Trouble On The Sand

Laina paid no mind to the people around her. Although she felt a little off without Margaret and her entourage by her side, she savored the alone time she got.

-I don't get very much time, these days.- she sighed to herself.

She looked on as Titan happily enjoyed himself in the water, splashing as he ran. Laina was so engrossed in watching her Solar Mastiff play in the water, that she did not notice the lady in the red bikini who was walking up to her.

"Excuse me," Countess Victoria called out in an annoyed tone of voice.

Laina still did not hear her.

"Excuse me!" she called out again, this time even more annoyed than before.

Laina finally heard her. She turned over to see an angry-looking lady with her arms crossed, glaring at her. Laina can't help but look at the skimpy outfit she was wearing. She wondered why this lady was calling out to her.

"Is something the matter, miss?" Laina asked innocently.

The Countess was outraged. Her eyebrows furrowed, nostrils flaring. Laina wondered how it was possible for her to look angrier than she already did. Countess Victoria raised her hand in a fit of anger. Laina did not address her as 'Countess'. She wanted to slap Laina for disrespecting her.

Just as her hand came down upon her face, Titan noticed what was going on. He ran back to Laina's side, ready to leap up and bite the Countess's hand. But something happened. It shocked everyone who noticed the commotion.

Laina grabbed onto the Countess's hand just before she was able to land the slap.

"What do you think you're doing, miss?" Laina asked coldly with no change in expression.

The sun might be out and the beach was warm. But Countess Victoria felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"You disrespected me! I am going to teach you a lesson!" the countess shouted back in anger as she tried to wriggle her hand out of Laina's grasp.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not get her hand out.

"What on earth are you made out of! Metal? Let go of my hand, you're hurting me!" the Countess exclaimed.

Seeing the amount of attention the commotion had attracted, Countess Victoria tried to play the situation to her advantage.

"Ow ow ow! You're hurting my wrist! You're breaking it!" she cried out, pretending to be in pain.

Laina rolled her eyes. She was using a fraction of her usual strength. She knew exactly what the lady was trying to pull. Laina was not about to let her have it either. But she did not want to attract too much attention to herself either. So, she released her hand.

"Would you mind explaining what you approached me for?" Laina asked with her arms crossed.

Titan bared his teeth at the Countess, taking an attack stance. But the Countess was not afraid. She reveled in a scene like this. She had the limelight she was looking for.

"This part of the beach is for royals and nobles only! You dirty peasant and your dirty flea-infested dog are not allowed here!" Countess Victoria declared.

Laina arched an eyebrow, as she nodded with a grin on her face.

"Is that so? Well, who are you to police these rules then?" she asked haughtily.

It was all part of Laina's strategy, to play into the lady's ego. She wanted to fish out more information from this unreasonable lady.

"It is so! I am Countess Victoria," she held onto the part of her wrist that Laina had previously grabbed and continued, "You hurt my delicate wrist. I am not going to let you off this easily!"

She looked around and waved at the guards who were patrolling the beach.

"Guards! Guards! Yes, royal guards. This woman and her dog attacked me when I told them they don't belong here. Arrest them!" she accused.

The wild accusations were getting more and more ridiculous with each passing second. Duchess Ophelia, who was listening in from the side, was amused. She wondered how Laina was going to deal with this issue.

Seeing how things escalated worried Shara.

"Milady, should we help the poor young lady?" she asked the Duchess.

She shook her head, "Don't you worry, Shara. That young lady is more than capable of taking care of herself. And besides, she has someone special on her side."

Shara tilted her head to the side, pondering over what the Duchess said.

"Someone special on her side?" she repeated the words.

Looking over to the fight again, the Duchess lit up, "There, he's made his appearance."

Shara looked over and gasped in shock. Two men, dressed all in black were walking towards the commotion. One of them was holding a large black umbrella for the other. With one look, Shara knew immediately who it was.

His arrival caused quite the uproar, as more and more people began to notice. Everyone who passed him stopped to bow to him respectfully. When Countess Victoria saw the man fast approaching, an evil grin appeared upon her face. She ran up to him, careful to show off her womanly assets as she did.

"My King! You came just in ti-" before she could even finish her words, King Dante walked past her.

He did not even notice her existence.

When she turned back to see where he had faded, she gasped in horror. Dante walked up to Laina. He took hold of her hand immediately.

"Are you hurt?" he asked while examining her hand for any injuries.

Accompanying him was Marius, who was holding the umbrella for his King. Laina was surprised by Dante's sudden appearance. This was the exact situation she had hoped to avoid. She just wanted some time by herself with Titan on the beach.

She did not want to become a spectacle for others to look at. Seeing him so caring made her blush a little. But after she gathered her senses, she quickly removed her hand from his.

"I'm fine," Laina mumbled.

Dante nodded, acknowledging her words before turning around to look at everyone else.

"What happened here?" he asked in a cold hard voice.

Even the guards who were on patrol shuddered. The Countess, realizing the trouble she was in, was trembling. She quickly tried to cover herself from all responsibility but it was too late.

"I was just playing with Titan when this lady came up to me, saying I disrespected her," Laina explained, "I don't even know who she is."

Dante turned to look at Countess Victoria. He did not have eyes for any other woman apart from the love of his life. Marius quickly whispered in his ear.

"That's Countess Victoria."

The name rang a bell in his mind.

"Countess Victoria, was there some form of misunderstanding?" Dante asked.

The countess gulped. She tried to use her beauty to soften the King while she tried to explain herself.

"My King, I… I… did not know this young lady was your guest…"

"Even so, your behavior is unforgivable," Dante replied without breaking a sweat.

His words were like daggers plunging into her heart. What he did next broke the hearts of those who had hoped to be his bride. Dante placed his arm around Laina and pulled her into his embrace.

"She is here as my honored guest. I hope that you would find it in yourself to treat her with the respect she deserves. As you should with everyone you encounter, Countess." Dante declared.