Reborn to Marry the World-Ending Phoenix Chapter 07
Elara’s POV
They dumped Lyra at my feet like a dead dog.
A month of torture had left her skeletal, covered in dried blood, a rag stuffed in her mouth. I nodded to my warriors. They ripped it out.
“BROTHER!” She screamed immediately. “HELP ME!
PLEASE!”
Seeing his sister’s condition, Draven’s eyes went red. ”
Lyra… what did you DO to her?”
I walked toward her slowly, voice cold as ice. “What did I do? Just gave her back everything she gave me.”
“Brother…” Lyra sobbed. “She’s INSANE… tortures me every day… please save me…
I crouched down and slapped her hard across the face.
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the trees. Her cheek swelled instantly.
“Remember that magical whip?” I smiled coldly.”
Remember how hard you kicked my stomach?”
“I… I was wrong…” She trembled. “I’ll never do it again…” Father walked over and stepped on her fingers.
“AAHHH-!” Lyra’s scream tore through the night.
“Talk.” Father’s voice was ice. “Tell your dear brother who really drugged that tea a year ago.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Lyra shook her head frantically.
Father pressed down harder. Bone cracked audibly.
“STOP! I’ll talk! I’ll TALK!” She writhed in agony. “It was me… I drugged it…”
Draven’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“I put sleeping potion in the tea…” Lyra gasped through tears. “I wanted you to drink it… then I could.
“Then you could crawl into his bed.” I finished coldly. “But you never expected ME to take the fall… or that Kael would get ambushed that same night…”
Lyra’s face twisted with rage. “YOUR fault! You BITCH! YOU picked up the wrong tea!”
“So you hated me?” I crouched down, gripping her chin. “So you blamed EVERYTHING on me?”
“You stole what should’ve been MINE!” Lyra screamed hysterically. “That night was supposed to be MINE! Draven was supposed to be MINE!”
“Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Draven stumbled back, face white. “I’m your BROTHER!”
“Brother?” Lyra suddenly laughed–wild, unhinged.
Think I care about blood? I LOVE you! Always have! I want to be your WIFE!”
I watched the pathetic scene, feeling nothing but disgust.
“Hear that? That’s your truth.” I turned slowly to
Draven. “Still want my forgiveness? Fine. I’ll give you a chance.”
Draven looked up, hope flickering in his eyes. “What chance?”
“Kill her yourself.” I pointed at Lyra. “The real murderer of your son.”
Draven’s face went sheet white. “Son… our child…”
“The baby’s NOT dead!” Lyra suddenly shouted. “You‘ re hiding him somewhere!”
I lifted a small crystal pendant from around my neck.
Inside—a pinch of ash.
“This is all that’s left of our child.” My voice was dead calm. “Want to know how he died?”
In the moonlight, the ash looked stark and cruel.
“No… impossible…” Draven’s eyes went huge.
“He suffocated slowly in that inferno, fighting to survive inside me.” I spoke flatly. “Your sister’s potion prevented normal birth. The dragonfire slowed his heartbeat more and more… until finally, he just stopped breathing. Inside me.”
“So tiny. So light. Never even saw this world…” I continued. “Just turned to ash…”
Draven collapsed to his knees, howling. “No… NO… my son…”
“You killed him with your own hands.” I placed the pendant back around my neck. “For a spy’s bastard, you murdered your own flesh and blood.”
“AAHHH-!” Draven clutched his head, sobbing. “I deserve to die… I deserve to DIE…”
He suddenly looked up, madness burning in his eyes.
He lunged at Lyra, dragon claws manifesting.
“YOU!” He roared. “ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU PSYCHO!”
Claws ripped into Lyra. Blood sprayed.
“AHH–brother… mercy…” Lyra nearly passed out from pain.
“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU!” Draven attacked again and again, eyes wild.
I watched coldly. Didn’t stop him.
When Draven finally exhausted himself, Lyra lay barely breathing in a pool of blood, twitching.
He crawled to me on his knees, pulling the dragon- marked dagger from his belt. “Kill me… Elara… please. .. end this…”
I took the blade, pressed the tip to his throat.
“Death’s too easy for you.” My voice was ice. “I want you alive. Suffering with guilt for the rest of your miserable life.”
I threw the dagger down and turned away.
“ELARA!” He screamed behind me. “KILL ME! PLEASE JUST KILL ME!”
I didn’t look back.
**Three Months Later**
The Moonwhisper family’s destruction of Ashwing Kingdom was total. We cut off all their mana crystal mines, bought out their vassal lords, turned their dragon knight legions.
The once–glorious Ashwing Kingdom crumbled in just three months. A thousand years of royal legacy–gone,
Dragon prestige shattered.
Draven lost everything. No kingdom. No power. No status. Not even dignity.
**Six Months Later**
“Lady Moonwhisper’s orders–stay the hell away! GET OUT!”
At the elven cemetery gates, guards shoved back a ragged man.
Draven.
Every day he tried to visit his child’s grave. Every time my people beat him back.
“Please…” He knelt, begging. “Let me see him… just once…”
Kicks and punches answered him.
He lay on the grass outside the cemetery, staring at that small gravestone in the distance, tears streaming. “Forgive me… Father’s coming to be with you…”
Rain started falling. He staggered to his feet, walked toward the cliff edge.
Moonlight hit his haggard face. He spread his arms wide and jumped.
When I heard about Draven’s death, I was teaching young girls elven language at Moonlight Academy.
Orphans I’d taken in. Including Gareth’s little sister, Lila.
Hearing the news, I didn’t pause.
“I see.” My voice stayed calm.
“Miss Elara, how do you pronounce this word?” Lila asked curiously.
I looked at her bright eyes and smiled–really smiled- for the first time.
“This means ‘hope.‘ Want to learn more, Lila?”
“YES!”
I stroked her hair gently. Gareth gave his life to save me. Now I’d spend the rest of mine protecting his sister and every child who needed help.
Outside, moonlight glowed soft. Elven songs drifted through the forest.
I took a deep breath.
Time to move forward.
THE END