Dragon King's Harem Chapter 557. The Edge of Disaster
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 557. The Edge of Disaster
Argod’s PoV
I reappeared in my room.
The portal behind me folded shut with a low hum, blue light disappearing from the walls like it had never existed in the first place.
And immediately…
Warmth.
Not physical.
Well, partially physical.
The room itself was warmer than outside thanks to Marissa literally turning the bed into a forest ecosystem.
But no, that wasn’t what hit me first.
It was them.
The atmosphere.
The girls.
The way three pairs of eyes immediately turned toward me the second I stepped out of the portal like they’d been waiting for the exact sound of my boots touching the floor.
I rolled one shoulder lazily and let out a breath.
“Done,” I muttered.
The room stayed quiet for a second longer before I added, “Now we sleep.”
That sounded amazing right now.
Political conspiracies were exhausting.
“We’ll need a lot of energy tomorrow.”
And probably emotional stability.
Which unfortunately none of us specialized in.
I walked straight toward the bed without ceremony, loosening the collar of my shirt slightly as I moved. The vines and layered leaves shifted softly beneath the low light, looking absurdly comfortable now.
Marissa really went from “temporary solution” to “luxury forest mattress” in under an hour.
Talented woman.
Marissa watched me carefully from the side of the bed, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded beneath her chest.
“…You aren’t going to talk about what happened with the phoenix?” she asked.
There it is.
I huffed quietly through my nose and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.
“Nothing dramatic,” I said.
Three very unconvinced faces stared at me.
I pointed at them lazily.
“Don’t make those expressions.”
Evelina immediately smiled innocently.
Which somehow looked guiltier.
I sighed.
“Fine. Just the usual.”
I leaned back slightly, bracing one hand behind me against the leafy mattress.
“I told her what might happen tomorrow. The poison. Durharn. Seranaya. The kingdom takeover plan.”
Marissa’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And?”
“And I gave her part of our antidote.”
That earned reactions instantly.
Sela straightened.
Evelina blinked.
Marissa tilted her head.
“You trust her?” Marissa asked carefully.
I shrugged.
“Enough.”
Not fully.
Never fully.
But enough.
Honestly, trust between rulers was always funny.
People acted like it was some sacred emotional thing.
Most of the time?
It was just mutually assured destruction with eye contact.
Evelina sat down beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushed lightly against my arm.
“Is she going to help us tomorrow?” she asked softly.
I glanced sideways at her.
Then exhaled.
“Maybe.”
A pause settled across the room.
Not tense.
Just thoughtful.
“She isn’t on our side,” I continued. “Not really.”
Because that distinction mattered.
Seraphel wasn’t loyal to me.
She wasn’t one of my people.
But, I rubbed my thumb absently against the edge of the blanket.
“Depending on how the dwarves and nymphs act tomorrow…”
I looked toward the window.
“…she might become our side.”
Or at least the side standing closest to ours when everything exploded.
Which in politics honestly counted as friendship.
Sela had been quiet until now.
Too quiet.
Which usually meant her brain was overworking itself again.
“Your Majesty.”
There it is.
I looked toward her.
She stood near the far side of the room, arms folded tightly beneath her chest, expression caught somewhere between worry and restraint.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
I raised a brow.
“Of?”
“That they’ll blame you.”
I blinked once.
Then another.
“Blame me for what?”
Sela stared at me like I’d just asked what breathing was.
“For meddling in their business.”
She stepped a little closer, voice quieter now.
“Sela know you have me and Marissa. I know why you’re involved.”
Her fingers curled slightly against her sleeves.
“But… Your Majesty…”
There it was again.
That worry.
Not for herself.
For me.
“You’ve been intervening more lately.”
I watched her for a second.
Then slowly reached out.
My hand landed gently on her head.
Sela froze immediately.
Adorable.
“Don’t worry too much,” I muttered.
Her ears reddened slightly.
Cute.
“I can justify it.”
She looked up at me.
“How?”
I grinned faintly.
“With my status.”
Evelina immediately snorted softly because she already knew where this was going.
I leaned back slightly, counting casually on my fingers.
“I took over the Orc Kingdom because their king tried to take Evelina by force.”
Evelina smiled proudly beside me.
“Correct decision,” she said immediately.
“Obviously.”
I lifted another finger.
“Minotaurs because they cooperated with the orcs.”
Another finger.
“Snow Elven territory because the duke turned the queen into a puppet.”
Sela muttered, “Still terrifying you solved that in less than a month.”
“I was motivated.”
Marissa covered her mouth slightly, clearly trying not to laugh.
Then I lifted another finger.
“And the lizard king…”
A pause.
“…because he was an asshole.”
The room broke instantly.
Marissa laughed first.
Then Evelina.
Even Sela looked like she was fighting for her life not to smile.
“I’m serious,” I defended immediately. “That man deserved consequences. And this time is just the same.”
This room felt too normal.
Way too normal considering tomorrow might end in royal murder.
I exhaled slowly and laid back fully onto the leafy mattress.
…Okay.
Marissa actually cooked with this bed.
It was ridiculously comfortable.
I stared at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again.
“Just sleep.”
My voice came out quieter now.
More serious.
“We’ll need our energy tomorrow.”
Because tomorrow?
Tomorrow wasn’t politics anymore.
Tomorrow was survival.
And somewhere deep down, all of us knew it.
The room slowly quieted again after that.
Not awkward.
Just heavy.
Then I spoke again.
“They might need our hands to kill the king.”
That sentence settled differently.
Harder.
I turned my head slightly toward Sela.
“And if that time comes…”
Her eyes met mine instantly.
“…I’ll give him to you.”
The room stopped breathing for a second.
Sela froze completely.
Marissa looked at me sharply.
Even Evelina’s expression softened.
Because they understood what I meant.
Not strategy.
Not politics.
Closure.
Sela’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out immediately.
Meanwhile Marissa quietly asked, “What about the Nymph Queen?”
I stared at the ceiling again.
“She needs a lesson too.”
My voice cooled slightly.
“A bad one.”
Not death.
Maybe.
Too easy.
She needed to suffer a bit before it.
Something worse.
Something humiliating.
Then I smiled faintly.
“Something that comes from the dwarves themselves.”
Marissa blinked.
Then blinked again.
“…wait.”
Her eyes widened slowly.
“You mean—”
I smirked.
“Yeah.”
That was exactly why.
Why I ordered Sera to keep producing more bracelets.
I turned my head slightly toward them.
“This isn’t a war between races,” I said quietly.
“It’s a fight between kings and queens.”
A long silence followed that.
That silence said enough.
Because every woman in this room had already seen what happened when rulers dragged innocent people into personal ambition.
Kingdoms burned.
Villages suffered.
Children starved.
And rulers?
Usually blamed each other while sitting safely behind walls.
Not this time.
Not if I could help it.
I closed my eyes slowly.
The leafy mattress shifted softly beneath me as the girls finally started settling down too.
Outside, the dwarven capital still glowed in the distance.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Completely unaware it was standing on the edge of disaster.