The Dragon King's Heart

With his training complete, Laina and Dante finally made their descent. Their return was greeted with cheer and a hearty meal. Neither of them has had a good meal in weeks, surviving on dried meats and what they could scavenge. 

Dante was significantly stronger than he was before. The training in the mountains had improved his abilities and skills. It also increased his resistance to the cold. It even helped lessen the effects of the curse. When they openly discussed it at the dining table, everyone was stunned.

The initial smile on Margaret's face wilted away, turning into a look of horror. Laina and Dante quickly caught everyone up on what had transpired. Now they were aware that everyone knew everything.

"What happens now?"Margaret asked as she took a bite from her plate,"What will you do next?"

Her mind was already made up. Laina turned to Dante, then back at everyone at the table, "I think it is time for me to return to Kinshearth to take a look."

"You're not seriously going to help him, are you?" Margaret gasped in shock.

When Laina initially agreed to it, she wondered if she had only agreed to help Ethan to send him away. But since Laina made her declaration to return to Kinshearth, it would seem like she meant to keep her promise. Dante fully supported her idea. While he would have preferred to return to Kinshearth with her, there was something he had to attend to first. 

Hence they agreed to split ways for the time being, before meeting back again. 

"If it goes as I predict when I see you again in Kinshearth, it would be for my coronation," Laina declared with confidence.

"Second time's the charm," Dante added with encouragement. 

Laina felt a little sad to leave Luzernia. After all, she had built a life for herself and her friends here. Before leaving, she made sure to bid farewell to the new friends she had made. She promised to visit them when she could while inviting them to visit her too.

The Goldie Finch's business was better than ever, with plans to open more shops in different cities across Everfree and beyond. Laina's wealth grew with each passing day. Even Kol and Florin were amused.

"Laina, I don't think you need to take the throne anymore. With this amount of wealth, you could easily buy enough land to make two Kinshearths with more to spare," Florin mused.

She chuckled at his notion, knowing full well it would be possible to do so. But her purpose to return was to help the Kingdom, not to own it. With Dante by her side and her friends, she did not need a kingdom to rule. She already had everything right at her fingertips.

The trip back to Kinshearth was a smooth sailing journey. Laina did not inform anyone of her return, not even Ethan. She wanted to conduct her own investigations on the current state of affairs in Kinshearth before making any moves. For all she knew, Ethan's initial request for her to return could have simply been a plot on her life.

Though she had assumed her return to Kinshearth was done secretly, it did not go unnoticed. Cordelia, who had been lurking in the shadows, was immediately aware of Laina's return. She had hoped her efforts would deter Laina and ruin her relationship with Dante, but to her surprise, she returned stronger than before.

Cordelia raged in anger, destroying the forest around her.

"She's back?! What is going on?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, her eyes filled with anger and rage. 

She paced back and forth, muttering to herself. Just when she thought she had broken Laina, the former crown princess returns. It was as if she rose from the ashes of defeat, stronger than before every single time.

In that state of mind, Cordelia tethered back and forth. She had toyed with Laina for a long time now, hoping it would satisfy her desire for revenge. But nothing she had done was able to fill the empty space in her heart. 

When she finally calmed down a little, she looked up at the night sky coldly. It was a moonless night, the stars twinkled in the vast empty sky that was void of clouds.

"Perhaps only death will bring me the peace I seek," she muttered to herself. 

A dark thought festered in her mind. The element of surprise would be the key to her success. This time, she would finish what she had started. Recalling the time she stabbed Laina brought a grin to her face.

To see the look of fear and horror on Laina's face, she would do anything to see it again. Cordelia closed her eyes. She transported herself from the forest to Kinshearth's Capital. It did not take very long for her to figure out where Laina had chosen to stay for the time being. 

"She dared return with so little protection? What a fool," she scoffed beneath her breath. 

But before she could take another step, Cordelia felt the cool touch of a blade on the nape of her neck. She did not sense anyone sneaking up behind her so she was surprised to sense the presence of another at that moment. 

"It seems like you're the fool," a cold monotonous voice spoke up as the blade slid slowly on her neck. 

She recognized the voice. It was one of Laina's lackeys who followed her everywhere she went. The former vampire prince had since sworn to be Laina's bodyguard. Cordelia placed her hand on the tip of the blade, carefully turning to face Florin. 

"You came alone to confront me?" she asked casually as she took two steps away from him. 

"No, he did not," Kol appeared behind her with a weapon in hand. 

Cordelia let out a maniacal laugh. She might be outnumbered by them, but she was not about to admit defeat. They would never be able to catch up to her. 

"It seems like you've fallen into my impromptu trap," she declared with an evil coiled smile. 

With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared with a puff of smoke. Florin and Kol glared at one another. They came onto the roof to confront the possible intruder. Which meant they left Laina unguarded!

"We have to go, now!" Florin yelled as he made his way back down. 

Cordelia materialized in Laina's room. She was pleasantly surprised to find the former crown princess seated on the sofa, casually sipping a cup of tea. Laina did not acknowledge her presence at first, but it was clear that Titan did. The Solar Mastiff bared his teeth at the intruder menacingly.

He was more than ready to rip her to shreds. Laina's lack of care for her presence triggered Cordelia. She could no longer keep up her calm composure. But she came prepared. Unknown to Laina, she had already put up a barrier to keep anyone from entering to disrupt them. 

What followed was a series of furious banging on the room door. 

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