The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 88

CH88

Tsuneo

| woke feeling oddly calm. The fury that had been burning inhad eased. If | closed my eyes, | could see it. A

small, glimmering light, a beacon of hope in the midst of the darkness. It was Morgan, as she was called in this

life. It was so odd to think of it that way. To know that | am Tsuneo and not. | had never felt so grounded as | had

before. Now.

Before.

Did it matter?

The weight of my current anxieties drifted from my shoulders. | looked at Hayato, Tsuneo's father, he looked as

though he had not slept. The events of the past few days had left him exhausted. | could sense the whirlwind of

emotions storming through him. | swung my feet over the edge of the bed and stood to stretch. Perhaps | should

continue to refer to him as father, it seems. right? He cares so much for me. Though that is just part of his

nature. The golden dragon always cared so much for all.

"Tell the guards | have no plans to kill them or anyone else today." | pause, tilting my head. The air felt different,

as if thad passed, significant thad passed. "And | apologize for worrying you for the past few days.

Though Doctor Shang, as always, has shown himself to be a brilliant. man. | feel... rested." | stretched, noting

how the shadows seemed to ebb and flow around the room. The sunlight streamed through the window casting

long shadows across the room. | felt the urge to move, to fly, and luxuriate in the darkness, yet the feeling of the

sunlight on my skin was as warm and as new as it had been the first time.

Morgan..

| licked my lips and tossed off the outer robe before heading out.

"I'm going for a walk. And I'm going to speak to my wife."

Hayato-Father blinked at me. He seemed stunned that | hadn't even asked how | knew where to go. There was a

murmur of fear as | opened the door. The Elders darted on one side. | chuckled as | walked on, whistling. People

stared atin something like horror, shock and awe. As | walked through the palace, the familiar halls and

corridors seemed to blur before my eyes. The familiar 1/4 CH88

sights and sounds were replaced by a vision of the palace in its prime, a majestic structure bathed in golden

sunlight. The way the shadows seemed so dark I could slip into them. | remembered playing hide and seek with

my wife in these halls. The delicious competition of catching her when the fancy struck us, the playfulness of our

life before.

Again. We could have all of that again and more. | hummed, wiggling my toes on the cold floor. In my mind's eye,

| saw the palace as it had once been, a bustling hub of activity, filled with the laughter and chatter of servants

and courtiers. It had been just as treacherous then, too, but | had none of the restrictions as | had then. None of

these people were my children. And | was certain that she would agree with me. My love while kind could be

vicious and she was not nearly as benevolent as our sons and daughters had been-as benevolent as a golden

dragon could be. | laughed, pushing open a door. We'd have a bit of work to do to restore the palace to its

original glory before the compass. | walked through the gateway that would taketo the garden. The scent of

the fresh water and earth hit my nose. The once-vibrant, ethereal glow of the garden was dull. There was no

sense of my wife's power here. Not like it had been anyway. A shame.

| wrinkled my nose. She really wasn't going to be happy about the state of her garden. The gardens were lush

and vibrant for mortal gardens. The fountains sparkled in the sunlight barely drooling water. It was also terribly

overgrown as if no one had been attending to it. It made sense since there hadn't been a true phoenix in the

palace since Tsuneo's mother, Haruka.

I'd have to remember to thank her when | got the chance.

| wandered around, pushing vegetation to the side as | walked and tutting. | cutt sof the overgrown weeds

and pulled others up, making it decay in my hands and plunging it back into the grown. The flowers were fading

from lack of care. She'd be said. | cleared off the walking p path and hoped that she wouldn't be too sad.

| finally got to the pool, my heart lurched.

could see her lying at the bottom of the pool. Yet it was completely still. The fountains weren't working. The little

river that used to be here was no longer flowing. | saw the darkness creeping in from the corners and growled,

charging over to the edges.

What the hell had our descendants been doing?

2/4

CH88

A rush of light swept through the garden and aroundlike a warm cloak. | kneeled beside the pool, peering

down at her. | reached out, feeling the warmth emanating from the pool and shook. my head. "How do you like

Morgan?" | asked. A playful little glint of light drifted beneath the surface.

I sighed and looked back at the pool. | reached into the pool, my hand dipping bath the surface. A strange,

tingling sensation, as if the water was alive, floated over my hand.

"Darling, no need to flirt, you'll be up soon enough"

Suddenly, a vision flashed before my eyes, | saw Morgan, standing on a cliff, overlooking a endless sea. The wind

whipped through her hair, her eyes filled with a sense of peace and tranquility. She smiled at me. "We're

negotiating," she said. "Where is Tsuneo?"

vast,

"No negotiations needed," | replied, grinning and hovering in the air. "Mind and body... We are oné... Though |

don't know of a singly young woman who would not appreciate more than one capable husband." She flushed,

and | laughed as | was tossed out of the vision. | felt Tsuneo's memories, his consciousness stirring, amused a

little and filled with relief.

My wife and Morgan wouldn't be waking up anyttoday, so | guess we could busy myself with what had to be

done in her garden, so maybe she wouldn't be lost in it for long. It was going to be weird getting used to

referring to my sensibilities and priorities as an entirely different person, but | was nothing if not flexible. |

crossed the garden to the pool of shadow. "Lesson one, Tsuneo," | said and placed my hand into the pool of

shadow. "There is only one black dragon for a reason."

I sighed and let my mind sink and meld with the shadow. | drew it in, closing my eyes as visions filled me. | saw a

girl | knew her. Well, Tsuneo knew her.

| chuckled to myself for a moment. It was an apt name, Tsuneo, meaning always husband. | would always be her

husband, after all.

3/4

The Dragon King's Substitute