Married To The Dragon Prince Against My Will-Chapter 285: MAKE A NEW LIFE WITH YOUR MOTHER MUDERER

Lumina watched Ashen’s face crumple the moment Ero’s words landed. The color drained from him, leaving his eyes hollow, his shoulders sagging under an invisible weight.

He stared at the floor as though the stone tiles could explain why the woman he had called mother his entire life had slipped away without a single word, without even a glance back at the son she claimed to love.

"No... this can’t be," he whispered, voice cracking on the last word. "She freaking left without even caring about the son she never called hers... without making any explanation to me."

Lumina had never seen him look so small. The dragon prince, the man who commanded fire and fear, stood broken in the middle of his own office. She rushed forward and grabbed his arms, fingers curling tight around his sleeves.

"Hey... why are you feeling mad?" she asked, anger edging her tone because she hated seeing him like this, hated that the queen still had this much power over him even in death.

Ashen glanced at her, eyes glassy, then pulled her into his chest without warning.

His arms locked around her so hard she felt every shudder that ran through him. Lumina wrapped her arms around his waist in return, pressing her cheek to his heart even though her own body still trembled from weakness. She knew he needed her right now more than air.

"My lord, I am sorry for intruding," Ero said quietly, reminding them both he was still standing there. "But you need to go to the palace right now."

Lumina nodded once and gestured for Ero to leave. He bowed and slipped out almost immediately.

After several long minutes, Ashen finally eased his hold. He exhaled roughly, wiped a hand down his face, and met her eyes.

"Let’s go to the palace," she said softly, offering a small smile as she slipped her hand into his.

"You shouldn’t feel bad," she added while they walked. "She doesn’t deserve you getting mad."

Ashen tried to force the pain down, wanted to lock it behind the same iron control he used on everything else, but it refused to stay buried.

This woman might not have raised him, but it still doesn’t change the fact that she was still his mother.

No matter what truths Alexis had thrown at him, no matter what poison she had spread, she was still the only mother he had ever known. Forgetting that wasn’t possible in a single afternoon.

They walked in silence the rest of the way, hands clasped, faces set in the same grim lines everyone else in the corridors wore. The entire palace seemed to hold its breath.

When they entered the great hall, the scene hit like a physical blow. Queen Rhynera’s body lay on a simple bier in the center of the room, draped in white silk embroidered with silver dragons. Prince Adam knelt beside her, shoulders shaking, one hand clutching the edge of the cloth as though he could pull her back by sheer will.

The royal family stood in a loose semicircle, King Aden on his high chair looking carved from stone, Alexis rigid at his side, Breilla hovering near the edge like a shadow waiting to be noticed.

Rhynera sat on a cushioned bench nearby, face buried in her hands, shoulders trembling in what looked like perfect grief.

Lumina’s stomach twisted with dark satisfaction. This was the moment she had waited for, the crack she had helped widen until it finally split everything open.

She released Ashen’s hand and moved forward. Ashen stepped toward the bier instead, each footfall heavier than the last.

When he reached his mother’s body he stopped, staring down at the still face, never caring once about him. Pain slammed into him so hard his knees nearly buckled. Ashen’s throat worked. He couldn’t speak.

"Finally, now that you are here, we can all take heart for what has occurred," King Aden said, voice flat and formal.

Ashen looked up at his father and felt something cold settle in his chest. How was the king sitting there so composed? This woman had shared his bed for decades, borne his children, worn his crown beside him. Where was the grief? Where was even the flicker of loss?

"Father..." Adam’s voice broke the silence. He stared at Aden in raw disbelief, the queen’s last whispered words echoing in his head. "She was your wife. Is this how your feelings changed instantly?"

King Aden leaned back in his chair, eyes steady. "Because I care about her, will her funeral rites not be done in the proper way everyone who passes?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Father!" Adam surged to his feet. "You killed her! I pleaded for you all to save her! Did you do so? No. Now she is dead and you want to follow the funeral rites!"

Aden let out a deep, weary sigh. "I cared about your mother even though she did things to displease me most of the time. But I was not in a position to save her. Why do you think I could? I gave her punishment for her behavior and this is the first time I have done so."

"Father!"

"Take him away if he cannot control himself."

Adam laughed, bitter and broken. He turned, eyes locking on Lumina where she stood near the edge of the crowd.

"You..." He took a step toward her. "Are you happy? It’s just going how you want it, isn’t it?"

Lumina narrowed her eyes beneath the blindfold, pretending she didn’t know he was addressing her.

"You’re compelling everyone to listen to you, right? You... little sly..."

Ashen stepped in front of her instantly. "Don’t cross your limit," he warned, voice low and lethal.

Adam laughed again, sharp and ugly. "You’re such a love loser. You think you can control this so-called woman? You think this woman is truly the one for you? Hope you don’t regret it in the future."

Ashen’s smirk was cold. "We are here for Mother. Don’t divert the words to my wife. Another silly word about her and I will make you regret it."

Adam groaned in fury, then swung back to the king. "Your Highness, after the funeral of my mother, I will leave this realm. I see no reason fighting for a place where I am not cared about one bit by any of you."

"Adam... you need to relax for a while and not act out of rashness," Aden said. "You cannot take your wife she is pregnant and needs the best care right now."

"I don’t care. I will go to a better place with my wife and child and begin our life there."

King Aden opened his mouth to reply when Serena pushed forward, ignoring Lord Drex’s attempt to hold her back.

"Leave with your wife?" Serena’s voice shook with rage. "What am I? I am carrying your child also! You don’t give a damn about me but this sly bitch!"

Rhynera balled her fists, nails digging into her palms, fighting to keep her composure.

"Well, I don’t give a damn about you or your child!" Adam snapped. "Get the heck out of my way."

Serena stared at him, stunned. "How... how could you?"

"Because I don’t care about you or your freaking child! You are a co-cubine!" Serena scoffed at this.

"Oh, that... You can’t even trust her," Serena fired back.

"Well, I just found out she has been giving the queen poison. I planned to let you all know when we got the news of the queen’s death. So go make a new life with your mother murderer!"