Divorcing The Knight For The Dragon Lord

Seraphina Hayes POV:

"His Majesty has granted me permission to take another wife."

My husband said it the way another man might announce the weather-carelessly, as if the words could not possibly land anywhere near me. He was Sir Ethan Franks now, newly minted Dragon Knight, and he touched the obsidian signet ring on his finger as though it gave him the right to tear up our marriage.

The grand hall still smelled of the party: the faint sulfur of Dragonfire-warmed wine, the costly Dragon's Scent worn by the nobles, the sweet afterglow of a celebration that had never belonged to me.

But my stomach was already a tight, cold knot.

Beside Ethan stood Blanca Collier, the fallen noblewoman he meant to set beside me as his second wife, her gown simple but expensive, its hem bare of any Dragonfire thread-a calculated look, cut to flatter her place among the Dragonless. She gave me a smile meant to read as apologetic, while her eyes swept over me the way a buyer sizes up furniture she intends to replace.

"Lady Seraphina, I hope I'm not intruding." Her voice was smooth as honey.

Ethan skipped the pleasantries. "The royal decree is official. As a Dragon Knight, I need a family that befits my station."

I watched him in silence, and the silence pressed on the room like a weight.

For three years I had carried this house on my mother's dowry. I had paid for the potions and tutors that coaxed his Dragon Soul awake, and lifted him from obscurity as a common Dragon-kin to stand before the king.

"Blanca's family may have fallen on hard times, but she has noble blood." Ethan's eyes slid away from mine. "His Majesty has granted me permission to take another wife."

The room tilted. My hand found the cold stone of the windowsill and held on.

Another wife. In the kingdom of Aeridor, whatever privileges the Dragon-born held over the Dragonless, a marriage contract was still sacred. To take a second wife was the deepest humiliation the first could endure.

"So." My voice came out unnaturally calm. "You want me to accept Miss Collier as your second wife."

Blanca stepped forward at once and took my hand in both of hers. Her performance was flawless. "Lady Seraphina, I know this is a great sacrifice for you. But my feelings for Ethan are true. I will respect you as I would an older sister. We can manage this household together."

Her hands were warm. A wave of nausea rolled through me. Her nails were painted with expensive dye; mine still carried ink stains from balancing the estate ledgers.

Ethan frowned, reading my silence as defiance. "Seraphina, this is for the future of the family. Blanca can bring me connections in the capital that you, a merchant's daughter, could never provide."

"My dowry." I cut through his speech, keeping my voice low. "What happened to it?"

His expression slipped for a fraction of a second. "The family has significant expenses. My preparations for the knighthood tournament, especially-"

"So my money is gone, and I've outlived my usefulness." Each word was a stone set down with care.

Panic flickered across his face, then vanished beneath irritation. "Don't be unreasonable! This is a boon from the king, an honor for the family! As the lady of House Franks, you should be thinking of the bigger picture!"

I laughed-a real laugh that felt like broken glass in my throat. I looked at this man robed in honor, spouting words of glory, and behaving like a common thief.

On her deathbed, my mother had made me promise to protect this marriage. She believed the Franks, common Dragon-kin though they were, were a family of integrity.

What a bitter irony.

I let go of the windowsill and straightened. "I understand."

My calm seemed to unnerve them both. A flicker of caution crossed Blanca's eyes.

Ethan, though, took it for surrender. A satisfied smile touched his lips. "I'm glad you see reason. From now on, you and Blanca will manage the household together."

I didn't look at him. I turned to Blanca. "Miss Collier, congratulations. You've gotten what you wanted."

Then I met Ethan's eyes. "And my congratulations to you, Sir Ethan Franks. You have finally become a revered Dragon Knight."

I lingered on the word "Sir," and watched his satisfaction turn to confusion.

I smoothed my plain skirt. It bore no family crest-only the simple dress of a merchant's daughter. From this day forward, it would not be my shame. It would be my freedom.

"I have one condition," I said.

Ethan's impatience snapped back. "What is it? Money? I don't have any right now-"

"No." I shook my head, my gaze fixed on the Dragonfire dancing in the hearth. That fire had once warmed this home. Now it only scorched the truth I had refused to see. "I want to dissolve our marriage contract."

The air went still. Ethan's face turned the color of old parchment. He stared at me as if he were seeing me for the first time.

Blanca's smile went rigid, her eyes wide.

I looked at their stunned faces and felt no triumph-only a cold, hollow quiet. Mother, I'm sorry. I cannot keep your dying wish.