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

CH92 Morgan

"Am I ever going to get an explanation about what exactly you mean by that?"

"In our case, it would be better to show you. But I cannot do that so long as you are not agreeable to our circumstances. For as long as you remain completely unaware of what ex. ly it means to be the phoenix, nothing will make sense." She huffed, crossing her arms. "It is completely unfair that he has it so easy. Though I suppose

that Tarofu has the need to have it as easy as possible."

I blinked. "Is that what you call him?"

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and blushed. It was so odd seeing that sort of girlish

expression on my own face.

"It is what he has allowed me to name him. He did not have a name until I gave it to him." Her eyes turned sad," No one had ever thought to give him a name. And he had never considered. himself worthy of one... So I called him that: Tarofu..." First-born Husband.

I shook my head. "You two had quite the love story, didn't you?"

She turned bright red. "Well, at first you couldn't decide whether or not to kill me or fuck me."

My jaw dropped open. "Who

She sighed dreamily." He was such a brash young dragon then. And angry, too. It was Danta's fault, honestly. If he hadn't provoked him and started all that mess, it wouldn't have been so bad. But what can you expect from a tiger?" "Now there are tigers involved?" I thought back to the vision and frowned. "The Celestial Beasts are real. It's not just dragons?"

"Of course not, dear. If it was just dragons, and what would we be?"

I ran a hand through my hair and grimaced. She had a point.

"We need to hurry," the phoenix urged, her anxiety rippled through the air, stirring up the clouds. I know him well enough. I assure you when he means clean house, he doesn't mean soap and water!"

I had to laugh because that wasn't a phrase that Tsuneo knew before I had taken him to the human room. How had her husband figure out that phrase but she hadn't?

I guess that's what he meant by there was no negotiation needed.

"He's impulsive and he knows that I can't stay mad at him for long. Who knows what he's running

the palace and what he'll do? How long is this going to take?"

I snorted. "As long as it needs to, I'm sure he won't cause that much of a problem."

Her gaze cut to me. "The last time he was allowed to run amok, half of the kingdom's knights were fired, maimed, or simply eviscerated."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What did they do?"

Her jaw dropped. "That is not an appropriate response! Never in all the times I've been reincarnated, have I ever had an incarnation who agreed with him!" 'Maybe that's why we never made it to an age in which we could be married."

She scowled. "You sound like him."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I sighed. "Look, I know he's a black dragon and capable of untold amounts of destruction. His mom told me quite a bit about it, which, by the way, how does it work? She's True Phoenix, right?" She laughed. "She has the blessing of my hand, as in she was found worthy to access a piece of my power, to connect with the palace. We are the only true phoenix." She pouted. "Well, I would very much like to meet Haruk In person. Soon."

"I got it. Sten on it, but I need to know exactly what I'm agreeing to. I have no interest in letting essentially a pacifist take over my body. Who knows what to let people to get away with? You see him at the time not to pull out a knife, even if someone else pulls one on you."

She pouted. "I will heal. They will not. It's that simple."

She scoffed. "I'm going to have to teach you something called self-preservation. Though I'm glad, you're no longer saying we because we are definitely two separate entities."

She frowned. "I suppose you're right. Thus

never quite happened before... I guess it's never been so long since my last incarnation either..." She shook her head. "Very well. We can agree to be separate for now. Though we will still be in your body, as I do not have one of my own." "Could I get you one of your own?"

"No." She hummed. "If you were to separate from me, you would essentially end up dying, and your husband would likely go into a terrible rage, and my husband would have to take over- it would be very complicated and very messy. This is much simpler." "Fine. I guess we'll set some ground rules. Tsuneo and I... are..." I hesitated. "Courting, essentially. We're... married, yes, but we're not... that kind of married."

She blinked and blinked again before her shoulders slumped. "Are you telling me I can't sleep with my husband because you haven't slept with yours." I flushed. "In so many words."

She shook her head. "So you take your time with everything I see."

"I have no need to rush into sleeping with a man I only just met after a lifetime of thinking that I would never be married, date, or... or..."

"Fuck?"

"Yes!"

She tilted her head. "I suppose... that is partially my fault... You've never... We've never survived to your age before."

I scoffed. "Can we just agree that you and your husband follow Tsuneo and I's leads?"

She shrugged. "Sure... but you'll have to tell him that."

""He's your husband. Why do I have to tell him that?"

"Oh dear, because it's your rule... and my husband knows me too well not to be convincing. If you want that rule to stick, you're going to have to enforce it."

I flushed. "No one asked you to reincarnate in me.'

Her eyes softened. "Would you rather be dead?"

My heart lurched. "What?"

"You thought you were going to di

on the way to the trial. Would you have preferred it that way?

"Of course not. I just.

else had died. How was I supposed to expect to live?"

She shrugged. "You and your family for a reason... You had the best chance of making it to the realm."

"Not we?"

She smiled. "Every incarnation is like a layer. Some are as thin as silk. Some are as thick as dragon hide." She looked at me." You, Morgan, are unlike any other incarnation I have ever had, and that is why I chose you."

I swallowed. "In a good way?"

"In the best way!" She thrust out her hand. "And I promise to tell you all of what that means. There will be no lies, nothing hidden, no secrets... will teach you things about yourself that you didn't even know and never thought you would want to know."

I hesitated, meeting her gaze. "If I change my mind, what happens? If you want to do something that I don't want to do, what happens?"

"Then we don't do it." Her eyes turned glossy. "We've both had more than enough choices taken from us. I don't plan on adding to the count."

I looked at her hand then took it, shaking it firmly. "Where do we start?"