The Dragon King's Heart

Just like the nights before, Laina was in the study by lamplight flipping through books in hopes of finding more information about the Altar of the Sun. Florin and Kol had returned with the items she had asked for. They set up a space in the basement, only accessible by a secret passageway hidden behind a false wall. 

Excited to begin, she had made her first attempt at making the pill. But it did not turn out as she had hoped for. So Laina returned to the drawing board, hoping to find more information before making her second attempt. 

It was beginning to look like another quiet night of reading when Laina noticed a flash of light from the beach. Laina was surprised, since it was pitch black outside, apart from a few lit lamps. Florin, who accompanied her this night, noticed the flash of light too. 

He immediately went over to the window and peered out of it. With his ability to see the dark, he had a better chance of seeing what happened outside. 

His eyes widened in shock as he turned back to inform Laina, "There's someone, on the beach. They aren't moving."

Laina almost leaped out of her seat, "What?" 

She came over to his side and squint her eyes as she tried to find what Florin had seen. He pointed it out to her from where they stood. But it was too dark, they could not see anything. 

"Let's go and take a look," Laina declared. 

But before she could go any further, Florin grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. 

"It's too dangerous, Your Highness," he warned, "I'll go look, you stay here."

Laina shook her head, "I'm going with you. Besides, the person is not moving, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"That means they are likely injured. Their lives could be hanging in the balance for all we know. We must hurry," she argued. 

"But what if it's a trap?" he called out as he followed her out of the room. 

"We'll just have to take our chances. Plus you're here to protect me, right?" Laina replied with a smile. 

Laina took a small lit lamp with her as they headed out of the mansion. Florin led the way. When they got close, they could see the figure of a person lying face down in the sand. They quickly rushed forward to help. 

"Hey! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Laina asked as they turned them person over. 

"Her pulse is weak," Florin explained. 

It did not take long for them to notice the wound on her abdomen. She was in critical condition and needed medical assistance immediately.

The woman was unconscious so she did not respond to Laina's questions either. Using a healing spell, Laina attempted to heal the wound. She was able to stop the bleeding but the woman was still a long way from recovery. 

"Let's bring her back to the mansion." Laina declared. 

"But what if she's dangerous? She could be a threat," Florin urged. 

"She looks-" Laina bit her lip as she paused. 

That was what she thought about Colette too. But things turned out for the worst. She knew she could not blindly trust others and put those close to her in danger. She had to be cautious. 

"We'll bring her to the basement and tend to her there. We can figure out if she can be trusted or not after we save her life," Laina declared, "For better or for worse."

Florin picked the woman up in his arms and hurried back to the mansion. When Kol could not find them in the study room, he searched the mansion for them. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw them going towards the basement. 

Laina instructed him to bring some supplies with him and to meet them in the basement. They made a make-shift bed for the woman to rest on while they tended to her wound. Lucky for them, they were able to stop the bleeding in time. After patching her up with some medicinal pastes and healing spells, they heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Her pulse is stable. She should be alright for now," Laina said as she leaned back in the chair. 

Kol placed a hand on her shoulder, "Your Highness, you should head back to bed. Florin and I can take care of the rest."

"Yes," Florin added, "We'll take turns to take care of her. When she awakens, we will inform you at once."

Laina let out a yawn, "Very well, I'll head up now."

The sun was just about to peek above the horizon when Laina tiptoed back into the room. She carefully made her way across the room. She peered over to see Dante still sound asleep. Laina carefully saw down on the bed. 

But just as she was about to lie back down, Dante turned over and hugged her at the waist. She froze in her seat, unable to move. 

"You're up early," Dante mumbled as he tightened his hug a little. 

"I ah went to the toilet," she replied in a panic as sweat trickled down her brow. 

There was a moment of silence. 

"Oh alright, come back to bed then," he replied as he pulled Laina closer to himself. 

Laina smiled as she laid back down in Dante's embrace. As she listened to the rhythm of his breathing, she quickly drifted off to sleep. When she awoke again, the sun was peeking through the drawn curtains. 

Laina let out a yawn as she sat up in bed and stretched out her arms. As she turned to her side, about to greet Dante, she realized he was not there. She got out of bed and walked up to the window. Her eyes took a while to adjust to the blinding sunlight. 

When she saw the sun hanging high in the middle of the sky, Laina realized she had slept in. 

"Good Morning," Dante greeted as he entered the room with a tray in his hands. 

"Good morning," Laina replied with a smile. 

She could smell the aromatic fragrance of food coming from the tray he was holding. 

"I thought you might want to have brunch together," Dante explained as he put the tray down on the table. 

Laina took a seat at the table with a look of confusion, "Brunch?"

Dante chuckled, "Breakfast and lunch in one meal, brunch. I had the kitchen prepare your favorites."

He knew her too well, as it would seem. Every dish on the plate he had brought for her were her favorites. When she peered over to look at his plate, she realized it looked identical. 

"Why didn't you get any of your favorites?" Laina asked out of curiosity as Dante poured her a glass of apple juice.

"I didn't want them to waste any food, so I got them to give me the same," Dante replied with a smile. 

Laina looked down at her own plate. She knew Dante did not like grilled tomatoes, but he loved scrambled eggs. So, she gave him the eggs on her plate and took the tomatoes from his. When he realized what she was doing, Dante could not help but smile. 

"Thank you," he said before kissing her on the cheek. 

Laina blushed a little as she mumbled a reply, "You're welcome."