Villain Awakening: Rising to the Strongest Dragon God-Chapter 54: Intelligent Wife

The Grand Hall carried a legacy in its bones.Tapestries lined stone walls, woven with histories of Valir victories, demon wars survived, province’s defenses.

Dragon motifs were threaded through fabric at an ebony table that could seat twenty but accepted only seven tonight.

Through slick copper doors. Auryn entered with Lyra beside him. Her bearing was as elegant as ever. Each step draws eyes even from servants and guards.

The table was radiating with delicacies. From roasted game to different baked pastries and soup that looked actually enticing to Auryn.

Eva Valir rose first in Auryn’s presence then her children followed a heartbeat later. Castor remained seated until his wife’s glances forced him upright.

"Your highness. Please." Eva gestured toward the head opposite Castor. Her approach was gracious. Protecting her family as best as she could.

Auryn took the seat while Lyra settled to his right.

Across the table to the left, Daren couldn’t eat. Refusing to look up all this while. An unseen weight labouring the young man’s mind.

Claudia on the other hand, watched Auryn with green eyes that carried her mother’s intelligence and none of her father’s restrictions.

Cara simply peeked over the table’s edge, curiosity winning against shyness.

Eva cleared her voice, her attempt to avoid the suffocating silence and some small talk.

"The eastern wing rooms—are they to your liking?"

"Very much so. Thank you." Lyra nodded softly.

"The journey from Ashen Grove must have been quite exhausting." Eva asked as she picked up some food and placed it in her mouth.

"Indeed, it was," Auryn replied this time.he slowly sliced the rare cooked meat.

Claudia’s melodic voice soon broke the uneventful conversation.

"Is it true Ashen Grove still holds spatial distortions?"

Claudia’s eyes narrowed. Her hand fiddling.

"The texts say Dragon God Ignaris fought his brother there but none explain why reality fractured."

I didn’t know that till I meet Crixus. Auryn thought while keeping an amused expression.

Castor’s fork stopped midway through some greens. His voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"Claudia. The prince doesn’t—"

"Madness," Auryn leaned forward slightly.

"Crixus conquered until he became pure hunger. When Ignaris intervened, their battle tore space itself."

Claudia’s eyes widened like a scientist who made a breakthrough discovery.

"The texts didn’t mention his name. Just ’the fallen brother.’"

"The Church rewrites history." Auryn’s tone shifted. It sounded engaged and almost excited.

"Crixus’s madness doesn’t fit their narrative of dragon nobility being divine blessing. It’s easier to erase his name than explain how power corrupts."

Claudia nodded slowly in understanding even as Lyra looked at Auryn. What he refused to tell her was now being broadcast at the table of the enemy.

"But Verdant Springs formed after, didn’t it?" Claudia probed more, while she looked further forward matching his posture.

"Ignaris wept and his tears—"

"—crystallized on cursed ground." Auryn finished her sentence.

"Divine essence meeting corruption. The springs heals because grief transformed rage into something pure."

Claudia smiled genuinely. She wasn’t expecting this when she was told about dinner. She wasn’t expecting someone that knew even more than the Eastern Archives.

She soon lost herself to his controlled and yet free threads of brilliance.

"You’ve read the Eastern Archives?"

"No, I experienced Verdant Springs firsthand," Auryn said with a shrug.

Lyra watched the exchange. Her amber eyes tracked how Auryn’s shoulders relaxed, how his voice lost its calculated edge.

He was talking to Claudia simply. There wasn’t anything ceremonial about it. There wasn’t any walls put in place.

"There are ruins near the northern border, you know." Claudia continued.

"The structures are believed to be created even before the empire itself," she paused for some water allowing the heart rate of her parents to lower slightly. At this point they were on the edge of their seats.

"No one knows who built them," she continued without a fuss.

"The Savage Kingdoms," Auryn’s responded without reservation for the first time ever in this new world.

"Before dragons unified the continent, city-states were ruled through construction magic. They built monuments that reshaped terrain and more"

He said excitedly even as his knives and forks clicked with plates, with everyone else looking like visitors while the lore eating couple lived in their own bubble.

"Construction magic? I’ve never—"

"Its a lost art. The techniques died with these civilizations when dragons conquered,"

Auryn paused and finally caught himself leaning too far forward, mostly because of a little squeeze on his shoulders by Lyra.

His elbows were nearly on the table. He was more of a fanboy that was going through reddit topics with another die-hard fan.

Everyone saw it. The prince ignored formality because someone finally understood what he was talking about.

A small voice interrupted their conversation, seemingly eager to chip in all this while.

"Are you really a dragon, Sire?"

Cara’s question hung brave in the air, asking what her terrified brother couldn’t. Her curiosity took advantage of the situation at the table.

Eva tensed. Her demeanour shifted to one of horror.

Not you too Cara. she thought even as her lips opened.

"Cara, that’s—"

"It’s fine." Auryn raised a hand, turning toward the child. His expression was calm and welcoming.

"Would you like to see?" he asked already aware of the answer.

Cara nodded with huge green eyes like jade stars.

Auryn extended his left hand slowly across the table. His golden eye turned pure crimson like the other, shocking everyone at the table excluding his wife.

Suddenly, crimson scales rippled across his skin, gleaming in candlelight, each one settling into place with barely audible clicks.

Sharp and elegant claws slid from fingertips carrying an otherworldly sensation.

Cara gasped with wide eyes filled with delight. There was no fear, no reserve, just awe.

"You’re actually—" She tried reaching toward his hand but Eva caught her wrist gently.

"Be careful, sweetheart."

"They’re sharp," Auryn confirmed. Kept his voice soft.

"But I won’t hurt you," in that moment in time. He didn’t just see Cara but the smile of an extremely happy young woman. He saw Emilia vividly like she was there. With him.

I hope they’d gotten over me already

He withdrew his hand and the scales faded. Human skin returned as if they’d never left.

Cara stared at where they’d been. "That’s amazing!" She yelled in excitement.

"Manners" Eva merely rolled her eyes in Cara’s direction when Daren shoved his chair back.

"This is not cool," he said with heavy and muffled voice

"Varent is dead because of him," he said with voice simmered in anger as he bolted away after opening healing wounds.

Eva watched him go, then studied Auryn. The prince was definitely dangerous and Daren just opened their eyes to it again.

So why was he sitting here being gentle to her daughters.

She didn’t know what to do with that contradiction. It reminded her of when she met Vaedon for the first time.

They’re both bastards. she thought.

Castor cleared his throat. Trying his best to reclaim control of the table. He could already noticed the dents appearing in Eva’s armour after Daren open show of displease.

"About the military reports. You requested updates?"

He reached under the table and produced papers. Simple summaries of demon activity along borders. Bandit raids were suppressed and guild contractors activities.

Castor pulled out a sheet from the stack, waving it in the air. He knew these weren’t manners acceptable at a dinner but he had to salvage this one way or another.

"Contractor Nika Crowley has been the exceptional of them all. He cleared seventeen demon nests in three days near Hollowcreak. They say he wields a powerful Artifact"

Auryn’s expression didn’t change..But he paused for half-second before responding.

"This Nika." Auryn’s voice remained neutral. "Keep me informed of his movements."

Castor frowned slightly. Why would the prince care about some random contractor?

The thought ate at his chest. If only he had the gentle innocence of Cara or the intellectual curiosity of Claudia to just ask.

Dinner ended shortly after. Eva excused the remaining of her children with firm hands on shoulders.

Claudia lingered. "The Archives—if you’re interested, I could sho—"

"Tomorrow perhaps." Eva’s grip tightened on her like a mother bear and her cub.

"His highness needs rest,"

Cara waved as she left. Auryn nodded back. A playful smile on his face.

Lyra didn’t linger any longer either. Leaving the men alone. Castor stood grabbing the reports before moving towards Auryn.

"My apologies for my youngest and my boy."

"It’s fine" Auryn answered flatly. He took the reports from Castor as he spoke.

"We shall start sword training tomorrow. I believe"

"As you wish" Castor replied. His eyes carried defeat like a scout badge.

—--

Back at the chambers in the west wing.

"Claudia’s quite clever," Lyra said. Her tone was light.

"She is," Auryn answered absentmindedly.

"You seemed... engaged, you know talking with her." Lyra’s fingers traced the edge of her sleeve. Not looking at him.

"She understands things others don’t." Auryn’s answer came automatic and detached.

Lyra’s jaw tightened. Just for a second.

"She’ll make a good, intelligent wife."

Auryn suddenly stopped what he was doing. The bond flickered—something sharp but quickly buried.

He looked at Lyra, really looked. Her amber eyes were steady but her fingers nails fought against each other.

Is she—jealous?