Chapter 06
Hasollan Odair couldn’t tell if this was reality or just a dream after death. If it was a dream, it was far too vivid and lasted too long. When she tried to wake up by jumping off the pavilion, she found herself trapped in the Faikal Palace again. The one who locked her in was now begging her not to die, his face full of despair.
What made even less sense was that he used the word “mate” so casually.
“Hasollan.”
The Imperial Guard was riding to Sancerre because another dragon had awakened. Hasollan vividly remembered the first time she awakened Akelans, before she had tried to take her own life. Back then, he had seized the capital, Impel, in an instant and easily suppressed the young dragon that had awoken days later. He had everything the young dragon lacked—tremendous power, experience, wisdom, and the support of Impel.
And…
‘And he had me.’
Hasollan pressed a hand against her chest. A dragon with a mate was the rightful heir to the empire. The young dragon had no mate. Akelans had Hasollan. That was all that mattered.
So Akelans would go out, meet the politicians of Impel, secure his succession, and ascend to the throne once again. He had done it once before and ruled for over a decade—this time, it would be even easier.
“Solaris.”
But instead of asserting his authority or rushing to secure his reign, Akelans simply stayed by Hasollan’s side, keeping watch over her. It was as if he feared she might try to die again.
“I’ll do anything for you. I promise.”
“Ju…”
Just kill me. That was all she wanted. Hasollan opened her mouth in fury, but before she could even say the words, Akelans cut her off, his face suddenly cold.
“Anything except that. I won’t allow it.”
It was an order, spoken by a ruler. A proud, powerful emperor’s command.
Hasollan, who had been barely holding herself together, finally snapped.
“You’re the one who told me to die once! You didn’t care whether I lived or not!”
So why does it matter now? What does it matter to him what she does, where she goes?
For fourteen years—from the age of twenty-three to thirty-seven—Hasollan had never once cried or complained to Akelans, the all-powerful emperor. She had been too afraid of being deemed unworthy of being his mate. And it had all been for nothing.
“What do you want from me? You told me to die, so I did! And now you want me to live?”
She shouted, no longer caring about dignity or composure. If he didn’t like it, he could just have her executed.
“…I was wrong.”
Akelans clenched his jaw before finally admitting it.
An emperor never asks for forgiveness. Never apologizes. The fact that this man, the highest and most powerful being in the world, was saying such words to her—it was surreal.
“I did something I never should have done.”
This has to be a dream, Hasollan thought.
Everything felt too real the texture of her surroundings, the warmth of his hand, the air brushing against her skin. It was so vivid that even as her mind screamed that this was reality, she couldn’t believe it.
How could the emperor—Akelans—apologize to her? It was impossible.
“I was a fool.”
A dragon, a creature that had lived for thousands of years, admitting to foolishness? Unheard of.
“I can’t do anything without you.”
His hands trembled.
It was no wonder—he had just witnessed Hasollan run out and throw herself off the pavilion the moment she heard him call her his mate.
“So please, don’t make that choice again. I’ll do anything for you.”
Unrequited love turns people into fools. It makes them give endlessly and rejoice over the smallest crumbs of affection.
Hasollan, who knew just how painful, how stubborn, and how exhausting such love could be, spoke firmly.
“I don’t need you to do anything for me. I don’t want anything from you. Just go back to doing things the way you always have.”
Akelans stared at her, his mate, with an unreadable expression.
“I am not your mate. So let’s just live as we were supposed to.”
The Akelans Hasollan remembered would have dismissed her words without a second thought.
But instead, his eyes turned red with rage as he growled, “You are my mate.”
That wasn’t supposed to happen. That wasn’t supposed to be possible.
This has to be a dream.
“I made a mistake, pushing you away. And after that, I watched you die, over and over, waiting for the moment you would wake me again.”
Hasollan was speechless.
“Don’t worry too much. You don’t want to be an empress, and I have no intention of being emperor.”
What?
She felt like she had been hit over the head.
Not only was he saying he wouldn’t make her empress, he was saying he wouldn’t even be emperor.
“That’s… that’s ridiculous.”
Hasollan laughed incredulously.
“I had to fight tooth and nail just to get close to the empress’s seat, but I never actually became one. And you—you’re a dragon. You’ll be emperor whether you like it or not. The people won’t just leave you alone.”
At that moment, a cautious voice spoke from outside.
“Your Majesty, there are those requesting an audience.”
Hasollan shot Akelans a knowing look.
“It’s probably Sir Filchio’s people. A man ambitious enough to become Grand Chamberlain wouldn’t miss this chance.”
Filch had supported Akelans from the start, holding Impel in his grasp throughout the civil war. He had risen to power as Grand Chamberlain, and Hasollan remembered all too well what had happened fourteen years ago.
It would happen again.
Akelans would take the throne. And Hasollan would once again be left in a meaningless position.
“You think you can avoid becoming emperor? Is that even possible?”
Hasollan sneered.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Akelans stood up.
“I need to handle this. But let me make one thing clear—I’ve already told Lowell, my sister, that I won’t be emperor. But if you use your power to fight and run, the rumors will spread. Everyone will know you’re my mate.”
Hasollan clenched her fists.
She had never wanted to punch someone so badly in her life.
“You can go. But running away from me isn’t an option.”
Akelans’ eyes glowed dangerously.
‘He’s insane.’
The dragons were insane.
