The Dragon King's Substitute Bride (Morgan and Tsuneo) novel Chapter 116

CH116 

Morgan. 

I gasped, opening my eyes and looked up at Anya who looked down at me with concern. 

“Lady Morgan, are you all right?” 

back 

The memory began to dissolve, the sounds retreated back into Pyra’s memories, but I could shake the image of Siora’s face contorted in shock. I could still smell the blood in the air. Her lifeless body ripped apart and thrown everywhere as the war raged on around her. 

I swallowed and forced a smile, nodding. My heart pounding, tears stinging my eyes. 

“Sorry, I just… had a vision, I think.” 

Anya’s eyes widened. “You’re a seer, Lady Morgan?” 

I shook my head. “Not exactly.” 

I took a deep breath and stood. “Why don’t you rest for a little while longer? We’ll reconvene about this council business closer to lunch.” 

She nodded with a thankful murmur before lying back down. Pyra was oddly still and quiet in the back of my mind. 

“Do you know where Tsuneo is?” 

Haruka smiled. “Second lesson: listen to the palace. 

I chuckled, nodding, feeling silly. I reached out, searching for him, when I found him growling and pacing in his office. He looked up as if he could feel me searching for him, then he vanished. 

“You needed me?” 

I turned, gasping as he appeared behind me. 

Haruka squeaked. “When could you do that?” 

He chuckled. “Recently.” 

“I do,” I said and took his hand. “Could we speak privately for a moment?” 

and we floated and drifted through the shadows of the 

CHIÊ 

palace until we were back in our chambers, the fire was still crackling softly in the hearth. Tsuneo guided me to a chair and kneeled beside as tears started to slip down my cheeks. 

Morgan,” he whispered, his voice grounding me in the present, but the memory still echoed in my mind. 

“It was her daughter,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. “Pyra’s daughter… Siora. She looked just like Anya. She… she was killed in the war.” 

Tsuneo’s brow furrowed, his eyes searching mine for answers. Another light flickered in his eyes, 

but he blinked it away. 

“Why don’t you start from the beginning, Morgan.” 

I nodded, trying to make sense of what I had seen. “Anya looks exactly like her. I saw… I saw her death. Siora’s. A tiger- 

Tsuneo went stiff. I eyed him. “You know this story already.” 

Tsuneo looked away, his expression blank for a moment before he clenched his jaw. 

“Anya is an iridescent dragon, but I had never imagined…” Tsuneo shook his head. “We can talk at length about… the last time there was a Convening of the Celestial Compass and the hell that broke out, but… is Pyra okay?” 

I winced. “She’s quiet… I don’t think she meant to remember. I’m not sure if she meant to show it to me either.” I shuddered. “It’s like she’s grieving all over again. Seeing Anya brought it all back.” 

Tsuneo clenched my hands. I looked at my hands. The weight of Pyra’s loss settled heavily on me, but along with it came a deep understanding–of her pain, her silence, and the fire that burned inside her. Pyra had lost so much in that war, and now, as we faced the Convening of the Celestial Compass, her grief and rage were a part of me, just as much as her power. 

And now, I understood her fury, but what I didn’t understand was this low–level and persistent sense of fear. What had scared her so much? 

Tsuneo and I parted again and I went to find Haruka. She was already sitting with Maya in her private parlor, laughing over tea and snacks. There was a stack of records on the table as well. 

“Morgan, I hope everything is alright?” Haruka asked. 

I nodded. “Sorry, I just… needed to…” 

d 

to say. Pyra still wasn’t speaking to me. 

2/4 

“Anya will be here soon.” 

I was about to say something, fear and worry rushed through me, but I held it back. Anya had been through a lot, she had suffered greatly, but she was strong. Pyra’s desire to coddle her was understandable, but she wasn’t Siora. If she felt ready and able to contribute to the kingdom and the path forward, whatever that would look like, she deserved the chance to do so. 

So much had already been taken from her. I sat down and poured myself some tea. 

“Sounds great.” 

Haruka 

As Morgan joined us, I took a deep breath and basked in the memories that came flooding back. This was the place where I had spent so much of my time in the palace when I wasn’t with Hayato. I’d never had a formal council of ladies, the harem had never liked me enough, and I never found any of them trustworthy enough. There had been Maya, of course, but Anya had been too young for so long. 

“Lady Anya has arrived.”