The Dragon King's Heart

He could tell Dante was preparing to head off just by the outfit he had chosen to wear. As the Dragon King's closest confidante, Marius knew where he might be going. But he wanted to hear it from him. 

"I am going to visit Laina, with the deer pelt as a gift," Dante explained as he readjusted his collar in the mirror. 

Marius looked at him disapprovingly, "So you're going just like this? Empty-handed?"

Dante turned around to glare at Marius before replying in annoyance, "Did you not hear what I said? The deer pelt as a gift, how is that considered going empty-handed."

He could not believe what he was hearing. Marius rubbed his temples in distraught. 

"What I meant was, apart from the deer, shouldn't you bring flowers or something?" Marius rephrased his sentence. 

Dante realized he made a fair point. The colossal forest deer was stored in his spatial storage so when he reached Kinshearth, he would have turned up empty-handed. When Marius mentioned flowers, it gave Dante the perfect idea of a gift.

He headed over to his personal garden that was just a few meters away from his room in his private quarters. It was filled with beautiful fully bloomed roses everywhere you looked. 

Small sprites flew around from rose to rose, tending to each of them. When they saw Dante, the sprites flew over to greet him. Dante walked up to the nearest rose bush and looked for the best-looking one.

These were no normal roses either. They were blood roses and they represent the love the grower has for their one true love. Based on the love they felt for that person, the roses can change color and even wilt one of them is in grave danger. 

Dante had grown these flowers for a long time and they have been in full bloom ever since. The sprites gathered around the rose bush Dante was looking at. Altogether they helped him to pick the perfect rose. 

"This one would be perfect," he whispered as he received the chosen blood rose from the sprites. 

He reached into his pocket and took out a long black ribbon. He carefully tied it around the stem of the blood rose. 

"Just a single one? You have a whole garden of them, why are you being so stingy?" Marius asked in disbelief. 

Dante shot him a death stare. He came up to his confidante and slapped him on the back of his head. 

Marius yelped in pain as he rubbed the back of his head, "Hey! What was that for?!"

"You don't even know the meaning of flowers? I pity the young woman who will become your lover," Dante scoffed as he walked away. 

The Dragon King's words intrigued Marius. He quickly caught up to his king and asked for clarification. Roses are one of the most commonly used flowers to represent love and romance. 

The stalks of roses you give can mean different things too. In Dante's case, he had chosen to give a single stalk of blood rose. This indicates love at first sight. Which was the case for Dante. 

The moment he set eyes on Laina, he knew she was the one. 

"Oh, I see! Interesting…" Marius pondered over the words Dante had said. 

As they were walking out of the garden, he reached out to one of the blood-rose bushes. But before he could even touch the petal of blood rose, Dante slapped his hand away. 

"You can't pick the roses here," he hissed. 

"Oh come on! You've got a whole garden full of them! Can't you just spare me one or two, your Majesty?" Marius pouted. 

Dante shook his head in distraught. 

"It's not about that. You can't harvest these roses, cause they aren't grown from your love and they don't represent your love," Dante explained. 

"Oh, how can I get my own blood roses then?" 

First, they need to obtain red rose seeds. Next, the blood of the grower is needed followed by a series of incantations and spells. 

"That's it? Sounds straightforward enough," Marius grinned as he replied. 

Dante chuckled, "It also takes time to grow."

"Three months? Four at most? I am sure a growth spell would help speed things up," Marius replied. 

"That won't work. Unlike regular roses, blood roses take a lot more time to nurture. It would take at least a year, maybe even five."

Marius was stunned as he stared at Dante with his mouth agape. 

"One year?! I can't wait that long to give them to her!" Marius lamented. 

Dante patted him on the back, "Then you either start planting soon or get yourself some regular roses instead."

With his gifts ready, Dante made his way to Kinshearth to see Laina. Unlike the previous few times, Dante chose to meet her formally. He arrived at the main gates of the Royal Palace. 

He did not bring a huge entourage. It was just him, Marius, and a small platoon of royal guards. Marius cleared his throat and announced Dante's arrival to the guards at the palace gates. 

Upon learning that King Dante of Dracona had arrived to meet with Laina, the guards scrambled to open the gates and allowed him to enter. A chain of messengers relayed the message to Crown Princess Laina, who was leisurely having tea in the garden. 

"Dant… King Dante is here? To see me?" Laina asked the messenger in disbelief. 

"Yes, yes that's right, your Highness," the messenger replied while keeping his head low.

Laina was smiling from ear to ear. Though it was a surprise visit and she did not know why he had come, she was happy to know that he was here. 

"Send him at once. I will meet him here," Laina instructed. 

"Here? In your private quarters, your highness?" The messenger asked again to confirm. 

The crown princess bit her lip. The messenger brought up a fair point. What would people say if they found out the crown princess of Kinshearth received the King of Dracona in her private quarters?

The gossip and rumors would surely spin out of control in no time. Laina got up from her seat. She paced back and forth deep in thought as she weighed her options. She could choose to meet with him in the Throne Room. 

But would that be too formal?

"Ah, the Drawing Room. That's better," she whispered to herself. 

Laina turned to the messenger and said, "I change my mind, have King Dante come to the Drawing Room instead. I will receive him there."

"As you wish, your Highness."

The messenger quickly rushed off to pass on the message, leaving Laina alone in the garden. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing. Then, she walked over to the small pond in the garden and looked at her reflection. 

She readjusted her hair and touched the side of her face. Once she felt that she looked presentable, she straightened her back and walked out of the garden towards the Drawing Room.