Chapter 42: One Punch to Silence a Dragon

Drystan Zakaris let out a plume of annoyed, sulfurous smoke, his large leathery wings beating powerfully as he soared over the dark-stone architecture of Shadow’s Edge. He had come to demand answers from his pathetic, overgrown feline of a fellow husband and king, Leonidas.

As he circled the palace grounds, his reptilian eyes caught a flash of movement in the secluded chapel courtyard.

He squinted, his draconic vision zooming in.

There was the Empress. Karina. The spineless, weeping, useless waste of royal oxygen. She was sitting on a stone bench. Beside her was the little panther child, Valen. And standing entirely too close to them was a man with blindingly white hair.

Drystan’s nostrils flared. Who’s that bastard?

The sheer audacity of some unknown male hovering around his despised wife, well, his soon-to-be-former wife, made his draconic ego flare. If there was one thing Drystan hated more than ugly things, it was people forgetting their place.

Drystan immediately folded his wings and went into a steep, terrifying dive.

He opened his jaws and unleashed a deafening, earth-shaking roar that shattered the tranquillity.

Below, the courtyard erupted into chaos. Palace maids screamed, dropping their laundry. Guards shouted in panic.

But Drystan’s eyes were locked on the courtyard. He flared his wings at the last second, his red-scaled claws crushing the sacred cobblestones as he landed with a heavy, ground-trembling THUD.

Instantly, the white-haired man and the fierce, dark-haired woman beside him moved. They immediately stepped directly in front of the Empress and the little prince, shielding them with their own bodies.

Drystan scoffed, a jet of flame licking his teeth. Fools.

Before he could take a step, the white-haired man shifted. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a snow-white panther. The beast threw his head back and roared at the red wyvern.

Drystan blinked, his slit pupils widening in irritation.

The white panther was barely the size of his front leg. It was like a housecat trying to intimidate a mountain. Is this supposed to be a joke? Drystan thought, thoroughly unimpressed.

With a dismissive snort, Drystan’s red form dissolved into a vortex of searing heat and shimmering scales. When the smoke cleared, he stood in his human form. He was undeniably breathtaking, with sharp features, glowing ember-like eyes, and his long white hair falling over his forehead. He brushed a speck of dust off his tunic, glaring down at the white panther, who had also shifted back into the annoyingly handsome white-haired man.

Deep within Karina’s mind, a familiar, annoying voice chimed in.

[SYSTEM ALERT: MALE TARGET DETECTED]

[Name: Drystan Zakaris (Ruler of the Dragon Faction)]

[Age: 29]

[Beast Form: Crimson Wyvern]

[Current Heart Points: -100 (Pure Disgust / Hostile)]

[Obsession Level: 0% (Nonexistent)]

[Mission Update: Do NOT swoon. He literally thinks you are a peasant. Good luck, host!]

Karina didn’t need to be told that. Just his mere arrival, and the arrogant look on his face disgusted her.

She couldn’t wait to be separated from him.

"Empress," Drystan drawled, his voice dripping with condescension as he looked down at Karina. "What are you doing here? Leonidas was supposed to finalize the annulment. Why are you, and your cub here?"

Cassian immediately stepped forward, carrying a deadly glint in his eyes. "Step back," he snarled. "Anyone who terrifies the prince like that, and threatens the Empress, shouldn’t be here."

Drystan blinked before barking a mocking laugh. "Threaten? I merely landed, you fool." He stepped forward, raising a hand to shove Cassian aside. "Move out of my way."

Cassian didn’t budge one bit. He had heard of the arrogance of the Dragon king in rumors and whispers. But to see it so...plainly...

Who in their right senses would marry this type of man?

"Make me," he titled his head, daring Drystan to make a move. Nalani on the other hand, had her eyes locked on Drystan’s throat, ready to put him down or do whatever her leader desired.

Karina’s heart was racing, though she kept her face composed. She looked at the furious and vain Dragon King, gritting her teeth. "Have you no tact? Speaking like that in front of my son."

Drystan looked down. Valen was looking out from behind Karina’s skirts, his fists clenched, his little panther lips pulled back in a fierce, protective growl.

Drystan sneered, feeling repulsion from the depth of his heart. "You think I care about your son? He is not mine. Keep your filthy little mutt away from me."

Filthy little mutt???

"I would watch how you speak to her," Cassian warned, "and watch how you speak about the prince."

Before Drystan could open his mouth to incinerate the white-haired man where he stood, the sound of rapid, heavy paws hitting the cobblestones echoed through the courtyard.

Two massive panthers were sprinting toward them. The first was a familiar black panther, Leonidas. The second was a sleek black panther covered in striking blonde spots, matching the hair of Leonidas’s annoying commander, Rafael.

They shifted into their human forms just as a dozen heavily armed panther guards poured into the courtyard, their spears lowered toward Drystan.

"Ah, you are here," Drystan mocked, turning his attention to the panting Panther King. He gestured disdainfully at Leonidas. "Why are you with that spineless woman? Have you gone mad, Leonidas? We all agreed to annul the marriage!"

Leonidas ignored him completely. He shoved past Drystan, his eyes worried and scared as he dropped to one knee in front of Karina and Valen.

"Did he hurt you?" Leonidas demanded, his gaze sweeping over them for any sign of injury.

"We are fine," Karina said smoothly.

Leonidas let out a shaky breath, but as he stood, his eyes flicked to Cassian, who was still standing dangerously close to Karina. Leonidas’s jaw ticked, a dark, possessive glare locking onto his cousin, before he finally turned his murderous gaze onto Drystan.

Drystan chuckled. "What is the meaning of this? Since when did you become this protective of her? Drop the act, Leonidas, you’re not fooling anyone. You’re just as disgusted by her as the rest of us."

"That is quite enough," Karina’s voice rang out. She had had just about enough.

The courtyard fell silent. Drystan blinked, looking at her as if she had just spoken in tongues.

"We are going ahead with the annulment," Karina stated, her red eyes locking onto Drystan’s glowing ones. "I agreed to it. In fact, I insist upon it. I no longer wish to be connected to the petulant child you are."

Drystan’s jaw actually dropped.

Wait what....

She agreed?

She agreed to it?!

Petulant....petulant child?!

The clinging, weeping Empress who used to starve herself for a single glance from Leonidas was agreeing to be discarded? The unfathomable insult to his ego made his blood boil. How dare she accept it? How dare she not fight for him, for the honor of being tied to a god?! How dare she insult him?!

"You..." Drystan stammered, his face flushing from both rage and confusion. He took a threatening step toward her, his hands igniting with literal flames. "You don’t get to just agree! You don’t get to—"

"If you move one step closer," Cassian’s voice sliced through the air. The white-haired Sovereign had shifted his weight. "I will break your neck."

Leonidas simultaneously drew his sword, the steel singing as it left the scabbard. "Stand down, Drystan,"

Drystan looked between the two men, his eyes widening in fury. He opened his mouth to unleash a torrent of draconic fire and—

CRACK.

Cassian’s fist connected with Drystan’s jaw.

The Dragon King’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed onto the sacred cobblestones, completely out cold.