Chapter 7: She is The Dragon

"My Prince..." Ravynne's voice barely carried.

"I..." The words refused to come.

The silence lasted only a heartbeat. Leander stepped in front of her completely. His body blocked every suspicious stare before it could reach her. He never looked away from Leif. His fingers tightened around Ravynne's hand.

"Enough."

His fingers tightened around hers. Only then did Ravynne realize she had been gripping his hand so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Leander didn't pull away.

"Seven years." Leander's voice carried across the silent garden.

"For seven years, every crisis this kingdom survived had Lady Ravynne standing at its center."

He looked slowly around the crowd. "If she were the monster Commander Morvain claims..."

He gestured toward the palace. "...none of us would still be standing here."

The words settled heavily. Several guards exchanged uncertain looks. One lowered his rifle. Then another. The whispers weakened.

Leander finally looked at Leif. "I don't know why you've fabricated this accusation."

His voice remained controlled. "But if your purpose was to provoke me... You've failed."

Servants and guards exchanged glance. They looked at Leif with a knowing gaze, whispering about the commander's behaviour.

Behind the crown prince, Ravynne closed her eyes. He believed her. The realization hurt more than Leif's sword. Because she knew... he was defending a lie. And if the truth ever reach the surface, he would be the first person destroyed by it.

King Aldros raised one hand. The whispers stopped immediately.

"The Crown Prince has spoken for Lady Ravynne. But..."

His gaze shifted toward Leif. "My son is not a man who draws his sword without reason."

Leander frowned deeper in respond.

"Now...Commander Morvain will explain why he drew his sword inside my palace."

---

The atmosphere shifted again. If the court believed the king bastard son had attacked an innocent woman on his first day... they would destroy him before sunset.

King Aldros looked directly at his son. "I want your explanation."

Leif answered coldly. "I already gave one."

Leander looked at him for a long moment. "You call that the truth?"

There was no anger in his voice. Only disappointment.

"You returned after fifteen years...and the first thing you did was place a sword at an innocent woman's throat."

He glanced at the gathered court. "Then you ask everyone here to trust your accusation without a single piece of evidence."

Leif finally looked at him. "I shot the dragon."

The garden fell silent. Leander frowned. "...What?"

Leif's eyes drifted past him. Toward Ravynne. "Twice."

He raised one finger. "The first Dragonbane round entered here." He touched his own shoulder.

"The second..." His hand moved beneath his collarbone. "...entered here."

His voice never changed. "I watched both rounds strike. I watched the dragon fall into the sea. No human survives Dragonbane."

Leander slowly turned. "...Is he talking about you?"

Ravynne's lips parted. Every answer destroyed someone. If she denied it, Leif would never stop. If she admitted it, everything ended today.

"...He's mistaken." Even she didn't believe how empty the words sounded.

Leif laughed. A dry broken sound. "Mistaken?"

He stepped closer.

"I hunted that dragon for fifteen years. You think I'd forget where I fired?"

Leander immediately blocked his path. "You've said enough."

"No." Leif's voice sliced through the garden. "I haven't."

His eyes locked onto Ravynne. "Show them."

Her heartbeat stumbled. "...What?"

Leander's expression hardened. "You will not touch her again."

Leif ignored him. His entire attention remained on Ravynne. "...Show them."

Ravynne froze. Her eyes searched the faces around the garden. Everyone eyes focused on her.

Then they found Leander.

"...No." Her voice cracked.

Leif's grip tightened. She never looked at him. In the tower, she'd searched only for his eyes. Now... every frightened glance found only Leander.

Something inside Leif went quiet. She had already chosen who she wanted to save.

Leif took one step. Leander moved first. The commander shoved the crown prince away. Leif caught the sleeve of Ravynne's blazer.

"LEIF!"

Ravynne's eyes widened. "No—"

RRRRIP! The sound echoed through the entire garden. Every servant gasped. Fabric tore apart. Ravynne stumbled backward. One hand instinctively clutched the torn jacket across her chest.

Leander shoved Leif backward with enough force to stagger him. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

His blazer came off immediately. He wrapped it around Ravynne's shoulders before anyone else could see more. His hands trembled.

"Are you insane?" All gone the gentle crown prince.

No one answered. Because everyone... including Leif... was staring at her exposed shoulder.

Her shoulder... was smooth. Leif frowned. The first Dragonbane round had entered there. It supposed to be there.

His gaze slid lower. Beneath her collarbone. The second wound. Nothing. Not even the faintest scar.

His breathing slowed. Then his gaze drifted lower. Her forearm. The place where crimson scales had coiled around her skin beneath the Red Moon.

His pulse skipped. "Your arm."

Ravynne stiffened. She instinctively pulled Leander's blazer tighter around herself. That single movement... looked like confirmation. Before anyone reacted, Leif caught the edge of the sleeve and pulled it back just enough to expose her forearm.

Nothing was there, the coiled dragon mark was gone. His fingers loosened around the fabric.

"...Impossible." The whisper barely escaped him.

He knew what he had seen. He remembered the kiss. The glowing mark that stopped him. The dragon eyes. The Dragonbane rounds. He remembered everything.

'So where... had it all gone?'

For the first time in fifteen years... Leif questioned his own memory.

Ravynne saw it. Just for an instant. Real confusion. He hadn't expected this. He had truly believed the wounds would still be there.

The servants looked between them. "...There's nothing."

"I don't understand."

"He said he shot the dragon..."

"But..."

King Aldros watched his son carefully. He had expected rage or hatred. Instead... Leif looked like a man watching his entire world collapse.

Leander drew Ravynne closer. His blazer completely hid the torn fabric now. His eyes burned with open disgust.

"You humiliated an innocent woman... in front of my entire court."

His voice shook. "For nothing."

Leif didn't answer. His eyes never left Ravynne. Her fingers searched behind Leander's back until they found his hand. Only then did she breathe again.

His fingers slowly opened. Without realizing it... his sword slipped lower.

...

His breathing lost its rhythm. The world around him blurred. 'No. That wasn't possible.'

Several hundred meters away...hidden behind a marble pillar... a phone camera lowered. The recording ended.

Leif's sword. The accusation. The torn sleeve. Everything had been captured.

A thumb tapped Save. A quiet smile appeared. "...Perfect."

The screen went black. Whoever held the phone... walked away smiling.