Chapter 64

MILA

It was extremely satisfying to walk down the stairs from the static and inform my family that Felix was picking me up in fifteen minutes for a date.

Nadine looked like she was about to vomit, and my parents both looked like they were going into cardiac arrest.

“Where did you get that dress?” my mother asked, staring at the pink-and-white checked cottagecore number I had thrown on.

I smirked in Nadine’s direction as I did a little twirl. “Felix bought this for me. It’s from a boutique in Fresonia.”

She went purple with rage. I skipped out the house.

Felix was waiting for me by an inconspicuous but expensive red car, carrying yet another bouquet of flowers. He smiled ear-to-ear when he saw me, and somehow even wider when he saw the dress.

“You look incredible,” he said.

“So do you,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

He helped me into the passenger side, mindful of my flowy skirt.

“Where are we going?” I asked him as he started driving off.

Felix gave me a slightly nervous smile. “I thought it was time for you to meet my dragon.”

Unfortunately, that was not a euphemism. We headed into a nearby forest, where the trees were thick and crowded, blocking any potential sightlines from the road.

“Do dragons like forests?” I asked Felix as he pulled a picnic basket from the trunk of the car. “I’ve been trying to do research to learn more about them.”

Felix shot me a look of surprise. “You researched dragons?”

“I wanted to know more about them,” I admitted. “I knew they were important to you, and…”

My voice trailed off as I saw his eyes light up.

“I had no idea you wanted to learn more. I have plenty of books on dragons back in my study,” he said.

I laughed. “Oh, so they weren’t actually childhood books on Fresonian folklore?”

Felix bumped my hip with his. “Think of them more like textbooks. They’ve been passed down through the royal line for centuries. They are supposed to educate the heir on his duties and bloodline.”

“Anything about that pesky curse of yours?” I asked. It was the one thing we had yet to discuss.

Felix’s eyes grew distant. Sad. “Nothing, unfortunately. We know very little about the curse.”

I felt the crushing weight of my own responsibility weighing down on me. I was the only one who could save Felix from his impending death, and yet I was resisting our relationship.

I knew that Felix would forever be angry with me if I simply rekindled our engagement just to save him. Truthfully, the thought of losing him to a painful, uncertain curse hurt even more than our breakup.

“To answer your earlier question, yes, dragons love forests,” Felix said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “They’re cold-blooded creatures, so they enjoy areas with shade where they can relax.”

“How do you summon a dragon?” I asked. It was easier to ask him about the dragons than to dwell on the past.

“Through magic,” he said as we approached a large clearing in the woods. “Here, watch.”

He put down the picnic basket and pressed a hand against his chest. There was a slight golden glow, and then from above, I heard the flapping of very large wings.

A dragon with dark red scales and an armory underbelly descended into the clearing, careful to avoid hitting any trees. Once he had settled on the ground, he paced around in a circle three times, as if testing his new territory.

“This is Ignatius,” Felix said, his voice full of pride. “I’ve had him since he was in an egg.”

I stared at the creature in awe. It was amazing to see something so mystical in the flesh before me, and yet, the dragon did not scare me.

“Can I approach him?” I asked. Felix nodded once, keeping an eye on the dragon as I walked towards him.

Ignatius looked at me warily as I approached, but I offered up a hand for him to sniff. Ignatius immediately extended a wing for me to pet, which made me laugh.

Felix watched our interaction from the corner of the clearing. I could tell that it brought him joy to see me bonding with his dragon.

We put the picnic blanket in a spot by the creek, Ignatius curling up next to us like a dog. A very large, scaly dog, that is. I smiled at the beast’s sleepy eyes and lazy tail.

“Is it naptime?” I asked in a hushed tone. Felix looked at his dragon and laughed.

“He’s just a big baby,” he said. “A fierce warrior, to be sure, but there is nothing that creature loves more than belly scratches.”

Ignatius cracked open an eye at the words belly scratches. I giggled.

“He’s so sweet,” I said. “Not like the last time I saw him.”

Felix winced. “Yes, he was getting into a nasty fight then.”

“It all worked out in the end,” I said, settling into the blanket.

Felix watched me with wary eyes. I looked up at him. “What?”

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he said. “You’re cuddling up to a dragon like he’s a pet.”

I gave Ignatius a belly scratch, and he purred. “I think Ignatius and I are going to be great friends.”

Felix bowed his head for a moment.

“How’s my probation going?” he finally asked.

I looked up at him. “You’re growing on me. Keep up the good work.”

“If I recall correctly, yesterday you said you loved me,” Felix said, settling down next to me on the blanket. “I feel like that gives me some extra points.”

“Huh. So I did. You do have a good memory.”

“Do you regret that?” Felix’s tone was guarded, as if he was afraid of my answer.

“I don’t,” I replied honestly. “I just think I needed proof of your feelings in order to feel safe again.”

“What can I do to make you see how much I care?” Felix pleaded, taking my hands in his. “I’ll do anything.”

I looked around the clearing. “This. This is perfect. Just being here with you, getting to see you for who you really are… that’s all I want, Felix. To be by your side, with no pretense or lies. Just you and me and a large doglike dragon.”

He looked at me, hope blooming in his face. “Are you sure? I just want to be enough for you, Mila.”

I stared at him. “I just want to be enough for you.”

“You’re more than enough. You are everything, Mila. I want to spend every day like this,” he said.

“Me too,” I told him. “I could do this forever.”

“Forever?” Felix’s gaze was intense.

I nodded. Felix shifted nervously, his hand drifting to a back pocket. I looked at him curiously, then felt my heart start racing as I realized what he was preparing to do.

“Will you marry me?”

I threw my arms around him, tackling him to the ground.

“Is that a yes?” Felix asked, his voice muffled against my neck.

“Yes!” I cheered out, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Felix adjusted, pulling me into his lap, and cupped the back of my head.

“Welcome back, Princess.”