Dragon King's Harem Chapter 474. Soft Spot
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 474. Soft Spot
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
The voice made me turn.
Jyne was awake. Her long hair was tangled over one shoulder, eyes still hazy with sleep, but focused—warm. Sela stirred too, stretching slightly as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.
I rubbed my jaw, realizing I must’ve been talking aloud.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Did I wake you?”
Sela yawned and shook her head. “No. But Sela heard you say… ‘a heir… a kid.’”
Shit.
I looked away, scratching the back of my neck like that would hide the flush rising up my throat. “It’s normal,” I said. “I need one. For the empire.”
Jyne sat up, adjusting the thin robe over her shoulders. “Is it because of Kaelen?”
I didn’t answer right away. I stared at the light filtering through the frost-laced windows, the way it painted shadows across the canopy of our bed like thin bars.
“Yes,” I said finally. “I guess… it got to me.”
Sela shifted beside me, voice soft. “Sela saw how you didn’t want to touch him yesterday.”
I exhaled. My jaw tightened. “Because I killed his soon-to-be father.”
That word still burned. Father. As if Cedric had truly earned that role. But in Kaelen’s world, he did.
“It felt… wrong. Improper.” I turned my gaze downward, hands clenched over the edge of the bed. “I know it sounds weird. And you might think this isn’t like me. And yes. I feel the same. Just… forget it.”
Jyne smiled faintly. “You have a soft spot for kids, Your Majesty. You were furious when you found out what happened in the Lizard King’s factory too.”
“Don’t mention it,” I grumbled. “I just did what I had to do. And stop teasing me.”
Jyne tilted her head. “It’s not teasing. Just truth.”
Sela leaned forward now, pulling the furs tighter around her small frame. “Sela doesn’t think it’s weird. Sela knows… you can’t just announce it. Your pride would never let you. But it’s not wrong.”
I said nothing.
“It makes you look like you…” she hesitated, then finished softly, “like you still have a heart.”
Maybe.
I stood up before I let the silence drag too long. The cold from the floor seeped into my feet, even through the thick rug. “Get ready.”
Jyne blinked. “For what? Breakfast?”
I nodded. “Yes. And maybe more.”
Sela tilted her head. “More?”
“The snow elven kingdom isn’t stable yet,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Cedric’s followers may not have a leader anymore, but they still exist. One loyalist with enough desperation can cause damage. And we still have that witch king and his daughter poking around.”
Jyne sighed. “And Almeric doesn’t like them.”
“Nope.”
I moved toward the small washbasin by the window and poured icy water over my hands. The sting snapped me a little more awake. I splashed my face next, rubbing away the last threads of whatever dreams had clung to me.
“They’ll want my explanation,” I murmured. “The other tribe delegations. The ones still pretending to be neutral.”
“Let them come,” Jyne said from behind. “You’ve earned the right to speak.”
“Words aren’t enough in court,” I said. “They want proof. Stability. Assurance I won’t burn the whole place down.”
Sela stepped up beside me. Her hand wrapped around my wrist.
“You won’t,” she said quietly.
I glanced at her.
She didn’t blink.
Yeah… maybe I wouldn’t. But sometimes… the fire wanted to rise.
We got dressed slowly. Jyne pulled on her layered robes, elegant and warm. Sela wore her usual reinforced dwarven coat, small but fierce. I put on my ceremonial black coat, lined with old gold threads. Hopefully, it helped others listen.
Breakfast was already being prepared by Maria’s staff—simple, cautious food again. No feast. Just survival.
I walked ahead of them, my boots echoing softly down the frost-slick halls. My mind wandered again—to Kaelen, to the nightmare, to the old memories that weren’t really mine but felt too close.
A part of me kept thinking of what Sela said.
That I had a heart.
That maybe… I wanted to be a father.
I clenched my jaw.
Maybe someday.
When I finally believed I deserved it.
The dining hall looked like it had been carved out of winter itself. The vaulted ceilings shimmered with frost-veined crystal, like the room had been born in a glacier. Soft light poured through high windows, pale and cold, illuminating long tables lined with carved chairs that had never quite been comfortable for someone like me. Too delicate. Too ceremonial.
But it was warm enough. And more importantly, it was full.
They were already waiting when we arrived.
Guards stood at attention, backs straight, eyes unreadable. Advisors from various clans sat in stiff lines along the sides. The smell of spiced bread and cold meats lingered in the air—preserved food, nothing fresh. This wasn’t a feast. This was survival dressed up in silver trays.
The herald stepped forward the moment we crossed the threshold. He didn’t hesitate.
“His Majesty, King Argod of Draconis Empire has arrived!”
My steps echoed as I crossed the hall toward the high table, Sela and Jyne behind me. The room shifted around me, like ice bracing itself against fire.
Maria stood when I entered. Regal as always. Her hair was bound up in white braids and silver filigree. The moment her gaze met mine, I could feel it—gratitude and grief, coiled together behind her eyes.
Kaelen was beside her. Still small. Still fragile. Still whole.
He looked up at me and flinched.
It was subtle. Just a jolt. His hands gripped the edge of his chair as if bracing for something. My breath caught. I didn’t move.
But Sela, who had been walking half a step behind me, peeked around my side and grinned like the world hadn’t cracked last night.
“Good morning, little prince,” she said softly, voice like warm honey.
Kaelen blinked. And then…
“Oh! You’re here!” His eyes lit up and wide. “I thought you were gone. Like Uncle…”
His voice trailed off at the end. Not quite a question. Not quite a statement. Just a wound left half-healed.