The Dragon King's Heart

Laina knew she should not have agreed to the King's request. Against her better judgment, she accepted King Dante's invitation. He led her into an empty balcony. Stepping out, a light breeze whistled the background.

He guided her towards the railings and whispered to her, "Look up."

When she did, Laina smiled. The entire night sky looked as if it had been lit up by floating lanterns. It was filled with countless twinkling stars and a crescent moon that hung on the vast night sky.

Dante stole a glance at Laina. Seeing the bright smile on her face, brought a smile to his face. It had been a while since he felt this happy and relaxed. Laina reached her hand out towards the sky.

How she wished the stars were close enough for her to reach for them and grasp them in her palm. She glanced over to look at the King. She noticed him smiling.

"You sure know how to charm a princess, your majesty," she joked.

Dante was surprised by her comment, but he took it in stride.

He grinned, "I only charm the ones I love."

Laina's cheeks immediately felt hot to the touch. Her heart was racing. She could not believe what she just heard him say! For a moment, she even suspected if she had heard wrongly.

"Love? That is a strong choice of words," she played it off while she continued to admire the night sky.

As they continued to gaze at the stars above them, the King and the Princess never felt awkward despite the silence. They were standing close next to one another, barely a few inches apart.

Dante would often steal a glance or two at Laina. He was nervous. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close and never let go.

Just then, a breeze of cold air flew by them. Laina shuddered a little as she rubbed her forearms. Her sleeveless dress worked well during an indoor setting. But in the outdoors, she felt a little chilly.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Dante removed his suit jacket and placed it around Laina.

"We wouldn't want you catching a cold, now do we?" He said in a gentle tone.

The smell of his cologne was stronger than ever as Dante draped the suit jacket over her shoulders. She held onto it and murmured a word of thanks. She avoided making eye contact with him.

She did not want him to see the silly smile she had on her face.

But little did she know, Dante already saw it. He could not help but stare at her. When he noticed a strand of her hair was out of place, he reached over and tucked it behind her ear for her.

His kind gesture only seemed to make Laina shy away from him further. But he knew she was not a regular princess. She was not meek. She proved him right when she broke the silence between them.

"King Dante," she called him.

-When will I be able to hear you call me by the nickname you gave me?- he wondered to himself as he looked at her.

"Yes, princess?"

"Would you mind if I asked a bold question?" Laina asked with a nervous smile.

"Not at all, speak your mind, Princess Laina," Dante replied as he leaned on the balcony.

"At the boutique, you never asked me what color I preferred the dress to be in. How did you know which color to go with?"

-Because I knew it was your favorite shade.- that was what he wanted to tell her.

Instead, the Dragon King grinned as he explained, "You aren't like the others, Princess Laina. I observed you for a while and decided it was the color that would suit you best."

He noticed the slight disappointment in her eyes. But Dante held his tongue. The crown princess quickly asked another follow-up question.

"Most other princesses usually go for lighter, more vibrant colors." She commented as she looked up into the night sky, "But I always preferred darker shades."

"Is there a reason for that?" He asked.

Laina pondered for a while, the soft breeze blew against her hair.

"Bright colors don't suit me so well, that's how I see it anyways," she laughed.

Just then, a loud sound reverberated throughout. Laina jolted and bumped into Dante. She tilted her head upwards, meeting his eyes as the night sky lit up with colored flares.

But she was mesmerized by his sapphire blue eyes. He was entranced by her fire-red pupils that reflected the flares that were going off in the sky. There was something about his eyes, his presence, his words.

Laina wondered.

"Have we… met before?" She muttered beneath her breath.

She thought he could not hear her words. But he heard it loud and clear. Before he could react, another burst of flares exploded onto the night sky, taking away Laina's attention.

He turned to look at the fireworks that went off in the night sky. But he found himself looking back at her again. He glanced over to the roof of the building. He had a plan. Dante grabbed hold of Laina by the hand and guided her to the side of the balcony.

Confused, Laina asked, "What… what are we doing?"

Dante climbed out of the balcony and onto the roof of the building. He reached out his hand to Laina.

"We can get a better view of the fireworks from here."

"What?" Laina looked around before turning back to Dante, "You mean from the roof?"

Dante nodded.

"It's not as dangerous as you think," he tried to convince her.

She laughed as she rolled her eyes. She took Dante's hand and climbed onto the roof as she declared, "I'm not afraid of a bit of danger."

Together, they walked on the roof tiles until they came upon a suitable spot and sat down next to each other. Together, they viewed the series of fireworks that were on display.

Laina was mesmerized by the colorful fireworks on display.

"Do you have fireworks back in your Kingdom? Dracona, right?" She asked.

"We do. But we do it differently."

"Differently?"

"Much more grand," Dante explained, "We also infuse magic into the flares that are shot into the sky. This allows them to take the form of a larger range of designs."

Laina smiled as she listened to him talk. Her eyelids were growing a little heavy as she let out a yawn.

"You have to show me when I visit," she joked.

Dante smiled, "That can definitely be arranged."

As she grew increasingly tired and comfortable, Laina could not help but find a place to lean her head-on. Hence, she leaned towards Dante, laying her head on his shoulder.

Dante did not stop her from doing so. He had a smile on his face as he tucked a loose curl of her hair behind her ear.

A thought crossed his mind as he turned back to look at the fireworks that continue to go off. He did not want to wake her. Especially if she was sound asleep. Princesses often do not get enough rest due to the countless duties they had to attend to.

Laina was no exception.

Since she was the Crown Princess, the pressure placed on her was certainly more than the rest. When the fireworks show ended, Dante gently nudged Laina. Secretly, he hoped that she remained asleep.

Much to his surprise, she was.

"Princess Laina… Laina," he quietly called out her name.