My Choice: A War God vs A Fake Dragon Chapter 07
Chapter 7 The Last Gamble For A Throne
News traveled quickly back to the Phoenix clan.
F
The father who had always protected her had already died. The current sovereign of the Phoenix clan was our father’s nephew.
But he was bullied by Selene when he was young.
When he heard what had happened, he gave only one response.
“The Phoenix clan has only one princess, and that is Mira.”
With nowhere else to go, Selene lingered outside my palace like a beggar clinging to the last door left open to her.
The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. “Mira-”
I cut her off at once. “You are mistaken. I am not your sister.”
Tears spilled down her face as she clutched the hem of my dress. “I was wrong. Mira, I was truly wrong.”
Her voice shook violently. “I didn’t steal your man on purpose. I only wanted to become Dragon Queen. I couldn’t stand being looked down on anymore. I couldn’t stand people questioning who I was.”
I looked down at her. “So you decided to sacrifice me instead?”
Her sobbing stopped.
I said evenly, “Selene, I gave you two chances. The first time, I confronted you in private. You turned the accusation back on me and had me thrown out. The second time, before the succession rite even began, I warned you. You said I was cursing you.”
I let the words fall one by one. “I already did all I could.”
She had barely started crying again when blood suddenly welled at the corner of her mouth.
I frowned. “Are you trying to stage one last tragedy in front of me?”
A bitter smile curved across her lips. “After you left, Cassian went mad. He stripped me of my core magical power with his own hands. Then the Dragon Queen had me beaten.”
Her breath weakened with every word.
At the end, she whispered, “If only I hadn’t wanted so much…”
Then she died.
I ordered my attendants to bury her properly.
That very night, the Dragon King issued twelve urgent decrees in a row, summoning Kael to the front lines.
The demon clan had invaded again.
Finished
Only three days earlier, the battle between dragons and demons had claimed the Crown Prince’s life and brought the realm less than ten days of peace.
This time, the clan was terrified.
No one but Kael had the strength to steady their morale.
I waited through the night in uneasy silence and eventually drifted into a shallow sleep.
When I opened my eyes, Cassian’s face was right in front of me.
We were standing on the Dragon clan’s altar.
There was no one else around us. Cold wind tore through the open space and whipped my hair across my face, making me shiver.
Cassian’s expression had turned savage.
The Dragon King’s crown and the High Priest’s scepter had been laid beside him. Clearly, he had come prepared.
“Mira.”
He spoke my name in a low, feverish voice.
I refused to answer.
But he seized my hand so tightly it hurt, like a drowning man clinging to the last thing that could save him. “Look at me.”
His eyes were bloodshot and frantic. “I’ve already lured them all away. No one is coming to stop me now.”
I looked at him, exhausted rather than afraid. “You really intend to skip past the Dragon King and force the inheritance rite without the clan’s blessing?”
He burst out laughing. “Exactly.”
Then he leaned close, almost triumphant. “So what if I’m not the Crown Prince? You still carry the true royal bloodline of the Phoenix clan.”
He spread his arms as though the world were already his. “What does it matter if the clan never accepts me? Once I become Dragon King, it will be done. The realm is under attack, Father is old and weak, and no one else can hold the line.”
His voice rose higher and higher. “In the end, all those fools who claim they won’t kneel to me will still have no choice. They’ll bow their heads and call me king.”
I was bound in celestial ropes and couldn’t even struggle.
All I could do was shake my head. “You’ve gone mad.”
He had crossed too far already. At this point, he only heard what he wanted to hear.
Soon, he began copying the High Priest’s ritual as best he could.
The storm above the altar thickened.
Thunder rolled.
This time, Cassian was full of certainty.
Finished
He placed the crown on his own head, fastened on ceremonial armor, and pulled me to his side at the center of the altar.
Then he looked up at the sky and said with feverish conviction, “Once I become Dragon King, Mira, you will be my queen.”
The first bolt came down.
It cracked against us-And neither of us was harmed.
Ecstasy flooded his face. He clutched my hand harder. “It worked. It actually worked.”
Several more bolts descended one after another.
Still, he remained untouched.
He became even more delirious, muttering, “Caelan, I finally won,” only to turn around and curse Selene in the next breath.
At last, the final bolt began to gather.
That was when the others arrived.
The Dragon King’s voice broke with anguish. “You disgraceful son.”
The Dragon Queen cried out, “Cassian, how could you do something this foolish?”
The clan behind them had already erupted into noise.
Some of the captured demons had confessed. Under interrogation, they had revealed that the new invasion had been arranged from inside, with Cassian feeding information to the demon lord.
The war between dragons and demons had cost countless lives, and all of it had been fueled by his ambition.
Murmurs rose across the crowd.
“He sacrificed soldiers for his own gain.”
“And this is supposed to be the man who rules us?”
Cassian didn’t care.
He laughed and said, “All of it was for my throne. What’s a handful of dead soldiers compared to that?”
I said nothing.
Across the crowd, my eyes found Kael’s.
There was no hesitation in his gaze.
Only pain for me.
I looked away and turned back to Cassian.
Then I said softly, “But I do not want you to become Dragon King.”
