The Dragon King's Heart

After the trip to Everfree concluded, Laina returned to Kinshearth. Before returning to the castle, she headed to The Yellow Villa. She was eager to share the good news with the artists. 

When she arrived at the door, most of them were there to greet her in person. The Dining Room was prepped for them to have a meal together at the long table. Though the food was simple, the company they shared was rich with conversation. 

"Your Highness, while we're all extremely happy to have you here with us, why not settle down back in the castle and have us meet you there?" One of them asked at the dinner table. 

"Yes, I'm sure you have much more important business to attend to than having a meal with us," another of them added. 

Laina could not help but smile. She stood up from her seat and raised her wine glass. 

"I decided to come here first because I have good news to share. I could not wait to share it with all of you, hence I decided that The Yellow Villa would be my first stop," Laina explained. 

She began to explain to them the purpose of her recent trip to the Everfree Nation. When the artists realized it was to sell their works of art, all of them looked noticeably tense. 

She could see the worry on their faces. 

"All the pieces were successfully sold," Laina informed them. 

Everyone at the table gasped in shock as they turned to look at one another. They could not believe their ears. For some of them, having their work recognized by the Crown Princess was their greatest achievement. 

To hear that their work was sold at the auction house, was almost unheard of. Never in their wildest dreams did they think it would have been possible. 

"Would you like to take a guess as to how much they were sold for in total?" Laina asked. 

Everyone took a guess. One said 300 gold coins. Another person claimed it would be 1,000. Laina shook her head. 

"Lower?" One of them asked with a look of disappointment. 

Laina replied with a smile, "Higher,"

"Hi...higher than 1,000 gold coins? Crown Princess Laina, are you messing with us?" One of them asked. 

"I assure you, I am not joking," Laina replied with a smile, "Any final guesses?"

Some of the artists were of noble birth. One of them speculated based on what Laina had said and with the knowledge he had of auction houses and their pricing, he gave an answer. 

"Based on my estimation, 10,000 gold coins."

Everyone gasped in horror and amazement. That was more money than most of them would ever see in their entire lifetime. Laina turned to Margaret, she too had a smile on her face. 

"It's higher," Laina declared. 

All of their jaws dropped. If their jaws could dislodge, it would have been on the ground. None of them could believe their ears. Even the nobles were amazed.

"Please tell us the answer, your Highness! The suspense is killing us!" One of them exclaimed. 

"Yes, please tell us, your Highness!"

Laina raised three fingers and showed it to them. All of them were looking at her, they began calculating in their minds. 

Someone said, "30,000?"

Laina shook her head. 

"Oh! 33,000!" Someone else shouted. 

Even Margaret chuckled, she too shook her head. 

When it dawned on them what Laina meant, none of them even dared to say the number. Finally, one of the nobles gathered up the courage. 

"3...300,000?"

Laina grinned as she nodded. 

All of them gasped in shock. 

"Your Highness, are you sure? You're not joking with us, right?" One of them asked. 

"No, it's not a joke. Why would I lie about this?" Laina replied. 

With her confirmation, all of them celebrated with cheers. Everyone raised their glasses together. At this point, most of them were excited for the future ahead of them. 

But in a corner of the table, Laina noticed someone hunched over and in tears. She soon realized it was Vincent. One of the others noticed Laina's worried expression. 

"Oh your Highness, do not worry! Vincent is just emotional," They reassured her. 

"Yeah, he's never had his work recognized on this scale before! So he's all worked up now. Hey Vincent! This is a time of celebration!" 

He looked up, with tears in his eyes. When he met Laina's eyes, the tears began to flow again. For his entire life, Vincent never gained much recognition for his paintings. 

Before this, he had only been able to sell one painting he ever made. To hear that one of his works was sold for so many gold coins, was overwhelming. Vincent left his seat and walked over to Laina. 

He knelt down before her and held her hands, "Thank you… thank you your Highness for giving me this chance. I… I don't know what to say."

Everyone else came over to help Vincent up. He was in his late thirties but he was crying like a child. Laina was moved by his words. She placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"You're most welcome, Vincent, and I look forward to seeing what you have in stored for us in the future," Laina encouraged him with a smile. 

Apart from the news of the successful auction, Laina had one more thing to tell them. As the popularity of The Yellow Villa's work grew, more people came to know of their work. 

They had begun to receive commission requests from many different kingdoms and nations. The list was growing with each passing day. The artists had their work cut out for them, but they were excited for what the future may bring. 

When it was time for Laina to leave, all of them came to send her off. 

"Do not worry, Crown Princess Laina, we will not let you down."

"We will do our very best, your Highness!" 

With their words of assurance, Laina was content. With the success of this venture, she gained more confidence to stand on her own two feet. All her planning had led up to this success. 

Now all she needed to do was to maintain and expand to achieve greater success. As she bid farewell to The Yellow Villa, Laina knew the real work had only just begun. When she saw the outline of the palace, it was late in the night. 

Laina wanted to tend to some royal affairs in her office before retiring for the night but Margaret refused. 

"We've been traveling all day, Your Highness. I think right now, what you need is rest," Margaret chided. 

"I'm not tired yet," as soon as she said so, Laina let out a long yawn and stretched out her arms. 

She changed her mind, "Maybe you're right, Margaret. I am a little tired."

"Just a little?" Margaret asked again. 

Laina smiled, "I can't lie to you, now can I?"

The handmaid laughed as she ushered the princess to bed, "You've never been able to successfully do so."