Page 149 of Consort of the Dragon King

“But that’s not my fault!”

She ignored his protests as she continued. “Uncle Tatsuki loved that woman’s humanity more than he valued the love of hisbrother, who had always stood by his side and died for his cause.”

“I’m sorry about your father, but you’re blaming me for something that’s not my fault,” Auslin insisted with more confidence than he felt.

“That is not what you should be sorry about,” Kalassandria coldly said, making Auslin flinch back from her harsh tone. “I have despised Kio since he was conceived. I longed for the day when I could smite his miserable existence. However, my honor prevented me from doing so when he was too young to defend himself or understand exactly why I was stealing away his life.”

The shift in topics confused Auslin. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Imagine my surprise when I discovered the coincidence that despite Kio not knowing who Vanra was, he found a human mage of his own,” Kalassandria continued. “I derived great pleasure from seeing his misery at being rejected by everyone as the worthless scum he is, but then this human mage came along and gave Kio the acceptance he had craved his whole life. He showed that bastard a love he did not deserve.”

Auslin’s heart hammered from fear at the intensifying pressure of Kalassandria’s aura pulsating with her simmering rage.

Kalassandria continued her story. “I decided killing the human mage Kio did nothing to deserve would be the ultimate way of inflicting pain on that bastard halfling. I had two assassination attempts made, hoping to hurt Kio where it would inflict the deepest wound.”

“You tried to have me killed?” Auslin demanded in outrage.

Kalassandria’s flinty gaze sent shivers down Auslin’s spine. “I would have done it myself if I was certain I could have restrained myself from killing Kio at the same time. Imagine my surprise when my beloved cousin, who had withdrawn from the world in his heartache and shared my hatred of Kio, foiled my attacks because he could not bear someone who reminded him so much of Vanra being harmed.”

“You’re the one who sent the raccoon shifters and those shifter-hating humans after me!” Auslin had only survived because Kitsuki had coincidentally been nearby and saved him.

“I would have tried again if it were not for the fact I knew Kitsuki would stop my every attempt. I did not want him to figure out I was the one responsible for the attacks.” Kalassandria sighed. “I was irate that even though it had been centuries, someone with a resemblance to Vanra could cause Kitsuki so much pain. It made me wish all over again that I could get rid of you, once and for all.”

Hearing Kalassandria casually discussing her attempt at murdering Auslin terrified him. It took every ounce of willpower not to flee to the sanctuary of his room with Kitsuki.

“I thought I got lucky when you disappeared for almost two years,” Kalassandria said. “I relished Kio’s suffering during that time, but it was hell seeing Kitsuki becoming more withdrawn than ever. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Vanra magically reappeared, and impossibly, was the same Auslin who had been separated by time.”

“This entire time, you’ve known about my history with Kio and what happened in the past,” Auslin realized with a growing pit of dread in his stomach.

“I fully intended to contest your Fatebonding ceremony until I saw you interacting with Kitsuki,” Kalassandria confessed. “To finally see my beloved cousin returning to living for the first time in over half a millennium was everything I had ever wanted. But I still did not trust you, so I sent word to Kio about the ceremony to do what I could not.”

The revelation stunned Auslin. “You’rethe one who sent Kio to the castle the night before the ceremony?”

“I wanted to prove to Kitsuki you were still loyal to Kio,” Kalassandria justified herself with a shrug. “But there was no trace of love for Kio in your heart. When I saw the depths of your love, I could no longer bear to stand between Kitsuki and his finally recovered happiness.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Auslin suspiciously asked, distrusting the woman he now knew had made multiple attempts on his life.

“So that you understand I have a history and reason for hating you, but I have accepted you despite that,” Kalassandria replied.

“I love Kitsuki more than anyone in this realm.” Auslin’s temper flared. “You have no right to question that!”

Kalassandria almost looked repentant, and her voice grew softer. “I know that now. For what it is worth, I regret what I did in the past to you. Had I known you were actually Vanra, I never would have had attempts made on your life.”

“I would be more upset if I didn’t understand you were trying to protect your cousin’s heart in your own weird way,” Auslin said after he calmed himself.

“I cannot express what it means to me to see Kitsuki finally happy and living a life of love at long last,” Kalassandria told Auslin. “For that, you have my eternal gratitude and support. I will repay you one day for the wrongs I committed against you.” It was a relief to hear Kalassandria say.

“That’s really not necessary. As long as it stays in the past, that’s all that matters.”

Kalassandria looked at Auslin with a sad smile. “I will never understand your kindness. I have told you to your face I have tried multiple times to have you murdered, yet you still show me such forgiveness and understanding.” Shaking her head, Kalassandria marveled at Auslin. “If I were not so certain about your genuine sincerity, I would think there was something fundamentally wrong with you.”

Auslin laughed despite himself. “You’re not the first person to say such a thing to me.”

“I look forward to getting to know the real you during your stay here,” Kalassandria said. “Please believe me when I say no harm will befall you here in my lands. You are clan, and I will protect you as such.”

“Thank you.” Auslin experienced a tremendous sense of relief since he knew what being clan meant to the dragon shifters.

She smiled at Auslin. “You should probably return to Kitsuki before he wears a hole in the floor from anxiously pacing as he wonders why I requested to speak to you alone.”

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