The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 8 Part 7 - Trap

Under normal circumstances, the palace guards would have blocked his way, but they were all still groggy, struggling to regain their senses, leaving Emilio unchallenged.

“Your Majesty! Damn it!”

Inside, he found the bed empty and traces of magic lingering in the center of the room. It was clear to Emilio what had happened—the dragon had somehow abducted both the emperor and the empress. It was the only conclusion he could draw from the situation.

* * *

A cold hand was pulling her, or perhaps it was hot. Anais couldn’t quite tell. The fingers at the end of that hand had long nails, which struck her as odd.

‘It’s not human, is it? Human nails don’t look like that.’

Maybe it was a demon? The thought briefly sharpened her awareness, but something pressed down on her consciousness, dulling her senses like a powerful anesthetic.

No, not a demon either.

Just as her unconscious mind made that determination, the figure pulling her turned its head. Between the strands of long, golden hair that fell to its waist, Anais saw eyes that gleamed a reptilian yellow.

‘A dragon!’

Anais’s consciousness was violently yanked from the dream and thrown back into reality. Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring at the back of a man.

The hand that had been pulling her was warm, not cold, and there were no long nails. It was just a man with long, flowing hair. His hair shimmered as it swayed, and the brief glimpses she caught of his face revealed a handsome, well-groomed appearance. As if sensing that Anais had regained her senses, the man began to turn around.

Just before her pale face could meet his gaze, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. The man ahead tightened his grip on her fingers, but Anais’s body was already being drawn backward.

“Rahil?”

She called his name before she even turned to look. Rahil, with eyes that were sharp and icy, glared at the man in front of them, pulling Anais protectively behind him.

“Run.”

Rahil’s voice was a whisper as he tossed his sword sheath to the ground. Before Anais could even think to respond, Rahil surged forward, launching himself at the enemy. Anais didn’t watch; instead, she turned and ran, searching for a place to hide.

“Anais!”

The sharp voice that called her wasn’t Rahil’s. It was the same voice that had echoed in her mind, the one that had haunted her dreams. Anais clapped her hands over her ears, trying to block it out.

The dragon’s garden was vast, but there were places to hide. It was clear that this garden had been designed for humans, not dragons. The stairs, the paths—everything was scaled for human use.

The garden extended all the way to the edge of the palace buildings. Anais ducked behind a column in the colonnade and tried to locate Rahil. She could hear the clash of weapons but couldn’t see Rahil. Instead, she saw something else—

BOOM!

A massive explosion shattered part of the building across from her. In the center of the debris stood the man with the long, golden hair. A fresh wound, as if from a sword slash, was clearly visible on his abdomen.

“A mere human dares!”

The man’s form began to glow white, his body expanding rapidly as it transformed into a full-sized dragon. Anais watched in horror as the creature took its true form, her face turning pale.

‘Is Rahil okay?’

At that moment, dozens of sword strikes sliced through the air, all converging on the dragon. The relentless assault targeted the dragon’s wing joints rather than its already wounded abdomen.

The dragon let out a pained roar, its mouth opening as if to spew fire, but it only managed to cough and choke. Enraged, it lunged at the small figure attacking it, its massive wings flapping weakly, unable to generate the powerful gusts it needed.

As the garden was reduced to rubble and the earth erupted in a spray of dirt and stone, Anais turned and fled toward the palace. She wasn’t a sword master, and she had no way to protect herself; if she got caught in the middle of that battle—

‘I’ll die.’

It wasn’t just a matter of being in danger; she would be killed. Even a slight move from the dragon could crush her.

Fortunately, both the dragon and Rahil were fighting in the opposite direction. But Anais knew she couldn’t afford to relax. Given the dragon’s size, nowhere in the palace would be truly safe.

As she ran through the dark corridor, Anais tried to make sense of the situation. Her last memory was of being in bed with Rahil as held her close. The ring on her finger had only one gem left to lit.

‘Right, the ring.’

The ring was still on her ring finger. Realizing that she must have passed out again, just like before, Anais sighed.

And after all that… she had this dream.

Considering the current situation, it was clear that the dream had been a result of the dragon’s magic. Anais frowned as she recalled the human-like form the dragon had taken.

What was it thinking? She didn’t know anyone named Radiel. Even if it was a connection from a past life before she was born, it still didn’t make sense.

‘I remember my past life clearly.’

Yet now, the dragon was calling her by her name, trying to draw her in. The realization sent chills down her spine.

‘Could it be that the Radiel it was searching for wasn’t really its lover?’

If he had kidnapped her like this, they could never be lovers. Anais thought. Although… Rahil had also captured her in a similar manner, the difference was that he had begged and tried to win her over, rather than force her compliance. That didn’t mean she could forgive him, but it was different.

Anais clenched her teeth, trying to steady her nerves. The concern she felt for Rahil wasn’t the same as the annoyance she had once felt when she began to realize her feelings for him. It was simply human nature to want someone who had become important to her to be safe.