Married To The Dragon Prince Against My Will-Chapter 274: THE KING PLAN

Ashen leaned against the stone balustrade of the upper terrace, the night wind tugging at his open tunic.

In his right hand, he held a long, slender stick of herb twisted and bound with thin silver wire, the kind imported from the southern isles where the volcanic soil made the leaves burn slowly and hot.

He drew deeply, lips sealing around the end, then exhaled a thin stream of blue-white flame that licked outward like a dragon’s tongue before dissipating into sparks against the darkness.

The firelight danced across his face, illuminating the hard set of his jaw and the shadows beneath his eyes.

He knew he had left Lumina wounded, aching, tears drying on her cheeks while he walked away like a coward.

The memory clawed at him. She would be furious when he returned. But the alternative terrified him more.

"Fatherhood."

The word alone made his chest tighten. A child... his child... growing inside her, fragile and defenseless. He could already picture it, tiny hands reaching, trusting eyes looking up at him, expecting protection he wasn’t sure he could always give.

The throne games would never stop. Assassins, poison, betrayals, he had lived them all.

What kind of father dragged an innocent into that storm? What kind of man risked creating someone he might fail to shield?

He took another drag, the ember flaring bright. The smoke curled in his lungs, bitter and grounding.

Then a soft footfall behind him. Ashen didn’t turn at first. He knew that tread, confident, edged with the same arrogance their bloodline carried.

Alexis stepped into the torchlight, arms folded loosely across his chest. His tunic was still rumpled from the earlier brawl, a faint bruise blooming along his jaw. He eyed the burning stick in Ashen’s hand with raised brows.

"Smoking? That’s new." Alexis’s tone was light, almost teasing. "What’s eating you, brother? Wife wouldn’t let you back into her bed after you got yourself worked up?"

Ashen’s grip tightened on the stick. Flame licked higher for a second before he exhaled slowly through his nose, twin streams of fire curling from his nostrils. He finally turned, eyes narrowing to slits.

"Don’t speak about our personal life like you have any right to it." His voice was low, dangerous. "I hate when others talk about my wife. Especially you."

Alexis raised both hands in mock surrender, though the smirk never quite left his lips. He moved closer and leaned against the balustrade beside Ashen, staring out over the darkened palace gardens.

"Fine. Touchy tonight." He paused, letting the silence stretch. "But something’s got you out here burning your lungs instead of burying yourself in her. Talk, or don’t. Just don’t pretend everything’s fine."

Ashen flicked ash over the edge. It fell like dying stars into the void below.

"None of your business, Alexis."

"Hmm." Alexis tilted his head. "You know the realm is already whispering about her. Word’s spreading beyond Drakonis other kingdoms, even the border clans. They say your wife isn’t ordinary. Celestial blood, that hides power strong enough to turn arrows mid-flight, a tongue sharp enough to make kings flinch. Father still hasn’t moved against her. Doesn’t that worry you?"

Ashen’s jaw worked as he took one last drag, then crushed the stick against the stone, grinding the ember out until nothing remained but blackened residue.

"I know how to handle my own affairs," he said flatly. "Can you please let me be?"

He pushed off the balustrade, intending to leave, but paused mid-step. Some old instinct, some buried jealousy made him turn back.

"Alexis." His voice dropped, lethal in its quiet. "Do you have feelings for my wife?"

Alexis scoffed, but the sound lacked its usual edge. Ashen closed the distance in two strides, fisting his brother’s tunic and yanking him forward until their faces were inches apart.

"I don’t play with her," Ashen growled. "You should know that by now. Don’t you ever place your eyes on her? She is mine."

Alexis met his gaze steadily, unflinching.

"I never said she isn’t yours," he answered softly. "After all, the two of you can’t see anyone else. You’re blind to the rest of the world when you look at each other."

Ashen studied him for a long beat, searching for the lie. Finding none or at least none he could prove he released his grip with a rough shove.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Let that sink in."

He exhaled one last plume of smoke directly into Alexis’s face, then turned and stalked back toward the inner corridors. Alexis watched him go, arms still crossed, expression unreadable.

"At least you have someone who might actually care about you," he whispered to the empty terrace. Then he too turned, disappearing into the palace shadows.

Alexis got to the place about yo Ho in when he paused hearing a muffled voice. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

His father’s voice was low, strained followed by the measured tones of a healer.

Alexis rose silently, curiosity and unease pulling him toward the sound. He moved through the connecting passage, boots silent on the runner, until he reached the half-open door to the king’s private solar.

King Aden sat slumped in his high-backed chair, face gaunt in the candlelight. The royal medic who had treated Lumina knelt before him, hands glowing faintly with diagnostic magic.

"How far about the poison?" the king asked, voice a rasp.

The medic bowed lower. "It has burrowed deep into her soul, Your Majesty. For now, she feels no pain or weakness. I have masked it well. But in time... it will surface. When it does, she will be too far gone to save."

Aden’s lips curled into a thin, cold smile.

"Then let us see how bold she remains when she dares challenge me again in the future."

Alexis’ blood turned to ice hearing this, he had heard how his father protected her all these while he didn’t understand what had changed.

He backed away silently, heart hammering against his ribs. The door closed behind him without a sound.