Is This Kidnapping?

Dante's heart was pounding in his ears. He turned his head slightly to look at Laina who was still sound asleep, leaning against his shoulder. He reached out his hand and gently caressed her hair.

How he wished this moment could last forever.

"I should probably bring her back…" he trailed off.

Where should he bring her back to? The right thing to do would have been to bring her back to the mansion. He could already imagine the look on handmaiden's face should he turn up with her in his arms.

Furthermore, the gossiping that would come from such a scene would raise many questions.

"But I can't just bring her back with me…" a mischievous grin crept up onto his face.

Another gust of wind blew against them, causing the hems of Laina's dress to fly with the wind. Dante made a decision. He carefully carried Laina into his arms and stood back up.

She did not weigh anything to him, the perks of being a dragon.

Looking down at the ground, it was quite a jump. But who needs to worry about heights when one has wings? Under the glistening moonlight, Dante called forth his wings.

In the blink of an eye, a pair of huge dragon wings emerged from his back. They unfurled gracefully, casting a shadow. His wings were in shades of midnight blue and black.

Before taking off, Dante lowered his head and kissed her gently on the forehead. He could smell her perfume emanating from her body. She smelled like the warmth of the sun, roses, and lilies.

Dante slowly lifted the both of them into the night sky, soaring through the wind. He landed on the balcony of his suite and gently laid Laina on his bed. She was still sound asleep.

Just then, the door to his room unlatched. Fearing danger, Dante materialized a sword in his hand and assumed an attack stance. He was ready for any intruder to enter.

But as soon as he realized it was Marius, he was at ease.

"Raising your sword at me, my King? I have to say-" Marius paused as he turned to look at the young woman who was sound asleep on Dante's bed.

After making an assumption about the situation that was unfolding before his eyes, Marius slowly backtracked his steps while apologizing.

"Ah, I see you've brought back a umm… friend for the night. I will excuse myself…" he could not help but glance over to get a closer look at whom he assumed would be the lucky woman.

When he realized who it was, he stopped backtracking. His eyebrows furrowed as he came to a realization that the young woman was none other than Crown Princess Laina.

"Dante, is that," Marius was still in denial that he began to fumble with his words, "Is that… is that Laina?"

Dante shushed him as Marius's voice was growing louder. Upon realizing Laina was still asleep, he quickly covered his mouth with both hands as the princess turned in her sleep.

"It is Laina," the Dragon king confirmed his suspicions.

"Dante! Are you serious right now? You brought her back here?!" Marius exclaimed in a whispering voice.

When he had slipped away from Margaret earlier, she was already frantically looking for the princess. If she found out that Laina was here… Marius knew well enough what she would do to him.

He gulped just at the thought of it as a cold chill ran down his spine. Even a seasoned dragon general has times when they are afraid.

"We need to bring her back to her mansion."

"No."

"Dante… My King, we can't just kidnap a princess!" Marius exclaimed quietly.

"Who said this is a kidnaping," Dante hissed as he folded his arms, "I am simply bringing her back to Dracona."

"Against her will, it is kidnaping," Marius tried to reason.

"It's not against her will. She's just asleep."

Marius cursed beneath his breath. He knew that it would be impossible to change Dante's mind. He too was worried that Margaret would come looking for them at any moment.

If they wanted to leave, they had to do it now.

Laina, who was sound asleep, entered a dreamscape in her mind. In the dream, she seemed to be reliving a memory of the past. But many things were different. She was not a crown princess, nor was she in Kinshearth.

She watched the scene play out from a third person's perspective, watching a loving couple enjoying fireworks being set off in the night. It looked strikingly similar to the time she had spent with Dante on the roof.

Something told her that she was the young woman in that dream. But she could not know for sure. As the fireworks continued to paint the night sky, the young woman turned to look at the man who was seated next to her.

There was a beautiful smile upon her face.

She opened her mouth to speak, "How I wish this moment can last forever,"

The man simply smiled before leaning in closer to the young woman. They shared a sweet loving kiss. Laina looked on as tears began to flow from her eyes. She did not realize it until she felt a tear drop onto her hand.

"Why am I crying?" She wondered to herself.

No matter how much she tried, she could not stop crying. The scene of the young loving couple in front of her was moving. It felt close to her heart. But was this a long-lost memory, or was it indeed just a dream.

Before she could do anything else, Laina woke up. She rubbed her eyes as she stretched out her hands and yawned. But as soon as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, the princess noticed something was off.

She was not in the room she had in the mansion. She was not in her room in Kinshearth castle either. Although she was in an unfamiliar surroundings, she did not feel out of place.

Laina sat up on the side of the bed, scratching her head as she tried to make sense of what was going on. She tried to remember what had happened prior to her falling asleep.

She remembered being in the ballroom. She remembered leaving and meeting King Dante. She remembered the time they spent with one another admiring the fireworks from the rooftop.

"We were watching the fireworks, my eyelids grew heavy. I fell asleep," she muttered to herself as she paced around the room.

"I fell asleep…"

Laina gasped in shock as she covered her mouth with her hands. She fell asleep while leaning on King Dante's shoulder!