Marrying The Fake Invalid Dragon Lord

Kara POV:

On the very day the man I loved, Prince Damian, betrayed me to marry my half-sister Gale, I had already been locked in this rotting dungeon for a full year, my Dragon Core shattered by my own father's hands, my body chained to the wall with heavy iron hooks.

"Kara, my dear, dear sister," Gale stepped into the filthy cell, her voice as sweet as spun sugar yet dripping with sickening venom. She wore a magnificent crimson gown woven with shimmering gold thread-the ceremonial dress of a Dragon Queen. "You look so pitiful."

"I originally wanted to invite you to my wedding banquet," she sighed, using a perfumed lace handkerchief to cover her nose against the stench of my rotting flesh. "After all, His Highness and I are officially marrying today. The bells of the Dragon Crown Sanctuary are ringing, and the entire capital is draped in banners bearing his golden Dragonfire. That sight is truly breathtaking."

Today was the wedding day of Prince Damian and my half-sister Gale. I had been locked in here for a year, but even so, I had heard the guards gossiping. A royal wedding decreed by the King, with ten miles of red silk draping the capital-what a spectacular display of glory. Yet, two years ago, when I entered Damian's estate, I was quietly brought in through a side door in a small, unmarked carriage. No sacred Dragon God Ritual, no Flamebrand, only his empty excuse of 'avoiding extravagance.'

I remained completely expressionless, as if I didn't even put Gale in my eyes.

Seeing my lack of reaction, a flash of pure venom crossed Gale's eyes. What she hated the most was that, even ruined and crippled, I absolutely refused to beg her.

"Oh, right. You still think someone is coming to save you, don't you?" Gale laughed, her voice clear yet ruthlessly cruel. "Let me share some good news. Your precious little brother, Rowan. Only twelve years old, yet he cried and begged at the palace gates, screaming that he wanted his older sister. The Dragon Guards beat him with their heavy halberds until he was nothing but a pile of mashed flesh and broken bones."

My mind went entirely blank, the blood in my veins freezing instantly.

"Gale! Rowan was only twelve! He treated you like a real sister, and you couldn't even spare his life?!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, grief washing over my face. After our mother died, my little brother was the only family I truly cared about in this world. But he had been brainwashed and manipulated by Gale and her mother, treating me with nothing but cold disdain. So this years, I thought he hated me... I thought I meant absolutely nothing to him.

Gale's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with a sick thrill. "And your fiercely loyal guard captain, Quinn? He actually dared to storm the Dragon Court alone to rescue you. Guess what happened? He was shot through by heavy crossbows tipped with Dragonslayer Gold. His corpse was thrown into the abyss to feed the rogue drakes."

Quinn... No. My breath hitched, a jagged shard of ice tearing through my chest.

"Ah--!" A hoarse, bestial screech tore from my parched, ruined throat. The sheer agony of my shattered soul forced the sound out. Quinn was the loyal guard my mother had left me, but I had been tricked by Gale and her mother into alienating him, banishing him to a remote estate.

I never expected that for my worthless life, it would cost both my brother and Quinn theirs.

Tears of blood streamed down my face. A wave of helpless fury, hot as molten lava, churned in my gut. I lunged at her like a madwoman, desperate to tear her throat out with my teeth, but the iron hooks tore deeper into my flesh, snapping me back against the wall.

"Look at you, a pathetic, writhing worm!" Gale stood up, looking down at me with supreme arrogance. "My dear father loves me the most. His Highness Prince Damian loves me the most. Even your former fiancé, Ansel Beaumont, has been begging for my attention like a dog for months. And you, a lowly 'Dragonless' waste, what do you have left to fight me with?"

She gestured to the guards behind her. "Give my sister her wedding toast. I must return to His Highness for our wedding night."

Two burly guards stepped forward, prying my jaw open. A cup of pitch-black liquid was poured down my throat. It was the 'Soul's Extinction,' a poison that burned like liquid hellfire, designed to melt a dragon's soul into nothingness.

I choked violently, coughing up mouthfuls of black, poisoned blood. The agonizing pain in my organs was beyond words.

Before my vision plunged into absolute darkness, I stared dead at Gale's retreating back, etching her triumphant smile into the deepest abyss of my soul.

If there is a next life... I swear I will drag you all to hell. Gale, Damian, Ansel, and my cold-blooded father. I will make you beg for death!

Darkness swallowed me whole.

The burning was gone. The agony had vanished.

I gasped, my eyes flying open. I sat up, my chest heaving. The liquid hellfire in my throat was gone. The heavy iron hooks were gone.

My gaze swept the room, taking in the furnishings. After a brief moment of daze, absolute clarity washed over me.

The unfamiliar tapestries, the slightly smaller oak furniture... this was not my bedroom at Griffith Manor. This was a guest chamber in the eastern wing. The room currently occupied by my cousin, Elara Griffith.

I looked down at my hands. They were smooth, unmarred by chains or despair. I scrambled out of bed and rushed to the vanity mirror. The face staring back was young, flushed with life. It was me. My eighteen-year-old self.

I was reborn.

A wild, hysterical joy bubbled up in my chest, quickly hardening into a razor-sharp murderous intent. I remembered this day. In my past life, Gale had drugged my tea. But I hadn't realized until now that it was Elara who must have helped move my unconscious body to this guest room, setting the perfect trap to ruin my innocence and sully my bloodline.

Suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps and a woman's shriek echoed from the hallway outside the door.

CRASH!

The heavy oak door was violently kicked open, splintering against the interior wall. Lachlan Beaumont, the bastard son of a vassal family, stood in the doorway, his eyes clouded with a repulsive mixture of lust and arrogance.

"Kara, you are such a beauty. Look at this skin... I'm going to enjoy myself today."

Kara POV:

The foul stench of cheap wine filled the room as Lachlan stumbled forward.

"Kara, my little beauty, don't hide," he slurred, a foul grin spreading across his flushed face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to thoroughly 'awaken' your Dragonless body today."

In my past life, his words had paralyzed me with fear. I had huddled in the corner, weeping as his grimy hands tore my dress. But this body now housed a soul forged in hellfire and betrayal.

My gaze swept the room and landed on the hearth. Beside it rested a heavy black iron poker, used for tending the fire. Perfect.

I walked over and wrapped my fingers around its cool, solid weight.

Lachlan lunged, his fat, sweaty hands reaching for me, muttering filth under his breath. He expected me to cower. In his eyes, I was still the timid, easily bullied 'Dragonless' girl who was supposed to be paralyzed by drugged tea.

I didn't retreat a single step.

I sidestepped his clumsy charge with fluid precision. In the same breath, the heavy iron poker in my hand sliced through the air with a vicious whistle, swinging down with devastating force.

CRACK!

The sickening sound of bone shattering echoed loudly in the quiet room. The iron poker connected squarely with his kneecap.

Lachlan let out a scream that was more animal than human, clutching his shattered leg as he collapsed heavily to the floor. "Kara, you dare hurt me?! It's your blessing that I even want you!"

I didn't stop. I swung the iron poker again, bringing it down mercilessly on his other leg.

Another wet crunch. He crumpled completely like a sack of wet grain, his screams turning into agonized, breathless howls.

I walked over to him, my expression as cold as a frozen graveyard, and planted the heavy, ash-stained tip of the poker against the soft flesh of his throat.

His howling choked off instantly. His eyes widened in absolute terror, the sheer pain finally cutting through his drunken haze.

"You... you're not Kara..." he stammered, his massive body trembling uncontrollably beneath the iron rod. "You're not drugged?!"

A dark, cruel laugh escaped my lips. "I am Kara Griffith, the first daughter of this House. And you are a filthy intruder about to pay the price for your stupidity."

I raised my foot and brought my heel down hard on his outstretched wrist-the very hand that had dared to touch me in my past life. I ground my heel into the delicate bones.

Snap!

Another sickening crunch, followed by his muffled, suffocated cry of agony.

I leaned down, my lips close to his ear, my voice a venomous whisper. "Lachlan Beaumont. Did Gale send you?"

I let out a cold laugh. I didn't even need to ask to know this was Gale's doing.

It was exactly the same in my past life. Gale drugged me and sent Lachlan, the bastard of House Beaumont, to ruin my purity.

Although I fought him off last time, Gale brought a crowd of nobles in to catch me with my clothes torn and disheveled.

From that moment on, my reputation was utterly destroyed.

Only later did I learn the truth: Gale didn't want me to marry Ansel, the legitimate heir of House Beaumont. The two of them had been having a secret affair for a long time, so she deliberately orchestrated this to ruin me.

My father, obsessed with face and honor, was furious. He locked me in the ancestral hall for half a month before banishing me to a remote convent.

If I hadn't been abandoned by everyone, I would never have fallen for Prince Damian's deceptive sweet talk.

I suppressed the monstrous hatred boiling in my heart. Even the heavens couldn't stand the sight of Damian and Gale, allowing me to be reborn to exact my vengeance upon them.

Lachlan scrambled backward, suddenly realizing that the timid girl was gone. But remembering the crowd of nobles waiting outside, his courage returned. "Kara, my older brother Ansel doesn't even want you! You might as well serve me. I promise I'll treat you well, ah--!"

Before he could finish his filthy sentence, my foot slammed down on his ribs. I grabbed a heavy silver candlestick from the vanity and brought it down mercilessly across his jaw.

Again. And again.

I beat him until his face was a bloody, unrecognizable pulp. Until his arrogant sneers turned into pathetic, muffled whimpers.

I dropped the bloodied candlestick, calmly smoothing the wrinkles in my dress.

I glanced down at Lachlan, who lay whimpering in a pool of his own blood and vomit like a beaten dog. There was no pity in my heart, only a chilling anticipation.

Gale POV:

"Second Miss, it's just ahead. I saw a man go in with my own eyes," the maid reported.

"No way, Gale. Is your legitimate sister really... having an illicit affair?" Isla Beaumont, a noble girl, asked.

A dark gleam flashed through the depths of Gale's eyes, but her tone remained perfectly innocent. "There must be a mistake. My sister can be a bit wild, but today is the manor's banquet. She wouldn't..."

"You are too kind, Gale! Didn't everyone say she constantly bullies you in the manor? Let's all go see what kind of person she really is today. Once we catch her in this scandal, let's see if she ever dares to bully you again."

Gale seemed to want to persuade them further, a look of reluctance on her face, but the girls beside her were already stepping forward excitedly, ready to push the door open.

Kara POV:

The door was pushed wide open from the outside.

The hallway was packed. Gale stood at the very front, flanked by a gaggle of young nobles eager for a scandal, and a few of our cousins from branch families.

When the maid had gone to fetch Gale earlier, she hadn't avoided the guests at all. The young lords and ladies admiring the flowers in the courtyard had heard everything. I could easily guess the whispers that had followed them all the way here.

"I heard the first daughter of House Griffith is a complete 'Dragonless' waste. She's barbaric and unrefined, yet she constantly uses her status to bully her siblings."

"Lord Vincent is a highly respected noble and the Prince's tutor, possessing a powerful Dragon Soul. Isn't it hilarious that he raised a useless fool who can't even conjure a spark of Dragonfire?"

"Thank the Dragon Gods the second daughter, Gale, awakened a perfect Dragon Soul and mastered all the Dragon Court arts. She's the true pride of the capital, truly living up to her father's legacy."

Everyone in the capital knew of me. First, because my father was a highly respected lord and the Prince's tutor. Second, because my sister Gale was the darling of the capital, adored by countless young lords.

Standing in the shadows of their halos, I was nothing but a crude brute who lacked a Dragon's Scent and only knew how to swing heavy weapons, utterly unworthy of my noble bloodline.

Gale put on a fake show of trying to stop the crowd, but 'helplessly' followed the excited nobles into the room.

As they stormed in, they froze. Instead of a ruined girl, they saw me standing tall in my red dress, with a man crushed beneath my feet. The unexpected scene left everyone stunned.

Kara POV:

Isla Beaumont glanced at Gale, then stepped forward and yelled at me, "Kara, having an illicit affair with a man, have you no shame?!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Who told you I was having an affair?"

"Don't try to deny it!" Isla sneered. "Your maid told us everything!"

Suddenly, a maid stepped out from behind Gale. It was Bess, my own personal maid-the one who had screamed earlier to draw the crowd, the traitor who had long been bought off by Gale.

Bess fell to her knees, crying dramatically. "First Miss, please don't hide your shame anymore! I tried to stop you, but you insisted on secretly meeting with Young Master Lachlan! If the Lord finds out you've sullied the Griffith bloodline, we'll all be punished!"

A wave of shocked gasps swept through the crowd. A dirty story had already written itself in their minds: a shameless 'Dragonless' daughter having a secret affair with a wild man.

Gale looked at me, a glimmer of vicious triumph dancing in the depths of her eyes.

I didn't waste a single breath arguing with a traitorous dog. I simply raised my leg and delivered a vicious kick squarely to Bess's chest.

"Ah!" Bess shrieked as the massive impact sent her flying backward, crashing heavily into a wooden pillar. She spat out a mouthful of blood and slumped to the floor, groaning in agony.

The entire hallway fell dead silent. The nobles stared at me in absolute shock.

Gale's face paled. She quickly stepped forward, her face a mask of righteous indignation. "Sister, how could you be so cruel?! Bess is only telling the truth out of loyalty to the House honor! I know you are a 'Dragonless' waste, but you are still the first daughter of House Griffith! How could you commit such a shameless act and then beat a servant to cover it up?!"

SLAP!

The crisp, explosive sound of the slap was hideously loud in the quiet corridor.

Before anyone could react, I raised my hand again and delivered a backhand.

SLAP!

Gale stumbled backward, her delicate body swaying as she crashed into the wall. She clutched her face, her eyes wide with disbelief. Two clear, symmetrical red handprints were rapidly swelling on her pale cheeks.

"You... you dare hit me?!" Forcibly suppressing the pure hatred in her eyes, she put on a wronged expression and sobbed, "Sister, you wouldn't let me speak, but with so many people here, everyone saw it. You..."

"I hit exactly who I meant to hit. The first slap is to teach you Dragon Court etiquette," I said, my voice ringing out, cold and commanding, echoing down the corridor. "As the host of today's banquet, you dared to lead a mob of outsiders into the private inner chambers. You have utterly disgraced the honor of House Griffith!"

I took a step forward, my aura pressing down on her so heavily she shrank back against the wall.

"The second slap is on behalf of Elara. She was resting in this room when this degenerate suddenly broke in. If it weren't for me, her purity would have been ruined today. And you, without asking a single question, led outsiders straight into Elara's room. Are you trying to destroy her reputation?!"

Gale covered her face, choking on her tears as she tried to twist the narrative. "Sister, how can you falsely accuse Elara? Weren't you the one resting in here to sober up?"

I let out a chilling, mocking smile. "Elara is sleeping inside, and yet you insist on standing here arguing, determined to prove that Elara is having an illicit affair?"

"It was clearly you-" Isla pointed at me furiously, but before she could finish her sentence, a pale, trembling figure stepped out from the inner room behind me.

It was Elara.