The Dragon King's Heart

With Laina's assurance, Vincent took in a deep breath and spoke his mind, "I… observed and noticed two things. First, is the scent of paint that is coming from the painting."

"What about it?" Laina asked.

"If this painting was truly painted quite some time ago, there should not be a smell of paint still lingering on it," he replied.

Margaret and Laina looked at one another. Vincent brought up a fair point. A painting would have been aired for a long period of time, yet this one still smelled of fresh paint.

"Could they have touched it up recently? Which resulted in the paint smell?" Margaret hypothesized.

Everyone turned their attention back to Vincent, waiting eagerly to hear his reply. He could feel the mounting pressure on him. Vincent backed away from all of them hunching his shoulders as he paused in thought.

Seeing how uncomfortable he was. Laina moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Vincent, no need to panic. Take your time, take a deep breath, and let us know your thoughts," Laina said to him reassuringly.

He looked up at her with a look of gratitude. Laina's words gave him the bit of confidence he needed to formulate his reply.

"What Lady Margaret said is indeed a possibility. But upon closer inspection of the painting, I have sufficient reason to believe that there are actually two paintings on this canvas."

Everyone's eyebrows were raised. At first, none of them believed Vincent's words. The painter walked up to the easel, closely examining the painting once more. As he did so, Laina came over to take a look too.

She wanted to know how Vincent came to the conclusion. More importantly, how did he know?

"Vincent, pardon my skepticism, but how do you know it's actually two paintings on one canvas?" Laina asked.

His eyes darted away to the side as he pursed his lips. It seemed clear to Laina that he did not feel comfortable sharing that information. She reassured him that he did not have to say anything that he did not want to.

"But your Highness, if he does not reveal the mystery, how are we going to know how or if this is even possible?" Margaret protested.

Laina bit her lip, she knew Margaret was right. But seeing how they continuously pushed Vincent, she was worried pushing him any further might cause him to snap. Vincent knew the gravity of the situation.

He knew the information would be able to help the Crown Princess. He was eternally grateful to her. She was the one who gave him a chance to showcase his talents. If it was not for the Crown Princess and his brother, Vincent would still be in the mental asylum.

"I used to paint over my finished canvases," Vincent explained.

"Back when paint supplies were hard to come by, I would paint a different painting over the finished pieces in an effort to save some money. That way, THEON would not have to spend as much to get me the supplies I needed," he continued

Hearing his story broke Laina's heart. She never knew how hard he had worked to get to where he was today. Vincent had always been one of the quieter ones amongst the painters.

He would spend his days painting beneath the sun. He loved the outdoors.

Margaret walked over to the painting. She turned to Laina.

"Your Highness, there's only one way to reveal the truth," she said with vigor.

Laina understood Margaret's intentions. In order to prove Vincent's theory, they have to find a way to separate the layers. Since the painting was done by magic, it was possible to reveal it through the use of magic spells.

"Do what you must, Margaret. I do not care for this painting anyway," Laina gave the order.

Margaret waved her hand over the painting. She recited a stream of incantations and spells. The canvas began to glow a little. All of them took two steps back. From the side of the painting, you could see a layer of paint lifting off the canvas.

As it slowly peeled away, the image of another woman appeared in place of where Laina was supposed to be. When the spell was complete, the new painted layer fell to the ground, revealing what was hidden beneath it.

All of them walked up to the easel for a closer look.

"That is clearly not me," Laina announced as she crossed her arms.

"Indeed it is not," Margaret added.

Seeing that they had made headway in this matter, Laina thanked Vincent profusely for his help. If he had not voiced out his doubts, they would not have thought to check before proceeding.

Seeing as the situation has changed, Laina sent Vincent back to The Yellow Villa. Before she let him go, she made him promise that he would keep what he had seen a secret for the time being.

"I understand, your Highness. You have my word," Vincent promised Laina before he left to return home.

After sending the painter off, Laina and Margaret stood before the easel. They looked intently at the painting before them, wondering who this mysterious woman was. From their speculation, they came to the conclusion that the woman was likely King Kragen's mate.

"Based on her looks and dressing, she definitely does not look like the type that King would be into," Margaret guessed.

"Oh? What makes you say so?" Laina asked.

"Well for one, she looks… how should I put it… weak."

"Weak?"

"Yes, weak."

"King Kragen seemed like the kind of man who would do anything to consolidate power and expand his Kingdom," as the gears in Margaret's mind churned, she continued to speak.

"A marriage alliance would bring him more resources and power. That would mean he's marrying you to-" Something seemed to click in Margaret's mind.

"He doesn't just want me, he wants Kinshearth. But why?" Laina could not help but ask.

Seeing how the situation had unfolded, Margaret had many thoughts rushing through her mind. She did not want Laina to end up with Dante. But King Kragen was not a great candidate either.

"And why do I feel like he's my mate? When clearly it's supposed to be someone else?" The Crown Princess asked as she bit her lip.

Laina began pacing about the room, in front of the painting. She needed to find out more information, gather more data before going to the police. When it comes to the matter of the werewolves' heart, there was only one person she knew she could count on.

"We need to look for the Moon Goddess."