Severed Ties: Marrying The Cursed Dragon Lord

Alys POV:

My consciousness returned in a wave of searing agony.

The rough, splintered wood of the floorboards scraped against my cheek. The coppery tang of blood filled my nose, thick and cloying.

Then came the memories-They are mine, and yet they feel reshaped and interpreted by a sudden, overwhelming flood of knowledge.

I, Alice Hays-for twenty years, the shame of my family, the stain of being 'Dragonless.' A life of abuse and neglect.

My last memory crystallizes: I had refused to take the place of my beloved younger sister, Henrietta, and marry a cursed lord.

For that, my brother, Sir Clement Hays, kicked me in the chest.

A man's voice, thick with rage, boomed from above me. "I'll ask you one more time. Will you marry him, or not? Don't make me do it again, you family disgrace!"

I recognized the voice. Clement.

A sickeningly sweet female voice followed. "Brother, don't. Sister is just confused. She doesn't mean to make things difficult for our family."

Henrietta. The beautiful, poisonous mushroom, putting on her little show.

I struggled to move my eyes, peering through a curtain of tangled hair. I saw Clement's face, twisted in a mask of fury. Behind him, Henrietta's blue eyes, which feigned concern, glittered with impatience and a cruel satisfaction.

A sudden surge of clear medical knowledge flooded my mind, allowing me to diagnose the condition of this body like a top-tier surgeon. Multiple soft-tissue contusions, at least two fractured ribs, and... fatal cardiac tamponade. The life force of this body was nearing its end, yet my consciousness had never been so lucid.

Clement saw my lack of response and raised his foot, ready to kick again.

I used every ounce of strength I had left, forcing a single, hoarse word from my throat.

"...Blood."

My movement was tiny, just lifting a blood-soaked hand to point at my mouth. It was enough to make Clement pause.

Henrietta immediately let out an exaggerated gasp, covering her mouth with a lace handkerchief. "Oh heavens, sister, you're bleeding so much! Brother, stop, you're killing her!"

Her voice was filled with a perfectly measured panic, the sound of a truly concerned younger sister.

I watched her performance with cold detachment.In my own memory, it was Henrietta's tearful pleas, her professed fear of the cursed "Frost Dragon Lord," Aldric Kensington, that had convinced her parents and brothers to force this marriage upon me.

Henrietta's cry brought Clement back to some semblance of sanity. He irritably lowered his foot, glaring down at me. "Playing dead? I'm telling you, Alys, this marriage is not up for debate. For the honor of House Hays, you will marry him!"

The honor of House Hays. A cold laugh bubbled in my chest. A family that treated its "Dragonless" daughter as a disgrace, a thing to be beaten and traded, dared to speak of honor?

I didn't respond. Instead, I began to regulate my breathing-a precisely calculated effort, thanks to the medical knowledge that had surged into my mind.The blood pooling around my heart was compressing it. I had to slow my heart rate, buy myself more time.

I couldn't die here. Not in this pathetic way.

Henrietta knelt, reaching to touch my forehead, her voice dripping with false sorrow. "Sister, why won't you understand? This is for your own good. Lord Kensington has a bad reputation, but he is a powerful Dragon Lord. Marrying him is better than staying here and being scorned by everyone."

The moment her fingertips were about to touch my skin, I jerked my head away with the last of my strength.

Her hand froze in mid-air. A flash of surprise and annoyance crossed her eyes before it was replaced by a deeper, more theatrical "sadness." She turned to Clement, her eyes welling up. "Brother, you see? Sister... she seems to hate me."

Clement's fury ignited once more. "The ungrateful wretch! Henrietta, don't mind her! She's just jealous of you, jealous of everything you have!"

I close my eyes-not in surrender, but to process all the vast and jumbled information flooding my mind. House Hays, an ancient noble family of dragon-kin, a member of the Elder Council. Unfortunately, this generation possessed nothing but stupidity and selfishness, despite their lineage. Their clothes were embroidered with the family's twin-headed dragon crest, but their actions sullied the honor of any dragon.

I had to live.

Not only do I need to survive, but I must also reclaim everything that belongs to me-Alice. I would make these sanctimonious hypocrites pay.

The beginnings of a plan formed in my mind. A substitute marriage? Fine. I would marry Aldric.

I open my eyes again. This time, they no longer hold the weakness and fear of the Alice from before. Instead, they carry an unprecedented cold, clinical calm-one that stems from that newly acquired knowledge and power.

My gaze traveled past Henrietta, locking directly onto Clement.

He flinched, startled by my stare.

I watched their shocked expressions, a cold smile forming in my mind. Yes, I'll marry him. But this is just the beginning. The dowry, my freedom, and your retribution-I will have them all.

I spoke again, my voice quiet but carrying an undeniable tone of command. "Get... a doctor. And bring my father and mother. My conditions... must be discussed with them."

After speaking, I let my head fall to the side, deliberately "fainting" to conserve the last of my energy.

Before my consciousness faded completely, I heard the uncertain, shocked voices of Henrietta and Clement, and the sound of footsteps scrambling away.