I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 10. Dragon’s Breath

A month passed.

With just three days left until the engagement ceremony with Princess Valdrova, Ruri pointed at paper and a pen with a face full of discontent.

“Write a vow for the engagement ceremony, please.”

“Don’t they already have something for that? Some kind of template?”

“They do… but…”

Ruri swallowed a sigh, holding it back from escaping her throat like a dragon’s breath.

“Since this is an unofficial engagement, the princess wants to keep things simple and avoid unnecessary formalities.”

“So?”

“She wants you to write your own vow and read it during the ceremony instead.”

Ferda nodded calmly at her explanation.

“Sounds like a romantic.”

“Romantic, huh? That’s just a nice way of putting it. This is worse than getting married in a stable. I mean, writing your own vow? What is this, a kid’s game?”

Ruri grumbled, finally venting the frustration she had been bottling up in her small chest.

“Haaaaa…”

That sigh was practically a breath—a dragon’s breath that could have burned a hole through the floor.

An engagement with a human, an unofficial ceremony, and now we’re writing our own vows? Seriously…

Even as a Dragon Spawn loyal to her princess, she couldn’t help but feel some resentment.

It was understandable that she sighed like that.

At least she’s loyal to Valdrova herself rather than just her position as a ruler.

If she had prioritized the latter, Ferda wouldn’t be standing here now.

If Ruri had wanted, she could’ve tried to kill him or set a trap to discredit him.
But Ruri didn’t stoop to such petty tactics.

She’s been more helpful than anything else.

Her complicated feelings were clear.

She didn’t want this engagement to succeed, yet she also wished for Valdrova’s happiness.

That contradiction must be why she’s so frustrated.

It was truly pitiful.

For a moment, Ferda gave her a sympathetic look.

“What’s with that look?”

“I just thought you seemed rather pitiful.”

Ruri scowled at his honest sympathy.

“I don’t need pity from someone like you, a mere human.”

“Well, you can say that now, but in three days, I’ll be her husband. What’ll that make our relationship then?”

“It won’t be much different from now. Just don’t get any delusions about ordering me around.”

“Of course not. That’s not what I meant.”

“But if you ask me to hit you, I’ll do it without hesitation.”

“I’d rather not, thanks.”

“Don’t worry. I’m strong, and I have great control over my strength.”

“…Not necessary.”

Ruri raised her tiny fist.

That same tiny fist had shattered a bed and punched through the floor.

Even as a joke, Ferda had no intention of asking for anything like that.

“Anyway, once the engagement is official, you’ll need to bring in some servants for the castle. And you’ll also need to appoint administrators to manage the territory.”

“Servants and administrators? I have to handle that.”

“Yes. As Princess Valdrova’s spouse, you’ll be in charge of managing the territories and the various administrative tasks under her rule.”

Ferda frowned in confusion.

“You don’t seem to like people with power, yet you’re telling me to take control?”

“I don’t hate people with power. I hate those blinded by it.”

The third prince of the Arken Empire had been one such person, and he hadn’t escaped death.

“Power should be held by those who aren’t obsessed with it. Such people don’t desire more power and instead focus on the well-being of the people. That’s the kind of person we need right now.”

Ferda tilted his head.

“Isn’t the well-being of the people fine as it is?”

“You saw the lords at the assembly. It’s an absolute mess.”

Ferda thought back to the Lords he’d met in the assembly.
Overweight, sluggish bodies.

Terrified expressions, as if their heads might roll at any moment.

They looked like pigs trapped in a slaughterhouse.

“The ones who should be pillars of support are busy stuffing their bellies. Since they’re on the frontlines and might die any day, they spend their time frequenting brothels and indulging in expensive food. The dissatisfaction is being covered up with military power for now, but it’s only a matter of time before it explodes into a full-scale rebellion.”

“I didn’t know it was that bad.”

Hearing the word “well-being,” Ferda felt something odd.

“Doesn’t Princess Valdrova wish for her people to be happy?”

“She does.”

“Then wouldn’t saying just one word directly put an end to most of these problems?”

“It probably would.”

“Then why hasn’t she done it?”

“…”

Ruri fell silent, her face cold and her aura radiating uncontrollable dragon fear.

She looked as if someone had touched her reverse scale.

“I’ll keep quiet on that for now. You’ll understand it all eventually.”

Hearing her words, Ferda decided to back off.

“Alright. So, I just need to write the vow?”

“Yes. I’ll take my leave now.”

Ruri gave a small bow and stepped out the door.

“Haaaa…”

The sound of her sigh lingered and reached Ferda’s ears.

He sat down and thought about what she had said, picking up the pen.

“A vow, huh…”

They say starting is half the battle, but Ferda got stuck on the first line.

Should I have asked for more details about how to write it?

That might have made things easier.

Maybe I’ll put this off for now.

Instead of the vow, Ferda decided to write a few letters.

Once, he had told the lords:
“I don’t care in the slightest about what you do.”

But now, he had to care more than just “in the slightest.”
That was the problem.

I told them I didn’t care, and if I start meddling now, there’ll be backlash.

Ferda was well aware his first impression wasn’t great.
And lying hadn’t helped that impression, either.

With no other choice, he wrote letters to each of the lords, hinting that he might intervene in their administration.

He ended each letter with the following line:
“If you don’t like it, don’t bother replying. It’s a sign of respect for your autonomy.”

And by the end of that very day, he received replies from every single lord

—
### The Day of the Engagement Ceremony

Ferda demonstrated his abilities and proved there was not a single lie in his words.

Ruri, with nothing left to nitpick, quietly accepted the engagement ceremony.

“Your epaulet is crooked. And why did you bother ironing your pants if you’re just going to wrinkle them?”

She started the day by picking on every little thing.

“If I had eyes and hands like yours, that would be ideal.”

“Why don’t you get some?”

“Why not just do it for me?”

Ruri took a step back, tucking her hands behind her.

“I don’t want to touch anything. I’m just a servant to my princess, so don’t expect too much from me.”

“Hmm, really like a dog.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight? Just say the word, and I’ll gladly give it my all.”

“No, I mean it as a compliment about your loyalty.”

Ruri growled, but Ferda calmly addressed her complaints one by one.

*An engagement ceremony, huh…*

It didn’t feel real.

When it comes to getting married, there are usually two emotions: joy at getting married or sadness at feeling like you’re being sold off.

Ferda felt neither.

*I’ve been like this ever since I came back to this day.*

A calm heart unbefitting the owner of the Red Circle.

*Am I getting engaged simply because I think I have to?*

Ferda couldn’t help but wonder if his actions were purely mechanical, driven by duty alone.

The overwhelming anger and hatred that once consumed him had faded, leaving even his other emotions dull and faint.

*“Can I even face Valdrova with a heart like this?”*

A vague sense of unease lingered in his chest.

*“A vague unease.”*

Ferda smirked slightly.

Vagueness is a weakness of humans.

*“No matter what, I’m still human after all.”*

For now, that was enough.

Ferda decided to hold on to that simple fact.

—

The engagement ceremony was held in front of Princess Valdrova’s lair.

The inside of the lair was lit by hundreds of candles.

They held the ceremony just 20 steps away from the iron door at the heart of the lair.

Ruri, who had finished all the preparations, knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, we’re ready to begin the ceremony.”

The massive iron door creaked open slowly.

As it did, air escaped from within, mixing with the outside air and drifting into Ferda’s nose and mouth.

“Ugh.”

His breath caught in his throat.

Even though there was no killing intent like he felt during fights with demonic beasts, the mere presence beyond the door exuded fear.

If Ferda had been even slightly weaker, he might’ve fainted on the spot.

Ruri glanced at Ferda’s condition and said,
“You’ll have to endure it.”

“I… know…”

“Then, let’s begin the ceremony.”

Ignoring Ferda’s shaky state, Ruri started the formal proceedings.

This had already been discussed beforehand, so Ferda focused on sitting up straight and steadying his breathing.

“Mortal and immortal shall unite today, weaving a golden thread that no authority of the heavens nor ravages of time can sever.”

Ruri placed a ceremonial bowl and a wine set in front of Ferda.

She carefully poured clear liquor into the bowl while reciting the lines.

“The mortal shall overcome the unknown, washing away fear to become one.”

As instructed beforehand, Ferda took the bowl and drank.

The liquor was as pure and crisp as its transparency suggested.

*“Still, I’m not good with alcohol.”*

Ferda had never enjoyed drinking, not even as he grew older.

In fact, this was the first time in his life he’d ever tasted alcohol.

After taking the first sip, Ferda poured the remaining half of the liquor into the bowl and brought it to the iron door.

“The immortal shall erase the fleeting nature of endless flow and become one.”

It was Valdrova’s turn to drink.

*Screeeech—*

A massive claw, bigger than Ferda’s entire body, emerged from the gap in the iron door.

It was the same terrifying weapon that had torn apart countless demonic beasts.

The claw descended carefully toward the ceremonial bowl.

*Clatter!*

And promptly knocked it over.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence filled the space.

The claw retreated back inside the door with a faint scraping sound.

Ferda glanced at Ruri, wondering if this was supposed to happen.

“Let’s proceed with the ceremony again.”

And so, they started over.

Ruri read the vow, Ferda drank first, and it was Valdrova’s turn again.

*Clatter!*

Once again, the claw tipped over the ceremonial bowl.

This happened three times in total.

By then, Ferda could feel the alcohol taking its toll on him.

*“Damn… I’m getting drunk.”*

His head throbbed, and his senses began to blur.

He had a gut feeling that this next one would be the last.

*Crack!*

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound echoed through the lair.

For a moment, Ferda wondered if the cave was collapsing, but he quickly realized that was a stupid thought.

If he hadn’t misheard, the sound had come from Ruri’s body.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Ruri squeezed through the small opening in the iron door and went inside.

Ferda waited, assuming she was preparing something else.

But then—

“What the hell are you doing, Your Highness?!”

Ruri’s angry voice rang out, shaking the lair.

Ferda’s drunkenness vanished instantly.

“You were the one who made such a fuss about marrying a mortal! You were the one who insisted on having this engagement! And what did your ever-loyal servant Ruri do?!”

The frustration she’d been bottling up over the past three days erupted.

“I put up with it!”

Her voice boomed louder and louder, filled with anger.

“I put up with having a private engagement ceremony, even though, as the princess, you should’ve made it public! I put up with you hiding behind that damn door and doing this whole thing without showing yourself.”

The sheer intensity of her voice made it clear she was furious.

“And now, because you’re scared to meet your fiancé, you’re sabotaging the ceremony! What the hell do you think that makes your fiancé out there look like?!”

The sound of Valdrova’s heavy breathing was audible even to Ferda, who couldn’t see what was happening inside.

Finally, Ruri let out a deep sigh, her tone sharp as she spoke again.

“Come out and face your fiancé with dignity! If you knock over the ceremonial wine one more time, I won’t stand for it!”

Moments later, Ruri stepped back out of the door.

Her face was calm and expressionless, but Ferda couldn’t help but stare at her.

Ruri, noticing his gaze, could guess what he was thinking.

“…Did you hear that?”

“Pretty sure even the other lords far away heard it.”

“…Sigh. Well, what can you do?”

She let out a heavy sigh and explained,

“As you might’ve guessed, my princess has a severe fear of people,” Ruri said matter of factly.

“Fear of people?” Ferda repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s terrified of interacting with humans,” Ruri explained.

“…”

“If anyone else heard this, they’d think it was ridiculous. The savior of the world, the great dragon princess, hiding because she’s afraid of mortals? It sounds absurd, doesn’t it?”

“You’re telling me some very valuable information,” Ferda replied, his tone neutral but his eyes sharp.

“You were bound to find out eventually,” Ruri said with a sigh. “I can’t keep this hidden forever just because you might not like it.”

Ruri’s silver eyes locked onto his as she added firmly,
“Now that you’re to become her partner, her weaknesses are your weaknesses too.”

“So, we’re talking about shared responsibility?” Ferda asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Isn’t that the essence of marriage?” Ruri shot back, crossing her arms.

Ferda remained silent for a moment, quietly nodding.
“Shared responsibility, huh?” he muttered.

For some reason, the thought didn’t sit well with him.
He’d never liked the idea of shared responsibility—not once in his life.

Before he could dwell on the thought further, the massive iron door creaked open once again.

Ferda instinctively prepared himself, expecting another massive claw to emerge. Instead, what he saw left him speechless.

A figure stepped forward, slowly emerging from the shadows of the lair.

Ferda’s gaze locked onto the one who was to be his partner.

“…Huh?”

He couldn’t stop himself from voicing his surprise.

Standing before him was a towering figure clad in full plate armor.

The helmet was shaped like a dragon’s head, so intricately crafted that for a split second, it almost looked like a real dragon.

The design was so detailed and lifelike that Ferda thought, *If a dragon were to walk on two legs, this is probably what it would look like.*

The sheer size of the figure was just as overwhelming as the armor’s design.

Ferda, who stood at an impressive 180 cm, found himself craning his neck just to look up at her.

The figure had to be at least 240 cm tall, and without the armor, perhaps around 220 cm.

*“I thought dragon polymorphs were supposed to be breathtakingly beautiful… If that’s the case, I guess a 220 cm beauty exists somewhere.”*

He frowned slightly as a thought crossed his mind. *What if… the person inside isn’t actually a woman?*

Before Ferda could speak, the figure’s voice—low, resonant, and unmistakably feminine—echoed through the room.

“Let’s proceed with the final part of the engagement ceremony.”

Hearing her voice, Ferda relaxed slightly, though his thoughts were still swirling.

“She’s… huge,” he muttered under his breath, too quietly for anyone to hear.

As the ceremony resumed, Ferda couldn’t help but glance at the armored figure, his thoughts bouncing between curiosity and disbelief.

—