Chapter 32: Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty!

A knock on the door got Dante's attention immediately. He naturally wanted to call the person to enter but realized that this was not his room. Before he could react, the door opened and Marius walked in. Trailing behind Marius was a familiar black cat.

Dante heaved a sigh of relief when he saw it was Marius.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Marius teased, "Or should I say, good afternoon?"

"Marius, you're lucky I don't have my lance in my hand," he warned.

"My apologies, my King. I tease. Looks like you've got a good night's sleep, despite the liquor."

Dante gritted his teeth, his head was pounding. The liquor from the night before threw him for a loop. He should not have downed all of it. Remembering the things that happened the night before only made his headache worse.

Marius poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. Dante received it and muttered a word of thanks before drinking it in one gulp

"Where has Laina gone?" Dante asked as he rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger.

The King's confidante pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed. The black cat leaped up onto the bed and snuggled its head on Dante's hand. He casually picked up the cat and stroked its soft fur.

"Where have you been, Shadow?" Dante murmured to the cat as he continued to pet it.

Marius cleared his throat as he began to speak, "I sent her back."

Dante looked up, "Back?"

He knew his fate was sealed the moment he decided to help Laina. But he remained calm.

"Back to Everfree. Dante, come on, what were you going to do? Keep her here against her will forever?" Marius justified.

Dante closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath. He would do anything to have her by his side again. But there was also the part of him that wanted her to come to him willingly. Marius stood up from his seat and walked around the room.

"We've also received a stern warning from Lady Margaret to keep our distance. Well, for you to keep your distance from Laina to be more exact," Marius added.

"Lady Margaret?" the name did not ring a bell for him.

"Ah, well you and I know her as Moira," Marius replied.

Dante sighed as he leaned back against the pillow, "Well, I don't expect anything less from her."

When he walked past the dressing table, he noticed a letter that had been addressed to Dante. Marius picked it up and brought it over to him.

"I think you might want to take a look at this," he said as he handed the letter to Dante.

As soon as he saw that familiar handwriting, Dante opened it immediately. Seeing her handwritten letter reminded him of a different time. A time where they wrote letters to one another.

While reading the letter, a small smile formed on Dante's face. Marius pretended not to notice. When he finished reading it, he folded the paper and placed it back in the envelope.

"So… what did it say?" Marius inquired.

Dante looked over to Marius, a little annoyed as he replied, "She thanked me for the time she had spent here and apologized for taking Titan with her."

Marius raised an eyebrow as he leaned in closer to Dante, "That's it?"

He was not buying what Dante had said. The letter could not have been as simple as that. It made the Dragon King smile! Surely there must have been something juicer in the letter. Marius wanted to grab the letter over to read it himself.

"The rest is none of your business," Dante swiftly replied as he moved the envelope out of Marius's grasp.

With a click of his fingers, the letter disappeared into thin air. Marius sighed as his efforts to find out more failed. Dante placed Shadow down on the blanket as he got out of bed. He stretched out his muscular arms as he slowly walked towards the balcony.

"Awww come on. I had to fight to keep Margaret from storming in here to confront you! She was all like, 'Tell Dante, if I ever see him try coming near Laina again, I will end him. Even if I die doing so. I. Will. Do it.'" Marius mimicked Margaret.

Dante turned back to look at Marius.

"The rest of it is private. You're not getting any more information from me. As for Moira or Margaret, whatever her name is now, she can't stand in my way."

The sunlight shone down on his body, highlighting his well-sculpted muscles. Marius knew very well why all the women, princesses, and queens swooned over him. Even he, a grown man, and a mighty dragon could not deny that Dante was one hell of a perfect specimen.

Dante walked out of the sunlight as he picked up his shirt from the ground. He was not about to walk out of the room shirtless, it would raise too many questions. As he buttoned his sleeves while facing the mirror, he told Marius he was taking the day off to settle some personal matters.

Marius returned back to his senses, "Wait what? But you've already missed the morning court session. The afternoon session begins in like an hour."

Dante grinned as he walked over Marius and straightened his collar as he spoke, "Well, you're the King's right-hand man, right? The King's confidante. I am sure you can figure things out."

Marius ran after Dante as he walked out of the room with Shadow trailing close behind him.

Marius blocked his way as he asked, "Hold on, where are you going?"

"I'm your king. I don't have to report my every move to you," Dante replied to him with a piercing gaze.

As Dante continued on his way, Marius thought for a while. Then, it hit him. He knew what his King was going to do. Before he walked off too far to hear, Marius quickly called out with some helpful advice.

"If you're looking for the maid, she's probably on the run!"

Dante grinned, "Looks like I'm going hunting."