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6. The Bed Chamber
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The Flaming Heart 7. The Palace Garden
Leila wondered if Thorn’s lips were generating a kind of magical power, making hers reluctant to part from them. When she was little, Leila loved to collect cookie wrappers, as each one was inscribed with short tale. Among all the stories, her favorite had always been about the romance between the dragon queen and king. She often imagined what her own first kiss would be like, visualizing the circumstances, the emotions, and, most importantly, the person she would share it with. But she had never had the opportunity with anyone other than Arthur, the milk boy. Despite his decent looks, he would always only be a friend. Even if she had the choice, she would have turned him down. But she has never expected for her first kiss to be stolen by Thorn, even if everything felt just right. The slight moisture, feathery softness, and his pristine, fresh breath enveloped the brief kiss. Furthermore, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity that caused Leila to linger there. Thorn was als
The Flaming Heart 8. The Conspiracy
Leila turned and saw a group of people holding trays of food and jugs full of liquid. Their skin glistened with a silver sheen under the sunlight. White robes were wrapped around their bodies, tied with silver sashes. They each wore a stack of thin, gold bracelets on both arms. The man who shouted at her seemed to be the leader of their group. “Who are you? And why you are here?” The chamberlain looked down at Leila patronizingly. “I…” Leila looked up at him tentatively. Everything about the chamberlain was graceful–the way he gestured and even the way he spoke. But there was a dangerous sneer hidden behind his thin lips. “Why have you come to the Dragon Prince’s castle?” The man asked again. Left tongue-tied by her recent bizarre experience, Leila’s mind was racing, unsure how to explain her situation. She shouldn’t have followed that butterfly and left the bedchamber after all. Upon discovering Leila’s peculiar eyes and dull skin, the chamberlain’s many years of royal domestic e
The Flaming Heart 9. The Hot Spring
Thorn arrived at the garrison first thing in the morning. He had received a note, carried by a royal raven and marked with a black wax seal, sent by Hugo. “My prince,” Hugo came to his side when Thorn entered the yard, “They’ve been locked in the dungeon and are ready for you.” Thorn nodded and asked, “Where were they found?” “At a farm house, located at the edge of King’s Harbor. We discovered many signs indicating that the house has been unoccupied for quite a long time—rusty pots, dried-up drains, and a messy backyard. And this…” Hugo pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and showed it to Thorn, “I found it inside a hollowed-out pit. It was concealed by a wooden board under a bed. They claim they didn’t even know about its existence.” Thorn glanced at the paper, slightly furrowing his brow. It seemed to be Leila’s birth certificate. On it, her name and birth date were clearly marked, but all information about both of her birth parents had been scratched off. No matter a pure bloo
The Flaming Heart 10. The Maid
Leila was wandering around the amethyst castle alone. It was exceptionally quiet. The usual bustling servants were nowhere to be seen; only a few were traveling through the long shimmering passages linking massive chambers and grand halls. Thankfully, this gave her the confidence to explore the castle But Leila wasn’t actually alone. She didn’t notice that someone had been following her in the shadows from the second she stepped out from the bedchamber. Soon, she came upon a vast gallery off to the side of the flourishing garden. The room gave her an indescribable feeling. The sensation was undeniably beautiful, but also troubling. It was twice long as it was wide, and it was filled with numerous rare oddities; swords, shields, and finely-forged melee weapons were all symmetrically displayed in the space. At the end of the gallery, a shiny round button, made of obsidian and roughly the size of Leila’s palm, was inlaid on the wall. She was drawn in by its beauty. An obscure, mythica
The Flaming Heart 11. The Sigh of a Fallen Bloom
Nyree knelt on the ground to avoid direct eye contact with the dragon prince. As Thorn put on his clothes, he approached Leila, touching her hair. Hiding his surprise, he asked, “You found your maid already?” “Yes, this is Nyree.” Leila grinned, deciding to leave out the fact that she had almost entered his mother’s tomb. “We met in the garden, and she’s helping me organize my clothes.” Thorn nodded and gave Nyree a brief look. “Be loyal to Leila from now on.” “Aye.” Nyree put her hand to her chest. “You may leave us now,” Thorn said, reaching out to Leila in an attempt to lift her up. Nyree left without lifting her head and closed the door behind her. She couldn’t help but smile; she had successfully become Leila’s maid without drawing suspicion. Dusk was falling outside the open window. The evening breeze chilled Leila’s bare skin, causing her to indulge in Thorn’s warm embrace. He held Leila up by her waist and put her down directly on the bed. The image of her in the dress,
The Flaming Heart 12. The Dragon Moon
The sun had set behind the mountains, and dusk was approaching. A majority of the golden knights had been sent to the main palace for Rina’s Dragon Moon. Only a small squadron, led by Hugo, was discreetly searching the city and the dragon palace, seeing as Leila’s aunt, uncle and cousins had all disappeared from the Royal Garrison last night. Hugo met with Thorn in front of the main palace dungeon. “Anything?” Thorn asked. “No.” Hugo shook his head, “We searched everywhere. Still no sign of any of them. The human slaves arrived and were crowded into the cells. I didn’t have the right to interfere. But I checked, and they are not among them.” Thorn’s suspicions were correct. Something would happen at tonight’s ceremony. They walked into the open yard where the event would be held. At the very center of the space, a towering altar had been built. Grooves were engraved into its surface and snaked into a massive totem of a dragon. Rina would complete her Dragon Moon there. He ordered Hu
The Flaming Heart 13. The Break of Dawn
The atrium of the main castle was quiet during the night’s final dream, soon to awaken. The King’s council chamber was old and full of dust. Eros had already awoken from the darkness, and was sitting by a gigantic stone hearth. Usually, he would have eaten breakfast at this hour, but instead, he chose to delay that for a moment, as he was expecting Thorn’s arrival. While waiting, Eros watched the dancing fire as his mind drifted miles away. A terrible dream, the same dream that crept up in his bed every night, had haunted him for a long time. Thorn walked by dim rooms and halls. Servants were dexterously getting ready to attend to their chores and start the day. Thorn had finally approached the gigantic, heavy marble door. “Come in,” Eros demanded with a flat tone, as if he could sense his son’s presence. Thorn pushed in and closed the door behind him. “Father. I hope I’m not intruding.” “Not at all. I knew you would come.” Eros turned around from the fire in the hearth. He moved
The Flaming Heart 14. The Midnight Moan
Leila sat out on the bedchamber terrace alone. It was approaching midnight, and Thorn still hadn’t returned. After the Dragon Moon, and after her family had been slaughtered by the royals, something changed inside her. A feeling of insecurity emerged, as if she was trying to grab a floating branch while drowning. She suddenly realized how fragile and alone she was in the world, and it terrified her. She wanted to scream and fight with Rina and the queen. But all she could do was hide in the bedchamber. Leila opened the bundle her aunt had given her. Inside, there was a pitch-black flute stone with a hollow core. She observed it under the bright moonlight. She had never seen anything like it before. The smooth surface looked alien to her, but extravagantly beautiful. A sense of grief weighed down on her again. She had officially become an orphan, without ever knowing her birth mother and father. In the dark sky, she saw a red dragon coiling above the main castles. Then, the dragon l
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