The Dragon King's Heart

"Oh Margaret! What should I do? Do you understand any of this?" Laina asked her handmaid as she sat down on the daybed. 

Margaret placed the painting on an easel before walking over to Laina. Though the sudden arrival of the Alpha Werewolf King was unexpected, she was not against it. She also knew of the customs of the werewolves. 

But Margaret knew where Laina's heart was. She did not want Dante and Laina to be together, she wanted to protect Laina. But throwing her into the arms of the werewolf king did not feel right either. 

She also noticed the odd behavior Laina portrayed when she was in the throne room. Margaret had assumed Laina would have thrown the Werewolf King out immediately. 

"Do you have… feelings for this Werewolf King?" Margaret could not help but ask to confirm her suspicions. 

"I… I…" Laina could not even formulate a proper truthful answer. 

The image of King Kragen floats into her mind. She could feel her heartbeat racing, she could smell the sweet aromatic scents she had smelled before. These were all proof that he was potentially her mate. 

When an image of Dante appears in her mind, Laina could not help but smile. She remembered the kiss they shared in the cafe. She recalled the time he had stumbled into her room. 

"Is it wrong to love two people at the same time?" Laina sighed. 

Margaret creased her eyebrows. Laina had only met the Werewolf King for less than an hour. Yet she had already developed such strong feelings for him. This must definitely be the work of the mate bond. 

However, she noticed small details in King Kragen's actions and behavior that did not sit right with her. He was not suitable for Laina.

"Do you believe what he said? That I am his mate?" Laina asked Margaret. 

"I… I don't know. Do you?"

With the question thrown back at her, Laina did not know either. Was any of this true to begin with? Or could it turn out to be a lie?

"There's only one person who would know this for certain," Laina said as she bit her lip. 

Margaret looked up at her and asked, "Who?"

"The Moon Goddess herself. Moon Goddess Selene."

"But we can't go looking for a Goddess to confirm her words… can we?" Margaret asked.

"We might just be able to…" before Laina could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. 

A guard walked in and bowed politely to Laina before speaking, "Your Highness, some of the artists from The Yellow Villa have arrived."

Laina turned to look at Margaret. At that moment, both of them remembered why they had come to see her. Laina wanted to meet with them to discuss some matters regarding the commissions they had received. 

"Please, send them in," Laina instructed the guard. 

Moments later, the artists entered Laina's room. All of them quickly got down on their knees to greet Laina properly. She relieved them and invited them to sit with her as Margaret instructed some servants to bring them tea and snacks. 

All of them were intrigued by the painting that Margaret had set up on the easel. Laina explained where it was from as they admired the brushwork and detail. 

"This work of art definitely took lots of skill to produce," one of them praised. 

"Indeed, it's not easy to get such shading and the use of light is remarkable."

"I can still smell the mild scent of the paint used."

While the others continued to discuss the painting, Vincent admired the details of the painting in silence. He looked at the painting up close. He too could smell the paint. Laina noticed how he seemed to be scrutinizing it in great detail. 

"Vincent, how do you find the painting?" Laina asked as she walked over to him. 

He jumped a little when the Crown Princess approached him. But seeing as she wanted his opinion, he pondered in thought for a while. Vincent bit his lip as he lowered his eyes, avoiding Laina's gaze. 

"It's… it's well done, your Highness," he finally blurted out. 

Laina sensed he had something he wanted to say. But when she saw him glancing over to the others, she reckoned he did not want to say it in their presence. So, she did not press him any further. 

For the next two hours, they were all in deep discussion. The number of commissions coming in for The Yellow Villa was growing day by day. With the current number of members, it was simply insufficient. 

Lucky for them, the popularity of The Yellow Villa saw an influx of applications from artists all over Kinshearth, asking if they could join. Not to mention, out of those who had come to the Capital for the art competition, there were still some who could make the cut. 

After all the details were settled, Laina bid them farewell. But as all of them left her room, Vincent stood rooted to the ground. He was looking at the painting. Everyone had already left the room, leaving him behind. 

Laina walked over to him. As soon as he noticed her beside him, Vincent bit his lip. He tightened his curled-up fists. He was conflicted. He noticed something was amiss with the painting, but he was uncertain if he should say something. 

Seeing his expression of turmoil, Laina placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Vincent, don't worry. If there is something you want to say, speak your mind. No matter what it may be, I will not punish you," Laina assured him. 

She too had some reservations about the painting. Something about it did not sit right with her. It was not because of the way she was painted or the weird circumstances of how it came to be. 

Laina just could not figure out what it was. 

Even Margaret, who observed the painting from multiple angles, could not figure out anything wrong with it. She could sense the use of magic in the painting, but that was not the reason why she felt as if something was off. 

Hopefully, Vincent would be able to point them in the right direction.