Jasmine closes her eyes, slipping into a deep sleep. Her mind begins to fill with visions of Seo Jun, not from today but of the past. He is dressed in clothing similar to his father's Yukata. Seo Jun has his long black hair tied in a piece of decorative leather. His pearl around his neck glowed in the dim light. The sight of him takes her breath away at how handsome he is. Another man is beside him; he looks just like Jun but older. He is on his knees in front of Jun, his expression angry.
"How dare you do this to your father!" The man bellows at Jun.
"Father, I have done nothing to you. The law is clear. You can not take other dragons' power for personal gain. You also can not kill human maidens anymore. You have done both; the council has found you guilty and no longer fit to be the king of Dragons. It is time for you to step down." Seo coldly states the facts to his father.
"There is no other silver dragon of age to take my place. I am still the ruler over our kind. This will not happen the way they believe." Seo Taizu glares at his son and the dragons behind him. Taizu shifts into his dragon form, breaking his bonds. His blue silver scales pulsated with anger. Raising his clawed hand, he swipes Seo Jun's chest taking his pearl from him. Seo Jun falls to the ground, blood gushing from his chest, raising the pearl to eye level Taizu's voice booms, vibrating the air in the room, causing it to shake.
"I will not give up my power or the power I have taken through defeating those weaker. You, my son, are far too weak ever to take my place. The maidens I killed were trying to breed a stronger dragon than you. Your mother has made you far too weak. If I can breed a child in the old way to get a stronger son, I will." Taizu bellows as he crushes the pearl, sending a wave of energy across the country in the wake, throwing the shards into the wind. The pearl is scattered across the earth. Seo Jun tries to shift to fight his father, but he is now trapped in human form. Jasmine sees a familiar shape in the shadow of the room. It is aunty Selene. The moon goddess beside her is her grandmother. Selene bends down and picks something up from the floor. Taizu shifts back to his human form and spits on his son's face leaving him to bleed to death. The others in the room cringe and fall to their knees. The council is lowering their heads to hope that he will have mercy on them. Taizu, not a merciful being, takes a sword from one of the guards beheading each dragon and taking their pearls as a prize.
"Where are the two women from the village.? The two with strong auras." Taizu calls out as he leaves the room. Selene and a small female dragon come in when Taizu goes. Selene begins to heal Seo Jun stopping the blood and closing his wounds.
"Here, keep it hidden. Do not let him see it." Selene hands Seo jun the pearl shard she picked up. He holds it in his hand his strength begins to return.
"How did you get this? How were you able to even see it?" Seo Jun asks Selene thinking she could be his mate.
"I am not what I seem. I am not your mate, but I am one with special gifts. As long as you have this shard, you will be able to see your mate. She only needs to touch one of the other pieces. I will leave you now, but I will see you again." Selene motions to Inari to follow. Walking into the shadows, the two women disappeared as if they had never been there. Seo Jun passes out from the pain and loss of blood.
Jasmine begins to whimper in her sleep at the scene she just witnessed. She is now standing beside Seo Jun's bed; he is sleeping peacefully.
"You will get better; I know this because I will meet you in the future. I will help you find the pearl shards, and we will defeat your father together. "Jasmine whispers before she leans over to kiss Seo Jun. Her lips brush against his softly. When she lifts her face, her eyes meet his.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Seo Jun asks Jasmine before falling back into a healing sleep. Selene appears in the room.
"Dear prince, sleep well and heal quickly. Your life will be your father's for a time, but someday you will be able to defeat him. When the time comes, your mate will be next to you." Selene covers his feverish head with a cool towel.
Jasmine sits up in the bed, quickly realizing that it was just a dream. Getting up, Jasmine goes to shower and clear her head.
Her mind is racing with the images from her dream. What is confusing is why were her grandmother and aunt there. Deciding she needed to find out first if the dream was real. Jasmine gets dressed to find Seo Jun. As she opens her door, he is standing there looking at her.
"How did you know which room I was in?" Jasmine asked Seo Jun.
"This is my family's hotel. I just had to ask at the front desk about a guest named Jasmine Kaji. If you had not been here, I would have gone to every hotel in the city. Luckily you were here my room is next door. " Seo Jun tells Jasmine with a smile on his face. Jasmine smiles back at him, thinking it works out since she will look for him.
"I'm hungry; let's go eat. I have some questions to ask you." Jasmine walks past Seo Jun in the direction of the elevator. Jasmine is not giving him any choice but to follow her.
Once in the dining room, Jasmine is surprised that the staff treats Seo Jun no differently than any other guest.
"I thought you would be treated differently as one of the owners," Jasmine tells Seo Jun as she looks over the menu.
"If you were with one of my brothers, you would be treated like a queen. Sorry since you are with me, you are just another guest. I am not in my father's good graces. " Seo Jun tells Jasmine quietly. Is not wanting to admit that he is worthless in the eyes of his kind.
"It is ok I have always been taught that no one is better than another. That it is the kindness and respect you give that matters." Jasmine smiles before giving the waitress her order.
Jasmine takes a deep breath to ask about her dream when they are alone again.
"The pearl, was it your father who shattered it and sent it into the wind?" Jasmine asks.
"Yes, many years ago, the council found him guilty of crimes. Since I was next in line, they expected me to bring him to justice. Instead, I wasn't strong enough to beat him. I didn't even get a chance to try. He shattered my pearl taking my powers. Nearly killed me, and he did kill the council. Since that day, I have been under his control. Even now, he has his men on their way to get me. All that's left is for him to force me to do the marriage rite with someone who is not my mate. When that happens, I will lose what is left of my powers and die. That is why I came to find you. I believe you are my mate. If we can restore my pearl and marry before the thirty days my father gave me then I have a chance to defeat him. I can free my kind from his rule." Seo Jun tells Jasmine .
"I saw you last night in my dream; you were with my Aunt Selene. I saw your father turn to his dragon form. I saw him destroy your pearl. My aunt Selene gave you the shard that fell on the floor. She is the one who healed you. How do you know her?" Jasmine asks Seo Jun.
"Heng'e, she came with my mother when my parents married. Heng'e was our nanny of sorts. You say you are her niece; how is that possible?" Seo Jun asks Jasmine.
"Aunt Selene is the moon goddess; she is a celestial being. Just like aunt Gigi, Selene is an immortal. If you like, I can call her to come to meet us. Would you like to see her again?" Jasmine asks as she stands to leave. Seo Jun pays the bill and stands with her.
"I would love to see her again; come, let's see if we can figure out how to find my other pearl shards." Seo Jun holds out his hand to Jasmine.