The Dragon King's Heart

"Oh no, you don't!" Margaret blocked Laina's way. 

No matter what it took, she was not about to let Laina leave without a proper explanation. What she did not expect, was for Laina to draw a weapon. The former princess drew a sword from her spatial storage. 

Everyone gasped in shock. The children looked on in horror, uncertain of how things escalated. Marius was surprised too. He never expected Laina to point a weapon at Margaret. 

"Laina... what are you..." Margaret was confused. 

Why was she so upset by the question? Her mind swirled with possibilities. 

"I... I just really need to go-" 

"You found out," Margaret gasped as she covered her mouth. 

Her hands were shaking. She did not know how it happened or when, but Margaret was certain. Laina found out about the curse. 

Marius, still unable to put the pieces, was more confused than ever, "Found out? Found out about what?"

Laina gritted her teeth, "If you know, then let me go. I cannot waste any more time here."

Margaret took a side step at once. She no longer put up a fight. Laina slide the sword back in its sheath and made her way out of the door. But just as she was about to leave, she hesitates for a moment. Looking back into the shophouse, she could see all of their expression as clear as day. 

"I'll explain when I get back. In the meantime, just keep things going," with that, she went on her way. 

Margaret crumbled onto the ground. Thoughts swirling through her mind. Marius came to her aid at once. 

"What's wrong, Margaret?" he asked, filled with concern. 

He had never seen Laina act this way. From the look on Margaret's face, he knew she would be able to provide answers. The other children remained silent, uncertain of what to make of it all. Margaret grabbed onto Marius's arm. 

She looked him straight in the eyes," She found out, Marius."

"Found out? Found out about-" then it dawned on him too. 

Scenes of the past played back in his mind. The things he had heard Laina ask Dante. The mysterious drink she instructed him to give Dante every day. 

"Make sure he drinks this, Marius," Laina had said to him. 

"What is it for, Your Highness?" 

To him, it looked like a regular bottle of water. There was nothing different about it. 

"Oh uh..." she flustered for a moment before formulating a suitable reply, "It's blessed water. It will keep Dante healthy and safe."

Both Marius and Margaret were putting the pieces of the puzzle together in their mind. Now it made sense. The curse had not spread throughout Dante's body. He had retained most of his strength as well. 

Marius assumed it was because of Dante's efforts to take great care of himself, maintaining his physique. But what he came to realize was even more shocking. 

"It all makes sense," he said to Margaret, as he had his epiphany. 

"What makes sense?" Margaret rebutted, "Nothing makes sense! How? When did she find out?"

They had been extra careful with everything. Dante made sure to cover up the cursed veins whenever he was with Laina. She should never know. 

"Dante's condition worsened when he returned to Dracona."

"What?" she turned to look at Marius in shock. 

"Ever since we came back from Everfree, the curse seemed to have a taken a stronger toll on him. It was not the full effect of the curse, but it was still stronger compared to when we were in Everfree."

Putting the clues together, Margaret cursed beneath her breath. Laina had known for a long time. She orchestrated the trip to Everfree, to stay in the mansion by the beach. On the outside, it looked as if it was for her recovery.

"We thought it was for Laina's recovery and because she wanted to spend time with him," Margaret revealed as the puzzle came together, "But she was doing it for him."

Laina did not put up the crystals and geodes for herself, she put them for Dante. 

"Marius," Margaret grabbed onto his arm, "The elixir. What did it look like?" 

She had to confirm her suspicions.

"It just looked like water. There was nothing suspicious about it. Why do you ask?" 

Margaret shook her head, something was amiss. Marius rummaged through his coat pockets. He handed her a small vial. 

"Laina gave it to me," he explained, "She said to keep it on me at all times. If Dante looked to be unwell, it would help him."

Margaret looked at the vial. True to what Marius told her, it did not look out of the ordinary. But there was something about it that made her suspicious. Margaret opened the vial and poured the contents into her open palm. 

She closed her eyes and whispered a simple spell. 

"Reveal to me what was hidden from sight, taste and smell," she whispered. 

In the blink of an eye, the liquid the vial turned. It revealed their true color. Margaret took one drop of it to test. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. 

"What's wrong?" Marius asked. 

"It's as I feared," Margaret sighed. 

She knew what the vial was. She knew what was in the elixir. After explaining to Marius, was in shock. The elixir was made with Laina's blood. Taking into consideration how long she had been doing it for, how was Laina still alive? 

"We have to stop her," he declared. 

"Stop her? She'll never stop," Margaret said as she shook her head. 

"Aren't we going to at least try?"

"We can't! If we stop her, Dante won't make it. If he dies, Laina will not want to live either."

Marius bit his lip. He knew the severity of the curse. That was the reason why Dante swore them to secrecy. Death was inevitable. He slumped his shoulders.

"Doesn't all curses have a cure? Or... or a way to lift it?" Marius asked. 

"All we need to do is to find a way to lift it-"

Margaret shook her head. 

"You can't just give up without trying! I'm sure..."

"No, there's no way," Margaret said through gritted teeth. 

But Marius was not letting it go, "I'm sure there is, we just need to look-"

"You don't understand! Laina is the only one who can break the curse!" Margaret yelled at him as she went over her tipping point. 

Marius looked at her, his mouth was agape. 

"Doesn't that make things easier? If Laina is the only one who can. Does this not all work out?!" Marius asked in confusion. 

Margaret sniggered, "If it was that easy, do you think I would have kept it?"

It was not that simple. 

"Laina, in her current state, can't do it," Margaret sighed. 

If only Laina had her true identity, only then would she be able to break the curse. With her current body, she did not have enough strength. Before she could even make the attempt, her body would go up in flames.