The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

MIRA

He looks breathtakingly, wearing human fashion clothes. Not that his usual black and grey ones didn’t suit him. But this novelty makes me blush for some reason.

“Tell me it’s not about that ex-fiancé of yours”, he grits through his teeth, sparks of magic in his eyes.

“You mean the dress?”, I bite my l*p again.

“Yes, Mira, I mean the dress,” he crosses his hands on his chest.

“Of course not”, I am trying to hold back a laugh, “It’s about them talking behind my back. And not in the best of ways.”

“You know, Mira”, he steps closer and pulls me into his arms, holding me by my waist, “I will buy you the whole shop if you want it, but I wouldn’t tolerate you thinking about others.”

“Well, then it’s good that I am not,” I chuckle and he slams his lips into mine. He is kissing me as if he is proving something, pressing me tight into his body, grasping the back of my head so that I can’t break the k**s even if I want to. Which I don’t.

When he releases me his eyes are filled with dark magic. So much that I gulp at the thought of what is going on inside him at the moment.

“Oh! Excuse me!”, Rose squeak as she barges in with the dress and I step away from Derrien as he clears his throat.

“That’s fine!”, I smile at the assistant who is clearly shaken by the whole situation, “Come in!”

The poor woman places the dress on a rack next to us and curtsies again before leaving in a hurry.

“I’ll wait outside”, Derrien says abruptly and then looks at Rose, “Make sure she is happy with everything.”

He opens the door to walk out and almost bumps into Amalia and Elenora, who are leaving angrily.

“This is outrageous!”, one of them says, “I’ve been waiting for this dress for months!”

“I am not coming back here! Ever!”, another says, fuming.

Derrien turns and gives me another playful glance before finally walking out and I bite my l*p.

I feel guilty, but not too much. It felt too good.

Gods, gerdians influence me in the wrong way…

After Rose has helped me with the dress, shoes, and found a light summer cape, I walked out into the main room and met Derrien’s thoughtful gaze. He doesn’t say anything, just offers me his hand and we leave the shop.

He leads us into one of the best and most expensive restaurants in the capital. I am not surprised anymore when people recognize him there as well. But when they lead us to the private royal box at the very top of the building, the one where even Tristan and his family couldn’t get in on most days, I am lost for words.

We sit down and Derrien creates a barrier around us. To my surprised look, he simply shrugs his shoulders, “Waiters can come and go, but no one outside of this will be able to listen to our conversation. I want to speak freely to you.”

“I see”, I look at the menu briefly and close it like nothing has changed there and I know exactly what I want. After we have ordered and the waiter brought our drinks, I take a sip and look at my companion. It should be a crime to be this handsome,

“You are going to burn a hole in me with those green eyes of yours”, he smirks.

“I don’t think it’s physically possible to burn a hole in a dragon”, I retort, putting my glass down, “So tell me. What exactly did you do that everyone is so terrified of you?”

“Nothing much,” he shrugs it off, “I am filthy rich and demand respect at all times. It’s enough.”

“I really don’t think so,” I smile at him, “Otherwise most nobles would get the same kind of treatment. And they don’t.”

“Alright, I am having dinners with the king here, when the need arrives. Once or twice a year. So, of course, the word spread among the local establishments. And also I am filthy rich and spend a lot here by your standards.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“That’s more like it”, I chuckle, “One mystery is solved. But why have I never heard of Killian Krauten before?”

“I am here not often, I don’t go to noble gatherings and don’t participate in anything. I don’t own any land and my title is just a title, nothing more. There is no reason for you to hear about me.”

“Makes sense”, I agree as the waiter brings in our appetizers. We both destroy them one by one pretty quickly as, let’s face it, by now we are both starving. And when our first course is brought, we also don’t speak much just enjoying the warm delicious food.

“One thing that I like about your Kingdom, Mira,” Derrien says in the middle of our second course, “Is the cuisine. It’s always exquisite.”

“That’s only because you are eating in the best restaurants. You should have tried a meal at the Academy! I wonder what you would say then!”, I giggle.

“Still, there are things to enjoy here in Akyrian Kingdom,” he says as he looks straight at me and not at his food.

“So”, I change the subject quickly, “When are you going to tell me that there was more than one murder at the Selection?”

“So, you guessed”, he smirks.

“Not really”, I confess, “You just “murders” and not “murder” in front of me once, and I kind of started analyzing it from there. And it made sense. Considering that I have joined the Selection later than everyone else. I am a replacement for someone, right?”

“Yes, Mira”, he nods slightly, “That’s right. Another girl was supposed to be in your place, but she was killed before she even arrived at the castle.”

“So, I could have avoided all that if she was alive?”, I sigh and meet a tense gaze.

“Do you still wish you haven’t come to the Selection?”, Rien raises his brow.

“I prefer not to answer this question at this moment in time”, I grin at him, using the excuse he used on me before and it makes him snort.

“You are really something, little mage!”

“So, tell me. What exactly happened to that girl and who was she?”, I come back to the topic that really interests me.

“Her name was Yana Belfour, the countess of…”

“I know who she is”, I interrupt him, “She was the only heiress of her family and had a carriage accident. Her horses went wild on a bridge and her carriage fell down into a lake! She couldn’t get out… It was the talk of the capital a month ago.”

“As you probably already realize, that wasn’t an accident. And she couldn’t get out because her doors were sealed with magic,” the gerdian says calmly, “She was trapped.”

“Oh, gods!” I cover my mouth, “But why? What could be the reason for someone to start killing the girls?”

“There may be very many reasons, Mira. Revenge, hatred, jealousy. It could even be one of the brides getting rid of the competition,” Derrien suggests.

“Well, isn’t everyone gets married in the end?”

“True, but maybe not everyone wants to see certain girls in the Empire?”, the gerdian sighs.

“Well, have you checked if Bella and Yana had someone in common at the Selection?”, I ask.

“Well, they both had you”, he says emotionlessly and I almost spit out my drink.

“You are not serious!”, I meet his gaze.

“Well, you would be my prime suspect if you haven’t joined later than everyone else and if I haven’t been with you during the time of your roommate’s murder,” he then smiles at me, “And if I didn’t get to know you personally…”

“Uh-huh”, I blush, “And how did it happen that you know all the best restaurants and shops but have no idea about Aspen’s artifact?”

“I needed clothes and food, but I have no need for any artifacts. Besides, ours are better anyway,” he replies bluntly and I roll my eyes. Of course, human magic is far too weak for them to pay any attention to it. What was I thinking?!

We walk out of the restaurant an hour later, both in a surprisingly good mood and that’s when I bump into him…