The Dragon King's Heart

Kol and Florin were about to follow her, but she stopped them both. 

"I will go alone," Laina said. 

"But your Highness," Florin was about to protest when Kol stopped him. 

"We will wait for you here," Kol replied to Laina. 

After Laina left, Florin could not help but ask why he had stopped him. As the princess's bodyguards, should they not follow her where she went to protect her? Though Kol could not read Laina's mind, he knew from experience that there were things the princess wanted to do alone. 

"She's not as weak as you think," Kol explained with a smile, "In fact, she's stronger than you and I combined. Plus, many times fold."

Florin looked at Kol in disbelief. To the vampire, Laina looked just like any other normal human. Even if she had magical abilities, it was impossible for her to be more powerful than the both of them combined. 

"Are you joking with me?" Florin asked, wondering if Kol was simply teasing him. 

Kol shook his head, "No, it's true."

He was not surprised that Florin found it hard to believe. Since his first meeting with Laina, the vampire had only seen her getting hurt. He had not witnessed her strength. 

Kol pat Florin on the back and gave him a word of advice, "You'll see in time."

Laina felt her heart palpitating in her chest. This had never happened before on her previous visit so the crown princess did not know how to respond. All she could do to calm her nerves was to tighten the grip she had on her hands. 

When she came up to the chamber, the doors opened on their own. High Priestess Shylla was already inside, waiting for her. Standing next to her was the Moon Goddess herself. 

"Crown Princess Laina, we meet again," Selene said as she beckoned Laina to enter. 

The High Priestess turned to take her leave, closing the doors behind her as she did. When it was just the two of them, Selene invited Laina to take a seat with her at the table. It had been a while since they last met, but the Moon Goddess was eager to catch up with Laina. 

However, she was also aware Laina came to her to seek her guidance. Through the letter Queen Victoria had sent on Laina's behalf, the Moon Goddess understood what she was looking for. 

"You are the only person I could think of that might have an inkling on what this might be, hence my trip here to meet with you," Laina explained as she took a sip of tea. 

Selene understood. But the truth of the matter was not as simple as Laina might have initially assumed. It was simply the tip of the iceberg. In order to better illustrate, the Moon Goddess decided to tell Laina about a legend. 

In another realm, there was once a pair of lovers from opposites sides. The Sun Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom had been at odds for as long as anyone could remember. Perhaps it was because of how different they seemed to be. 

"Opposites?" Laina asked out of curiosity. 

"Yes. Many believe the Sun and Moon are opposites." 

"I thought they complemented one another. Two halves of a complete whole," Laina made her own observation. 

Moon Goddess Selene smiled, she had expected Laina to come to that conclusion. There were those who thought that way. But it was not common at that time. As the legend goes, the lovers were royals forced into an arranged marriage in hopes of bringing peace to both sides. 

"Isn't that a good thing?" Laina asked. 

"Indeed it was. However, that was not the true intention of those who put this into motion. The true intention was war and destruction," Selene explained. 

But the lovers, aptly named, fell in love with one another. When it came time to separate them, no one could. Much to the surprise of everyone else, they had seen past their differences and romance blossomed. But their time together was cut short. One died, the other lived. 

Laina felt an ache in her heart as she listened. It felt as if someone stabbed a dagger through her heart. 

The one who lived became cursed. 

They were cursed to suffer the consequences of having fallen in love. Should they ever confess their love for their one true love again, the curse would take effect. Depending on the affinity the person possessed, the effects varied. 

"But the curse would look the same on those inflicted," the Moon Goddess explained as she touched her heart, "Dark-colored veins would spiral outwards from the heart. When the veins cover the entire body, the curse would take full effect."

Selene did not like being the bearer of bad news. But from the expression written on Laina's face, she knew she could not keep it from her either.   

"For a person whose affinity is with the Moon, their elements would usually be ice and or water. In those cases, should they be afflicted with the curse," Selene sighed as she continued, "They would freeze from inside out."

"Freeze? From inside out?" Laina echoed her words in shock. 

Selene nodded, "Their body temperature will continue to drop until their body function can no longer sustain itself. Essentially, they will freeze to death."

Laina leaned back in her seat with her mouth agape. Her lips trembled a little and her hands were shaking. 

"Is there a cure? Anyways the curse can be lifted or the effects could be alleviated?" Laina asked. 

Every curse had a countermeasure, right? 

Selene bit her lip. Based on the records she had seen, there was no known cure in the Moon Kingdom. Most of those who were inflicted with it did not survive. But there were rumors of possible ways to delay its effects. 

"There are no records of a cure in the Moon Kingdom. But there were a few known ways of delaying the effects of the curse."

First, it depended on the strength of the person who was inflicted with the curse. If they had a strong physique, the curse's effects can be slowed down significantly, therefore prolonging their life. 

Since the curse originated from the Celestial Realm, where time moved at a different pace, the effects of the curse would be slowed down if the affected person was in a different realm.

"Celestial Realm?" Laina pondered over this term. 

She felt a sense of familiarity but was not sure why. 

"What realm are we in then?" she asked. 

"Gaeia, which is where we are, is in the Mortal Realm. As such, the effects of the curse are significantly slowed," the Moon Goddess explained. 

Laina heaved a sigh of relief. As long as Dante remained in Gaeia, the effects will be slowed significantly. 

"There is one more thing that can help slow down the effects," Selene explained. 

This gave Laina hope. 

"What is it?"

"You." She revealed. 

Laina looked to her in confusion, "Me?"

As a child of the sun, Laina's body possessed unique properties that could help further delay the effects of the curse. The more time she spends with Dante, the better the effects. Laina buried her face in her hands. All of this happened because of her. 

Dante confessed his love for her and activated the curse. 

What's more, she pushed him away.

Now, she knows what she must do. Laina looked up at the Moon Goddess and thanked her for the information. But before she left, Selene had one more piece of information for her.