Share
8. The Conspiracy
Related chapters
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
The Flaming Heart 15. The Announcement
A rooster cawed at the sudden light and flapped its wings to welcome a new day. Leila had already been awake for a long time and was cooking breakfast. She hadn’t slept well. “Good morning!” Arthur said loudly. He was in an exceptionally good mood. When Leila appeared at his front door last night with tears rolling down her cheeks, he was extremely worried. But he didn’t push her to explain anything. He let her sleep in his bed and he slept in the living room. After a sleepless night, Arthur had decided to take the opportunity to express his feelings towards her, which he should have done years ago. “Morning,” Leila said, grinding a small pile of black pepper and salt, “How do you like your eggs? I’m making some.” “Just scrambled is fine, thank you,” Arthur answered. A sense of contentment had surrounded him. He imagined how happy he would be if Leila was his wife. “There you go.” Leila set the table and sat across him. “I’m going with you to get the milk after breakfast.” “You do
The Flaming Heart 16. The Fortune Teller
According to what Thorn’s men had found, Leila was brought to her aunt’s house by her aunt’s sister. However, the woman was not Leila’s birth mother, as it was confirmed that she couldn’t conceive. That woman was a peasant, living near the edge of King’s Harbor all her life. Strangely, she had suddenly decided to visit her sister one day, leaving behind a baby who had just been born. Shortly after she gave the baby to her sister and returned to her farm, the woman was found dead. Thorn believed that the woman had deliberately kept a secret from her sister. Her cruel aunt and uncle didn’t even know that Leila wasn’t their blood relative. The connection between Leila and that grey dragon woman was still being investigated. But he was certain of one thing: Leila was not a regular girl. She was a mystery to Thorn, fascinating and enchanting his dragon soul. But more importantly, she was in grave danger, surrounded by his own family. If he wanted to keep her safe, he would have to mark h
Latest chapter
- The Flaming Heart Epilogue
- The Flaming Heart 62.The Moonlight
- The Flaming Heart 61. The Fire Gem
- The Flaming Heart 60. The Mother Dragon
- The Flaming Heart 59. The Lunar Eclipse
- The Flaming Heart 58. The Ring
- The Flaming Heart 57. The Golden Badge
- The Flaming Heart 56. The Hidden Desert
- The Flaming Heart 55. The Girl in the Room
