The Dragon King's Heart

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Nyx exclaimed in anger.

She grabbed the messenger by the collar, threatening to punch him in the face upon hearing the news he had brought. Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Alum held her back before she could threaten the messenger any further.

"Stop it, Nyx! This is her Highness's order! We can't go against it…" Alum struggled to calm her down as he held her back. 

Some of the other knights came forward to help him too. Nyx might be a woman, but she was in no way weaker than any of the men. She easily wriggled out of their grasp. She did not threaten the messenger any further. 

He had already disappeared after delivering Crown Princess Laina's edict. Nyx stomped her foot angrily on the ground as she curled her hands into fists. 

"This… this is unfair! We've all worked so hard. We're all so capable! I can't believe she's doing this!" Nyx argued. 

The more she thought about it, the more she could not let it go. As the gears in her mind began to churn, Nyx made up her mind. She was going to confront the princess herself. She stormed off without a word. 

Alum quickly caught up to her and grabbed hold of her wrist, "Where are you going, Nyx?" 

She wriggled her wrist out of his grasp and said to him, "I'm going to give the princess a piece of my mind!"

Not wanting her to get into more trouble, Alum followed her all the way. When they came to Laina's office, the guards initially barred them from entering. 

"If you do not have an appointment with her Royal Highness, you're not allowed to enter," the guard informed her sternly. 

Nyx grinned, "You think you can stop me?" 

Without much effort, Nyx got her way. She had knocked the guard to the ground and threatened the other with a spear. Once she faced no further resistance, she reached for the door knob. Alum stood before her, blocking her way. 

"Alum! What in Kinshearth are you doing! Get out of my way!" 

"Nyx… this is crazy! I can't let you do this! What if you get kicked out on bad behavior?" Alum protested. 

Having heard the commotion, more guards arrived and effectively surrounded them. Seeing the knocked-out guard on the ground, they assumed that Nyx might attempt to harm the princess. 

"Drop your weapon! We have you surrounded!" one of the guards shouted at them. All of their weapons were pointed at Alum and Nyx. 

But there was not a single drop of fear in Nyx's eyes. She did not care about the guards. She was here to see Crown Princess Laina and she would stop at nothing to do so. Alum, shocked by how far the situation had escalated, vehemently refused to let Nyx enter. 

In the office, Laina, Margaret, and Kol could hear the commotion going on outside. Laina had chosen to ignore it while she focused on her work, but it seemed to be getting out of hand. Margaret went to open the door, shocked to see the guards, Alum and Nyx. 

"What on earth is all this ruckus?!" the handmaid exclaimed as she glared at Alum and Nyx. 

Seeing the door open, Nyx took the opportunity to slip in immediately. She even managed to avoid Margaret as she attempted to stop her from entering the office. Laina stopped what she was doing and looked up. 

Nyx gave Kol a death glare for a split second before dropping down onto her knees to greet Laina. She might be angry at her, but she was not about to forget the formalities. Alum, who followed in, also got onto his knees. 

"I apologize for my intrusion, your Highness. But there is something I need to urgently discuss with you," Nyx explained. 

Laina interlocked her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. She noticed the death glare Nyx had given to Kol. She had an idea on why Nyx had stormed in. 

"Urgent, you say? So urgent that you had to knock out one of the royal guards?" Laina asked. 

Nyx bit her lip, "I will willingly accept any punishment you see fit for my actions, your Highness. But… not before I voice my concerns."

"Concerns?" Laina echoed Nyx's word as she leaned back in her chair, "Tell me, Nyx. What is this concern of yours."

Nyx got up from her feet and took in a deep breath before looking straight into Laina's eyes. 

She pointed to Kol and said, "I cannot accept him as the leader of the Queen's Order of Knights."

Kol had no change in expression upon hearing the news. He merely looked at Nyx, then back at Laina. 

Margaret furrowed her eyebrows, "Are you questioning her Highness's decision? I'm warning you, that's treason, Nyx."

Laina was pleasantly surprised by Nyx's objection to this issue. She looked to Nyx, waiting for her reply after hearing what Margaret had to say. Alum was surprised by Margaret's words. He quickly tugged on Nyx's sleeve but she did not entertain him. 

He sighed as he could only pray that the crown princess would have mercy on Nyx. 

"I mean you no disrespect, your Highness," Nyx explained as she placed her hand over her heart, "I think you should reconsider your options."

"Do you have a better candidate in mind, Nyx?" Laina asked. 

She could see it in her eyes that Nyx had a choice in her heart. Laina was almost certain she would recommend herself to be the leader.

"Yes, I do," Nyx placed her hand on Alum's shoulder, "Alum would make a fine leader."

Much to her surprise, Laina was wrong. Now, she was more intrigued to find out why she had made that choice. 

"What?! Nyx are you kidding? This is no time for a prank or a joke!" Alum protested in disbelief. 

Nyx grinned as she replied, "Don't be so humble! You have all the right qualifications to be our leader! You're smart, intelligent, and tactile. You are well-liked among all of us and most importantly you're loyal." 

Laina listened to all that she had to say. Nyx went on to recount multiple occasions during training, where Alum selflessly stood out to help others who fell behind. He was approachable and always helping others. 

"Even now, knowing that we would both get reprimanded, Alum still chose to follow me all the way here.. He would make the perfect leader," Nyx justified her choice.