The Dragon King's Heart

With Laina's insistence, Florin received the box from her. She urged him to open it. Florin carefully opened the velvet box to reveal a beautiful jewel. He was mesmerized by the colors for he had not seen anything like it before.

"That is a fire ruby encased in snowflake sapphire," Laina explained as Florin took it out of the box, "We had it enchanted for extra protection."

"Extra protection? Against what?" Kol asked out of curiosity.

"Against the effects of sunlight," Laina explained with a smile, "With it, Florin will be able to walk under sunlight unharmed."

Florin widened his eyes in shock. He had heard of such enchanted jewelry but they were extremely rare and hard to come by. Even the royals of Sanguim found it difficult to obtain.

  "Your Highness, I… I can't accept this gift."

Laina chuckled as she shook her head, "Yes, you can. The Crown Princess of Kinshearth does not take back the gifts she has given. All of them are well deserved. You must accept it."

"But…"

"No buts. No exceptions," Laina replied with a smile.

Florin let out a sigh, any more insistence on his end would just only offend the princess.

  "Very well, since the princess insists, I will accept it. Thank you your Highness for your generosity," Florin thanked her.

As they continued on with their meal, the question of where Florin would stay was still unanswered. When Laina brought it up again, Florin was less hesitant with his replies. For the time being, he decided to stay in Kinshearth. As he spoke, he stole a glance at Kol, hoping to see how the hybrid would react.

Though he thought he was being stealthy, Laina and Margaret both noticed it. Kol , on the other hand, did not sense anything out of the ordinary. But he seemed quite pleased to know Florin would be staying.

"I could bring you around Kinshearth," he said, "That way you can decide where you would like to settle down."

"Settle down?" the prince stared at Kol in surprise.

"Yes, a place to stay?" Kol clarified.

"Oh, right," Florin replied in defeat.

Laina and Margaret exchanged a glance. There seemed to be something going on between Florin and Kol but they were uncertain on what it could be. Could the vampire prince possibly have feelings for Kol? They had to verify their theory.

Margaret cleared her throat before she made a suggestion, "If Princess Laina permits, perhaps Prince Florin can remain a guest in the palace for now? Until he has found more suitable accommodation?"

"He can stay with me, I don't mind," Kol suggested.

"I would like that," Florin replied with a smile.

As soon as he spoke those words, Florin realized how out of turn he was. The entire dinner had been a stressful event for him. There was something he wanted to say to Kol. Perhaps there was no better time like the present.

"I apologize for such a sudden interruption to our dinner, but with your permission, Princess Laina, may I speak to you in private?" Florin asked respectfully.

"Speak to me? In private?" Laina echoed his request in surprise.

"Yes, in private," Florin confirmed.

"Florin, the princess is already taken," Kol blurted out.

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone turned to Kol and looked at him in shock. At first, Kol thought he had said that in his mind. But looking at the expressions of everyone else in the room, he realized he messed up.

"What are you talking about, Kol?" Florin asked in confusion.

His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out why Kol would have said something like this. Laina and Margaret had similar expressions on their faces too.

"I…I…thought…," Kol tried to piece his argument together, "You came back with me to Kinshearth even though you did not have to. Staying in the palace… I just assumed."

"Assumed what?"

"Assumed you were going to court the princess," Kol explained, "Her heart is already taken, she has King Dante."

Laina was the first to burst out in laughter, followed by the handmaid. This was certainly an unexpected development. Laina got up from her seat as she took her wine glass in hand.

"Margaret, I think we should give these two some privacy. Would you care to join me on the balcony?"

"Of course, your Highness," Margaret replied as she picked up her wine glass and joined Laina.

Florin's face was beet red and so was Kol's. For some time, both of them sat there in silence. Neither of them knew what to say or who should speak first.

Finally, Kol was the first to muster the courage to speak, "Prince Florin, I apologize for my outburst. I did not know what came over me."

"Did you really think that," Florin asked as he sighed.

"Think what?"

"What you said, about me courting Princess Laina."

"I…" Kol did not know how to reply.

Florin leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. Since Kol was so clueless, perhaps he should just come clean. After all, what did he have to lose? But no matter how hard he tried, he could not muster the courage to say it.

So, Florin said the next best thing he could think of, "Kol, leave with me. We can find a place to stay and live."

"What, what are you talking about, your Highness?" Kol asked in confusion.

The vampire prince was offering to take him elsewhere? But why?

"You don't have to be Princess Laina's bodyguard. You're not bound to her by a servant contract anymore, you're free," Florin explained.

He placed his hand on Kol's. Kol did not move his hand.

"We can go anywhere in the world and explore it together," Florin continued, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I…" Kol did not say a word. He did not know what to say, or how to express his emotions.

Apart from Laina and Margaret, Florin was the only other person who seemed to enjoy his presence. In turn, he enjoyed Florin's company too. He remembered how worried he felt when Florin went on his mission on his own. Though he was still uncertain about his own feelings, he knew Florin was important to him.

"I'm sorry, I cannot go with you," Kol apologized.

He could see the immediate disappointment written on Florin's face. At that moment, Kol felt as if he could read the vampire prince's thoughts.

"But it's not because I don't want to go with you," Kol blushed a little, though he did not notice it himself, "I want to but serving Laina is more than just duty."

"Laina saved my life. If it was not for her, I would not be who I am today. For that, I wish to protect her with my life," Kol explained.

Florin could see the determination in Kol's eyes. He could see his resolve and his strong beliefs in his mission. Florin hesitated, he could not take that away from Kol. This was what he wanted to do.

He hunched back in his chair and conceded defeat, "Very well, I respect your wishes."

But the vampire prince was not about to give up.

"I have made up my mind," Florin declared triumphantly.