The Dragon King's Heart

"So, Baron Carson-" before Laina could even continue her sentence, the Baron was already on his knees. 

"Your Highness, I swear, this has nothing to do with me. Please don't execute me, I beg of you! I will tell you everything!" he blurted as his body shook in fear. 

Clearly, he was shaken by the assassination attempt that had just occurred. Although they were still unsure if both matters were linked, it did no harm to hear what the Baron had to say. Laina walked over to him and gently patted him on the shoulder.

With Laina's assurance, the Baron seemed to have eased up a little. Following Laina's orders, he sat down on the sofa as he explained how it all came to be. Upon his arrival into the palace, the Baron had been called to meet with several members of the nobility. 

They offered him chests of riches as bribery, so that he may pick their artworks over others. When he refused, the nobles threatened him instead. 

"Threaten? With what?" Laina asked. 

Carson gulped, "They threatened to kill my family, your Highness. Please, Crown Princess Laina, you have to believe me! All I wanted was to ensure the safety of my family. As for what happened in the Ballroom… I have no part in it, honest!"

"Don't worry, Baron Carson. So long as you're speaking the truth…"

"It is nothing but the truth! I swear on the graves of my ancestors-"

"There's no need for that, Baron Carson. I will take your word for it, for now. I need you to understand that until more evidence is brought to light, you will be under suspicion. But the threats made to you, on your family, that is something I cannot ignore," Laina paused in thought for a moment. 

She turned to Margaret and gave an order, "Margaret, get a small platoon of soldiers to head to Baron Carson's Family Mansion to check on his family at once. When they return, have them report directly to you or me." 

"As you wish, your Highness."

The Baron wrapped his hands around Laina's as he thanked her profusely, "Thank you your Highness, thank you! Your kindness knows no bounds, your…"

Laina smiled awkwardly, "There there, no need to thank me. We still need to catch those at fault. Now, give me the names of those who threatened you."

After speaking to the Baron, Laina arranged for him to be transferred to a safer location for the remainder of his stay in the palace. With that settled, Laina decided it was time to retire for the day. It had been more eventful than she had expected. 

"Has the body of the assassin been moved to the morgue?" Laina asked as she walked out into the balcony of her room. 

It was a cloudless night with twinkling stars dotting the sky. A soft breeze blew, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees while the crickets chirped. Margaret carefully draped a shawl over Laina's shoulders. 

"There was nobody," Margaret replied as she bit her lip. She looked into Laina's eyes. Based on the princess's reaction, she could choose her next words wisely. 

"Nobody? The assassin lived?"

Margaret shook her head, "No, dead for sure. But by the time the guard got to where the body was supposed to be, all that was left was a pile of ashes and bloodstains on the ground."

"Ashes?" 

"Yes, your Highness."

Laina folded her arms as she leaned her back against the railing of the balcony. Someone was clearly trying to cover up the attack, going so far as to destroy the evidence. Margaret knew what she wanted to ask next, so she replied before Laina could ask. 

"It was a curse placed on the assassin, not done by someone else. I examined the ashes myself, it's ancient magic," the handmaid explained. 

Even Laina was beginning to wonder who her enemies were. She could not recall making so many enemies in the first place. 

"Who wants me dead so bad?" she muttered to herself. 

Margaret looked away for a moment as she pursed her lips. Laina looked to Margaret and asked, "Do I have enemies that I did not know of?" 

Laina tried hard to refresh her memories, digging deep to find any clues. 

"If your father had not taken the throne after his brother's death, who was King at that time, Lord Ethan would have been crowned as the next ruler of Kinshearth," Margaret mentioned. 

"I have a cousin?" Laina gasped in shock. 

She squinted her eyes as she tried to recall any information she had about this cousin that Margaret had mentioned. Over a period of time, it all came back to Laina. Lord Ethan, her cousin, currently serves as the head of their noble family.

He was three years younger than her. 

"He's currently studying at Mattern College, is he not? He should be finishing his studies soon," Laina recalled. 

Margaret confirmed her doubts, "Yes, that is correct. He is well-loved by the nobility and has always been vocal about…"

The handmaid bit her lip, uncertain if she should continue speaking. Laina looked over to Margaret. 

"You know you can speak your mind in front of me, Margaret," Laina reminded her. 

The handmaid cleared her throat, "I know, your Highness. It's just that some things are often best left unsaid-"

"Say what you've heard, Margaret."

"Lord Ethan has always been vocal about the right of succession. That the throne belongs to him."

"Hmph," Laina walked back into her room. 

She went over to the table and poured herself a glass of red wine. She swirled it in her hand for a few seconds before downing all of it at one go. 

"He thinks he can rule Kinshearth?" Laina said as she poured herself another glass. 

"There have been rumors that he had been taking private lessons in Kingdom Management. Plus, the line of succession of Kinshearth traditionally passed the crown on to the male heir…"

Laina threw the empty wine glass onto the ground in a fit of anger. As soon as it hit the floor, it shattered into hundreds of glass shards. Kol flinched the moment the sound of shattered glass reverberated throughout the room. 

Margaret flinched too, closing her eyes as she let out a breath of air. This was the reason why she did not want to tell Laina about it. The handmaid knew she would get worked up about it. Titan, who had been sleeping in the corner, woke up from the noise. 

He carefully sauntered over to Laina's side and began licking her hand. His actions brought Laina out of her anger and back to reality. She crouched down to pet Titan. Seeing the broken glass on the ground, she bit her lip as she began to pick up the pieces. 

"Laina, let me…"

"No, I'll do it. What was I thinking? I can't let this get to me, not like this," Laina sighed as she continued to pick up the pieces of glass carefully. 

Kol came over to help too. While picking up one of the shards, Laina accidentally cut her finger. She jerked backward, as blood began to seep out of the wound. As soon as Kol saw it, he came over to her side and held her hand. 

Kol brought her finger close to his mouth and licked the blood off the wound.