Dragon King's Harem Chapter 526. Paranoia

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 526. Paranoia

“Sela,” I said, voice low. “Calm down. We need a plan.”

She exhaled through her nose, sharp, short. Her fists were still tight on her lap.

“You really want to help me, Your Majesty?”

I nodded, serious. “If I didn’t, there’s no way I would’ve requested you to prepare ‘that’.”

Her eyes flicked up.

“And no way I would’ve had Marissa develop the antidote for the poison. We’ve been prepping for this behind the curtains.”

“…True,” she murmured, her voice dropping into something quieter, something a little lost. She stared off at the horizon like her mind was replaying every warning sign she’d missed.

I let the silence sit for a breath.

Then I huffed out a sound, not quite a laugh. “Still... I didn’t expect the king would kill your childhood friend. I mean… he didn’t even know half the truth.”

Sela didn’t look at me, but she nodded slowly.

“And from what Sela know,” she said softly, “his family always played safe. They voiced their opinions, sure, but they never truly opposed the crown. They knew the cost. They tried not to cross the line…”

“But he did once,” I muttered. “Because of you.”

Her jaw clenched.

Her whole body went still, like the memory itself tightened her spine into stone.

“Yes…” she whispered, her voice frayed at the edges. “Once. It almost made him lose his head. He stood up in the Highhall. Said my name when they tried to strip my family of lands and title. Everyone told him to shut up. But he didn’t.”

I didn’t interrupt.

Sela swallowed, blinking fast. “Sela thought it was the first and the last. Sela begged him afterward not to speak again. Not for Sela. Said it wasn’t worth it. He laughed.”

Her hands were gripping the armrests now, knuckles pale. Her voice dropped to something so raw it barely made sound.

“He said, ‘What kind of man would I be if I watched my best friend burn and said nothing?’”

The silence that followed that was so thick it felt like the whole balcony held its breath.

And then she exhaled, slow, shaky. “Yet… He is dead now.”

I looked at her, at the sharp angles of pain she was trying so hard to hide, and for a second, I hated that I didn’t arrive sooner. That I couldn’t change what already happened.

“What confuses me most,” I added, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, “is the king’s decision to accept the Nymph Queen’s offer. Just like that?”

Sela shook her head, frowning. “It doesn’t make sense. Dwarves don’t trust easily. Especially not her kind. That king’s a traditionalist. He wouldn’t just throw away loyalty for a bride and a fancy alliance. Unless—”

“I bet,” a voice cut in smoothly from behind us, “because of the love scent.”

We both turned, startled.

There, leaning casually against the stone arch of the balcony entrance, was Marissa.

Marissa.

My Nymph.

She waved. “Hi.”

I blinked. “How the hell did you—”

“I bet you forgot I’ve been close with Sela lately.” She stepped inside with quiet confidence, avoiding the floor’s pressure plates and mana traps with practiced ease. “I remember where all the death spots are.”

Sela didn’t even look surprised. “You’ve been sneaking in again?”

Marissa shrugged. “Sela, you left the hallway ward down. That’s basically an invitation.”

I raised a brow. “Still doesn’t answer how you knew I was here.”

Marissa smiled sweetly. “I ran into Evelina on the way to your office. She told me what happened.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And what exactly did she tell you?”

“Enough,” she said, walking over and slipping into the railway on the balcony like it had been waiting for her. “The dwarf. The execution. The offer. The poison. The fact you’re boiling under that uniform.”

Sela blinked.

I sighed.

“But the part that matters,” Marissa added, crossing one leg over the other, “is this: the Nymph Queen doesn’t just use sex to manipulate. She uses pheromancy… scent magic. It’s ancient. Refined. Deadly.”

I leaned back, eyebrows raised. “You mean like perfume?”

“Not just perfume. Scented illusion spells. Enchantment oils. Love-dust woven into paper fibers.” She leaned forward slightly. “She could drug someone from a distance. Even kings. Especially kings. One letter, sealed with the right resin, and a target becomes emotionally susceptible. Memory fog, impulse override, obsession triggers.”

Sela’s brows furrowed. “That… would explain it. He wasn’t like this before.”

“Exactly,” Marissa said, nodding. “I’ve seen her do it before. During the Grove Wars, she turned a battalion of my father’s soldiers into her own guards just by bathing in Heartroot essence. The stuff causes loyalty conditioning through scent memory. It’s forbidden. But no one enforces laws on the Nymph Queen.”

I rubbed my temples. “And this is the same stuff she might’ve sealed in the diplomatic letter?”

“Most likely,” Marissa confirmed. “The moment he cracked it open, it would’ve hit him. Love. Lust. Trust. Depending on the blend. Mix it with a touch of dream pollen and he might’ve hallucinated her as his ideal partner. It’s psychological alchemy.”

Sela was quiet. Her eyes narrowed, but not in anger. In thought. She tapped her fingers slowly against the table. “So what you're saying is… the king was compromised before the offer even officially arrived?”

Marissa nodded. “Bingo.”

I exhaled. “Then we need to change our plan.”

Marissa tilted her head. “Which one?”

“All of them.” I looked to Sela. “If the king’s already under spell influence, any direct attack or revelation will look like treason or paranoia. We need subtle. Clean. Reversal tactics.”

Sela's voice was low. “Or we kill her before the wedding.”

I shot her a look. “We had found the cure.”

Marissa smirked. “And it’s ready. We just need our chance.”

We were quiet again. The breeze moved between us, bringing with it the faint scent of iron and roses from the palace gardens below.

For now, we had time.

But that wouldn't last.

And war, whether through blades or seduction, was already underway.