Chapter 3

I turn to Ella in shock and meet the challenge in her eyes.

She mouths the words at me.

“You belong with a lowly Ash Dragon.”

Ash Dragons have always been looked down on.

Other Dragon Houses treat them as weak and inferior, and they are often mocked or bullied because of their bloodline.

Without even asking whether Ella is telling the truth, Father summons a golden whip and lashes it across my body.

“You shameless disgrace!”

I clutch my bleeding arm.

The Dragon Prince I was about to choose immediately takes a step back.

The way he looks at me is full of contempt now.

Whispers break out around the hall.

“How shameless. She was already sneaking around with a man before coming of age.”

“I thought she was innocent. Who knew she had such terrible taste?”

I have not even had a chance to explain when Dorian steps in front of me.

His voice is serious.

“Princess Emma and I had never met before today. None of this is true.”

“There is no proof. How can you accuse her like this?”

Ella lets out a soft laugh.

“You’re already protecting her, and you still expect anyone to believe there’s nothing between you?”

She gives a small nod.

One of our maids immediately heads toward my room.

A short while later, she returns.

There is a dark dragon scale in her hand.

Ella looks at me.

“Emma, what else do you have to say?”

“This was found beside your bed.”

Dorian and I look at each other.

We are both stunned.

Then I suddenly remember the Dragon King’s birthday celebration last year.

Adrian looked down on Dorian because of his weak bloodline.

He had his men set fire to the road the Ash Dragons were traveling on just to humiliate them.

He laughed as the flames scorched their scales.

Ella had dragged me along to watch.

Dorian’s situation reminded me too much of the way Ella always treated me at home.

I could not bear to watch, so I turned away.

I never thought Ella would remember something that small for so long.

Or use it to set me up now.

I take a deep breath and clench my fists, ready to defend myself.

Then my personal maid suddenly drops to her knees in terror.

“Please forgive me, my lord!”

She looks up at Father.

“Princess Emma has been secretly meeting Dorian every month. I helped cover for her.”

I look up.

Ella is smiling.

And suddenly, I understand everything.

Even though she saw for herself in our previous life that The Ancestral Blessing had failed, she still does not want to take any chances.

She does not want me choosing a dragon from another powerful bloodline.

And she wants to make sure Adrian gives up any thought of taking me because of my blessing.

Father’s face turns dark.

He gives me two choices.

“Either kill yourself here and preserve the honor of this House, or take ninety-nine lashes and leave this family forever.”

Ella leans against Adrian, watching me like she is enjoying a show.

I look at the scale in the maid’s hand.

At a certain angle, a faint golden shimmer flashes across its surface.

It reminds me of a story Mother once told me before she died.

Something inside me settles.

I turn toward Dorian.

If there is no place for me in this House, then I will find somewhere else to belong.

“I’ll take the lashes and leave.”

Then I look directly at him.

“Will you choose me as your mate?”