Dragon King's Harem Chapter 533. Peace Through Ashes

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 533. Peace Through Ashes

“When I entered hibernation, it was to heal. But during that time… factions shifted. Some rulers saw opportunity. Some thought I was weakening. Others believed the protector of the realm had finally shown a crack.”

“Some kingdoms couldn’t remain within their territories,” I continued. “Some rulers tested boundaries they never would have dared cross before. Some thought my absence meant vulnerability. That the myth of Igixar’s protector had limits.”

Evelina rested her chin against my shoulder, her breath warm against my skin. “But you do have limits, Argod.”

I scoffed quietly, though it lacked real humor. “I wish I didn’t.”

“Do you?” she asked gently.

The question cut deeper than any blade.

“If I were invincible…” I murmured, staring at the moons reflecting across the palace towers, “would I lose myself to that power?”

The thought lingered, heavier than I expected. Dragons were creatures of instinct, dominance, pride. Even I could feel the ancient hunger lurking beneath my control, whispering how easy it would be to end conflict with overwhelming force. Burn the enemies. Crush the traitors. Rule through absolute fear.

Peace through ashes.

Evelina’s fingers traced slow patterns across my abdomen, grounding me in the present.

“I think,” she said softly, “the fact you question that is why you never will.”

I turned slightly, resting my forehead against hers. Her eyes shimmered under moonlight, steady and unwavering.

The silence between us shifted, not heavy anymore. Just intimate. Honest.

My hand slid up her back, fingers threading through her braid, gently pulling it loose until her hair cascaded down like pale silk over her shoulders. She inhaled sharply at the sensation, her lips parting slightly as her breath warmed my chin.

“You worry too much when you should be sleeping,” she whispered.

“I am sleeping,” I murmured, brushing my lips along the curve of her temple.

“You are standing on a balcony, planning a political ambush while mentally mapping evacuation routes.”

“Same thing.”

She laughed softly, the sound vibrating against my chest as she pressed closer. My hands drifted along her waist, feeling the delicate tremor beneath her skin as her pulse quickened. The scent of her perfume mixed with the crisp night air, sweet and calming and dangerously distracting.

“You should rest,” she murmured again, though her fingers had begun tracing slow lines along my shoulders, her touch feather light and teasing. “Tomorrow will demand everything from you.”

“I could say the same to you,” I replied, tilting her chin upward so I could meet her gaze properly.

She smiled, softer now, warmer. “I rest better when you do.”

I leaned in, pressing a slow kiss against her lips. Not urgent. Not demanding. Just deep enough to remind both of us how close this storm truly was. Her hands slid into my hair, holding me there for a moment longer than either of us intended.

When we parted, her breath lingered against mine, warm and sweet.

“Come to bed, Argod,” she whispered.

I turned away from the railing.

The chamber welcomed me with warmth immediately. Hearthfire crackled low inside carved obsidian braziers, throwing amber light across silk drapes and dark stone pillars etched with ancestral dragon runes. The bed waited in the center of the room, massive and layered in velvet sheets dyed deep crimson and black, embroidered with threads that shimmered like molten gold when light touched them.

I moved toward it slowly, exhaustion settling into my bones in waves now that the tension of planning had loosened its grip.

Evelina followed quietly behind me.

I reached the bed first and sat on its edge, elbows resting on my knees, fingers loosely interlocked. The mattress dipped under my weight, the scent of lavender and ember spice rising faintly from the cushions. My shoulders felt heavier than my armor ever did.

I heard her footsteps shift behind me.

She was about to leave.

I didn’t turn. I just reached back and caught her wrist gently.

“Stay,” I said.

She paused.

“You mean…” she started, her voice hesitant, almost teasing.

I shook my head, finally looking up at her. “No. Not sex. I just… want you here. With me.”

For a moment, surprise flickered across her face. Not because she disliked the request. Because it was rare. Dragons like me were built to dominate, command, take control of space and emotion and battlefield and bedroom alike. Vulnerability was not our first language.

But she understood it anyway.

She nodded softly and slipped onto the bed beside me, folding one leg beneath her as she settled against the pillows.

I leaned back slowly, letting my head rest against the carved headboard. My muscles ached in that deep. The ceiling above shimmered faintly with protective glyphs the real Argod had installed years ago. I watched them pulse slowly, each rune glowing like a heartbeat.

Evelina shifted closer.

Her fingers brushed my shoulder first. Light. Testing. Then she slid behind me and pressed her body gently against my back, her arms wrapping around my torso. Her cheek rested between my shoulder blades. Warm. Steady. Comforting in a way I didn’t know how to ask for.

It felt strange.

Comfortable. But strange.

“I’m tired,” I admitted quietly.

“I know,” she murmured.

Her hands began to move slowly, massaging the tight muscles along my ribs, then upward along my shoulders. She used healer pressure points without thinking, thumbs pressing circles that released knots I hadn’t noticed forming. Her touch carried faint traces of mana, not enough to heal, just enough to soothe. Like warm water sliding through cracks in stone.

“You carry too much alone,” she whispered.

“I have to,” I said automatically.

“You choose to.”

I didn’t answer.

Her fingers drifted to my neck, working tension out with careful, patient strokes. My eyes closed without permission. I exhaled, long and low, the sound vibrating through my chest.

“You remember,” she said softly, “the first time you woke from hibernation?”

I opened one eye slightly. “Hard to forget waking up feeling like my bones had been replaced with molten iron.”

She laughed quietly, her breath tickling my skin. “You were stubborn.”

I huffed. “I am.”