The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Tethered

EIRLYS POV

I felt different after that morning. Not because anything more had happened we’d only Vesed, touched a little. Even in the heat of it, I could still feel him holding back

No, it wasn’t about what we did. It was how it made me feel,

For the first time, I felt tethered to someone. And a part of me fluttered at the thought of being wanted, of being chosen.

At first, I thought it was meant to be a secret-something that would stay between us, hidden from everyone else,

But when Emma walked in that morning to bring my breakfast-me still straddling his lap, his hands exploring me like he hadn’t memorized every inch yet-Kierygan didn’t even stop. Didn’t even slow

I tried to pull away, but he growled low in his throat, daring me to move,

Poor Emma fumbled to set the tray on the nightstand, her face flushed as though she’d been the one caught doing something indecent. She mumbled a stream of apologies before hurrying toward the door

Kierygan had been openly affectionate since then enough to stir murmurs and raise a few brows Not from his closest allies, but from the other members of his council.

Good thing Mirael hadn’t returned yet. I wasn’t sure how she’d react if she saw us like that.

But Orryz, Callum, Evander-even Ulyanna-didn’t seem fazed. If anything, they looked like they’d expected it. Well, except for Callum, who couldn’t resist throwing me the occasional mischievous

Kierygan also sought me out more often now, appearing even when we’d only been apart for a short while.

So when he told me he wanted me to stay in his study today-instead of attending my lessons or sword training-1 was only half surprised.

Am I supposed to just sit here and watch you work all day?” I asked, settling into the seat across from him.

He glanced up from his parchment, then set down his quill with deliberate calm. “Maybe you could start helping me”

I blinked. “Help you?” I echoed, incredulous. “I don’t know the first thing about running a kingdom.”

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Chapter 96: Tethered

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He leaned back in his chair, a faint curve playing at his lips. “Then perhaps it’s time you learned.”

He extended a hand. “Come here.”

I hesitated, unsure what exactly he meant-but his hand remained outstretched, steady and expectant. With a cautious glance, I reached for it and stepped around the table.

The moment I came within reach, Kierygan tugged me onto his lap.

I blinked at him, trying not to look as flustered as I felt. “And how, exactly, is this supposed to help

you work?”

His mouth curved into a smirk-the kind that sent an irritating flutter through my stomach.” Immensely,” he said, without a hint of shame.

Before I could argue, he reached for a bundle of furled parchments tied with a dark red cord. ” These came by raven this morning. Reports from the outposts, letters from allies… and far too many trade negotiations.”

He leaned in, brushing his nose against the base of my neck. “I could use your help drafting

responses.”

My brows knit together. “What am I even supposed to say?”

“I’ll dictate,” he murmured. “You’ll write.”

So I stayed, still on his lap, holding the parchment steady as he began to speak. I wrote carefully, pausing now and then to make sure I captured his phrasing, trying desperately to ignore the heat of him beneath me… and the way his breath stirred the hair at my temple.

As he turned to his own stack of documents, his free hand would occasionally graze my thigh or

settle at my waist, steadying me as if I might slip.

We fell into a strange, quiet rhythm. Until the doors to the study swung open with an abrupt knock

that didn’t wait for permission.

Ulyanna swept in first, robes whispering over the stone floor, with Evander just behind-who stopped mid-step.

I jolted upright, heat flaring in my cheeks as I tried to scramble off Kierygan’s lap. But his arm

tightened around my waist, holding me firmly in place.

“Are you finished?” he asked, his voice unbothered.

I swallowed. “No.”

“Then stay right there,” he said, leaving no room for argument.

Ulyanna arched a sharp brow, the corner of her mouth twitching. Evander, meanwhile, leaned casually against the doorframe, a smirk tugging at his lips and mischief glinting in his eyes.

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Chapter 96 Tethered

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“I see you’ve appointed a new royal scribe,” Ulyanna said dryly as she settled into the chair across

from us.

“I have,” Kierygan replied, maddeningly casual. “And she’s been very helpful.”

Evander pulled up a chair beside her, and I shifted, acutely aware of how their eyes pinned me in place. Or maybe it was the heat crawling up my neck giving me away.

“You don’t need to look so flustered,” Evander said with a grin. “Dragons are natural hoarders of treasure. This one just happens to be hoarding something far more precious.”

“It’s true,” Kierygan said without missing a beat.

I would have paid anything in that moment to melt into the floor. Or catch fire and vanish into ash.

Kierygan finally sat up straighter beneath me and glanced at them. “What brings you here?”

Ulyanna folded her hands neatly over her lap. “We just came from visiting Ashteryn,” she said, her voice calm but weighted with purpose. “He said the runes are ready.”

The runes.

They’d been working on them for days-weeks, even. That was why Kierygan, Ulyanna, and Ashteryn had been away so often before the festival-searching for the right metal to forge them.

Kierygan’s fingers paused over the edge of the parchment. “How soon can we leave for

Val Thirael?”

Evander leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “The sooner we go, the sooner

we get answers.”

My breath hitched.

Kierygan turned to me then, his expression softening. “Do you want to do this, Eirlys?”

I hesitated-not out of fear, but because everything suddenly felt so real. A journey. A purpose. A path that, once taken, held no return.

I thought of the dreams that had haunted me for weeks. No, not just dreams. Memories.

I saw my mother’s face again, the way she had looked at me as she mouthed those soundless words. Her eyes were full of sorrow, full of love… but also urgency. A plea I was meant to follow.

I met Kierygan’s gaze, steadying the flutter in my chest, and gave a slow nod. “My mother wanted me to go to Val Thirael,” I said softly. “So that’s what I must do.”

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