The Dragon King's Heart

"They… they think I had a child with King Dante?" Laina could not stop herself from laughing.

She clutched her stomach, she was laughing so hard it began to hurt! Tobias and Lucinda were caught completely off guard by Laina's sudden outburst. They did not know how to react. Kol, who was by Laina's side, kept a straight face. 

He could not understand how such a rumor would be possible. 

"Don't babies take nine months to be born?" He voiced his concern.

Kol's statement made Laina laugh even harder. 

"Did you hear that? Even Kol knows what's up!" Laina continued laughing hysterically, "Where are these groundless rumors coming from? I've only recently acquainted myself with King Dante. We've known one another for less than half a year.

How would this be possible?"

With the jokes aside, Laina's smile disappeared just as the general and chancellor were about to laugh alongside her. 

She gave both of them a cold look and asked sternly, "Are you suspecting me of such immoral behavior? A child outside of wedlock?"

She did not shout, nor did she scream in anger. She had said it so calmly, it came off more threatening than if she had chosen to raise her voice. A shiver ran down both of their spines as they gulped. 

"No… of course not, Your Highness. We just…" a single droplet of sweat trickled down Tobias's forehead as he chose his words carefully, "We just wanted to bring this matter to your attention. That's all." 

"Yes, yes. That's exactly right. We're concerned about you, about your reputation, your Highness," Lucinda quickly added, agreeing with the general. 

Laina smiled a little after hearing what they had to say, "Thank you for your care and concern, General, Chancellor. I will dispel these groundless rumors once and for all. No, the child is not my flesh and blood."

Tobias and Lucinda heaved a sigh of relief. 

"But…" Laina added as she looked both of them in the eyes. Instantly, their hearts were stuck in their throats once more. 

"I'll be adopting her as my ward."

"What?" Tobias gasped in shock

"As your ward? But your Highness, this could jeopardize your reputation as a marriageable candidate." Lucinda pointed out. 

Laina bit her lip as she furrowed her eyebrows. Marriage candidate. She had never liked this terminology. Why would adopting an orphaned child jeopardize her reputation? Does it not show that she was not only a capable young woman, but a kind-hearted one to boot?

"If my marriage prospects frown upon my decisions, then I don't think they would make a good match. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I wish to turn it in for the day. I will not be sending you two off. Have a nice evening," Laina got up from her seat and exited the room with Kol in tow. 

She did not give either of them any chances to attempt to keep her any further. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do now was rest. 

"Kol," Laina called out to him as they entered her room. 

"Yes?"

"Have them send my dinner to my room. Oh and let everyone know that I do not wish to be disturbed for the rest of the evening."

"As you wish,"

Laina nodded and added, "One more thing, you can take the rest of the evening off as well."

"Thank you, your Highness," Kol replied as he went off to carry out Laina's orders. 

As the door closed, Laina walked over to her walk-in wardrobe. She remembered she had asked Margaret to set up a hot water bath for her. 

"Hopefully the water is still heated," she said to herself as she picked out clothes she could change into. 

For a comfortable evening after her warm bath, Laina decided to go with a set of black silk pajamas with red trimmings. She took the fluffiest towel she could find and headed into the bathroom. 

As soon as she entered, she realized the entire bathroom was covered in steam. She could barely see what was in front of her. 

-She knows just how I like it.- Laina thought to herself as she placed her clothes and towel next to the sink. 

She had always liked her bath to be filled with extremely hot water. While some might say it was hot enough to burn off their skin, for Laina, it was just right. After a long day of activities, this was just what she needed to relax. 

Laina also noticed that Margaret had added lavender essential oils to the bath. Taking in a deep breath, she could feel the stress dissipating from her body. Laina took off her clothes and placed them to the side. 

To keep her hair out of the water, she tied it up into a messy bun. 

Carefully, she navigated towards the bathtub. It truly was fit for royalty. As per her request, Laina had a custom bathtub built. While it maintained the shape of a traditional bathtub, it was several times larger. 

It could easily accommodate two people or more. Not that it would be necessary. The Crown Princess of Kinshearth simply did not enjoy being cramped in a regular-sized bathtub. She preferred a slightly larger space. 

Laina carefully walked up the steps. She placed one foot into the hot water. The temperature was perfect. 

"Just how I like it," she muttered to herself with a smile. 

Laina slowly submerged herself into the water, allowing the hot water to melt away the tension in her body. She carefully moved over to one end of the bathtub and leaned her head against a folded towel, using it as a headrest. 

Breathing in the aromatic scent of lavenders, Laina closed her eyes and relaxed her entire body. 

"Mmmm it sure feels nice," she said to herself. Her voice echoed against the walls of the bathroom. 

"It sure is nice, isn't it?"

"It is indeed." 

Hold on a second. 

Laina abruptly opened her eyes. Was that her imagination? 

Did a voice just reply to her? Why did it sound so familiar?

Most importantly, where was it coming from?