The Dragon King's Substitute Bride (Morgan and Tsuneo)

CH87

Hayato

The days turned into nights, and the nights into days. I watched over Tsuneo, heart aching with every passing moment. The palace hadn't allowed me to go back to the garden, so I could only hope that was a good sign.

But how much longer did I have?

The sedatives were wearing off. Doctor Shang had to administer them every hour now, and they were looking to stop being effective at all soon. Tsuneo would wake, and I had no answers for him.

My eyes ached from lack of sleep, my body heavy with exhaustion. But I refused to rest. I paced back and forth, my mind racing, searching for a solution.

Whoever had sold the poison had vanished into thin air, but I made it a point to locate anyone who might have possession of its ingredients and the finished form and ban the sale of it in the kingdom. The palace was in chaos. The kingdom had been thrust back into a state of terror, the same terror that had plagued us for the years Tsuneo was unconscious but worse. The nobles were squabbling, the people were restless.

I turned to Doctor Shang.

"Is there anything else we can do?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He shook his head, he looked just as tired as I was. Resigned and utterly hopeless.

"The sedative is the best we have," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "But it won't last much.

longer."

"How much longer do we have?"

"Hours, perhaps..."

A wave of despair washed over me. Would that be enough time?

My heart ached. "By the heavens and waters... will it never end?"

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," he whispered. "If only..."

You cannot blame yourself for this. It was my foolish daughter who set this all in motion." I sighed and rubbed my head. I sank down beside Tsuneo's bed. He wasn't moving, his breathing

1/4

CH87

shallow. A tear escaped my eye, rolling down my cheek. I had failed him, I had failed my kingdom.

"Doctor Shang, I want you to start making preparations to evacuate the palace. No one but the guards, the Knights, trained members of the Imperial forces is to remain." I looked over at him. don't think I have to tell you what will happen when he wakes up." "Your Majesty... there is still hope," he said." He could wake and be in his right mind."

"He could. He could also wake and kill us all... I am a prudent king of nothing else. Go. Have the guards stationed outside."

He nodded and left.

The air was thick with tension as I waited for the time to count down. I watched Tsuneo grow more aware slowly. He wasn't waking up just yet, but it was coming. I felt his awareness sweeping

over me.

"Tsuneo, I love you... And I know that you love her! I know that your heart and soul cry out for her. She is in the arms of the phoenixes in the hidden spaces of the palace. I... I have no way of getting to her. I have no update to give you, but if you feel her. If you feel her presence even remotely, I need you to hold onto that, to anchor yourself in that feeling.

I threaded my hands together. "I know you have feared taking the throne all these years because of your nature. I know you've also feared that I would simply slip away into death after your mother. That is not the case, son. I have anchored myself and went little I could feel of her presence, and I've held out hope."

I took his hand. "Son, I truly need you to be my heir. I need you to be need you to be Tsuneo, not the black dragon, okay?

Suddenly, a frantic knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," I said.

The messenger burst into the room, his face pale and drawn.

my son when you wake up.

I

"Your Majesty," he gasped, his voice barely a whisper. "We have received a message."

My heart pounded in my chest. A message? From whom?

"Who is it from?" I demanded, my voice filled with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

The messenger hesitated, his eyes darting nervously from side to side. "From the Kingdom of Danta, he replied, his voice barely a whisper.

2/4

CH87

My eyes

yes widened in surprise. Danta was the kingdom of the tigers, led by the line of the white tigers. We had been at war with them on and off for centuries. I thought that when my wife was declared dead and my air comatose, they would have attacked, but they didn't. I suppose they were just lying in wait for something like this to happen.

""What does it say?" I asked.

The messenger handed me a scroll, his hands trembling slightly. I unrolled it, my eyes scanning the words. As I read, a wave of disbelief washed over me.

The Kingdom of Danta was offering talks of peace. I knew better than to believe it, but the fact that they were asking to convene the Celestial Compass was something else. There hadn't been a convening since the time of my great, great grandfather. Why would they choose to offer this now? What was that motive? The white tiger of Danta wasn't

exactly a man I could trust.

For him to offer this meant that either he was planning something or there was a greater threat than he thought he could handle. Knowing how arrogant he was, I put my money on the first.

"In a few weeks' time?" I asked, scanning the message. "Gather the Elders... Tell them Yuma has

ascended the throne."

"What?"

My heart leaped into my throat. I turned back to look at Tsuneo. He was sitting up in bed, his eyes burning with multi-colored light. The shadows of the room seemed deeper and more sinister. His hair was a mess, floating in an invisible wind. He stared at me. "Yuma is king now?"

I nodded and offered him the page, waving the messenger off.

He took the letter and read it. Tsuneo and Yuma had a history. While they had both been on battlefields together before, they had never actually met in combat. It was almost unspoken that they shouldn't. Soon, the Elders arrived. They remained in the doorway, trembling with terror. We all watched him read the message.

When he lowered the page, he was smiling.

"It has been a long time since I've crossed paths with Yuma..." He crumpled the page in his hand. "Apparently, too long for him to provoke me like this. I see a convening is long overdue. Perhaps we should host here at the palace, as it was always meant to be."

3/4 CH87

He smirked. If he thinks he is the only one who knows how to provoke, he is wrong, and he will regret it. It's been a long time since I've spilled tiger blood. The steps need to be cleaned." "Tsuneo, are you..."

"My phoenix will wake soon enough..." I slept in my seat, letting the air rush out

Then he looked at me with a small smile.

"We should have new robes made for her ascension."

My eyes widened and I looked at him. "What?"