The Dragon King's Heart

The commotion in the palace quickly became the hottest topic of discussion. Everyone wanted to know what would happen next. Needless to say, even little Colette had come to hear of it. She wanted to witness this with her own eyes. 

But upon sensing that the Dragon King was close by, she did not dare to get too close. It was not safe and she did not want her cover to be blown. Since the maid who looked after her went off to take care of other things, Colette went over to her toy box and rummaged through it. 

Beneath all the well-made toys, was a simple wood-carved puppet doll with realistic-looking eyes. She took it out of the box and placed it before her. With a simple wave of her hand, a spell circle formed beneath the puppet. 

"A drop of blood should do the trick," she muttered to herself. 

She pricked the tip of her finger with a needle she had stashed away. A drop of blood splattered onto the puppet. As the spell circle began to glow bright purple, the puppet doll came to life on its own. 

Though its movements were rigid and uncoordinated, it was able to move with a mind on its own. Cordelia smiled, impressed with her puppet. 

"You shall be my eyes," she whispered to the puppet. 

Upon hearing her command, the puppet nodded slowly before making its way out of the room through the window. The spell circle that was on the ground disappeared moments later, leaving no traces behind. 

Back in the Royal Court, everyone wondered what the Crown Princess had in mind. Laina learned of what happened through Margaret, Nyx, Alum, and Kol. Now, she wanted to hear what the Nobles had to say. 

Furthermore, she called for the witnesses amongst the royal guards to come forward and prepare to give their statement. Hearing how arrogant the Nobles were, angered Laina. She knew they were snobbish and full of themselves. 

But she did not expect them to pull this off. Seeing the amount of support they had amongst the ministers, Laina knew she had to do something. She had to show them the authority she wielded as the Crown Princess. 

Whether they liked it or not, they were her subjects. 

Before Laina entered the Royal Court, she turned to face Dante. 

"You don't have to be here, you know. I'm sure you're busy and all, I don't want to hold you up for any longer than I already have," Laina said as she bit her lip. 

Deep down in her heart, she wanted nothing more than for him to stay and show his support. It seemed as if he was able to read what was truly in her heart. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Dante replied reassuringly, "I want to be here for you."

Laina could not help but smile when she heard that. 

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

The doors to the Royal Court swung open. The Nobles and their entourage were guarded by the Royal Guards. Laina walked all the way till the end and took her seat on the throne. As the future Queen of Kinshearth, the trials she hosted were to be done in the Royal Court. 

"Before we commence the trial for the Nobles of the High Court, I would first like to address the supposed crimes my handmaiden, Margaret, was accused of."

As such, Margaret took center stage, standing before Laina. Knowing the Nobles would be livid if she let anyone else go first, she decided to give them the chance, to tell the truth about what had happened. 

Lord Ethan was the first to take the stand. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, Laina knew it was a lie. But still, she allowed him to finish speaking before she made her own statement. 

"Is this true, Lord Ethan?" Laina asked for confirmation. 

"I speak only the truth, your Highness," he replied. 

"Do you swear it?" 

"Swear it?"

"Yes. Do you swear that the words you have spoken are the truth, nothing but the truth?" Laina asked again. 

"Yes, I do."

"Very well," Laina declared as she had an item brought to him, "Then you would not mind swearing it on the Tome of Law, now would you?"

As soon as Lord Ethan saw the Tome, he clenched his jaw. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. How could he have forgotten all about this? All trials in the Royal Court required those on trial to swear on the Tome of Law. 

This ancient relic, said to have been passed down through the generations of Kinshearth Royalty, had the ability to make the person who swore upon it to speak the unconditional truth. If he was going to have even a sliver of hope in turning this to his favor, he could not do what Laina had asked. 

"I do not need to do this. I speak the truth! Does her Highness not trust me? I am your own blood-related relative and yet you trust a handmaiden over me?" Lord Ethan argued. 

Laina gripped the arm of the throne chair tightly. She did everything in her power to stop herself from standing up and giving him a piece of her mind. The Crown Princess took in a deep breath of air. 

"It is not a matter of whom I trust or do not trust. I simply want to know the truth. Allow me to remind you, dear cousin, that swearing on the Tome of Law as you make your statement is one of the rules of a trial held in a Royal Court. 

Did they not teach you that?" Laina asked with a snide smile. 

Dante chuckled. He was impressed by how well Laina was keeping her cool through all of this. He had half expected her to go off on Lord Ethan by now. Yet she remained calm and dealt with the matter civilly. 

Lord Ethan gritted his teeth. The other nobles were looking at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. Seeing that he was in agony over the situation, Laina decided to give him a pass for the time being. 

After all, there was still time for her to toy with him.