Bound To The Ice Dragon King-Chapter 145: Realization

Before Draven reached the Dragon realm, Rhea’s condition had worsened. She looked almost dead by the time he laid her down on her bed, her breathing had turned shallow, even her heartbeat was faint.

He immediately sent for the guards to get the doctors. Not long, two female doctors arrived to treat Rhea. They asked Draven to step out, but he insisted on staying in the room.

Ever since Draven had retrieved his Dragon form, the entire east clan had sensed his return. Everyone was weary of him, even the doctors couldn’t dare ask him to leave after he insisted on staying, they started to treat the unconscious girl on the bed instead.

As Draven watched the doctors begin to tear off the remaining clothing on Rhea’s body, he turned around to save her privacy. But he still didn’t leave. The room was filled with a sense of urgency as the doctors kept moving back and forth.

However, Draven’s worry grew with each passing moment. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, he just couldn’t. Even though she had his core, the fire whip had destroyed her human body, it had done a huge damage to her body.

Draven’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with countless thoughts. He had never felt this way towards anybody before, he had never had the fear of losing someone.

Nobody knew what he’d gone through in that damn lava for five days, he would have died if it weren’t for Rhea, she had saved him unknowingly by keeping his core alive, she had saved him by keeping him in her thoughts. She was the reason he survived that hell.

Though, under the lava pool was another barrier that held his Dragon form, behind the barrier was like stepping into another world, but that other world was nothing but a ruined inferno. It didn’t have lava in it, but it had intense heat that was capable of burning a human’s flesh. He had stayed five days in that place as his Dragon form had been weakened for being there for twenty years. If Rhea hadn’t called out to him repeatedly, his dragon wouldn’t have acknowledged his presence.

And after spending those days in what seemed like hell, he had seen his own immortal life flash before his eyes, however he hadn’t once feared for his own safety but Rhea’s, and the mere thought that she could possibly be in danger gave him a kind of strength that he could have never imagined. Everything around him was scorching, surrounded by death in every corner, but all his heart ever wanted to fight for was her.

He also couldn’t believe the sudden realization that hit him that she could possibly have grown to mean a lot to him, a lot more than he could have ever cared to admit, and the thought of not having her in his life filled his heart with a feeling of emptiness. He had always told himself that he could steel his heart and take her life for his core when the time came, he had seen the feelings in her eyes which he turned away despite her denying them. He had told himself that he could be the ruthless Dragon king again without a heart or feelings to achieve his revenge for Alina’s betrayal, however perhaps Rhea had awoken his sleeping heart without him even knowing it.

And appalled by the gravity of it, Draven realized he had already gone in too deep, if he ever happened to lose her, then he would be nothing but an empty shell.

Draven recalled when he had successfully retrieved his Dragon form, his only thought was to go back to Rhea, he hadn’t thought she had been taken but there had been a nagging feeling of her being in danger that he couldn’t just shake off. Thus, he flew back to the Dragon realm just to find out that the fire controllers had indeed taken her. He had felt restless and panicked, he was scared that the worst had happened to her. He had immediately connected to his core and realized she was still alive, but her life energy was so weak, it was like she was on the verge of death.

He had panickingly used their connection to call her name, he was so relieved to know that she was still there. He knew he couldn’t get to her immediately, thus he reassured her,

’Rheanna, if you can hear me, please don’t give up, I will come get you soon, endure a little longer, my girl. Wait for me...’

The connection hadn’t been that strong because of her weakness, he wanted to hear her voice and asked about her condition but it broke off before she could speak. But it was then that he knew what it was like to feel immense fear for someone else’s life.

Draven didn’t waste anytime and went to meet king Henry to give him another chance with the soldiers. Thankfully the king agreed to him. He swiftly planned another attack to get the leaders of the fire controllers distracted so he could go and get Rhea. However, last night before he left to go and get Rhea, Zack had stopped him on the way. Draven was so frustrated that Zack had stopped him at a time his mind was only on Rhea, he had told Zack,

"Whatever you want to say can wait, I have an important matter at hand. Rhea needs me."

Despite Draven’s response, Zack remained undeterred and reminded him, "Didn’t you mention that you’re only using her? Why are you in such a rush to save her instead of letting her die, which would make it easier for you to regain your core?"

Draven had completely forgotten about the core matter until Zack brought it up. Nevertheless, at that moment, he cared little about the core and retorted, "Her life is more important than anything, Zack." With that, he brushed past his friend.

Draven’s thoughts were broken by the doctor’s words that snapped him back to the present.

"I am not good at treating humans. But I think she should be fine given time, however we can’t do anything about those deep burn wounds on her body, it will take time for her to recover."

Of course, it would take time. Those wounds were too deep, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to get his hands on Azure and return the favor of giving her this much pain. He felt the urge to look for the bastard and torture him to his grave. However, at this moment, all he wanted was for Rhea to get better first before the thought of revenge.

Draven nodded in acknowledgement, he then sent the doctors away and told them to call for the servants on their way out, so they could change Rhea’s clothes and clean her body.

As the servants entered the room to tend to Rhea’s body, Draven’s gaze still remained fixated on her sleeping form. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her side, fearing that any moment away might be a moment too long. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he sees for himself that she was awake and fine.

Draven wasn’t the type to easily show his emotions or let himself worry this much about a person. But in this moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of vulnerability. Rhea’s well-being meant everything to him, and the helplessness he felt was almost suffocating.

Unable to quell his helplessness, Draven paced back and forth in the room as the maids cleaned her up. But as if having another thought, he called one of the maids and sent her to the kitchen, requesting that they prepare Rhea’s favorite dishes. He wanted to ensure that when she woke up, she would find comfort in the palace and the taste of her beloved food.

However, he knew the chances were slim for Rhea to be the same again after what she’d experienced. She’d lost Cal, and he could tell she blamed herself for his death, not to mention Azure’s betrayal...

As the room quieted, Draven pulled up a chair beside Rhea’s bed and took her hand in his. He couldn’t help but notice the fragility of her delicate fingers against his own, a stark contrast to her usual spirited nature.

Time seemed to stand still as Draven sat there, his eyes never leaving Rhea’s bruised face. A pang of pain pierced his chest, and he pressed her delicate hand to his face, he then closed his eyes as if to collect himself before he said,

"Rhea, I am sorry you went through all this because of me." He knew if she hadn’t stepped into his world, she wouldn’t have had to go through this, nor would she be taken a traitor in her own land. She had suffered a lot for something that wasn’t actually her fault.

"I will make it up to you, I’ll try not to disappoint you again." His words were barely audible as he gently covered her body with a blanket.