While Odin and Loki were busy examining the treasures they had brought from the continent of Mira, another scene was unfolding elsewhere—one no less important than what was taking place there.
Deep within the Dragon Kingdom, the Dragon King stood beside his son, the Dragon Prince, who had only just awakened from his injuries. The king fixed his son with a sharp gaze, then asked in a calm voice that concealed a great deal of concern:
"How are you now? Do you feel any pain or anything unusual in your body?"
The Dragon Prince raised his head and looked at his father with confidence before replying:
"I don't feel anything, Father. I've completely recovered. There's nothing wrong with me."
The Dragon King slowly nodded, reassured that his son was physically unharmed. But his expression did not soften. Instead, it grew even sterner and colder.
"Now that I know you are well," he said in a tone that allowed no argument, "you are punished. You will not leave your lair for one hundred full years."
The moment the Dragon Prince heard those words, his eyes widened in shock. For an instant, he thought he must have misheard.
"What?! Father! That's far too long!"
The Dragon King looked at him in disbelief, then realized from his son's expression that he had not fully grasped the severity of the punishment. So he repeated himself, this time staring directly into his eyes with intense anger:
"You will not leave your lair for the next one hundred years. Is that clear?"
The prince's face turned pale.
"One hundred years?! How can you do this to me? I'm not a child anymore—I'm a grown adult! And the battle wasn't even my fault. Those fools were the ones who ambushed me!"
The Dragon King did not allow his son to finish.
In a single instant, he swung his massive tail and struck the Dragon Prince with overwhelming force, sending him crashing into the rocky ground.
The king looked down at him with cold mockery.
"This is my order. You will not leave your lair. And if you disobey me, I will show you exactly what happens to anyone who dares defy my commands."
The moment he finished speaking, he spread his colossal wings and flew away from his son's cave.
As he soared through the sky, he saw his mate flying rapidly toward the cave. He immediately understood that news of their son's awakening had already reached her.
The Dragon King sighed quietly and began considering when he should interrogate his son about the mysterious race bold enough to attack and wound him so severely.
Inside the cave, the Dragon Prince lay on the ground, tears of anger and sorrow filling his eyes.
He struck the earth with his claws and cried bitterly:
"One hundred years! One hundred whole years! I'm supposed to remain in this miserable place for all that time?!"
His fury continued to rise, and he was on the verge of losing control and entering a destructive rage.
But before that could happen, the Dragon Queen entered the cave at tremendous speed.
The moment she saw her son on the brink of exploding with anger, her own temper ignited.
Without hesitation, she rushed toward him and began beating him mercilessly.
The Dragon Prince had no idea what was happening.
All he felt was intense pain spreading throughout his body.
He tried to lift his head to see who was attacking him, and when he realized it was his mother, he attempted to speak and defend himself—but he could not.
Her blows were incredibly fierce, even harsher than his father's.
After some time, the Dragon Queen finally decided she had punished him enough.
She stopped, glared down at him, and said in a voice filled with anger:
"Have you learned your lesson, you little wretch? Never dare do anything without my permission again."
Before he had any chance to respond, she spread her wings and swiftly departed the cave, secretly reassured that he had suffered no new injuries.
During the beating, she had been discreetly inspecting his body to make certain he was unharmed. Once she was satisfied he was perfectly fine, she struck him as freely as she pleased.
The Dragon Prince remained alone in his lair, battered and exhausted, surrounded by the marks of punishment and humiliation.
With great effort, he lifted his head. Tears filled his eyes as he whispered in a broken voice:
"Why… why? Mother… why did you do that?"
The Dragon Prince sat in his lair, writhing in pain and sorrow, unable to understand what had happened.
He fully understood why his father, the Dragon King, had punished him. Though he protested and raged, he knew deep down that his father had acted out of fear for his safety and anger at his recklessness. Reluctantly, he could accept that harsh punishment.
But what he could not understand at all was what his mother had done.
Why had she attacked him too?
Why had she struck him so violently, as though he had committed an unforgivable crime?
The question spun endlessly through his mind until it crowded out every other thought. He could no longer comprehend what was happening or why he had suffered so much punishment in a single day.
As the Dragon Prince sat in sorrowful confusion, his mother, the Dragon Queen, had already left his cave and gone to her mate.
When she reached the Dragon King, she looked at him cautiously and asked:
"Did our son tell you who dared attack him?"
The Dragon King shook his head and sighed slowly.
"No. He told me nothing. In fact, I never even asked. When I saw him resisting his punishment and arguing with me, I struck him and left immediately."
Then he looked at her and asked:
"And you? Did he tell you?"
The Dragon Queen shook her head.
"No. He told me nothing either. When I entered his cave, he was on the verge of entering a destructive rage, so I became angry and beat him until he calmed down."
Her eyes flashed with renewed anger as she continued:
"He truly infuriated me. He had barely recovered from his injuries, yet he was already about to lose control again, as if he had learned nothing. He is a disobedient son who deserved punishment."
The Dragon King saw the blazing fury on his mate's face and sighed.
"Very well, very well… let us not dwell on that now. What matters most is that he is safe."
The Dragon Queen exhaled and gradually calmed.
"You are right. Still, I am somewhat worried about him after what we did. He may lose his mind entirely if we continue like this."
The Dragon King nodded in agreement. He thought for a moment, and then a cold, mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Come with me. There is something I wish to show you."
The moment he finished speaking, he spread his enormous wings and flew toward a remote, desolate place where no other creature lived.
The Dragon Queen followed, puzzled—and with the uneasy feeling that the location was strangely familiar.
Before she could ask what he intended, she heard his cold voice.
"I have heard some rather interesting rumors… rumors claiming that I have become old and foolish, and that I am no longer fit to rule."
The Dragon Queen froze.
Before she could defend herself or even deny it, the Dragon King suddenly lunged forward and seized her by the throat with iron-like claws.
He laughed mockingly.
"It seems you wish for me to punish you once again."
In the next instant, he began beating her mercilessly.
She struggled to resist and defend herself, but it was useless. Her husband's power was overwhelming, and she could not match him.
The beating continued until the Dragon King finally grew bored.
He released her, letting her collapse to the ground, gasping in pain.
Then he looked at her coldly and said:
"Never do this again. And if you do, you will learn exactly how I punish those who spread such rumors."
With that, he spread his wings and departed without another glance.
The Dragon Queen remained sprawled on the ground for several moments, breathing heavily from the pain—and feeling a profound sense of relief that her husband had finally left.
But as she fully processed what had happened, her pain transformed into burning rage.
She rose slowly, her features hardening as she growled:
"Which fool told my husband that I was the one spreading those rumors?!"
At that moment, she swore she would take revenge upon the one responsible for her punishment and make them regret it bitterly.
As she flew back toward her cave, every part of her body ached. She muttered furiously to herself, cursing the wretch who had informed on her—and secretly cursing her husband as well.
Out loud?
She would never dare.
Because she knew perfectly well that if he heard her, he would not hesitate to beat her again.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]