The Dragon King's Heart

"What? I did no such thing! That question was not even asked by me! How would I be able to cheat?" Marius quickly proclaimed his innocence.

Margaret turned away from him with her arms crossed. She was angry at herself for losing the bet. Now, she had to go on a date with him. Marius took the opportunity and placed his arm around her shoulder. 

"So, Lady Margaret, where would you like to go on our date? Or would you like me to surprise you?" He asked cheekily. 

"Hmph," she haughtily replied, "You better pick a nice fancy place or I will walk away immediately."

Marius cupped her chin and had her face him as he declared, "Oh, a challenge? Intriguing. I will surely find the most suitable place to bring milady out. It would be the best date you've ever been on."

Margaret swiped his hand away as she smirked, "Hah! I doubt a date planned by you can become the best date I have ever been on."

Before Marius could reply to her with a snappy comeback, something caught his attention. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a white raven flying through the air. As soon as it caught sight of him, it flew down. 

Margaret noticed the white raven too as she looked up in the same direction Marius was looking at. Marius held out his arm. The bird instinctively flew down and perched itself on his arm. 

Marius retrieved the small note attached to its leg before sending it off. As he read the contents of the note, the smile he had disappeared in an instant. Sensing something was amiss, Margaret wanted to sneak a peek of the note. 

But before she could do so, the note was lit up in a burst of flame. All that remained was ashes as it flew away in the wind. 

Marius bit his lip as he apologized, "I'm sorry, Lady Margaret, but it seems like we're going to have to delay our date. We need to find Dante and Laina, at once."

On the other side of town, Dante and Laina entered the cafe together. As soon as the cafe owner realized who they were, the King and Crown Princess were immediately ushered to the private tea room. 

The tea room was covered with beautiful pastel-colored flowers adorning the walls and ceiling. Butterflies fluttered from flower to flower looking for nectar. Laina was mesmerized by their surroundings while Dante observed her with a smile. 

He pulled out Laina's chair for her, helping her into her seat before he sat down on his own. A waitress, dressed all in white, approached them and offered to take their order. 

Just as Laina was about to ask for a menu, Dante smiled and ordered on behalf of both of them. With their order written down on a notepad, the waitress swiftly left to prepare. 

Laina was taken aback, "How do you know what I would want?" 

"I just know," Dante replied with a grin. 

"You know, you would make a terrible date. You're too controlling," she said to him candidly. 

"Controlling?" Dante defended his actions, "I see it differently."

"How so?" 

The waitress returned with their drinks. Dante was having a cup of coffee, while he ordered Laina a cup of tea. 

Dante took a sip of his hot coffee, before replying, "It's an act of love. It shows that I care enough to remember what you like and dislike."

She could not believe how caring the Dragon King was. But his behavior raised quite a number of questions too. How did he know so much about her? Did he get someone to spy on her and report back to him?

But there were things Dante seemed to know that even she did not know. Laina wondered if she would ever truly understand this man. She placed both hands around her teacup, carefully watching the steam dissipate from the surface of her hot tea. 

"Dante, how do you know so much of me yet I know so little of you?" Laina could not help but ask as she looked deep into his eyes. 

For a moment, Dante could not take his eyes off her. Her burning ruby red pupils seemed to burrow deep into his soul. Laina, in turn, could not take her eyes off his either. 

Both of them shared a moment of silence, just looking at one another. Their moment of silence was disrupted when the waitress returned with a small dessert stand. Each of the three layers was filled with bite-sized pastries and sweets. 

"Well, if you like, I could always tell you more about myself," Dante broke their lengthy silence as he placed a macaron on Laina's plate. 

"I'm all ears," she swiftly replied as she took a bite of the macaron. 

Dante took a mini croissant from the dessert stand and placed it on his plate. As he buttered the croissant and applied he asked, "What would you like to know?"

Laina bit her lip as she pondered over his question. It did not take her long to come up with her first question. 

"Have we met before? I mean, before meeting in Everfree when we attended the Masquerade Ball."

Dante shook his head as he placed his cup of coffee back on its saucer, "No, not that I could recall."

He averted his gaze. He did not look her in the eyes as he said that. Laina felt that Dante gave his answer a little too quickly, but she did not say anything about it. 

"May I ask a question, Princess Laina?" Dante asked. 

"Yes, of course. Ask away."

"Have you ever felt an unexplainable attraction to someone? No words can describe that feeling or the emotions that run through your mind…"

"Like you're being pulled towards them. With a feeling of familiarity that lingers," Laina continued Dante's words. 

There was something about Dante that Laina could not quite understand or explain. Each time they've met, she felt as if she had met him before. Maybe in a different time, in a different place. 

Though they had not spent much time together, she always felt secure when he was around. His presence did not feel foreign. In fact, when he was not around her, she felt a little empty in her heart. 

Dante leaned in close to Laina. He cupped her face in his hand. His heart was palpitating as he made a bold move. As their faces grew closer and closer together, Laina could feel her heart about to leap out of her chest. 

She knew what Dante was trying to do.