The Dragon King's Heart

Laina and Dante had arrived at the restaurant. As soon as they spotted Margaret and the rest, they made their way over to them. 

"You're late," Margaret remarked as she handed Laina a glass of champagne. 

"Sorry about that," she quickly apologized, "I got caught up with some work."

Laina looked around the restaurant. Most of the guests had arrived. But there was someone still missing. 

"Have you seen Lady Wilma? I sent her an invite too and she said she would make it."

Margaret and the others turned to look for her in. However, they could not see her either. 

"Perhaps she couldn't make it and simply forgot to inform?" Neil commented. 

"Oh, I think I see her!" Marius said as he pointed towards the door. 

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It seems Laina and Dante were not the last to arrive. Laina walked over to greet her. She was surprised to see that she was not alone. The restaurant almost fell completely silent. Accompanying Lady Wilma was her husband, Lord Verka.

"Is that... the mayor?" one of the children whispered to Neil. 

He nodded, "I think so!" 

Laina walked up to them and welcome them warmly with open arms. Dante was by her side, carefully watching their every move. He had heard all about them from Laina. Remembering what their son did to his beloved made his blood boil. But he remained neutral, as per Laina's instructions. 

"Lady Wilma, I'm so glad you're able to make it," Laina greeted her with a smile. 

She turned to the man who stood next to her, "Lord Verka, I was not expecting you to come. But it's a pleasure to meet you again."

"The pleasure is ours, Miss Solara." Lord Verka reciprocated. 

"I'm sorry for not informing you earlier, Laina. I hope you don't mind," Lady Wilma apologized. 

Laina shook her head and reassured her it was no trouble at all. It was at this moment that she realized Jerome was not with them. She was half expecting him to come and make a scene. 

"Is Jerome not with you this evening?"

"Oh no, he's not. Not after what he pulled off," Lady Wilma turned to her husband before continuing, "We've coddled him long enough so we decided to send him off to learn how to survive on his own."

"That's a fancy way of saying you kicked him out of the house,"  Lord Verka muttered. 

Lady Wilma nudged him before snapping back at him, "Well one of us had to do it."

Laina was surprised, she did not expect Lady Wilma to do so. She had assumed they would give him a stern word of warning and that would be the end of it. Seeing the worried expression on Laina's face, Lady Wilma reassured her that she did not threw him out with nothing. 

"To be exact, I sent him off on his own to go to Kinshearth."

Lady Wilma held onto Laina's hand as she continued, "Speaking to you about Kinshearth had me missing it dearly. Hence I decided to make a trip there in the next couple of months."

So, Lady Wilma gave Jerome a simple quest. To survive until she arrived in Kinshearth to meet up with him. She gave him a rucksack, some money, and sent him on his way. Despite his protests and her husband's protest, she stood her ground. 

It was clear that they had coddled him too much. Jerome was no longer a boy, he was a young man who needed to learn how to be independent. If they wanted him to become a fine gentleman, he would need to learn how to stand on his own. 

Laina was impressed, she did not expect Lady Wilma to do so. 

"Well, if I ever head back to Kinshearth before you do, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him and keep you posted," Laina replied with a smile. 

She could tell from Lady Wilma's body language. While she did not seem to show much worry on her face, it was obvious from her fidgeting hands and general unease each time the topic was brought up. Hearing Laina's words gave Lady Wilma a bit of comfort. 

The rest of the evening went swimmingly well. Everyone had a great time enjoying themselves. The children had fun and so did the adults. By the time the night came to a close, some were hesitant to leave. 

"Can't we party just a little longer?" Neil pleaded. 

"You all have loads of energy, but not us," Laina chuckled, "Besides, all of you should get to bed."

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Dante pouring himself more wine. She quickly walked over and placed her hand over the glass just as he was about to pour in more from the bottle. 

"That's enough, my dear," she said sweetly. 

Dante chuckled, "You know I can't get drunk on this, right?" 

Of course, she knew. Neither could she. But that does not mean she was about to let him drink anymore. 

"I know, but I think you've had enough for a day."

Dante put down the glass on the counter, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Together, everyone left the restaurant. They walked the children back to the shophouse before heading back to their home in the forest.

"Are you sure y'all can get back there in one piece?" Neil asked, worried for them. 

The children saw how much they had drunk. A large quantity of alcohol was consumed that night, even the bartender at the restaurant was shocked. 

"We'll make it just fine, Neil. No worries."

With Laina's assurance, Neil did not question any further. After bidding the children farewell, they headed back to the mansion. Walking through the forest at night might be dangerous for most, especially in the chilly wintery weather. But it was nothing for the six of them. 

Not to mention, they had Titan joyfully leading the way. As they came up upon the mansion, Titan sniffed the air. As they got closer, Titan stopped in his tracks, growling in the direction of the mansion. 

Laina noticed something was amiss immediately. 

She bent down to check on Titan, "What's wrong? Do you sense something?"

Titan let out a bright loud bark, jolting all of them. Laina looked in the direction he was looking. She could see a dark shadow in the front yard.

"There's someone there," she whispered to the rest of them.