Page 41 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

But all that stayed locked up, choking her with tears.

Then, her eyes went to her cousin’s husband, and she was surprised to find him looking almost..

. sorry. Not only that, but his eyes went down to Lumie, and the way he was holding her properly, gently.

.. He had taken her from somewhere without waking her up too.

When their eyes met again, he spoke, in a neutral voice.

“...She’s been well,” was all he said.

And yet, that was enough to procure Alezya with a minimum of relief.

It wasn’t about his words per se or how he’d said it, but from the meaningful look in his eyes.

She didn’t know exactly what had happened, but now, she had a feeling that her cousin’s husband had somehow changed.

Lumie wasn’t a nuisance in his arms, she was a young child.

He was a father too, and a better one than her own.

Perhaps he and his wife caring for Lumie during that time had softly changed his mind. Either way, it was a small relief, and perhaps what prevented Alezya from completely falling apart.

She redirected her tearful eyes to her father, glaring at him.

“What do you want?” she hissed.

He smiled, satisfied to finally see her submit.

“You make foolish decisions, but you remain a smart woman. You’ve already spent time with our enemy, and gotten close to their leader.

That arrogant bastard, his family, and their dragons have been our nemesis for generations.

At each council gathering, there is nothing the clans want more than his demise.

We have been waiting for far too long for a chance to strike back.

Luckily, Daughter, you have opened a path to our victory. ”

Alezya was surprised. No woman was ever included in the council gatherings, so she wasn’t aware of how much they actually knew about the Dragon Clan as the information was never openly shared.

It was her first time hearing that Kassein was part of a family related to all the dragons they’d seen before. She had always assumed their enemy, the one they called the Dragon Tyrant, somehow owned all the dragons and always sent them to attack.

But from what she’d seen in the camp and what her father’s people had probably been spying on for a long time, the dragons didn’t just belong to the enemy, they were actually bound to them.

Kassein was obviously bound to Kein, which is why they shared those orange scales; her father’s people had probably figured as much too.

Did that mean they had seen other people from Kassein’s family that had the same peculiar common trait with the dragons?

Was there someone tied to the black dragon, somewhere?

And one tied to that yellow one? Kassein was obviously the leader of that place, but then, where was his family?

Had her people seen him with his family and their dragons, hence they knew all this?

She had known her father and all the clans had been spying on the Dragon Clan for a long time, but she’d never realized how far they’d actually come with that information.

“Rejoice,” her father smiled. “You will be the one to carry out our plan and will be able to regain everything that was yours if you succeed. Your honor, your daughter, your place within the clans. Even better, you will be adored as the woman who made our victory against the Dragon Clan possible.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” Alezya coldly said, not impressed, “and you are a delusional man. Even if I have been able to survive confrontations with the dragon, I am in no way capable of tricking that man or harming either of them. I only survived because they showed pity. I haven’t seen any weakness, and their numbers are far greater than you think. ”

“Oh, I already know that. But our plan will not rely on any immediate attack. No, we have been patiently waiting for an opportunity, and today will only mark the very beginning of our greatest plan yet. We’ve fought their kind countless times, and we’ve never won.

It is obvious our only strategy can rely on information and preparation.

You’re right; we will never have the numbers.

Even if we rally all the clans, we’d barely be able to fight that monster, his dragon, and his men on equal footing.

But we’re not counting on that. I am counting on time, and evening our chances.

And our chances will only ever be equal to them if we too have a dragon on our side. ”

Alezya scoffed.

“Have you finally gone mad? Do you expect me to rally a dragon to your cause? Perhaps you want me to capture it and deliver it to you? Do you even hear yourself?”

“You’re the one who’s not hearing,” her father retorted. “I told you our plan would take a long time. It may take a couple of decades, but it will all be worth it. From what we know, those people, their family, are the only ones bound to those dragons. One child, one dragon.”

That’s when the truth finally hit her. No, perhaps her mind had refused to even understand such a horrible design.

She couldn’t believe it, and her mind went numb for a couple of seconds, her ears ringing.

Even for a despicable man like her father, it was such a horrible, wretched plan.

She felt sick just thinking about it, and yet, she had to confirm.

She wanted to be sure of the horror he was suggesting.

“You want me... to conceive a child for you?” she muttered. “For you to use... their dragon?”

“You’re saying this like it’s impossible,” her father chuckled, “but their leader is already pleased with you. He gave you such presents, and let you approach his dragon. A cunning woman like you will have no issues opening your legs to get what you want from him. After all, it wouldn’t be your first time carrying a monster, would it? ”

“...You’re mad,” she muttered, in shock.

“You all are! You think I’ll conceive a child for you to use for your designs?

! You think I’ll stand by and watch you use my child for your gain?

I’m not just some cow you can breed and use the offspring for!

First, you threaten me with my child’s life, and now you want me to carry another one?

For you to use against their own genitor? Have you all gone absolutely mad?!”

“What you think of it is irrelevant,” her father retorted.

“As a child of this clan, it is your duty to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your people. You’ve already seduced their leader with your cunning ways, it shouldn’t be long before you bear his child.

Weren’t you so willing to get your daughter back before?

All we’re asking is a child for a child.

As soon as we’ve confirmed you’re pregnant with that monster’s seed, we will give your bastard back to you.

Isn’t this a fair trade, given all the shame you’ve brought upon this clan? ”

“I don’t give a damn about your pride! Those are children we are talking about!” Alezya shouted. “Actual babies; young, defenseless children that you’re all willing to use for your gain? You’re not just insane, you’re the most vile people!”

Her shouting woke up Lumie, who began crying in her cousin’s husband’s arms. Alezya’s heart broke. She’d made her daughter cry, and she couldn’t even go to console her!

She exchanged another glance with her cousin’s husband.

She had rarely if ever interacted with him, but she remembered his name was Suolk.

As Lumie was crying, he began rocking her a bit, bouncing on his feet to try and ease her a bit.

As he was one step behind the circle, none of the other men had their eyes on him nor did they notice him patting the toddler’s back.

A bit reassured, Alezya turned her burning eyes to her father. He was still very much annoyed with her.

“This is a war,” he said. “Sacrifices ought to be made, and a child that will allow us to have a dragon will be our best weapon against those people. Your opinion is irrelevant, Alezya.”

“...I won’t do it,” she said. “You can’t ask me to do that.”

“Oh, this is not a request, child,” he retorted.

“This is an order, and you’re a fool if you believe you have any choice.

You want your child back? Then you’ll come back here pregnant.

The only thing that’s up to you is how long that will take.

The more stubborn you are, the longer you’ll be away from your child. ”

“...I’m not going back,” Alezya cried. “Not to do such a thing.”

“You will.”