The Dragon King's Heart

Upon her return to Kinshearth, Margaret greeted her at the portal. The handmaiden wanted nothing more than to give the Crown Princess an embrace. But she curtsied in respect instead. 

Hugging the Crown Princess would raise many alarms in the palace. 

At first, Margaret was secretly happy to see that Laina had returned with Kol only. But her happiness was fleeting, as she saw King Dante walk through the portal shortly after. 

"King Dante of Dracona, my apologies, we were not expecting your arrival," Margaret said as cordially as she could. 

Dante merely reciprocated with a smile, "My apologies for not informing sooner. Fret not, I am simply here to visit Crown Princess Laina, nothing more."

-That's exactly what I was afraid of.- Margaret thought to herself. 

Seeing that most of the officials were also in attendance to welcome Laina back to Kinshearth, Dante felt that it was the right time. He cleared his throat and got everyone's attention. 

He commanded their attention with ease. 

"Since every one of importance has also gathered here today, I would like to make an official announcement," Dante declared. 

He turned to meet Laina's eyes as he picked up her hand and turned to those who had gathered, "I, King Dante of Dracona, officially declare that I wish to court Crown Princess Laina of Kinshearth."

Laina was stunned by Dante's sudden declaration. She could not help but blush in embarrassment as the nobility and officials gathered congratulated her. 

For Dante, he simply did not want anyone else to have a chance to snatch her away from him. It was as simple as that. While he would have very much preferred to marry Laina by now, so as to avoid any miscommunication, he wanted to respect Laina's choices as well. 

Margaret, stunned by the sudden news, could not find the words to speak. She held her tongue, knowing she could not show her true emotions here. Before they could continue, a white raven flew down from the sky above. 

Seeing the white raven, Dante lifted his hand. The raven flew down and perched on his hand. A note was attached to its leg. Upon reading its contents, Dante knew he had to return to Dracona at once. 

Though he did not wish to be separated from Laina again, he knew his duties as King required him to leave. 

"Go, your Kingdom needs you," Laina said. She could tell from the look in his eyes. 

Dante kissed the back of her hand as he promised, "I will contact you as soon as I can."

With that, Dante took to his dragon form and flew up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. Laina watched him leave. Their time together always felt fleeting. But that only made her cherish them more. 

Margaret, on the other hand, was secretly happy to see that Dante had left. She heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that Laina would be safe for another day. She had learned to count her blessings with the Crown Princess. 

Every day gained was a blessing. 

But she knew she had to do something about Dante. He had never taken any of her warnings seriously. It was time she made him see her way. 

That night, after Laina was sound asleep with Kol watching over her, Margaret retired to her room. Once she was alone, she clicked her fingers, changing her restricting palace outfit into something more breathable. 

With that, she summoned a spell circle beneath her feet and transported herself to Dracona. Her spells had strengthened over time, allowing her to enter the castle walls without being detected. 

It was not difficult for her to find her way to Dante's room. She entered through the balcony stealthily, careful to disenchant any protection spells. Just then, Margaret sensed a presence right behind her. 

She did not have enough time to react. A hand covered her mouth while another grabbed her by the waist. Margaret struggled, even biting down on the hand that covered her mouth. 

"Ouch! It's just me! It's just me!" Marius whispered loudly as he raised both hands. 

Margaret turned to look at him after she was released from his grasp. 

"Marius?! What was that for!" Margaret snapped angrily in a hushed whisper. 

When she turned to see if Dante was still in the room, she was surprised to see that he was no longer there. 

"How nice of you to visit, Lady Margaret, To what do I owe this pleasure?" his voice came from behind her. 

Margaret closed her eyes as she sighed in defeat. Her stealth plan had failed miserably. But she was still going to do what she came to accomplish. 

"I'm here to offer you a deal, Dante," she declared as she folded her arms. 

"You came all this way, infiltrated my castle, just to offer me a deal? I'm impressed, Margaret. I thought you were here to kill me," Dante grinned as he teased. 

Margaret gritted her teeth as she gripped her fists tightly.

"Trust me, sometimes even I wish that were true," she snapped back. 

Marius could feel the tension between the two of them. It was so thick you had to cut through it with a sharpened knife. He chose to stand by the sidelines and watch things play out. 

But he had to be alert, so as to not let things get out of hand. 

Dante never quite understood Margaret's stance against him. Had he offended her without him realizing? He could not recall. Perhaps she had a personal vendetta against him. But they never had a feud either. 

"Tell me, what is this deal you wish to make. I'm all ears," Dante declared as he leaned his back against the balcony railings. 

"I want you to leave Laina's side. In exchange, I will give you anything you wish. Ask for it and it will be yours," Margaret declared. 

Dante furrowed his eyebrows, he could not understand, "Margaret, why are you so against us being together? You were never like-"

"Do not bring up the past!" Margaret snapped at him. 

For a moment, it looked as if the handmaiden had tears in her eyes. 

"Fine, I won't bring it up. Then explain to me why. You know better than anyone how much we mean to one another. Why do you want us apart?"

Margaret bit her lip. 

"Laina is my number one priority-"

"If your best friend is truly your number one priority, do you not care about her happiness? Why are you so hard up on separating us?"

"I-"

"You and I both know well enough that it was Cordelia who cast that enchantment on Laina to make her think she was the werewolf king's mate. Don't tell me you did not notice that," Dante interrupted her before she could speak. 

He was enraged. He could not understand why Margaret would have allowed something like this to continue. 

"It was Cordelia?" Margaret gasped in shock. She knew there was an enchantment placed upon Laina.. But she did not know it was the purple hair witch's handiwork. 

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