Substitute Marriage: Taming The Disabled Dragon Lord

Aislinn POV:

For years, I was cast aside by the Sterlings, left to rot in the countryside while my so-called parents ignored my existence.

Then they brought me back, only to offer me up as a sacrifice in my sister's place. I was to marry the Dragon Lord, Gideon Carlisle.

They said he had once been the realm's greatest warrior, but war had taken half his face and crushed his legs. They said the wounds had turned him into a monster. The Sterlings were sending me to my death.

I didn't refuse. I bled them for every coin they had, squeezing twenty thousand gold coins out of them as my survival fund.

On the wedding day, I arrived at my groom's estate. His steward tried to make me crawl through a dog door.

Gideon wanted to humiliate me? Fine. Let's see how he liked being dragged out instead.

I was blessed with unnatural strength. I hoisted the 500-pound stone gargoyle from his own front gate and smashed his door to splinters.

"Old lizard!" I shouted into the ruins. "Come out and greet your bride!"

***

"You will marry Gideon Carlisle."

These words, spoken in my mother Lady Sterling's syrupy, theatrical tone, hung in the air of the stuffy drawing-room. I sat on a cold, carved wooden chair, my hands folded in my lap.

Across from me, Lady Sterling, a woman whose entire existence was a performance, looked at me with what she probably thought was gentle sympathy.

"It is a great honor, Aislinn. You will become a lord's lady."

Honor?

The Gideon Carlisle she spoke of was a Dragon Lord, the Regent of this kingdom, a former god of war. He was said to have had half his face melted away by enemy dragonfire in a fierce battle, and his legs had been crushed and permanently broken as well. The wounds of war had made him brutally violent. It was said that he once tore apart a spy who broke into his home with his bare hands, without even shifting into his dragon form. That was certainly an exaggeration, but it was enough to show how terrifying he was in the eyes of the world.

This was no honor. It was practically murder.

I kept my head bowed, my gaze fixed on the worn linen of my dress, then flicked it toward the hem of her magnificent silk gown. Gold thread formed the griffin crest of House Sterling, a symbol of the nobility I had never truly belonged to. The contrast made a bitter, mocking smile flicker across my lips for a brief moment.

She had no idea that her daughter was no longer the helpless, obedient, abandoned girl she used to be.

In this land called Eldoria, dragons are everywhere, and those who have awakened their power can transform into dragons. Yet they had cast me aside to the countryside for years, simply because I was a "worthless" one who couldn't shift.

But fortunately, that exile had taught me how to survive on the borderlands. I learned medicine, and I learned how to handle hypocrites like them-people who glittered on the outside but were hollow within.

In my mind, I was already weaving plans of revenge against the two people in this room who called themselves my parents.

"Your sister, Imogen, is destined for a greater match," Lady Sterling continued, her voice laced with feigned regret. "She is determined to marry Crown Prince Tristan. We cannot waste her on a... cripple."

My father, Lord Marcus Sterling, cleared his throat. "It is the King's will. It is your duty and your honor."

I could feel their eyes on me, assessing me like a piece of livestock.

Slowly, I lifted my head, meeting their expectant gazes.

"What do I get?" I asked, my voice a soft whisper.

The question landed in the silent room like a stone. They stared, stunned. Lady Sterling's smile froze, cracking at the edges.

Lord Sterling's face darkened. "You ungrateful whelp! The family has raised you. This is how you repay us?"

"Raised? What exactly did you raise me for? Leaving me in the countryside, ignored and forgotten? You only brought me back to take Imogen's place in this marriage." I said, my voice gaining strength. I stood up, looking him directly in the eye. "Repayment can be a willing sacrifice, or it can be a transaction. If Imogen's marriage is worth the entire family's future, then my value as her replacement must also have a number."

The room fell into a dead silence. Shock, then fury, flashed across Lord Sterling's face.

He slammed his hand on the table. The imitation dragon crystal paperweight jumped. "Insolence! You dare bargain with us?"

I walked to the window, turning my back to them. "I'm not bargaining. I'm stating a fact. You need me to go to the wedding altar willingly, not tied and gagged. In front of a man as notoriously volatile as Gideon Carlisle, are you certain you want to risk what a resentful bride might say? Or do?"

I glanced over my shoulder. His face was a mottled shade of purple. He knew I was right. He couldn't afford Gideon Carlisle's wrath.

"What do you want?" he asked.

I turned back, a small, cold smile on my face. "I need money. A lot of money."

Lady Sterling shrieked. "You're mad! Stop making such outrageous demands!"

I ignored her, my eyes locked on Lord Sterling. "Two hundred thousand gold marks. To buy my life, and to buy your family's peace of mind."

He gasped. The sound was wet and choked. The fat on his body seemed to tremble. That was nearly five years of his entire territory's revenue.

"The funds must be delivered to me before the wedding, in the form of a certified voucher from the Golden Lion, the kingdom's largest bank," I continued, pressing my advantage. "Otherwise, I will tell everyone at the wedding that I was sold to the Dragon lord."

His breathing grew heavy, a rasping sound in the quiet room. He stared at me, truly seeing me for the first time, not as a ward, but as an adversary.

"Consider it, Father," I said, the title a drop of poison on my tongue. "You can solve this with money, or you can gamble your family's reputation on whether a 'crippled tyrant' will take his wedding night frustrations out on you."

After a long, suffocating silence, he slumped into his chair, defeated.

"Fine," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll give it to you."

"A pleasure doing business with you," I said, and for the first time, my smile was genuine. Not at them, of course, but at the money I was about to get.

I turned to leave. As my hand touched the doorknob, his venomous voice followed me. "Don't forget who you are, Aislinn. You will always be a Sterling. Don't think you're free."

I didn't look back.

"From the moment I take his name," I said softly, "I will only be Gideon Carlisle's wife."

Aislinn POV:

I returned to my room, a space as unremarkable and neglected as I was. The walls were peeling, the furniture old and scarred. It was a stark contrast to the lavishness of the rest of the Sterling estate.

My maid, Danette, hurried to my side. I had rescued her from a slave market a year ago, and she had been fiercely loyal to me ever since. She was clever and quick-witted, but lacked confidence, always timid, her eyes like those of a startled deer.

"My lady," she whispered, twisting her apron in her hands. "Did Lord and Lady Sterling... did they hurt you?"

"Hurt me?" I shook my head and poured myself a glass of cold water, drinking it all in one go. "They'll be too busy to bother with me soon enough."

I pulled a piece of parchment from my sleeve. I picked up a quill and quickly drafted a document, drawing on the little knowledge of contract law I had learned in my other world. Not much, but practical. The clauses regarding the two hundred thousand gold marks were precise, airtight, and absolutely binding.

Danette watched, her brow furrowed in confusion because she could not read.

I blew on the ink to dry it, then folded the parchment. "Danette, I need you to do something very important for me."

I leaned in and lowered my voice. I instructed her to go to the Golden Lion bank in the city, deliver this contract directly to the head manager, and bring back the legally binding voucher.

"Be sure to tell him," I added, "that this is a request from 'Gideon Carlisle's bride.' He will understand the weight of those words."

I wielded the title with practiced ease, as if I already owned the power it carried.

Danette's eyes widened with fear, but she saw the resolve in my gaze. "My lady, are you truly going to marry... that one?" she asked, her voice trembling. "The rumors..."

"Rumors can be false, but money can't, Danette. Money is always true. Go now. Quickly."

She nodded, tucked the parchment securely into her skirt, and slipped out through the back door like a shadow.

Alone now, I walked over to the mirror. I studied the face looking back-black hair, violet eyes. Beautiful, but sad. It wouldn't stay that way for long, though. Once I had the Sterlings' money in my hands, I was sure that sadness would disappear.

I even wondered if I should have asked for more. The way the Sterlings treated me, the shock on their faces when I demanded money, only confirmed what I had long suspected.

I wasn't their daughter. Maybe I wasn't even their adopted child. Perhaps I was just a replacement, a stand-in, a tool.

Since Danette was gone, I had to change into my nightgown myself. As I pulled down the collar, I noticed that strange tattoo on my left shoulder again. A red spider lily, so intricately detailed. It had been there as long as I could remember. I never understood why I had it. I'd never found out what it meant, but I was about to become the Regent's wife, and I could use his power and connections to uncover the truth.

An hour later, Danette returned breathless, clutching a sealed parchment scroll tightly in her hands. It bore the magical seal of the Golden Lion.

I took it, my fingers tracing the glowing runes. It was real. Two hundred thousand gold marks. A fortune. The foundation of my survival in this cruel and unfamiliar world.

And with the Golden Lion's magical seal protecting it, the money could not be reclaimed. Ha. My adoptive father was probably still scheming about how to get this money back from his weak little adopted daughter. Dream on.

I carefully stored the voucher away. A wave of satisfaction washed over me. I picked a grape from a small bowl and ate it slowly.

The first step of my plan for revenge was complete. But the wedding, and the monster I was about to marry, still lay ahead.

Aislinn POV:

The day of the wedding arrived under a heavy, oppressive gray sky. I was dressed in a hastily altered white gown that didn't quite fit, and pushed out the gates of the Sterling estate by my smiling, hypocritical adoptive mother.

Gideon's procession waited. It was pathetic.

A handful of knights, grim-faced and expressionless, sat astride their mounts. They couldn't even be bothered to dismount and bow. The leader, a scarred man, gave only a curt nod in my direction.

Their mounts were not horses. They were massive beasts covered in gray scales, with fierce, intelligent eyes. Gray-scale drakes. Creatures of draconic bloodline. Even such a meager display was a clear reminder of a Dragon Lord's power. But still, this looked more like a prisoner's escort than a bride's procession.

I climbed into a plain black carriage. No royal crest, no soft cushions. The interior was bare wood.

The procession deliberately took its time, winding through the city streets until dusk began to fall. They meant for me to miss the auspicious time of the ceremony. Another petty insult.

The carriage passed by the magnificent main gates of the Regent's palace, their surface carved with elaborate dragons, but it did not stop. It pulled up before a small, narrow side door. A servant's entrance, plain to see.

A man stood waiting there, his posture rigid. From his attire, he appeared to be the steward. A faint, barely perceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"My lady, I am Alfred Jennings," he said. His bow was flawless, but his tone carried a hint of mockery. "This way, please. Lord Gideon has prepared the 'Quiet Passage' for you."

The Quiet Passage he spoke of was about the size of a dog door. Gideon Carlisle certainly had a creative way of welcoming his bride.

The guards and servants standing along the way whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with cruel amusement. They were all waiting to see the country bride make a fool of herself.

I remained seated in the carriage.

Alfred cleared his throat, his patience wearing thin. "My lady?"

I finally parted the curtain, my gaze passing over him to the towering closed main gate in the distance.

"Steward," I said, my voice clear and calm. "As I recall, the laws of Eldoria dictate that the wife of a Dragon Lord shall enter the palace through the main gate, greeted by the Dragon Guard and heralded by the Dragon Bell. Have I misremembered, or have the rules of this household come to supersede the laws of the kingdom?"

Alfred's face paled. "Lord Gideon is concerned for your safety..." he stammered.

"Is that so?" I cut him off with a cold laugh. "It seems more like Lord Gideon is telling me, and his entire household, that he holds his own wife in no regard."

I rose to my feet. The traditional white veil covered my face. It was meant to be lifted by the groom himself.

I did not wait for my groom to appear. In full view of everyone, I reached up and tore the veil from my head, revealing a face that showed no fear or shame, only a calm, smiling defiance.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. For a bride to unveil herself was an act of profound disrespect, a challenge to her husband.

I let the expensive silk fall to the dusty ground.

I stepped down from the carriage, my movements unhurried, my heel grinding the fallen veil into the dirt. I walked toward Alfred, and he instinctively stepped back. I was shorter than him, but my presence made him retreat.

I looked up at him, my voice carrying the weight of authority as I spoke aloud.

"Go back to your master, Gideon Carlisle, and tell him that his bride has arrived. And she will enter through the main gate."

I paused, letting my next words sink in.

"If he does not open it, I will do it myself."

The tension in the air was palpable. Sweat beaded on Alfred's forehead.

"My lady, I..."

"You won't deliver the message? Fine. I'll go myself."

I turned my back on him and strode toward the great double doors carved with entwined dragons. Gideon Carlisle, I would drag you out myself.