well,” he <b>said</b>, his voice carrying across the room. “As Ari has refused to reconsider and this matter does need to be rified, a lineage test it shall be.”


    Tsuneo was rigid beside me, bracing himself. I took his hand gently and squeezed. The heart was light. It was harder to hold back a smile than I first imagined. Honestly, I really seem to think that just because the Elders were going along with this and everyone else would.


    The Elders made their preparations, and I got a strange sense of… familiarity. As if I had been here before, <b>as </b>if I had watched this ceremony before. The test began with a swirl of light around Kai. It shed and flickered before turning into a golden crown above his head.


    For a moment. And Kai’s ce was a much smaller child with Tsuneo’s dark hair and eyes, I turned my hair just slightly and saw the image of a woman with aing smile, and a superior expression. She was draped in the Queen’s colors. Was that his mother? Was I seeing some tone of vision of her?


    Had there been doubts about Tsuneos paternity? I have to take the chance to ask.


    Blight dissipated, and the entire room were quiet. The Elders, their faces a mixture of <b>shock </b>and awe, exchanged hushed whispers. Finally, the eldest <b>of </b>them stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly.


    “The results are conclusive,” he announced, his eyes locking with mine. “The child is of royal lineage.”


    A collective gasp swept through the crowd, the implications of the revtion sinking in. I breathe a sigh of relief. It was exactly as <b>I </b>expected, which meant that my n could go into effect immediately, <b>and </b>I’d get Kai free of Ari, and maybe Tsuneo as well<b>. </b>I nced over at Arl. Her face was filled with a snuggle. I almostughed.


    The Elders exchanged nces. One of them, an old man with a sharp gaze, stepped forward. “This changes everything.”


    Ari


    A surge of triumph surged through me. Then the whole bitch was going to be out of here within the hour.


    “As I’ve said before!” I cried. I’ve already made my demands known. Get to it.”


    “A crown prince should notport himself in this manner,” one of the Elders <b>said</b>. “If you had simply told us that you, and maybe I were involved, you would not ever even drop this human here. The Trial would have nevermenced.”


    1 smiled, waiting for someone to move, yet no one did. Tsuneo didn’t even look at me. That human looked smug almost. Or rather, she lookedpletely unbothered, which felt smug. It was almost, as if she knew. A cold dread settled in my stomach. did she know? even if she’s suspected, what <b>proof </b><b>could </b>she possibly have?


    Kai <b>was </b>too stupid, too small. To frighten, to have said much of anything. And even if he did, what could he possibly have said? To my understanding, he didn’t even know his father’s real <b>name</b><b>. </b>


    “Forgive us, Your Majesty. We will have the human taken back to the her room as quickly as possible.”


    Tsunen darted in between the human and the Elder. Shey a hand on his shoulder <b>and </b><b>stepped </b>around him.


    “Need I remind you?” She asked. “The only reason I am here is because you all initiated the Triall in the first ce. Let’s not pretend that I wanted to be here:Tumen went still, and the human squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s not pretend that I had a choice, and let’s not forget that Ari still hasit passed the Trial. Du you still have no way of opening the veill without me.”


    <b>CH</b>?1


    The Elder’s face flushed with anger. The veil is no longer a concem,” he retorted. “We <b>have </b>a new heir, a true–born dragon. The veil can wait a while longer. Those on the other side are pledged their loyalty to the crown. If they die, it will be in honorable service Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “And how convenient of you to say that when it’s <b>no </b>one in your <b>family </b>that’s trapped on the other side.” He flinched. “I think a lot of people would disagree with your stance on it. And to try to <b>get </b><b>rid </b>of me because Ari has suddenlye up with a child who she ims is Tsuneos <b>only </b>shows your bias and stupidity


    “What–”


    “Kai could just as easily be keiji’s child as Tsunro’s. The king could have had a mistress no one knew about–


    The King snorted, and the Elders sputtered.


    “How <b>dare </b>you <b>speak </b>of His Majesty in that way?”


    Any rtive of the royal line could have sired this child. How dare you <b>pretend </b>that your test is foolproof when all it can tell you is that he is of the royal line? It does not tell you who his father is, does it?


    They flushed, ncing around, and I went still, hating her even more by the second.


    “Well, can it test for certain that Kai is Tsuneo’s child?”


    “Ady’s word is taken as truth,” I said, lifting my nose. “I know that is something you would not understand human.”


    “Not to be facetious, but I think we can all agree that Lady Ari has already been proven to be less than honest.” She smiled at me, thin and biting. “After all, Tsuneo has already stated that she had no right to wear the clothes of thete queen, His Majesty’s wife, <b>Tsuneo’s </b>mother.”


    The room fell silent, the weight of <b>her </b>words hanging heavy in the air. I snarled at her, ring at the cunning smile on her face. Tsuneo’s face contacted into a mask of fury, his eyes shing with a dangerous light.


    And are you really going to leave an heir of the throne in the hands of a woman who would use him as a pawn?”


    <b>You </b>


    *Kai is five years old. She’s had five years to reveal his existence. Five years to make this im, and yet she decides to do so in the middle of an imperial celebration. She’s made the matter of his parentage a matter of spectacle, and leverage to for Tsuneo into marriage with her. Is that what you’re going to allow to happen to a true dragon–born heir? Reduced <b>to </b>a meal ticket?”