The Dragon King's Heart

"How is she doing?" Margaret asked as soon as she entered Laina's room. 

Kol and Florin were both by her bedside.

"Her condition is stable, milady," Kol replied as he greeted her.

Laina's condition stabilized after the royal healers were able to close up the wound. But, her condition was not improving as it should. The Moonfrost dagger was a unique weapon from the Celestial Realm. 

Apart from being a lethal dagger, it was also infused with a powerful curse of ice and moon energy. The curse would spread across the body, freezing their body little by little. With the fire crystals, gems and geodes slowed down the effects of the curse. 

"But it's still spreading. Without an antidote, Laina is still in danger," Kol explained nervously. 

He could barely look Margaret in the eyes as he spoke. Margaret turned to look at Laina. They had placed Laina in a spell-induced coma to aid in her recovery. The Crown Princess looked as if she was sound asleep, about to wake up at any time. 

Margaret could see the thin blue veins spreading across Laina's chest. If they did not get the antidote in time, it would spread all across Laina's body. When it reaches the tips of her toes and fingers, she would never return. 

Lucky for them, Margaret's trip was also a success. She brought back with her large pieces of geodes and crystals, imbued with the element of fire and sunlight. They placed them all around the room. 

"Hopefully this will buy us more time," the handmaid said as she took a step back to admire their handiwork. 

For the next three days, Margaret waited anxiously for Dante's return with the antidote. She attempted to contact him, but he was not in Dracona. News of Laina's illness spread all across Kinshearth. 

The citizens were saddened by the news. But as they worried about their future queen, they banded together to pray for her well-being. Monuments were set up all across the capital city and in the surrounding villages and towns. 

Citizens of Kinshearth flocked to the Capital with gifts of flowers for their Crown Princess. Prayer circles were even formed in hopes that the prayers will reach the gods so that they may heal Laina. 

With each passing day, Margaret grew increasingly worried. She knew she had to come up with an alternate plan, should Dante not return in time.

"The blue veins are already spreading to her arms, we need to act fast," she said to Kol and Florin. 

To ensure someone was by Laina's side all the time, they took shifts to look after her. But tonight, they were gathered together to find a possible solution. Margaret knew who the dagger belonged to. 

She knew where Dante was going to obtain the antidote. But she needed to find an alternate solution. She explained the curse of the moon frost dagger to Kol and Florin, hoping they would be able to put their minds together and figure out an alternative solution. 

"Since this curse is forged from the Moon and frost, perhaps countering it with the element of fire and the Sun would work?" Florin theorized. 

Margaret nodded in agreement, "You're right. That should work. If Laina had her full strength, she would have no problem fighting this. But… perhaps what we need to do is to find another way to get her the power she needs."

Just then, Margaret sensed an impending presence coming towards them through the balcony. As she got up from her seat, Dante and Marius appeared. Upon returning to Gaeia, they flew straight to Kinshearth. 

"Dante, you're back!" Margaret exclaimed.

She had never been so happy to see him. 

"Did you manage to get it? The antidote?" She asked. 

"Yes, I got it," Dante replied with a smile as he revealed the vial in his palm. 

He entered the room and went straight to Laina's bedside at once. He noticed the vampire in the room but did not say anything. That was not important, Laina took priority. 

The moment he saw her lying there peacefully, sound asleep, he let out a sigh. When he noticed the blue veins that spread across her chest, he gritted his teeth. Dante knelt down by Laina's bedside as he took her hand in his. 

Her hand was cold. It was even colder than his own. 

Margaret updated Dante on Laina's condition. That was when he noticed all the geodes and crystals that had taken up almost every available space in the bedroom. He could feel the warmth of the crystals. 

Dante leaned his cheek against Laina's hand as he apologized. "Sorry to keep you waiting, my Sundrop."

He took out the vial of antidote and removed the lid. Dante gently opened Laina's mouth and poured the antidote in. Everyone else held their breath as they watched Laina's recovery. 

As soon as she swallowed the antidote, Dante could feel the warmth returning to her body. 

It was a good sign. 

"Something is wrong," Florin said to the rest. 

"What are you talking about? Laina just had the antidote, what could be wrong?" Margaret asked. 

The vampire turned to Kol, "You can see it too, right? Her heart."

Kol turned to look at Laina. He realized what Florin said was true. Since he had the vampire bloodline, he had the unique ability to see the condition of a person's heart. Usually, the affinity a person has would reflect in the form of a colored aura surrounding the heart. 

For Laina, since her affinity was with the Sun, the aura surrounding her heart was supposed to be bright red. But it was not bright red. It was turning blue. When he relayed the information to the rest, Margaret crumbled to the ground. 

"No… no…"

"What do you mean by 'no'?" Dante asked as he got up on his feet. 

In his mind, as long as Laina received the antidote in time she would be alright. But from the look on Margaret's face, he knew something was amiss. Dante attempted to put the pieces together in his own mind. 

It dawned on him. 

The dagger was stabbed into her abdomen, hence the curse had spread from there. It spread all across her body, which included her heart. 

"Her heart might not be able to survive this ordeal. Her heart… might not be strong enough," Margaret explained as tears streamed down her cheeks.