The Dragon King's Heart

She did not take a step further, wary that it might be a trap. But seeing Titan happily wagging his tail as Lady Wilma entertained him, Laina put down her guard. Titan was always great at judging a person. She put her faith in him. 

Together they walked further into the property, towards the mansion. 

"I must thank you, you saved me the trouble of going to find you," Wilma said as they continued their way through the garden. 

Laina furrowed her eyebrows, "You were looking for me?"

Instead of entering the mansion, Lady Wilma brought Laina to the glass greenhouse on the side. There she ordered for a table to be set up for them. Once everything was prepared, Lady Wilma invited Laina to take a seat with her at the table. 

Tea and snacks were brought to them as they were being seated. Once the table was set, Lady Wilma dismissed all of the servants. 

"Aren't you afraid I might harm you?" Laina asked as she took a sip of tea. 

"Aren't you afraid I might poison you?" she asked Laina with a grin. 

Both women laughed. They were on the same page it seemed. 

"I would like to apologize on my son's behalf, Miss Laina," Lady Wilma said, "He's young and arrogant. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive him."

Laina could not help but sigh. She had hoped Lady Wilma would be different. But as it seemed, she was the same. Wilma read Laina's expression. She did not want to be mistaken. 

"I understand what he had done was wrong. But-"

Laina cut into the conversation, "Just so that we're on the same page. You're aware your son not only destroyed the market stall I had, and he also set fire to the shophouse?"

Lady Wilma sighed as she nodded. 

"You were also aware that a group of children nearly died in that fire because of him?" Laina asked through gritted teeth, "And that the police covered it up?"

"There were children in the building?" Wilma gasped in horror as she put down her teacup. 

"Are the children alright? Were any of them hurt?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry and concern. 

Laina was caught off guard. She was not expecting this behavior from Lady Wilma. It gave Laina a bit of faith and some hope. 

"Luckily, they are alright. If not, I would not be letting your son go so easily," Laina replied. 

Lady Wilma sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She blamed herself for her son's actions. If only her husband and she had spent more time educating him. Perhaps this would not have happened. She had long heard about the things Jerome had done in town. 

It was not the first time he had abused his authority as the mayor's son to make others' lives miserable. Most of these cases go unreported. Wilma only found out through her intel. 

"Ever since I married Verka, I have hardly left this mansion," Lady Wilma said as she looked at the flowers that surrounded them. 

A sudden coughing fit prevented her from continuing her sentence. She took out a handkerchief as the coughing worsened. Laina, worried for her health, rubbed her back caringly. Wilma grabbed onto Laina's hand. 

"Jerome is our only child. I know what he did was wrong. But I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive him," she pleaded. 

Laina let out an audible sigh. She empathized with Wilma.

"You can't coddle him forever, Lady Wilma," she reminded. 

Allowing Jerome to act the way he did without consequences would only reward his behavior. It would do him more harm than good.

"If he never learns from his mistakes, he will never grow."

Laina came here hoping to seek justice for what had happened. Meeting Lady Wilma and hearing her request moved her. But it did not change the fact of what had happened. 

"My original intention was to let this matter rest. Bury the hatchet and move on," Laina explained as she sat back down, "I don't want to cause you any trouble, so I hope he would do the same."

Hearing that, Lady Wilma was grateful. She held on tightly to Laina's hand as she expressed her thanks. 

"You did what I failed to do and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Wilma knew it would be overstepping to ask Laina for another favor. But having met her in person made Wilma feel the urge to take action. For too long she had closed an eye to what Jerome had done. 

Laina's arrival was a godsend. Perhaps this was the chance Jerome needed to change for the better. Laina had been observing Lady Wilma for a while. From her accent, mannerisms and attire, she realized something interesting. 

"Lady Wilma, may I ask a question?"

Though surprised, she obliged. 

"You're not from Luzernia, are you?" Laina asked.

Wilma gasped in surprise. It was not what she had expected Laina to ask. 

"How did you know?"

Laina smiled as she made her next statement, "You're from Kinshearth, aren't you?"

Wilma was taken aback, "Yes, I am."

Putting two and two together, Wilma realized who Laina was. She did not know Laina's identity at first since she had never met her in person before. Laina was not in her regal attire either so Wilma had no way to know it was her. 

Wilma was about to get up from her seat to kneel before Laina, but she was quickly stopped. 

"My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. I did not recog-"

"No apologies needed, Lady Wilma. I'm no longer a princess either so no need for formalities either," Laina quickly added as she helped Wilma back up. 

Wilma had not been back to Kinshearth since she came to Luzernia years ago. While she was aware that Laina was set to be Queen, she did not know what happened after. 

"How did you end up in Luzernia?" Laina was curious. 

Lady Wilma had met her husband while he was on a trip to Kinshearth. They fell in love and she decided to uproot her life for him. 

"I've been here ever since."