Chapter 5: THICK SKIN

Ophelia sat at the dinner table, staring at the ruby-colored wine in her crystal glass, which reminded her of Nikolai's crimson eyes. She couldn't take those eyes out of her head and was still shaken by the experience. Why did she see the being she was supposed to kill in a strange dream? "Are you alright, Ophelia?" Her brother River, who noticed she was deep in thought, brought her back to the present. All eyes on the table were drawn to her, but she couldn't be bothered with family drama because she had a lot on her plate. "Yes, I just need to eat that's all," "Yes, you should eat; you haven't been eating well lately." River expressed his concern. "She has more important things to worry about than eating." Her father, King Rodion, spoke up. "After all, if it doesn't bring Fireria victory, it only means she's dead.” Ophelia's lips twitched in response to her father's remark as she picked up the glass and drank all of the wine at once. She hadn't expected less from her father; in fact, she had expected the opposite because there was no way a word of encouragement could come from him. She didn't need it anyway. "Half of the women her age are already married. I recommend that you make sure she gets married as soon as she finishes the job." Her aunt, duchess Reina, and Vera's mother began, and Ophelia rolled her eyes at the words that had always ruined her mood. "However, it will be unfortunate for her because of her disrespectful behavior." Reina suppressed a smile. Ophelia caught her lips between her teeth and sighed unbotheredly. "You don't have to worry about me, aunt Reina; I look like an eighteen-year-old human, not like you, who hides her wrinkles with makeup and fake affection." "Ophelia!" Duke Osric, Reina's husband, yelled out, glaring furiously at Ophelia, who casually slid her fingers across the crystal glass. He dared not slam the table in front of her father. Not all of the family members were present as expected. Rodion had a strained relationship with his siblings and forbade her mother's family from associating themselves with the castle. it was a relief that they were well off and didn't need Rodion's assistance, despite the fact that he was king. "She has thick skin." Maxim, her cousin and Vera's brother, chuckled amusedly while concentrating on his food. "With one punch, she will undoubtedly knock out the alpha heir." "And die in the process, Vera mumbled as she elegantly placed a spoon of food in her mouth. "It's time for dinner. It would be ideal if it remained a dinner rather than a brawl." Queen Elora spoke calmly, her worried gaze fixed on her nonchalant daughter. Of course, her mother would support her in this type of conversation, but she would never save her from her power-hungry husband. Fireria was a large and powerful kingdom of fire dragons located on the western region of Draconem's continent. The royal bloods of Fireria were golden dragons, powerful beings with the blood of unconquerable warriors, but no golden dragon, not even her brother who was the heir to the throne, had trained as much as Ophelia. Currently, Her father, King Rodion, was engaged in conflict with Celestia and Antica, the kingdom of ice dragons situated in the northern region of Draconem. To him, those were the most serious threats to Fireria's survival, and despite the fact that the ice dragons were extinct, with only one remaining, he was determined to destroy the kingdom at any cost. When it came to destroying Antica, she couldn't blame her father. The last ice dragon was a ruthless being, and the worst part was that from the moment he was born, the entire world was blanketed in eternal winter. Every part, including Fireria, was affected by the cold, and those who couldn't handle it died like weak wingless birds. Ophelia couldn't understand why Celestia and Ophelia were at odds. Though she had killed many who had been sent to attack Fireria and vice versa, she had never gone to the battleground because her father had always forbidden her. Everything was strange to Ophelia, but she had been convinced thousands of times that they were nothing more than heartless dogs, especially the royal pure blooded lycans who could almost be considered immortal because they had the same lifespan as dragons. A few days ago, Ophelia was summoned to the council of elders where she was informed that she had been tasked with killing the alpha heir to Celestia. Yes, she was shocked because she had never anticipated being asked to kill such a being so quickly, but she also knew that she wouldn't have been asked to do it if he hadn't posed a threat to her family and home. Nikolai Novikov. Who would have thought that she would encounter him in such a strange way? "There is no way we can avoid discussing Ophelia's most recent mission. If she is successful, Fireria will be saved, Elora." In the dining room, she heard a recurrent deep voice that always made her feel as though needles were being inserted into her brain. She heard River say, "Hello there, Uncle," but she didn't take her eyes off her plate. She was afraid to look at the man's face. "Lev!" Elora suddenly called with a gasp. When Ophelia heard that name, her eyes slightly widened. She finally raised her gaze to her uncle, Lord Esteban, her father's third brother and right-hand man. He maintained his unflattering smile, but she turned her attention to the young man next to him who was wearing a glum expression and had eyes that were similar to hers in color and length: shoulder- length dark brown hair. When their gazes met, an image of an old memory flashed through her mind, showing her a younger version of herself in the midst of a golden fire, looking helpless and gasping for air like she was trying to control herself, while a younger version of Lev lay in front of her, unconscious and with all of his visible skin severely burned. Ophelia jolted to her feet. "Lev." She exclaimed breathlessly as they locked gazes. "Sister," he said calmly, his dull expression replaced by one of excitement. The same memory flashed through her mind again, and she felt a searing headache as guilt and shock flashed through her eyes. "Ophelia?" River called, and he sounded concerned. Her empty stomach turned harshly as she saw worry in those eyes she locked with. "Lev." She called again, this time taking a deep, hard breath. He was her younger brother, whom she had not set her eyes on since that memory... When she noticed he had taken a step toward where she was standing, her fingers turned cold, and she hastily moved away from the chair and ran out of the dining room without a word. Those images were becoming clearer with each step she took down the hall, and no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't run away from what had happened that day.