The Dragon King's Heart

Laina came out of the bathroom in her nightdress. She touched the soft silk material and was amazed by how smooth it was. Definitely something fit for a princess. Titan trailed next to Laina as they walked over to the bed.

But she stopped short of it and turned towards the daybed instead. Laina was not ready to sleep just yet. She had hoped a nice long bath would help take her mind off what happened earlier but it did not help much.

The scene of them exchanging desserts and Dante leaning in was still fresh in her mind. Laina squinted her eyes as she hid her face behind a pillow. She threw the pillow to the side and picked up Titan from the ground.

She cupped Titan's face and asked, "Oh Titan! It was so embarrassing! You should have seen my face!"

Laina buried her face in Titan's soft warm fur as he licked her face. She giggled as she pets Titan on the head and laid down on the daybed. She placed her hand over her forehead as she stared at the ceiling.

She turned to look out the balcony, seeing the sea of stars brought her some peace of mind. Laina stood up and walked out into the open air, admiring the twinkling stars high above. She reached her hand out, hoping she could easily reach for one and have it in the palm of her hand.

Looking down at the cityscape around her, Laina noticed that the streetlights were still on. The city looked vastly different compared to what it did in the day. While most of the shops were closed by this hour, the bars and music halls remained open.

Despite how high up she was, she could still hear the soft whispers of music. It was like listening to a large orchestra made up of a jumbled mess of musical instruments. A gust of wind blew around her.

Although Laina was wearing a sleeveless nightdress, she did not feel cold at all. The warmth her body naturally produced kept her warm, even on the coldest of days. Laina looked down at Titan, who obediently sat beside her.

He opened his jaw wide and let out a yawn before licking the side of his mouth. He looked up at Laina with sleepy eyes. It was as if he was telling her that it was time for bed. Laina crouched down to ruffle his fur, as she too let out a yawn.

"You're right, Titan. It's been a long day indeed and it's time for us to catch some sleep. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow," she joked.

Together, they returned to the bedroom. Laina was getting ready to get into bed when she suddenly heard a sound coming from the balcony. She froze in her movement and looked at Titan.

If there was an intruder, she was certain the solar mastiff would be on high alert. But Titan was laying in bed, wagging his tail with his head tilted to the side looking right back at Laina. But seeing Titan so calm made her feel a little at ease.

-Maybe that was just my mind playing tricks on me.- she convinced herself as she climbed into bed.

Just as she was making herself comfortable beneath the covers, all the lights in the room switched off. The doors of the balcony closed on their own too. Laina could feel her heart about to jump out of her throat.

Moments later, she began to smell a strong scent of liquor. But it was pitch black in the room, Laina could not see anything at all. She reached her hand out to the side, trying to reach for the switch for the table lamp.

When she found the switch, Laina immediately pulled on it. The room lit up immediately with the glow of the table lamp. Her heart was still palpitating as Laina carefully scanned the entire room. As she glanced past the daybed, her eyes returned to it.

There was someone lying on the daybed. She got out of bed slowly and carefully tiptoed over to the daybed. When she turned around, she was shocked to see that it was none other than King Dante.

"Oh my goodness! Dante… I mean King Dante, what on earth are you doing here?! In my room?!" Laina gasped in shock and confusion.

Dante stood up and came up close to Laina. She did not have enough time to react. Before she knew it, he already had his arm around her waist as he brought their bodies close together. There was no distance between them.

She could smell the strong scent of liquor lingering on his breath. The sweet scent reminded her of a liquor she had drunk before. It was the fragrance of Sundrop Honey. Laina tried to move away from Dante, but his grip on her was tight.

"My sweet sun drop… do… do you know how much I missed you…" Dante slurred his words as he caressed Laina's face.

Laina could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as both of their eyes met. At first glance, she tried to pull her gaze away from his. But something about his eyes caught her attention. When she stole a second glance, Laina realized something was amiss.

The way Dante was speaking, the lingering smell of liquor on his breath. The weird glint in his eyes. She needed to confirm her suspicions. Laina tilted her head and looked at Dante's eyes. She could not believe it at first, but upon closer inspection, she realized that his eyes were covered in a layer of purple light.

-A spell…- she thought to herself.

"Dante, Dante," she called out his name while clicking her fingers in front of his face.

Though she had his attention, he was not snapping out of the spell. Laina was not sure what happened to him in the time after they had last met, but it seemed like Dante had been placed under a spell.

"To lower his guard, someone must have tried to get him drunk," she theorized.

Before Laina could do anything else, she felt her entire body being lifted off the ground.

"What… what are you doing Dante?!" she exclaimed while beating her curled-up fists on his chest, "Put me down!"

Dante smiled as he gently kissed Laina on the cheek with a grin. He could barely walk in a straight line towards the bed, with Laina kicking and demanding to be put down.

"Sundrop… I've missed you too much," Dante whispered to Laina, touching foreheads, "Tonight, you and I are going to spend some alone time together."