Transmigrated Into a Cannon Fodder Phoenix, Stuck With the Ice Dragon Chapter 61: Just For The Flame

The mont the car stopped in front of the glass-covered building, I was already halfway out the door.

The grand lobby of Drake Corporation was busy, white marble floors, gold accents, and a line of staff who imdiately straightened the mont they saw .

"Lady Drake," one of them greeted with a polite bow.

I waved a hand quickly. "Yes, yes, morning, hello."

My heels clicked sharply against the floor as I hurried toward the reception desk. The poor receptionist, who looked like she’d only just taken a sip of her coffee, nearly choked on it when I leaned forward.

"I need to see Lucian," I said, still slightly breathless from the run.

"Of course, my lady," she said at once, eyes wide. She pressed a button on her crystal communicator, though honestly, she didn’t need to. And it seed like everyone in the building knew exactly who I was.

The Lady of the Drake.

Which sounded grand and all, but right now, I felt more like a walking disaster.

The receptionist stood up quickly, smoothing her skirt. "This way, my lady. I was told Lord Drake is in his office, currently having a short discussion with his assistant."

I nodded, trying to look calm, though my heart was still hamring sowhere near my throat.

As we passed through the lobby, every staff mber I walked by stopped what they were doing and bowed. So murmured greetings, others just stepped aside quietly.

I waved them off one after another, muttering, "Please, don’t—no need to—really, it’s fine—carry on, everyone—"

By the ti the elevator doors opened, I could finally breathe again.

"Top floor," the receptionist said, bowing slightly as she held the door for .

I stepped inside, pressed the highest button, and leaned back against the wall, exhaling.

Because now ca the harder part, explaining to Lucian that there was soone out there who looked exactly like .

Ding!

The mont the elevator doors opened I strode my feet faster, heading to his office.

The elevator doors slid open, and I strode down the corridor, the sound of my steps sharp against the polished floor.

Lucian’s office was just ahead, that familiar, tall double door frad with frost-edged glass. I reached for the handle, ready to burst in and unload everything I’d just witnessed.

But then I paused.

The door wasn’t fully shut.

And from the narrow gap, I heard voices.

"—the markings match perfectly," Sebastian was saying, his tone low but clear. "It’s definitely part of the forbidden book."

Lucian’s voice followed, calm but heavy. "And the passage?"

Sebastian hesitated for a beat before answering, "It matches what we’ve seen. The text describes a fla powerful enough to heal soone at the brink of death... even when their life force is nearly gone. A power only the pure blood of the Phoenix once carried."

Lucian didn’t respond right away. The faint clink of glass reached my ears, maybe he’d set down the drink he’d been holding.

"I knew it," he murmured finally, almost to himself. "So it’s real."

Sebastian sighed quietly. "You’ve suspected it from the start, my lord. What happened at the garden... it wasn’t an ordinary fla. That level of energy shouldn’t exist anymore."

I frowned, leaning a little closer to the door.

What were they even talking about?

Fla powerful enough to heal soone at the brink of death? Not an ordinary fla?

My mind scrambled to keep up, but the more I listened, the less it made sense.

Then Sebastian’s voice ca again, lower this ti. "Are you sure you want to use my lady’s fla, my lord?"

My breath hitched.

For a mont, I thought I’d misheard him. But the words replayed clearly in my head, ’Use my lady’s fla.’

Lucian didn’t answer right away. I heard him move instead, slow and deliberate steps across the floor. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, steady.

"If there’s even a chance," he said, "then yes."

My stomach twisted.

That tone... he didn’t sound cold or cruel, just resolved.

But all I could think about was that single phrase.

My fla.

Was this it?

The reason he’d agreed to the marriage, even knowing I was only a substitute?

I felt my heart drop, like the air had just been knocked out of .

Was it never about at all?

Was all of his actions toward ... just for my fla?

Every small gesture, every quiet look, every word that I thought ant sothing... Did it all lead back to this?

My chest tightened painfully. The air around felt colder than usual, maybe it was him, maybe it was just .

I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down as I took a small step back, then another. My feet moved before my mind could catch up.

The conversation behind the door faded into nothing, drowned by the sound of my own heartbeat.

By the ti I reached the end of the corridor, my body felt heavy and numb, like I was walking underwater.

I pressed the elevator button and waited, staring at the golden doors without seeing anything at all.

Ding.

The sound echoed softly, but it didn’t register.

I stepped inside, my reflection staring back at from the mirrored walls, the sa face Lucian had used, the sa fla he wanted.

"Seraphina Vale," I whispered to the reflection, my voice trembling just a little, "you just trust too easily."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

I should’ve known better.

I should’ve seen it sooner.

In my world or anywhere I go... no one treats well without expecting sothing in return.

Kindness always ca with strings.

Smiles were just deals waiting to be signed.

So why did I think he’d be any different?

The elevator humd softly around , but all I could hear was the echo of my own heartbeat — faint, uneven, and tired.

Maybe I wasn’t angry at him.

Maybe I was angry at myself... for hoping.

I didn’t rember walking through the lobby. I just... moved.

Faces turned as I passed, voices greeted , but they all blurred into one shapeless hum.

When I reached the front entrance, Marek was already there, waiting beside the car.

He straightened the mont he saw . "My lady," he said gently, pulling the door open for . "Where to?"

I didn’t answer. I just climbed inside and sank into the seat.

The door shut behind with a soft click, sealing away from everything from the stares, from the noise, from him.

Through the small window, I saw Marek glance back, still waiting for an answer. But when he caught sight of , whatever words he wanted to say died on his tongue.

Because I wasn’t fine.

I turned my face away, my hand pressed against my mouth as the first sob broke free, quiet but shaking.

Tears didn’t fall. They never did. But the ache in my chest spilled over anyway, each breath heavier than the last.

Marek said nothing. The carriage began to move.

And I just sat there, crying without tears, in a silence that hurt more than any sound ever could.