The Dragon King's Heart

Dante caught hold of the set of clothing Laina threw over to him. The smooth cloth nearly slid out of his hands. He had to grab onto it to hold it in his hand. Laina looked over at him nervously as Dante examined the set of pajamas. 

He looked over to Laina. She was wearing a set of black silk pajamas with short sleeves and a wine red hem. 

"Did you get us matching pajamas?" He asked as he looked at the set Laina had given him. 

It was similar to hers, except the hem was midnight blue and it had long sleeves. 

Laina smiled as she bit her lip, "Maybe?" 

Without any hesitation, Dante began to put it on. As he removed his towel, Laina quickly turned to face the bed instead. 

"Are you seriously going to change in the middle of the room?" Laina asked as she closed her eyes shut and covered her face. 

Dante laughed as he put on the silk pajamas pants. 

"I'm not ashamed of how I look. What is there to hide?" Dante replied. 

Once he had his pants on, he buttoned his pajama top. 

"Does it fit?" Laina asked. 

She had the pajamas tailored made to fit both of them. She had asked Marius on an occasion for Dante's measurements just to get it right. Hopefully, the Dragon King's confidante knew this King well enough. 

"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?" 

"Have you worn all of your clothes?" She asked as she put down her hands.

"Yes, your Highness," Dante replied. 

Laina turned around. The pajamas fitted him perfectly. He even left the top half of the top unbuttoned. She could see part of his chest peeking through. 

"Laina," Dante called her as he lifted her chin up so that their eyes would meet, "My eyes up here, my dear."

"I wasn't… I was just admiring the…the… cloth! Yes, that's right, the cloth," Laina quickly tried to defend herself, "Where do you think I was looking at?" 

He laughed as he walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for Laina to sit. He had added a few candles to create more of an ambiance for their dinner. Laina took a seat at the table and Dante sat right next to him. 

"Oh, there's only one set of cutlery…" Laina muttered. 

She knew she could not get the guards to bring her another set of cutlery for Dante, it would raise too many questions. 

"I guess we'll just have to share. Is that alright?" Laina asked as she looked over to him. 

"Sure, it would be more romantic that way," Dante agreed with a smirk. 

Laina rolled her eyes at him, but her lips were curled into a smile. He never failed to make her smile. 

Tonight's dinner was a special one. The Royal Kitchen had prepared for Laina a fish pie, topped with mashed potatoes, cheese, and a flakey crust. The golden crust also had a small fish-shaped pastry in the center of the pie. 

It almost looked too cute to eat!

Laina carefully dug her fork into the fish pie. Both of them could hear the crunch of the crispy flaky crust as the fork broke through the top layer. Laina carefully lifted the fork out, revealing the contents beneath the crust. 

There was a mix of three different types of fish that had been chopped into cubes. Marinated in salt and pepper it was then stewed in a creamy sauce with a layer of mashed potatoes, cheese, and a pastry puff to top it all off. 

Laina took a bite. The savory flavors of the dish blended perfectly together. The flaky crust of the pastry puff added another dimension to the texture of the dish. 

"Is it good?" Dante asked as he looked lovingly into her eyes. 

"So good," Laina replied as she dug the fork in and fed it to Dante, "Here, have a taste."

Dante did as she asked. 

"This is really good," he said with his mouth full. 

Apart from the fish pie, there was a small salad with smoked salmon, a bowl of minestrone soup, and a slice of red velvet cake for dessert. To top it all off was a bottle of champagne. 

Dante realized there was only enough food for one person. So after taking a few bites of the fish pie, he stopped eating. 

"What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?" Laina asked, "I can get the kitchen to prepare something else."

Dante shook his head, "No it's good. I'm full, you can have the rest."

But his stomach betrayed him, releasing a growl just as he finished his sentence. Laina looked at him straight in the eyes, catching him red-handed in his lie. 

"I think your rumbling stomach just gave you away," she teased him.

"Don't worry, there's enough food for the both of us. Plus there's still a bottle of champagne as well." Laina added, reassuring him. 

When they got to the dessert, Dante popped the champagne and poured them each a glass. Lucky for them, there were two champagne flutes provided. As he sipped his champagne, Dante looked over to Laina. 

He leaned in close, causing Laina to blush. 

"What is it?" She asked as she tried to shy away. 

But with their chairs right next to one another, she had nowhere to escape to. He cupped her chin with his right hand and carefully wiped the side of her lips with his thumb. 

"You've got a little cream cheese from the cake on the side of your lips," he explained as he licked the cream cheese icing off his thumb. 

"Dante," 

"Hmm?"

"Have we met before?"

Dante paused for a moment. Did he hear what Laina was saying correctly? He looked straight into her eyes, as she did his. Could it be possible that she had remembered something?

"What makes you say that?" He asked, holding his breath. 

Laina bit her lip. 

"I… I don't know how to explain it either. Every time I am with you, I feel like it's meant to be. It just feels right. You know?"

It was not what he had assumed, but it was good enough for him. Dante smiled softly as he brushed his hand through her hair, carefully tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her dark red hair, her soft lips, and ruby red eyes. 

He loved every part of her. 

Dante took Laina's hand into his and placed her hand, palm down on his chest. Laina could feel his heartbeat. 

"I feel the same way, every time I look at you." 

"Dante, I think I…I think I'm in-"