The Dragon King's Heart

By the time she realized what had happened, Margaret had already been whisked away by Marius. When she turned back to look for Laina and Dante, there was no sign of them anywhere.

Margaret tried to wriggle out of Marius's grasp but he was not about to let her go so easily.

"Oh Margaret, don't you enjoy my company?" Marius teased as they continued their way towards the garden.

"Marius! Do you not remember what I told you before?" She warned him through gritted teeth.

Marius grinned, "Of course I do, I remember all your threats. But trust me on this one, you're going to love what you see."

Just as he finished speaking, they arrived at the entrance of the garden. Margaret was glaring at Marius angrily. But as soon as the aromatic fragrance of fresh flowers permeated her senses, she could not help but turn to look.

Before her eyes was a beautiful flower garden filled with vibrant colors and aromatic floral fragrances. Margaret gasped in shock and wonder as a smile appeared upon her face.

Seeing her smile, brought a smile to Marius's face too. He gently released her hand as Margaret went further in to explore it. Kol, who tagged along behind them peered into the garden.

He had never seen anything like this before. He was curious about all the things around him. Marius came over to him and encouraged him to explore. As Kol wandered down one of the stone pebble paths, Marius caught up with Margaret who was admiring some purple orchids.

"I knew you would love this place," Marius declared with a grin as he stood by Margaret's side.

She rolled her eyes as she continued to admire the flowers, refusing to acknowledge him and give him the satisfaction he sought for. True enough, he craved her attention.

"Come on, you can't deny that I know you well," Marius said as he nudged her arm.

Margaret straightened her back as she turned to face him. She folded her arms as she plotted to put him in his place.

"Oh? You think you know me well?" She asked mockingly.

"I don't just think so, I know so."

"Since you're so confident, let's make a bet then," Margaret suggested.

Intrigued, Marius came up closer to her with a grin on his face.

"Sure. If I win, you have to go on a date with me," Marius laid down his terms immediately.

Margaret gritted her teeth, she knew he would come up with something like this. But she's not going to let him have his way! Who said he was going to be the winner.

"Alright. If I win, you have to become my slave for a month," she laid down her terms.

"Are you sure you want these terms, Moira? Both seem to work in my favor, not yours," Marius teased as he took the opportunity to wrap his hand around her waist, bringing them closer than before.

Hearing him call her by her real name, Margaret grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't you dare call me by that name! If I hear it one more time, I will skin you alive!" She threatened.

Realizing how close they had gotten, barely inches apart, Margaret sidestepped to avoid his further advances. She could feel her heartbeat ringing in her ears and the heat in her cheeks.

But Margaret chose to ignore it all. She focused on their bet. Since Marius claimed to know her well, she would ask him three questions about herself. If he could answer two or more of them correctly, he would win. If he got two questions wrong, she would win.

"Fair enough, ask away, Mo - Margaret."

Margaret walked further into the flower garden, admiring the flowers as she walked. Marius trailed beside her, happy to see her enjoying herself.

"First question, what is my favorite type of flower?"

Marius recalled his observation of her from the moment they entered the garden. He knew she would gravitate to her favorite flowers, but she did not linger long enough on them for him to find an answer.

All he could do was to make a wild guess.

"Laven…" he said as he watched Margaret's facial expressions. Seeing that she did not have much of a reaction, he changed his answer, "...Ro…"

Margaret hit him gently on the arm and called him out, "Are you trying to guess based on my response to your answers? That's cheating!"

"What? No, that's totally not what I'm doing," Marius laughed as he tried to hide his tactic.

She folded her arms and furrowed her eyebrows, "If you're going to be like this, then the bet is off!"

"No, okay okay, my final answer is… gladiolus!"

"Hah! Wrong! I don't think I've even heard of this type of flower before…" Margaret pointed her finger at him and exclaimed, "Did you make that up?"

"What, no! It's a real flower, why would I make it up?" Marius scanned the flowers around them, in hopes of proving his point.

In the corner of the garden, he spotted what he was looking for. Marius grabbed Margaret by the hand and presented the flowers to her. The Gladiolus flower grew on singular stems, sprouting flowers on each side.

The ones in the garden had light pink peach-colored petals. Though she had not seen this breed of flower before, Margaret admired it.

"The gladiolus is often used as a symbol of strength, faithfulness, and sincerity," Marius explained as he turned to admire Margaret before continuing, "It reminds me of you."

Hearing his explanation, Margaret subconsciously brought her hand up to touch her cheek. She could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. At that moment, they could not take their eyes off each other.

"But it's not my favorite flower, so you're wrong," Margaret declared with a grin as she quickly looked away after they shared a moment.

"So what is your favorite flower then?" Marius asked out of curiosity.