Chained to old wounds

CH23

Tsuneo

The reports were all over the place, but they were useful. Knowing what the staff was gossiping about and exactly what they said was useful, but I didn’t care about it. My mind was focused on what could be happening at dinner right now.

Based on the hour, they definitely started the Empty and Harmonious Cups ceremony. I wondered what kind of questions he would ask. My father had always had a strange sense of humor, but he seemed positively gleeful at imagining the questions he would ask and the debates he would engage in with my future wife. I wish more than anything I had the strength to use my connection to the palace to listen in, but perhaps he would just have her play again when it was revealed that I was awake.

My mind conjured the image of Morgan and the way she’d looked dressed in my crimson silk robe. She was so beautiful. My cock stirred, and I let my head fall back against the headboard with a soft groan.

It had been years since I’d enjoyed the touch of a woman. I honestly wasn’t sure how much longer I could manage. It was easier when she wasn’t here, and I didn’t have time to think about

1. it. Having Ari sneak into my room so often and be absolutely creepy about it really dulled my libido. Now, it was roaring to life.

The door creaked open. I went still. She closed it, and I felt her barrier go up. Then, she stumbled into sight of the doorway, revealing a sight that sent a jolt through me. Morgan, her face flushed. and a mischievous glint in her normally serious eyes, stood swaying slightly in the doorway. My robe slipped halfway off her shoulder, revealing the slightly sheer black layer beneath the outer

robe.

“Yourdad’s a jerk.” she pouted. “And I’m pretty sure the red–eyed lady is evil. Is that Keiji’s

mom?” 2

“Yes… I’m impressed that you managed to walk all the way here.”

She giggled and threw up her hands. “Maya helped me! And you should see your dad!”

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You managed to keep up with my father?”

She slipped out of the outer room, pulled at the gold cord, and let it drop to the floor. I gulped as the sheer black layer fell off, and she stood there in nothing more than her underslip. The sight of her made my mouth water.

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CH23

“Hedidn’t make it easy!” She stumbled forward and closed the bedroom door behind her, locking it shut with a soft sigh. My heart started racing, and when she got to the end of the bed, she hauled herself over the footboard. The strap of her slip slipped down her shoulder, revealing more of her breasts than before. My cock stirred, and I shifted to adjust the drape of my robe as she crawled up the bed towards me.“Mind if I…borrow some warmth?”

Before I could react, she raised a hand, muttering something about “privacy,” and her shimmering barrier pulsed around the room, effectively blocking any prying eyes or ears. Her laughter echoed in the now soundproof chamber as she flopped down onto the plush covers. A seductive glint entered her eyes as she met my gaze. The diadem glinted on her forehead.

“What do you say, Your Majesty?”

My pulse quickened, my body responding instinctively to the invitation in her voice. But as I leaned in, a different sensation registered – – a shiver, a barely audible whimper. Confusion washed through me. Then, as she curled closer, her body seeking warmth against mine, I felt it – the unmistakable chill emanating from her skin.

“Cold,” she mumbled, burying her face in my chest. “You’re so…warm.”

Her voice held a childlike vulnerability that instantly banished any thoughts of seduction. This wasn’t a ploy; she was genuinely cold. Despite the logic screaming at me that this was a terrible idea, my body betrayed me the moment her skin touched mine.

Getting cold was an odd reaction to the wine used for the ceremony, but she was human, and no one had ever had a human plan the game. With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around her, surprised at how easily she fit against my side. She let out a contented sigh, her leg twining around mine. like a child seeking comfort. A strange sense of protectiveness and amusement washed over me.

This is not how I imagined getting her this close to me in bed: being used as a giant pillow. The situation was torturous yet somehow…endearing. I held her close, the weight of my investigation. forgotten. Tonight, it seemed, all I could offer was warmth in the face of her unexpected chill.

Heat, a stark contrast to her unexpected chill, flared across every point of contact. Desire, raw and primal, pulsed through my veins. I tried to push it down as her scent filled my nose. A low, rumbling growl rattled through my chest. She giggled. Every muscle in my body tensed, fighting the urge to pull her closer, to press myself against the intoxicating warmth of her body.

Morgan clenched her hands in my robe and burrowed deeper into my arms, her cold feet seeking warmth against mine. A shiver rippled through me, not from the temperature but from the conflicting emotions churning within me a potent mix of arousal and something strangely tender.

10:02 Wed, Oct 16

CH23

I set the

deepen or on the bedside table and settled into sleep beside her. Her breathing slowed,

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deepening into a peaceful rhythm. I was starting to doze off when I heard a choked sob from her. I opened my eyes. Her body tensed, and she whimpered in her sleep, tears staining the front of my

robe.

“Dad?” she whispered, her voice thick with sleep and sorrow. “Daddy…”

My heart clenched with guilt and protectiveness. Thushed her and stroked her hair, a soothing murmur escaping my lips.

“It’s alright, Morgan. You’re safe. I’m here.”

Whether she heard me or not didn’t matter, but her whimpers softened before she drifted back into a peaceful sleep. I stayed awake for a little longer before drifting off into sleep with her. The intimacy of it soothed something in me, and I felt just a little closer to her than before. I smiled.

I couldn’t wait to ask her what the hell had happened at dinner.

Sunlight streamed through the window, painting stripes across the bed. The warmth, however, couldn’t quite penetrate the chill of the poison that crept through me. I pushed through it. The darkness yielded easier than it ever had. I cracked open one eye, blinking away the remnants of sleep. The bed next to me was empty and cool. Morgan had been gone for a while.

I sat up, scanning the room. The privacy barrier shimmered over the door in her colors. I felt her and several others on the other side of the door. A sense of unease settled in my stomach. Had it all been a drunken dream? Just then, a faint murmur filtered through the door, followed by the unmistakable voice of Doctor Shang.

I frowned, staring at the door. What was going on?

The murmur grew louder. Another voice followed, and I recognized it.

It was Keiji.

What the hell was he doing in my chambers?

The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride: