Dragon King's Harem Chapter 552. Temporary Solution
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 552. Temporary Solution
My lips twitched before I could stop it.
It was our antidote.
I let out a slow breath, the kind that barely moved my chest but somehow loosened something deeper. My shoulders didn’t drop. My posture didn’t change. But inside?
Yeah.
That tension coiled in my gut eased just a little.
But seems like this one wasn’t for the king.
No.
This? This was meant for the guests.
My gaze lowered slightly, unfocused for a second as the pieces arranged themselves.
Which meant…
The real poison?
Wouldn’t be here.
Wouldn’t be handled by these nervous, mid-level operatives whispering in corridors like they were afraid of their own shadows.
No.
That one would be personal.
Held closer.
Protected.
By the bride.
I almost smiled at that, but it never quite reached my face.
The groom was the target. The dwarven king.
And if someone wanted to ensure success?
They wouldn’t trust it to chance.
They’d deliver it themselves.
My jaw tightened slightly.
So tomorrow?
Yeah.
I’d be very careful about what went into my mouth.
Food.
Drink.
Even the damn air if I had to.
Because if they were bold enough to poison a whole hall of guests, then they were confident.
Who knew they had a backup plan?
My focus snapped back.
The little dragon froze mid-glide, its wings barely twitching as it clung to the underside of a carved arch. Something shifted in the corridor. Not loud. Not obvious.
Subtle.
Too subtle.
The kind of movement that didn’t belong.
I leaned in.
Not physically.
Just awareness sharpening, pulling tighter around the thread linking me to it.
There.
A flicker.
A shadow that didn’t quite match the torchlight.
The dragon shifted its gaze.
And I saw it.
A bird.
Small.
Black.
Quiet in a way that didn’t feel natural. Not like prey trying to hide. Not like something afraid.
No.
It was calm.
Watching.
Its wings barely moved, its body perched near a narrow window, silhouette blending into the night beyond. For a second, if I hadn’t been looking through a shadow creature, I might’ve missed it entirely.
But then… Its eyes.
They locked onto my dragon.
Sharp.
Aware.
Knowing.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe differently.
Didn’t react outwardly at all.
That tiny shift hit instantly.
Recognition.
That wasn’t just some random scout.
That was intentional.
That was trained.
That was…
Ah.
My lips pressed together, barely holding back the almost laugh that tried to slip out.
The Phoenix Queen.
Phoenix Queen wasn’t the type to sit back and trust surface-level peace. Not when something smelled off. Not when power was moving under the table.
Which meant one thing.
She felt it too.
Same suspicion.
Same unease crawling under the skin of this entire situation.
My dragon tilted its head slightly.
The bird didn’t flinch.
It just watched.
Then a small movement.
So subtle most would miss it.
But not me.
Not through this link.
The bird’s head tilted.
Toward the window.
Toward the sky.
My gaze followed.
And I understood.
Yeah.
We couldn’t talk here.
Too many ears.
Too many eyes.
Too many things that listened without needing to exist.
And even if we tried?
Spies like this?
They didn’t speak.
They observed.
Which meant if we wanted anything more than a silent acknowledgment?
We needed distance.
Open space.
Air.
Away from stone.
Away from roots.
Away from everything that belonged to dwarves and nymphs.
The sky.
My dragon stilled for half a heartbeat.
Then gave the smallest nod.
Barely noticeable.
But enough.
The bird responded the same way.
Agreement.
Clear.
Efficient.
Both moved.
Fast.
The bird vanished first, slipping into the night beyond the window like it had never been there.
My dragon lingered just long enough to confirm the corridor was clear.
Then it dissolved.
Shadow peeling away from stone, collapsing inward before snapping back through the thread...
And returning to me.
The connection snapped cleanly.
Silence.
Darkness behind my eyelids again.
I opened my eyes.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like I was waking up from something deeper than sleep.
The room came back into focus.
Dim light.
Warm.
Too warm.
And then…
“Ah~ Your Majesty.”
I blinked once.
Evelina.
Still going.
Still committed.
Her voice hit different now that I wasn’t half inside a spy creature. Softer. Closer. Wrapped in a tone that was just… Dangerous. For my lil’ dragon inside my pants.
I shifted slightly in my seat, rolling my shoulders once before standing.
And that’s when I noticed the bed.
Or rather… what it had become.
Vines.
Leaves.
Layered carefully across the surface.
Soft.
Springy.
Honestly?
Way better than whatever rock slab we were given earlier.
I stared at it for a second.
Then at Marissa.
Then back at the bed.
“…You made a forest.”
Marissa didn’t even look up properly, just gave me a side glance, arms crossed, expression still carrying that faint irritation.
“Temporary solution.”
Sela snorted softly from where she leaned against the wall, arms folded, clearly amused.
“Temporary? Sela thinks Sela’s falling in love with it already.”
Evelina, meanwhile, looked entirely too satisfied with herself as she smoothed one of the leaf layers.
“Well~ at least now the ‘scene’ feels more realistic.”
I inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
“Phoenix Queen also dispatched her spy,” I said.
That cut through the room instantly.
Sela straightened.
Marissa stepped closer.
“And?”
I walked toward the window, glancing out at the dark sky beyond the palace walls.
“And she’s thinking the same thing we are.”
Silence.
A short one.
But heavy.
Evelina spoke again, softer now.
“You’re going to meet her?”
I nodded.
“In the palace?”
That one came from Sela.
Flat.
Direct.
Already disapproving.
I let out a small breath, shaking my head.
“Too dangerous.”
Marissa raised a brow.
“So?”
I glanced at her.
Then at the others.
And for a second, I felt that familiar pull.
The one that said don’t go alone.
The one that said stay.
That said this is how people get caught.
Or worse.
But then… I smiled.
Small.
Calm.
Certain.
“I’ll use a portal.”
Sela’s expression tightened.
“You’re going alone.”
Not a question.
A statement.
I met her gaze.
“Yeah.”