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3.7% The Dragon King's Heart / Chapter 12: Meeting His Majesty

Chapter 12: Meeting His Majesty

Laina looked down at the dress she wore, then back at the clothing that had been set on the table for her. Though she was still uncertain of the intentions of the host who had placed her here, she still decided to change out of her evening dress.

Much to her surprise, the clothing prepared fit her perfectly. She came out from behind the folded screen and admired her new outfit in the full-length mirror.

-How does this person know my tastes so well?- she wondered to herself while glancing back at the decor of the room.

Everything was to her liking. If this person had made all the choices based on lucky guesses, the lady of luck must be shining down on them. Laina walked back to the dressing table to find the cat laying on the countertop lazily.

It turned belly up, inviting her to scratch its belly. She did not hesitate to do so. As the cat purred comfortably, Laina suddenly heard barking in the distance. She jolted out of her seat and looked all around.

Could it have been just her imagination?

But the cat seemed to have heard the barking as well, as it got back up on its four legs and looked intently towards the room door. Laina pet the cat on the top of its head.

"You heard it too? Then it must be real," she whispered to the cat.

Just then, Laina heard the barking again. It was louder too. The barking had gotten nearer. Something about it made Laina jump into action. The cat leaped off the dressing table and quickly made its way towards the room door.

It began to meow and claw at the door, as if asking Laina to open it. Though she was hesitant to do so at first, the distant barking spurred her into action. The door creaked open and the cat immediately slipped out of the room.

"Hey wait!" Laina called out.

In that moment, she had forgotten all of her worries. She left the confines of the room to follow the cat. Walking down the empty hallway, Laina was solely focused on following the cat.

"Are you taking me to the source of the barking?" she asked the cat.

The cat meowed at her.

-I hope that's a yes.- she said to herself.

Laina heard the barking again. They were getting nearer. The louder she heard it, the more wanted to run and find its source. Laina broke into a run, even leaving the cat behind. She had never been in this place before, but she was able to navigate through its halls with ease.

Finally, she came into a garden. She was amazed by the number of flowers in bloom that she was surrounded by. But this was not what she was looking for. Laina looked all around, looking for the source of the barking.

In her mind, she saw flashes of a huge dog. But she could not get a clear image in her mind of how it looked like. Moments later, she heard the sharp bark again.

"Titan! Where are you?" Laina called out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Laina covered her mouth in shock. How did she know the name of the creature she was looking for? In the memories she had in her mind, she never owned any pets, let alone the name of any pet.

"How did I know?" she muttered to herself.

Before she could delve further into her thoughts, Laina heard that familiar bark once more. This time, the dog appeared before her. It was a huge dog, standing at almost a meter in height. It had a mane, just like a lion's.

Laina had no time to react as the dog leaped onto her, pushing her onto the ground. The dog began to lick her face enthusiastically while wagging its tail. Laina burst out laughing.

"Stop it, Titan! You're suffocating me!" she laughed.

Finally, the dog relented and took a few steps back, allowing Laina to seat back up. She gently pets the dog as it barked at her. It was as if the dog was calling out to her. But one thing still remained on her mind.

Why was she so certain she knew this dog? And why was she certain the dog's name was Titan. Just then, Laina noticed that she was being watched. When she looked up, she noticed the outline of a tall man standing before her.

It did not take long for her to realize who it was. Laina quickly stood back up and curtsied. She might not know what was going on, but she certainly had not forgotten her manners.

"Your Majesty," she greeted him politely.

She stole a glance as she looked up at King Dante. Their eyes met. Laina blushed beet red and quickly looked back down. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her cheeks felt hot to the touch.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Princess Laina. I hope the room and clothing were to your liking?" his smooth voice was intoxicating.

-Keep it together Laina.- she said to herself.

Laina cleared her throat before replying, "Indeed. Everything, ah, was well. Sorry, what I meant to say is that I liked everything. Thank you, your majesty, for accommodating me last night."

She did not give him a chance to say anything, she continued speaking.

"You have been most gracious with your hospitality. But I believe I have overstayed my welcome. I am quite certain that Margaret.. I mean my handmaiden would be worried sick looking for me. I think it would be best if I-" Laina was about to turn and leave but she felt a hand grasp onto her wrist.

When she turned back around, she was surprised to see how close Dante had gotten to her. They were barely inches apart. She could smell the sweet scent emanating from his body. Laina looked up at Dante.

The cheeky King was grinning evilly! Laina gulped, had she fallen into the claws of a wolf?

"I'm sorry, princess. But I cannot let you leave."


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ValestriaMoon ValestriaMoon

He's going to keep her here? 0.0

New Book Alert!

Please check out my latest book <The King's Cursed Bride>!

Chapter 13: The Art Of Negotiation

Laina thought she misheard what the King had said. She blinked a couple of times and tilted her head to the side in disbelief. She took a few steps back. Did she hear him right?

"Sorry what?"

The smirk never left his face.

"I can't let you leave, Princess Laina. You're a guest in my castle," he replied.

Laina laughed. The servants who had stayed hidden behind the columns to listen in on their conversation shuddered. They knew their King well. He gets what he wants. They all held their breath, waiting to hear Laina's reply.

Her eyebrows creased. The initial smile faded from her lips.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. But can't keep me here against my will. I am grateful for your care but I'm afraid I must leave," Laina stood her ground.

The King might be handsome and charming, but she will not be held against her will. She wondered how he would react to her open defiance. After all, this was the king who was rumored to kill anyone or anything that stood in his way. His battle tactics in war were second to none.

His enemies trembled at his feet.

But Princess Laina was not an enemy. They were not at war. They were having a conversation in the Royal Garden. Surely he would at least be reasonable.

If this was any other person, the open defiance would irk him. He would have ordered an immediate execution. He would be the executioner himself. But this was Laina, he could never bring himself to do that to her.

But the King wants what the King wants.

"No."

"No?" Laina echoed.

"No. You are a guest here and will remain as one for as long as I decree. You're not going anywhere, princess," he replied.

Laina could not understand why Dante was being so unreasonable. Why did he want to keep her here so badly? They barely know one another.

"Can you at least tell me why?" she asked as she crossed her arms in annoyance while Titan the mastiff dog sat obediently at her feet.

The other servants gasped in shock by Laina's question. A princess should never talk back to any form of authority, especially to the King himself. She could hear their audible gasp but paid no mind to it.

"Because, I would like your company," Dante replied smoothly.

Laina laughed, she could not believe how ridiculous this was.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, but this is not a good enough reason to keep me here against my will. I enjoyed the time we had spend the night before, but -"

Before she could finish her sentence, Dante came up close to her again. This time, he placed his hand around her waist and brought her closer to him. They gazed into each other's eyes. Laina was caught off guard by his actions. She did not know how to respond.

Dante reached out his hand and twirled a lock of her hair with his fingers.

He whispered to her seductively, "If you truly enjoyed the time we spent together last night, then give me another chance."

Laina tried to ignore the embarrassment. She had never been this close to another man before! She could not help but gaze into his eyes.

"Another… chance?"

He nodded, "Another chance to give you a good reason to stay."

He released her from his embrace and knelt down before her. Dante pets Titan on his head and ruffled his fur.

"This mastiff has been in my care for some time now. He has never taken a liking to anyone else but you. You can say no to me, but can you say no to this cute adorable face?" Dante reasoned with Laina.

He held the dog up so that Laina could look at it in the eyes.The moment the dog heard that Laina wanted to leave, it showed her the cutest puppy eyes she had ever seen. There was something about this lovely mastiff that melted her heart.

She could not resist.

As much as she wanted to leave immediately, she also wanted to pet and play with the dog.

"Fine, I will stay for one more day for Titan. But no longer than that. I have to get back to Kinshearth after that," she relented.

Hearing that she was staying and calling his name, the dog barked enthusiastically and began to wag its tail. Its ears stood up straight too as it wriggled out of Dante's grasp and into Laina's embrace.

Laina was laughing and smiling as the dog licked her face. A smile appeared on Dante's face. As her reply replayed in his mind, he realized something. She remembered the mastiff's name was Titan. He did not bring it up. Instead, he took the moment to negotiate the terms of her stay.

"One day won't be enough. Five days."

"What? No," Laina replied swiftly upon hearing Dante's reply. But seeing how excited Titan was to play with her, her heart melted a little, "Two days."

"Let's agree to meet in the middle, three days," he said.

As soon as he said that, he turned and walked away. Dante did not even give her a chance to rebut. But she was not about to give up either.

"Wait! I did not agree to it, two days, two days!" she argued.

Dante did not even bother to turn back around as he walked away. He held up his hand, showing the number three with his fingers.

"No exceptions," he said without turning back.

Laina wanted to give chase but Titan distracted her. As she watched him walk away into the distance, she noticed the cat that she saw in her room trailing behind the King. The cat turned back to glance at her for a short moment, before continuing to follow the King.

She was perplexed by the King, but Laina did not think too much about it. In fact, at that moment, she was more worried about the chaos that likely ensued after her disappearance. After all, no one knew where she went after the Ball was over.

"Margaret would be worried now. I should probably send her a letter or something. To let her know that I am safe," Laina said to herself as she continued to pet the playful dog in her arms.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ValestriaMoon ValestriaMoon

Looks like negotiations worked out in Laina's favour or not? I guess it depends on how you see it~

New Book Alert!

Please check out my latest book <The King's Cursed Bride>!

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