Page 156 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
A knot lodged itself in her throat. She could have been so close!
But it didn’t matter. She still had her point to make, and her plan could still work.
“Why are you stopping?” her father hissed.
“...We’re far enough,” Alezya muttered, pressing Lumie closer against her. “I don’t want my child too close to the dragon.”
Or the daylight, she thought to herself.
It was laughable to think the sunlight was more dangerous for her baby than the orange dragon outside. But Alezya had to be careful; she couldn’t have her father think she was too close to Kein. It was better if he still believed she feared the orange dragon. Still, she had a point to make.
Alezya took a deep breath, and after shielding Lumie’s ear that wasn’t pressed against her bosom with her hand, she shouted.
“Kein!”
Her voice reverberated along the walls of the tunnel, all the way to the entrance she knew to be after one turn, opening into a large crevice of the mountain.
She waited a couple of seconds and was about to shout again when a loud growl made them all jump. Everyone but Alezya took a step back in fright. There was a violent gust of wind andthen a deafening boom. A ruckus as loud as a thunderstorm came from the other end of the tunnel, shaking the walls around them and even making the floor tremble menacingly. They heard furious dragon growls, claws ripping against stone, and the terrible forewarning sounds of boulders crashing.
Alezya retreated back into the cave, nervous as to how much damage Kein could do against the mountain in its frustration.
She could hear it growl furiously, trying to rip the mountain apart to get to her, and she felt grateful for the dragon’s stubborn loyalty.
“Kein, tawa!” she shouted again.
The rumbling stopped, but they could all sense the dragon a few steps away, its growls quieting down. Its warm breath sent faint gushes of hot air down the corridor.
After a few more seconds of unbearable tension, Kein let out a long, low-pitched growl, and they heard it take off. Alezya let out a faint sigh of relief.
“Do you believe me now, Father?” She turned toward him with a triumphant expression.
Her father had gone pale and wide-eyed, staring at the other end of the tunnel with sheer confusion painted on his face. Clearly, he hadn’t been ready to believe her.
“Wha—... How did you do that?” he grunted.
“I told you I learned a lot from the Dragon Clan by observing them,” she muttered.
“Do it again,” he hissed. “Call the dragon again!”
“No.”
His glare could have burned, but Alezya didn’t cower. She held Lumie a bit tighter in case he tried to hurt them and returned his intense glare, resigned to stay defiant.
“What?” he spat.
“I learned how to call the dragon by myself,” she said. “You can’t do it, and I won’t do it and risk my daughter again.”
“I could have you and your bastard child killed right this instant!” he shouted.
“Yes, Father, you could. But then you would have no dragon child and no way to call a dragon and impress the other clan chiefs,” Alezya retorted fiercely. “Your choice.”
For a few seconds, her father kept glaring at her, visibly furious but considering his options. He was still the cunning, vicious all-mighty man she had once known and been scared of, but Alezya was the one who had changed. If she could face a dragon without fear, she could sustain her father’s glare.
His eyes turned toward the end of the tunnel, and he licked his lips.
“K-Kain!” he called, butchering the dragon’s name.
They all waited, but there was no response, which brought a faint smile to Alezya’s lips.
