The Dragon King's Heart

"It's not what you have, but you," Kalfina explained. 

Seeing as they were out in the open, it was not safe for them to continue their chat. Kalfina brought them to her undisclosed base in Ny, the inner city. She had them blindfolded for the journey. 

Florin attempted to protest but Kalfina had backup with her. So, the vampire prince and the hybrid had no choice but to follow her orders. When their blindfolds were taken off, they found themselves in a lavishly decorated drawing room. 

A table with blood wine and light snacks had been laid out for them while a fireplace crackled in the background. 

"Cosy," Florin commented as he walked over to the table to take a seat, "I was half expecting to see a torture chamber."

Kalfina chuckled as she took her seat at the table, "The torture chamber is on the left. This is where I entertain my obedient guests."

Kol did not really know what to do. So he stood in his original spot while looking all around the room. Kalfina looked over to him with bewilderment before turning her attention to Florin. 

Florin looked over to Kol and waved him over to take a seat next to him. 

"Seat here?" Kol asked for confirmation as he came over to Florin's side. 

"Yes, where else are you going to seat?" 

"I can stand…"

"Why would you want to stand when there's a seat? Sit here, next to me," Florin said as he placed his hand on the chair next to him. 

Kalfina was amused by the entire exchange. She wondered where her brother had found this peculiar hybrid. She had never seen him before in the palace. Seeing the way her brother treated him made her wonder about their relationship. 

But for now, she had a more pressing matter at hand that she needed to discuss with Florin. She poured each of them a glass of blood wine, all from the same bottle. She could already see the skepticism in her brother's eyes. 

"Don't worry," she said nonchalantly as she picked her wine glass, "If I wanted to poison you, I could have had my people inject you on the way here. Why wait till we get to my Drawing Room?"

She proceeded to drink from the wine glass. Seeing that she was unaffected, only then did Florin take a sip of his glass. Kol had not tasted blood wine before. He brought the glass up to his nose and took a sniff. 

It smelt similar to regular wine yet slightly different. Seeing Florin drink it, he got curious and took a sip himself. The smooth texture of the liquid, coupled with the fragrance notes surprised Kol. He liked it. 

"So what do you need from me?" Florin asked outright. 

He did not want to stay here for long, after all, his mother's safety and well-being was his top priority. 

"Straight forward I see. I just need a simple favour, that is all. I need you to kill someone for me," Kalfina explained with a smile. 

Florin shot up from his seat, "That is out of the question!" 

"Is it?" She asked as she shot him a look before asking again, "Even if it's in exchange for your mother?"

Florin gritted his teeth in anger, "Where did you hide her? If you hurt even a strand of her hair I will-"

"My my such accusations! I never said I have her. But I do know where she is, and I am certain that is information you wish to know as well."

He was in a bind. Indeed it would be easier to find his mother with intel, as opposed to blindly searching the entirety of Nyros for her. While he did not like being someone else's lackey, he did not have any choice in the matter. 

Kalfina was a strategist who hated getting her hands dirty. Florin knew the favor she would ask for would be to do something on her behalf. He should have expected it to be murder.

"Who do you want me to kill?" He asked calmly. 

"Callister."

The moment that name left her lips, Florin looked up at her in shock. 

"Callister?" He repeated the name in shock. 

Kalfina nodded.

"Who's Callister?" Kol asked out of curiosity, especially after seeing the look of shock on Florin's face. 

"You don't know who Callister is?" Kalfina asked, surprised. 

Every vampire in all of Sanguim knew that name. Kol's reply confirmed her suspicions that he was not from here. Kol shook his head in response. 

"Callister is my eldest brother, he's second in line for the throne," Florin explained. 

"First in line," Kalfina corrected him with a sigh. 

"First?! What about Crown Princess…"

"After father's death, she mysteriously disappeared three days later. No one has heard from her since," Kalfina sighed. 

Kol sensed a tinge of sadness from the vampire princess, but she masked it well under the facade of her calm demeanor. He only saw a tiny glimpse of it for a split second. 

Florin was in shock. 

"I did not know…"

"No one knew. She was said to have taken ill after her father's passing. It wasn't until three weeks later, that people went to her quarters to check. By then, all they found was an empty room."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Florin asked. 

Out of all of his siblings, Crown Princess Amalia was one of the kindest and friendliest. Her high intellect, strong powers, and diplomatic skills earned her everyone's respect. 

Even their father, the Vampire King, chose her to be his heir despite her not being a male heir. This naturally caused discord amongst the siblings who wanted the position of power in their family. 

Kalfina sighed as she shook her head, "I wish I knew. She left without a word. There's no trace of her anywhere. Some say she was assassinated in secret by Callister. Others say she left Sanguim with a lover."

Florin leaned back in his seat, swirling the glass of blood wine in his hand. If Amalia had taken the throne, perhaps things would not have spiraled like this. He could only pray for her safety while protecting what he can. 

But assassinating Callister was not an easy feat, especially when he had the most military power and was one of the strongest amongst them. He had never lost a battle, be it on the battlefield or in a one-on-one match. 

Florin let out a sigh. 

Was there any other option?