Dragon King's Harem Chapter 558. Awake
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 558. Awake
The morning came.
Fast.
Way too fast.
Honestly, it felt like I closed my eyes for ten minutes and suddenly the entire palace decided today was the loudest day in recorded dwarven history.
Metal clanged somewhere outside before sunrise even properly settled in. Heavy boots marched through hallways. Servants moved back and forth carrying decorations, flowers, boxes, barrels, trays, probably enough alcohol to kill several kingdoms naturally without the nymphs needing to help.
Voices echoed nonstop through the stone corridors.
Dwarves shouting.
Laughing.
Arguing.
Someone dropped something massive at least twice already.
And it wasn’t even fully morning yet.
Yeah.
The palace was awake.
No.
The palace was vibrating.
Because today was the day.
The royal wedding.
The grand union.
The celebration.
The assassination.
Really depended on perspective.
I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, rubbing my face slowly while letting out a long breath. The leafy mattress beneath me shifted softly, still absurdly comfortable.
I slept well.
Shockingly well.
Probably because my brain already accepted chaos hours ago.
Evelina too.
She looked refreshed already, hair slightly messy from sleep but otherwise calm. Dangerous level of calm actually. Like she woke up and immediately decided emotional stability was mandatory.
Meanwhile…
Yeah.
Not everyone shared that experience.
Sela sat near the window, arms folded tightly, staring outside with the kind of exhausted focus people got after spending an entire night losing arguments against their own thoughts.
Marissa wasn’t much better.
She sat beside the small table, one leg bouncing lightly beneath her dress while dark circles sat under her eyes just enough to notice if you paid attention.
And I paid attention.
Because this wasn’t just politics for them.
This was personal.
Today might become the day their enemies finally paid for everything.
Or the day things became worse.
That kind of anticipation destroyed sleep.
I understood that feeling too well.
The room stayed quiet for a while except for the distant palace noise and the sound of cloth shifting as I started dressing myself.
Yeah.
Normally?
Servants would handle this kind of thing in my palace.
Royal outfits. Ceremonial layers. Jewelry. Cloaks. All the annoying nonsense rulers were apparently expected to tolerate.
But here?
No chance.
And honestly, I preferred it this way right now.
The outfit I chose still looked expensive enough to satisfy royal expectations, dark formal coat, gold embroidery along the sleeves and collar, layered fabrics that moved cleanly without restricting motion.
But simple.
No heavy cape.
No unnecessary accessories.
If things turned violent later, and they probably would, I needed to move.
The girls made similar choices too.
Elegant.
Practical.
Ready.
That alone already said enough about our expectations for today.
Evelina moved around the room quietly, carrying small glowing charms and light-based healing threads between her fingers.
Busy.
Very busy.
And very worried.
She stopped beside Sela first, placing a hand gently against her shoulder.
A soft golden light spread briefly.
Sela flinched slightly.
Not from pain.
Just tension.
“You still haven’t slept,” Evelina muttered softly.
“Sela tried.”
Sela’s voice came out rougher than usual.
Yeah.
Definitely no sleep.
Evelina frowned faintly.
“You need rest.”
Sela gave her a flat look.
“Ah yes. Let me peacefully sleep while waiting to possibly witness a royal murder and revenge against the people who ruined my family.”
Okay.
Fair point.
Evelina sighed quietly.
Then moved toward Marissa.
“And you?”
Marissa smiled weakly.
“That answer probably applies to me too.”
Evelina’s expression softened immediately.
She really worried about everyone all the time.
“You two look exhausted,” Evelina said gently.
Marissa looked down briefly at her own hands before letting out a small breath.
“I know.”
Silence settled for a second.
Then Marissa suddenly straightened slightly.
“…But don’t worry.”
That tone caught my attention immediately.
Not because it was confident.
Because it was prepared.
Marissa reached into her bag calmly.
“I knew this would happen.”
Ah.
There it is.
Alchemy gremlin mode activated.
She pulled out three small glass tonics filled with pale blue liquid that shimmered faintly every time the light touched it.
Sela blinked.
Evelina tilted her head curiously.
Meanwhile, my brain immediately went “Please don’t explode”. I guess Al managed to traumatize me with all of his weird inventions.
Marissa held one bottle toward Sela.
“This should help.”
Sela stared at it suspiciously.
“…What is it?”
“A calming tonic.”
Pause.
Then Marissa added proudly.
“With anti-fatigue effects.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“That explanation somehow made it more suspicious.”
Marissa ignored me.
“I tested it already,” she said confidently.
“…On who?” Sela asked.
Marissa paused.
A dangerous pause.
“Myself.”
Yeah no that didn’t help at all.
Sela looked even more concerned now.
Evelina, meanwhile, looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh at the situation while still maintaining healer professionalism.
“What are the side effects?” I asked carefully.
Marissa blinked innocently.
“…Minor.”
“Marissa.”
“Temporary,” she added.
“Marissa,” I repeated.
“Your tail might feel numb for a few minutes.”
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
Sela stared at her.
Even Evelina looked genuinely caught off guard now.
“Sela’s what?” Sela asked slowly.
Marissa waved her hand quickly.
“Only if you have one.”
“…I don’t.”
“Then probably fine.”
Probably.
PROBABLY.
I rubbed my face slowly.
Sela looked between the bottle and Marissa several times before finally sighing.
“At this point, Sela doesn’t care anymore.”
She took it.
Evelina immediately looked worried again.
“Sela—”
“It’s fine.”
Marissa handed the second tonic to Evelina instead.
“You too.”
Evelina blinked.
“But I slept.”
“Yes,” Marissa replied calmly. “Which means you’ll probably spend the entire day healing the rest of us.”
Fair argument again.
Evelina smiled helplessly before taking it.
Meanwhile, I pointed at myself.
“What about me?”
Marissa looked me up and down.
“You’re weirdly stable.”
I looked offended.
“Excuse me?”
“You slept like a dragon in hibernation while the rest of us were emotionally collapsing.”
“That sounds healthy, actually.”
“It was terrifying.”
Evelina nodded immediately.
“He didn’t even move.”
I frowned slightly. “I move.”
“No,” Sela muttered while uncorking the tonic. “You become furniture.”