Chapter 17 - Playing On The Beach

Laina stretched her arms out as she walked out onto the balcony of her room. Titan, the solar mastiff, trailed beside her. She leaned over the balcony, admiring the view. Laina might not know exactly where she was, but she definitely enjoyed the view.

"That is one beautiful skyline," she muttered to herself.

Kinshearth was a land-locked country. While they had beautiful rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, they did not have the beauty of a vast open sea. She had heard rumors of how the ocean was a huge never-ending body of water.

Seeing it in person is a whole new different experience. Laina's eyes traced the shoreline. There were a few families having picnics on the beach. Large umbrellas were set up to help provide shade from the sunlight.

The water was cool and the sun was up high in the sky. It felt like the perfect day to be out on the beach. Titan seemed to have read Laina's mind. He scurried into the room, sniffing for something. Soon, he found what he was looking for, underneath the bed.

The Solar Mastiff bit onto the ball and hurried back to Laina's side. He nudged her and placed the ball in front of her. Laina looked down and picked up the ball as Titan wagged his tail from side to side.

"You want to play?" she asked him as she ruffled his fur.

Titan barked twice in response.

Laina bit her lip as she looked towards the door. Dante had made it clear that he did not want her to leave. But why did she have to listen to everything he said? She was her own person. She can make her own decisions. She can go where she wants to go.

With a wide smile on her face, she looked down at Titan and smiled, "Let's go have some fun."

After taking a few belongings, Laina carefully opened the door and looked down the hallway. She had expected to see guards stationed outside her door. But there were none. Just as she was about to take a step out, she stopped in her tracks.

Titan looked at her, confused as to why she had stopped moving. Laina crouched down and looked at Titan.

"Do you know how to fly?" she asked the dog.

Seemingly able to understand what she was asking, the dog nodded. Laina smiled. She closed the door fully and turned to the balcony instead. Looking down, Laina realized they were several storeys above ground.

But the height did not scare her. Her heart was pumping. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she prepared herself. Titan stretched out his body, clawing at the railing of the balcony.

He struggled for a while but was still unable to get up on it.

"What you need is a running start, boy," she chimed to Titan, "Come, let's do it together."

Laina took a few steps back into the room and got into position. Titan followed her.

"Ready?" she asked.

Titan barked in response.

Laina counted down, "Alright. In three, two, one!"

Both of them started running. As they approached the railing, Titan leaped forward, successfully leaping over the railing. The moment he stepped into the sky, small bursts of flame formed beneath each of his paws as he ran in the sky.

Laina used the momentum of her running start to parkour over the railing. She pushed herself off it, propelling her body into the sky. Using a levitation spell, Laina was able to hover in the air. Even without wings, she could still fly through the air.

Together with Titan running circles around her, they made their way towards the beach. Not wanting to disturb the other beachgoers, Laina chose a slightly less crowded spot to land on. Titan happily ran off into the water to play while she watched on and laughed.

Unknown to Laina, someone has their eye on her. She had entered a private sector of the beach that had been reserved exclusively for the royals and the nobility. Right now, it was being reserved and used by Duchess Ophelia of the Sapphire Dragons.

Their affinity with water is well known to all in the Dracona Kingdom. The Sapphire Dragons were strong supporters of Dante's rule. Hence, the family was well respected by all. The Duchess sipped a tall glass of champagne while lying leisurely on her day bed.

Her handmaiden, Shara, noticed the change in her Duchess's mood after the sudden appearance of the mysterious young woman and her dog.

"Milady, if those peasants are bothering you, I will chase them away," she whispered to Duchess Ophelia before walking over.

"Shara, stay put," the Duchess ordered.

Immediately, Shara returned to her Duchess's side.

Ophelia pointed at Laina and asked Shara, "Do you notice anything unique about this woman?"

Shara looked over to Laina. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if she could spot anything special. But no matter how she looked, she could not see what her mistress was talking about.

Ophelia shook her head as she took another sip of her champagne, "Look closely, Shara. She's not a simple one. She's either of royal or noble blood."

Shara widened her eyes in disbelief. No matter how hard she looked, there was nothing about the young woman that had the telling signs of luxury and nobility. How did Duchess Ophelia know?

"I'm afraid I'm a little slow, milady. But how can you tell?" Shara could not help but ask.

Duchess Ophelia laughed. Her handmaiden Shara was still young. She had not seen enough of the world to tell. But the Duchess had experience and knowledge. Just as she was about to explain to Shara, Ophelia noticed someone walking up to the young woman and her dog.

The lady was dressed in a skimpy bright red bikini while wearing a large woven sun hat. Accompanying the lady, was a male servant and a maid. One look and Shara knew immediately who that lady was.

"Isn't that Countess Victoria?" she gasped.

The Duchess nodded with a grin, "Good observation, Shara.. Now let's watch what happens."