In an empire founded by a dragon, it was only natural to believe that others of their kind still existed somewhere beyond the reach of the capital.
Some remained hidden deep within isolated territories untouched by humans while others quietly watched the empire from afar without ever revealing themselves.
Dragons were not creatures that disappeared so easily.
Their existence stretched across centuries and so did their grudges, loyalties and instincts.
Most dragons were territorial by nature.
They guarded what belonged to them with frightening possessiveness, whether it was land, treasure, bloodline or pride.
Ancient territories claimed by one dragon were rarely entered by another without conflict and disputes between their kind often lasted generations.
A single insult could become a feud carried for hundreds of years.
Unlike humans, dragons placed immense value on lineage.
Their bloodlines were treated as something sacred, a mark of superiority that separated them from every lesser creature beneath the sky.
In their eyes, humans were fragile beings driven by greed, fear and short lifespans.
Most dragons never considered humans their equals and had no desire to coexist with them beyond necessity.
The only exception to that belief was the existence of a fated companion.
A bond that even dragons could neither control nor reject completely.
No matter how prideful or cruel a dragon was, once that bond appeared, it became something impossible to ignore.
And despite their terrifying nature, dragons loved deeply especially when it came to the person destined for them.
Their emotions were overwhelming by nature, intense enough to consume reason once the bond fully formed.
To dragons, a fated companion was not merely someone they cherished.
It was someone they instinctively devoted themselves to with their entire existence.
And that was precisely why many dragons hated humans.
To creatures capable of living for centuries, humans were painfully fragile.
They aged too quickly, weakened too easily and died long before a dragon ever could.
Some dragons viewed the bond itself as cruel.
A punishment that tied immortal beings to lives destined to disappear in what felt like only a brief moment.
Others became dangerously attached to their companions, obsessively protecting them to the point of destroying everything around them.
Because once a dragon truly loved someone, letting go became nearly impossible.
That was why relationships between dragons and humans were often unstable.
Love, possessiveness and fear of loss could easily become something destructive in the hands of creatures as powerful as dragons.
And considering who Draen was, there was no guarantee that every dragon who learned about Lewis’ existence would simply remain silent about it.
For hundreds of years, Draen never once saw another dragon.
Not even a single trace of one.
Still, he knew they existed somewhere in the world.
Dragons were creatures that preferred staying hidden.
Most of them disliked unnecessary attention despite their overwhelming pride.
They saw themselves as superior beings, so being treated like spectacles or attracting crowds only irritated them.
Because of that, many dragons chose to live alone in isolated territories far away from humans.
They looked down on humans and rarely involved themselves with mortal affairs unless they had a reason to but not every dragon behaved the same way.
Just like humans, dragons possessed different personalities.
Some preferred isolation while others searched for entertainment after centuries of boredom.
There were dragons who liked playing with humans.
They enjoyed manipulating people and watching emotions spiral out of control.
Some would quietly blend into society just to observe how easily humans could be influenced while others enjoyed making people fight, betray or ruin themselves for amusement.
They liked seeing humans dance in the palm of their hands.
And because of that, Draen knew that if another dragon ever became interested in Lewis, things would never remain simple.
Now that Draen had finally found his bride, there was a high possibility that other dragons would eventually learn about it as well.
For dragons, the appearance of a fated companion was not something ordinary.
It was rare enough to become an obsession among their kind and everyone who knew Draen’s existence also knew one thing clearly.
He had spent countless years searching for his bride.
He endured centuries alone without ever giving up.
Even when others believed the bond might never appear, Draen continued waiting.
Because of that, once the truth was revealed, there was no way the other dragons would simply ignore it.
Some would become curious.
Others would want to see the human capable of forming a bond with someone like Draen and there would also be dragons who would interfere purely because they found the situation entertaining.
To creatures who lived for hundreds of years, boredom often became dangerous.
Anything unusual easily caught their attention, especially when it involved one of their own kind finally finding the person destined for them.
Lewis’ existence alone was enough to become something many dragons would want to know about.
“Your Grace, we couldn’t find anything.” Leo reported after investigating the area where Draen had sensed traces of his kin’s mana.
The moment those words fell, silence settled heavily among the knights surrounding them.
None of them lowered their guard.
Even after searching the nearby buildings, the uneasy feeling lingering in the air refused to disappear completely.
The atmosphere itself felt wrong somehow, as if something had briefly been there before vanishing without leaving a proper trace behind.
Several knights kept their hands resting near the hilts of their swords while others carefully observed the surroundings for the slightest movement.
No one dared relax because if another dragon truly had appeared nearby, then this was no longer an ordinary matter.
Draen’s gaze remained fixed ahead with unreadable expression.
Although the mana had already faded, he knew what he sensed earlier was real.
The presence felt far too familiar to mistake for anything else.
Another dragon had been here.
Whether they came out of curiosity, hostility or simple amusement, Draen could not tell yet and that uncertainty alone was enough to put him on edge.
“Let’s keep searching,” Draen ordered calmly, though the coldness in his voice caused the surrounding knights to stiffen instinctively.
“Keep your guards up. We don’t know what will happen.”
“As you command, Your Grace.”
The knights immediately obeyed without hesitation.
Leo quickly signaled the others before they spread throughout the area once more, remaining alert for even the slightest irregularity.
None of them fully understood the danger they might be facing but seeing their liege react this seriously was already enough to tell them the situation was far from simple. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Meanwhile, Draen stood still for a moment longer.
His sharp gaze slowly swept across the quiet surroundings as faint tension settled within him.
For hundreds of years, he had never encountered another one of his kind.
Yet now, only shortly after finding Lewis, traces of a dragon’s mana had suddenly appeared near his territory and the timing was far too suspicious to ignore.
Far from the search, Lewis was no longer able to stand on his own.
Supported carefully by Edrik, Lewis struggled just to remain standing.
“Ugh… it hurts…” Lewis groaned weakly as his trembling fingers clutched tightly onto Edrik’s robe while trying his best to keep his eyes open.
His condition was visibly worsening.
A sharp pain twisted violently within his stomach, so unbearable that it felt as though something inside him was being torn apart.
Every breath became heavier than the last while cold sweat continuously dripped down his pale face.
It felt like his insides were being ripped apart.
Lewis’ legs nearly gave out again if not for Edrik immediately steadying him before he could collapse onto the ground completely.
“Your Grace!”
Edrik’s expression darkened the moment he noticed how badly Lewis was shaking.
The younger man’s breathing had become uneven and weak while his face slowly lost all color.
Even the hand gripping Edrik’s robe lacked strength compared to earlier.
Something was clearly wrong and judging from how suddenly Lewis’ condition deteriorated, Edrik instinctively knew this was not something ordinary.
“Go and report back to His Grace,” Edrik ordered sharply toward one of the nearby knights.
“This is urgent. Go!”
“Yes, Sir!”
Without wasting another second, the knight immediately rushed off toward the direction where Draen and the others were searching.
Meanwhile, Edrik no longer hesitated.
Despite fully knowing the risks, he carefully lifted Lewis into his arms to keep him from collapsing further.
Normally, no one would dare touch Draen’s bride so casually.
Not when everyone within the estate knew exactly how possessive the Duke could become regarding Lewis.
Even accidental contact was enough to make the atmosphere tense around Draen yet at this moment, Edrik could not bring himself to care about the consequences.
Lewis was in pain.
In severe pain and judging from the unnatural pressure filling the air around them, Edrik feared that whatever was happening might be connected to the dragon that their liege sensed earlier.
Just as Edrik was about to step out of the carriage carrying Lewis, the battered body of the knight he had sent to report to Draen was suddenly thrown in front of them.
The impact made the carriage jolt and the surrounding knights immediately tensed.
A voice followed from above, calm and laced with amusement.
“My, my… is that my little dragon’s bride?”
A suffocating pressure descended with it, heavy enough to make the air feel tight.
It wasn’t human.
Realizing what entity it was, Edrik tightened his hold on Lewis with eyes lifting sharply toward the unseen presence.