The Dragon King's Heart

"Ca-Carry me?!" Laina exclaimed in surprise. 

Before she could protest any further, Dante was already making his way out of the room. Even Margaret did not have time to stop him in his tracks. The guards outside the room were surprised but they remained silent and still. As they walked down the hallway, they garnered many stares and countless whispers. 

Embarrassed by the entire situation, Laina buried her face in her hands as she leaned on Dante's chest. She hoped and prayed that people would not recognize her. But who was she kidding?

Who else would the Dragon King be carrying like this in his arms? Because of how she leaned in close to his chest, more people wandered about the true nature of their relationship. 

Dante, on the other hand, enjoyed it entirely. The smile on his face was undeniable. As they took a turn at the end of the hallway, Laina surrendered to her predicament. To say that she did not enjoy the experience would be a lie!

Though she tried to keep herself from smiling, Dante did not need to see her smile to know she liked it. 

"Are we there yet?" Laina asked in a tone of defeat.

He grinned, "We've been walking in circles for the last few minutes."

Laina's head shot up immediately. She curled her hands into fists and gently hit Dante on the chest. 

"Dante! Are you serious right now! Bring me to see Titan this instant or else… or else…"

In her fit of rage, Laina could barely think straight. As her mouth moved quicker than her mind, she ran out of words to say. Coupled with the fatigue and headaches, she could no longer formulate her replies. 

As she rubbed her temples, Dante realized he might have gone a little overboard. Not wanting Laina to over-exert herself any further, he decided to end his little game and brought Laina to where she wanted to go. 

Margaret, who had been waiting for them at the door, finally saw them as they entered the correct hallway. Titan was recuperating in the room when he caught hold of Laina and Dantes' scent. 

He immediately stirred awake and tried climbing out of his soft padded bed to greet them as they entered the room. But his injuries prevented him from doing so. Titan sat upright in his bed, wagging his bushy tail as he looked at them with his big brown eyes. 

"Titan!" Laina called out to her beloved mastiff as Dante put her down gently. 

She went up to him and embraced him tightly in her arms. She noticed the bandages wrapped around his body. Her heart ached. As she ran her hand through his soft fur, Titan rests his head on her shoulder. 

Titan looked up at Dante, happy to see him as well. The Dragon King smiled as he crouched down next to Laina and pet Titan on the head.

"You're a good boy, Titan," Dante whispered to the mastiff, "You did a good job of protecting Laina for me."

When Laina asked Margaret about Titan's situation, she explained it to her in detail. At first, they thought the spikes that pierced his skin did not do much damage. But, they found that it contained a form of poison. 

"Poison?" Laina gasped in shock. 

Whoever set those traps there, was looking to kill their prey, not just trap them. 

"The Royal Animal Healer was unable to identify the type of poison, and hence was unable to find a suitable antidote," Margaret continued to explain. 

While Titan looked alright for the time being, if he does not get the antidote, his condition will only deteriorate further. Eventually, it would spread throughout his entire body. 

The bandages wrapped around his body were soaked in a special herbal ointment. It was able to prevent the spread of the poison for the time being. But there was no guarantee on how long its effects would last. 

It was not a cure. 

If Titan was a normal dog, he would not last longer than three days. He was a Solar Mastiff, so he had stronger resistance to poisons. But he was not immune. 

Laina bit her lip, "Then how can we get the antidote? Or… do we need to make one?" 

She paced up and down the room, Titan watched her as she did, "Whatever it takes to get him better, it must be done."

But the unique nature of the poison was the main issue. Margaret had looked through any book she could find about different types of poisons but none of them matched what Titan was inflicted with. 

Having listened to Margaret's analysis, Dante had an idea of what type of poison it might be. He hovered his hand over Titan's torso. A warm glow of light emitted from the palm of this hand. 

A few moments later, the light diminished. His guess was right, the poison was not from Gaeia. It was from the Celestial Realm. Lucky for them, Dante had a way to get hold of the antidote.

"You do? Oh thank the heavens, thank you thank you thank you!" Laina exclaimed with glee as she hugged Dante's torso tightly. 

But this discovery also confirmed Dante's concerns. This was most certainly Cordelia's handiwork. A witch's poison was easy enough to identify. With Titan taken care of, Dante turned his attention to the child that he had heard so much about. 

The rumors surrounding this child had spread all the way to Dracona. He was amused by such a preposterous lie. But all the mystery surrounding it only fueled the intrigue. 

When he asked Laina about the child, she explained how things came to be. Dante listened in silence. 

"Hold on," Laina stopped for a moment," How did you find out about this?"

Based on what she could recall, Laina had never mentioned this to him before. Where could he have heard it from?

"The rumors spread far and wide, my dear," he explained, "Especially when it's about a potential illegitimate child of the famous Dragon King and the princess he is currently courting."

He took a step closer to Laina, cupping her chin in his hand, "You know, your Highness," he said in a low tone of voice as he looked straight in her eyes, "If you were so desperate for us to start a family together, all you have to do is ask. I am ready."

Laina blushed beet red. She knew he was shameless, but she never expected him to be this shameless! In a reflex move, Laina punched Dante right in the stomach. But it was hurting her more than it hurt him!