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

CH91

Morgan

When my tears finally died down, Dad pulled away, wiping his own face.

"Well, you've come to see a doctor, I suppose I should treat you... even if you're immortal. now." "What does that mean?"

He turned away from me back to his mortar and pestle. "When I woke up here, they gave me a job. Said it was a reward for all the good things I hadn't been able to do in my life because I was too busy doing other good things." He laughed. "The administration here has quite the funny way about them. They said I can either work towards my next life or stay here for the rest of my eternal one. Part of my new job is being able to tell what kind of spirits come to see me. I can see the changes you're going through. Though they all concern me as your father... I also recognize that they are inevitable."

will, you choose to go back?"

He sighed. "Maybe after I've met my brother and my wife again... Hiro and a few other people." He started mixing something together. I tried not to wrinkle my nose at the thought of him calling.

tell them by those familial titles still. My father had always been more forgiving than me. "If you ne what ails you, huh? Other than your new status? What's happened?"

watched him. I couldn't help but smile, recognizing what he was making.

Do you think they'll taste the same here?"

le turned back and grinned. "I'm hoping they'll taste even better. I hear celestial peaches are finitely better than, you know, regular peaches."

grinned at that. I loved the nea

ones. My dad had made me medicinal lollipops for as

ir back as I can remember. Making medicine for the family was the only thing of his healing udies that he'd been able to continue to keep up really. I took a deep breath and began to tell im everything. ad said nothing, nodding and listening the way he always did. His brow furrowed in incentration as he started rolling the lollipop onto a stick. The sugar stretched and folded like ffy as it began to cool. suppose I shouldn't have hoped that the man who tried to attack you had ended up here. He's

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lucky he was a celestial. Hopefully he'd suffering for what he's done." He looked back at me. "But Queen, huh?"

1 kicked my feet and nodded, looking down at the ground. "I've helped a lot of people already. It's strange how being queen is so much like being the heir of the family. But Ari is much worse than Mizuki was."

He laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you say anyone was worse than Mizuki."

"You haven't met her, so you wouldn't know."

He chuckled. "It sounds like you're going to have your hands full. Best of luck."

He smiled, a flicker of pride playing on his lips as he wrapped a set of lollipops for me.

"I'm so proud of you, Ren," he said, his voice filled with a sense of warmth and affection. "You've grown into a remarkable young woman."

"I wish you could have been around to see me."

"Something tells me if I was you wouldn't be where you are right now..." He shook his head. "Though I wish I didn't have to see it that way. Being dead really gives you a different perspective on things."

swallowed. "Did it hurt?"

le smiled. "The worst pain of it was realizing that I wouldn't be around to protect you any onger... I worried about the kind of person you'd become. I knew it wouldn't take you long to igure out who was behind it..." He shook his head. I have expected my brother to join me, erhaps directly by my wife soon after, and to hear that she had been added to the book of

murderers."

blinked. "It had never actually crossed my mind to kill them both..."

lis eyes were misty. "Then I did my job well."

e offered the lollipops to me and came to sit beside me. "How is Hiro?"

As well as can be expected," I said. "I want to bring him to the dragon realm with me."

ad laughed. "You vicious little thing. He'd enjoy it, I'm sure... though knowing them, they'll end

a with another child soon enough."

hook my head, looking up through the swirling clouds. "Are you happy?"

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"As happy as I can expect to be... And you?"

My lips twitched. "I think... I think I'm getting there."

He wrapped his arm around me. "That's all anyone can do honestly."

Light flickered overhead like a warning. He sighed.

"I think that means our time is up."

I nodded slowly and let him help me off the bench. He squeezed me close.

"Come back and visit if you can," he said and kissed my temple. "I'm hoping to hear more about this husband of yours."

"I will..." I whispered, my eyes already stinging. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Ren. Give them hell, for me?"

1 laughed and nodded. The warmth of his arms faded. Everything turned bright and then I was standing on the cliff again, overlooking the sea. Wind whipped around me but I felt more at peace

than I had a long time.

"I understand that we're... technically the same person, but there's got to be some rules."

The phoenix flicked its wings, seemingly amused.

Then, I heard Tsuneo's voice.

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

I cocked an eyebrow. "Eager, huh? Seems like we should come to terms."

I turned just as he appeared. He looked very bit like Tsuneo, but there was something about his expression, the way he held himself, that was different. Tsuneo had a regal, almost rigid posture, but the man floating there seemed much more relaxed, devil may care, and indolent. There was a regalness to him, but it was different than what I was used to.

"We're negotiating." I said, smiling at him. "Where is Tsuneo?"

His eyes flashed.

"No negotiations needed. Mind and body... We are one... Though I don't know of a single young woman who would not appreciate more than one capable husband."

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My face heated and I looked away from him. I heard him laughing as I felt him vanish.

"He will get into trouble while we are away," the phoenix said with a fond sigh.

"Hopefully not too much trouble."

She laughed. "It is clear that you have no sense of how much trouble a husband can get into when his wife is away... Though it makes sense, since you have never been married be re."

I frowned at that. "Across all those lives I had never been married?"

"No. long enough to be married, so long as we were separated from him."

e never

The thought turned my blood cold. The veil had been closed for centuries...

"What makes this lifetime so different?"

Slowly, she turned into another version of me, her eyes glowing like bright flames.

There has never been so much at stake before, as there is in this lifetime."