Chapter 14 — The Jealous Dragon
Morning ca with tension thick enough to taste.
Ethan noticed it the mont he stepped into the guild courtyard.
Hunters who had once ignored him now watched openly.
So with curiosity.
So with respect.
Others with poorly concealed envy.
And at the center of every stare—
Lyssara.
She stood beside him as usual, silver hair cascading down her back like fresh snowfall, her expression calm and distant. Untouchable.
Except for one detail that was impossible to miss.
Their hands were intertwined.
Not loosely.
Not accidentally.
Claid.
The Dungeon Brides System shimred quietly.
Public Bond Display ActiveReputation RisingWarning: Social Aggression Probability Increased
"...Social aggression?" Ethan muttered.
"You are becoming visible," Lyssara replied.
"That tends to invite challenges."
"Wonderful."
He barely finished the word before a cheerful voice cut through the courtyard.
"Well, well... looks like the rumors are true."
A woman approached — tall, athletic, sun-kissed skin, and copper-colored hair tied into a high battle ponytail. A spear rested casually against her shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
Her armor bore the insignia of an A-rank strike squad.
Which ant one thing.
Danger.
But not the monstrous kind.
The complicated kind.
Her amber eyes slid toward their joined hands.
Then up to Lyssara.
Interest sparked imdiately.
"So you’re the famous ice beauty everyone’s whispering about."
Lyssara did not respond.
The woman’s gaze shifted to Ethan.
"And you must be the porter who suddenly isn’t a porter anymore."
"Ethan," he said evenly.
She grinned.
"Serena Vale. Vanguard captain."
He recognized the na instantly.
Fast.
Brutal.
Unmatched on the battlefield.
Also rumored to be aggressively competitive.
Her eyes lingered on him longer than necessary.
The system chid.
External Attraction DetectedDragon Bond Response: Elevated
Lyssara’s fingers tightened.
Not painfully.
Just enough to remind him they were still connected.
Serena noticed.
Of course she did.
"Oh?" she said lightly. "Possessive, are we?"
Lyssara finally spoke.
"He is my husband."
The courtyard went silent.
Serena blinked once.
Then laughed.
"I like her."
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is going to beco a problem, isn’t it?"
"Relax," Serena said, stepping closer. "I’m not here to steal him."
Lyssara’s eyes cooled another degree.
"Attempting to would be unwise."
The smile Serena gave in return held teeth.
"I enjoy unwise things."
The system flared suddenly.
Jealousy Response DetectedDragon Instinct Activating
A faint chill spread across the courtyard stones.
Hunters shivered.
Serena raised a brow.
"...Did the temperature just drop?"
"Yes," Ethan sighed. "That happens now."
Lyssara stepped forward — placing herself ever so slightly between Serena and Ethan.
The movent was subtle.
Ancient.
Territorial.
"You are standing too close," the dragon queen said calmly.
Serena looked delighted.
"Oh, I definitely like her."
Ethan leaned toward Lyssara slightly.
"You’re frosting the ground."
"She is evaluating you."
"So are you."
"That is different."
"How?"
"I already chose you."
Serena’s gaze sharpened.
"Chosen, huh?"
She tapped the butt of her spear against the stone.
"Good. Then you won’t mind if I borrow him for training."
"No," Lyssara said instantly.
Serena smirked.
"That wasn’t a request."
The air grew colder.
Frost crept visibly along the edges of nearby crates.
Hunters began quietly backing away.
Ethan exhaled.
"Maybe we don’t freeze the vanguard captain before breakfast."
Lyssara did not look away from Serena.
"Give one reason."
Serena answered first.
"Because if he’s bonded to you, he needs combat exposure beyond dungeon monsters."
She tilted her head toward Ethan.
"You want to survive the upper floors soday, don’t you?"
...She wasn’t wrong.
Lyssara knew it too.
He felt the conflict ripple through their bond.
The system chid gently.
Growth Opportunity DetectedDragon Resistance: Emotional
After a long pause, Lyssara spoke.
"I will observe."
Serena grinned.
"Oh no. Observation isn’t optional."
She pointed toward the training grounds.
"Co on, frost queen. Let’s see what makes you terrifying."
The sparring arena drew a crowd within minutes.
Hunters gathered along the periter, eager for spectacle.
Serena twirled her spear once before planting it in the dirt.
"Relax," she told Ethan. "Today’s just asurent."
Lyssara stood beside him — silent, watchful.
Radiating restrained power.
"Strike ," Serena said.
"...Excuse ?"
"If you hesitate like that in a real fight, you die."
Fair point.
Ethan stepped forward.
Frost gathered instinctively along his arm.
He lunged.
Serena vanished.
The spear shaft tapped his ribs before he could turn.
"Too slow."
Again.
He attacked.
Again she slipped past him effortlessly.
But on the third exchange—
Frost burst wider than expected.
Serena’s eyes widened as ice snapped toward her boots.
She jumped back, laughing.
"There it is!"
The system pulsed brightly.
Combat Adaptation Increasing
Ethan straightened, breathing harder.
Serena glanced toward Lyssara.
"You’re feeding him power."
"Yes."
"Dangerous."
"He is mine to endanger."
Serena barked a laugh.
"I knew I liked you."
Then—
She stepped closer to Ethan.
Very close.
Too close.
She adjusted his stance — hands briefly on his hips to reposition his balance.
The contact lasted barely a second.
But it was enough.
The arena temperature plumted.
Ice spiderwebbed across the ground.
Hunters cursed under their breath.
Serena slowly looked over her shoulder.
"...Are you serious right now?"
Lyssara’s voice was glacial.
"Remove your hands."
Serena did not.
Instead, she leaned closer to Ethan deliberately.
"Oh, this is absolutely jealousy."
"I do not experience jealousy."
"You just froze half the arena."
Coincidence.
Ethan sighed.
"Lyssara..."
Her gaze flicked to him.
The frost halted.
Barely.
But her eyes...
They burned colder than winter.
"I do not like others touching what is bonded to ," she said quietly.
The words sent an unexpected heat through his chest.
Serena lifted both hands in surrender — though her grin remained.
"Relax, your majesty. I was fixing his footing, not proposing marriage."
"You are breathing near him."
"...I hate to break it to you, but that’s unavoidable in oxygen-rich environnts."
A few hunters snorted.
Lyssara ignored them.
Instead, she walked forward.
Stopped directly in front of Ethan.
Then—
Without warning—
She slid her arm through his.
Pulled him against her side.
Claim unmistakable.
The system exploded with light.
Dominant Bond DisplayJealousy Converting to Territorial ReinforcentBond Stability 8
Serena whistled softly.
"Wow. You really are gone for him."
Lyssara t her gaze.
"I waited centuries for my king."
The courtyard went silent again.
Even Serena lost her smirk for half a heartbeat.
Then she chuckled.
"...Alright. I respect that."
She retrieved her spear.
"But listen carefully, Ethan."
Her expression turned serious now.
"Anyone bonded to power like hers becos a target."
He already suspected as much.
Serena’s eyes shifted toward Lyssara.
"Protectiveness is good."
A pause.
"But don’t cage him."
Lyssara answered without hesitation.
"A dragon does not cage what she treasures."
Sothing warm settled in Ethan’s chest at that.
Serena nodded once.
"Good. Then we’ll get along."
As the crowd began dispersing, Lyssara finally relaxed slightly beside him.
The frost lted.
Slowly.
"You nearly started a war," Ethan murmured.
"She touched you."
"It was training."
"She enjoyed it."
"...You enjoyed freezing her."
A small pause.
"...Yes."
He laughed under his breath.
Lyssara studied him quietly.
Then her voice softened.
"I do not apologize for instinct."
"I’m not asking you to."
Her fingers slipped into his again.
Cool.
Steady.
Possessive.
"But understand this," she continued.
"When others look at you..."
The air cooled faintly again.
"...they will learn you are not unguarded."
Ethan t her eyes.
"You don’t have to guard every second."
"I know."
"...I want to."
For once, the dragon queen looked almost uncertain.
As if the intensity of her own emotions surprised her.
The system chid softly.
Dragon Emotion DeepeningBond Evolution Approaching
Ethan squeezed her hand.
"Good thing I don’t mind."
Sothing gentle flickered across her face.
Rare.
Precious.
Then she stepped closer — her shoulder brushing his.
A quiet claim ant only for him this ti.
Yet as they left the arena together...
Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that Serena’s warning would prove true.
Because now the entire guild had seen it clearly.
The Frost Dragon Queen was not rely bonded to him.
She was fiercely,
undeniably,
jealously his.
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