Chapter 56

Draven didn’t cross the hanging bridge connecting the two trees. He simply disappeared before reaching Leeora’s door and reappeared in front of the door of the house next door. The door opened on its own—he didn’t even bother to knock to inform the owner of the house about his arrival.

Before he made any decision, Draven felt like he needed to make sure that he really wanted to keep her. He personally came to Ronan to determine this. If he had to use his last resort for the sake of this human, then she should better prove her worth.

As soon as the door opened, his gaze went towards the small body already shrinking back against the wall, looking like a cornered animal meeting a predator. This reaction made him frown.

“Is this how you greet your king?”

His red eyes were fixed on her trembling form, and his dark eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

Hearing the familiar commanding voice of this scary man, Ember’s arms were covered in goosebumps. She gulped, and remembering Leeora’s words, she tried to calm herself. With her head lowered, not willing to look at him, she tried to stand up from sitting on the floor. Her movements were slow and clumsy because she was injured, but it was worsened by the fact that she was shivering in fright.

“Forget it! Keep sitting,” he said, seeing her struggle which made him feel like she would take an eternity to stand up.

Ember obediently followed his order, though she straightened her posture with her head still lowered.

While his red eyes continued to observe her, Draven realized she was looking different that day. Instead of having her long messy hair cover her scarred face, her hair was tied in two braids like a young girl, making her look even younger than her estimated age.

“I am here to check something,” he simply said, not explaining exactly what it was.

She didn’t react as the fear she had towards him had enveloped all her senses. Her mind could not think, and her body refused to move. She heard the footsteps coming closer until a pair of long black boots came into sight. At that point, her heart was thumping loudly inside her chest.

“Turn around,” she heard him say.

She clutched her dress, not knowing why this man towering over her small figure had asked her to turn around.

“Are you deaf?” His tone was impatient as he hated slow and clumsy people.

This thing in front of him was a combination of things he hated the most—a human being and annoyingly slow to react. She was wasting his precious time.

Not only was she a frustrating creature, she was also an ungrateful one. He could see her trembling worsened, as if he’s someone who treated her badly.

Was he not the one who saved her life twice in a row? He even graced her by treating her wounds. What more did she want?

The more he thought about her behaviour towards him, the more he lost his patience.

“Is it that difficult for you to turn around?” he asked, his voice icy cold.

Despite her reluctance, Ember finally turned around while seated on the floor, her fear further heightened thinking what the man standing behind her planned to do. She could barely breathe when she felt him kneel behind her.

Her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it would jump out of her chest. She was absolutely terrified with this closeness. His large and tall build was looming over her frail body, and she felt like she was being cornered between the wall in front of her and this man behind her. His shadow that was falling on the wall in front of her was making him look even more gigantic.

She’s like a tiny mouse about to be swallowed by a large predator.

The moment she felt something touch the back of her neck, she felt her soul leave her body in fright.

‘He’s gonna strangle me! He’s gonna kill me!’

The King, who remained ignorant of the misunderstanding, had no intention to hurt her. He was merely kneeling on one leg, his hand moving not to strangle her but to pull down the collar of her dress to check the skin of her nape. It was easy for him to check as the back of her neck was not blocked by her hair this time since her hair was braided.

Nothing.

There was no mark at the back of her neck. With a frown, Draven decided to pull the fabric downwards, thinking the fire mark he saw in his dream might be hidden a little lower as her dress’s neckline was high.

Still nothing.

He did not notice Ember let out a soft choking sound as his fingers pulled the neckline of the dress to see her entire nape and even her shoulders. He could see nothing but the bones clearly visible through her thin skin.

Draven felt himself getting angry. He felt irritated by the fact he might have wasted his time coming to Ronan. He could not accept that he almost ruined his kingdom’s peace for a disgusting human.

‘What if the mark is on another part of her body?’

It didn’t have to be on her nape. It could be on her back, or her shoulder, or on top of her heart like his dragon tattoo.

‘If I can’t find it, I will throw her out to the human villages.’

Slam!

The door of the house that he had left open slammed closed, causing the girl to let out a pitiful whimpering sound.

“Don’t move,” he said and the next moment—

Riiiiiip!

‘H-He tore my dress…’

Ember could not stop herself from letting out a gasp. A gust of cold wind touched her bare back, and her eyes widened at the realization of what had just happened. Her dress was about to slide down her shoulder but she held it immediately. Due to the injuries on her body, Leeora didn’t let her wear inner clothes but she was covered in bandages.

However, she felt his hands pull on that last cover of her body, loosening the bandages until her back was fully exposed under his gaze. Tears welled up in her eyes as it felt humiliating.