Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 53: Old Man

I don't understand everything.

It's like... there's really something wrong. It's like there's something I should know, but what? What is it!?

I can also sense from Sonya's actions and words that she's implying something as if... as if she's saying I shouldn't trust anyone here in the palace. Especially... my husband, who is the king.

My heart seems to agree with her, but I don't know why. My mind is getting confused, but... there's only one way I know to find out... and that's to regain my memories!

But how do I do that!?

Yelena paced back and forth quickly in her room, thinking about the steps she should take.

I think... I needed to defy all his orders. I feel like he's stopping me from remembering everything! B-But... if I defy him... he might hurt me again! Sh*t!

Yelena hugged her body and remembered how Laxus mistreated her the last time she defied him.

"No! I... I need to stay strong! I should know the truth!" Yelena said to herself.

****

Amara held the hands of the two children as they walked back to their companions. It seemed that they had only just noticed how far inside the cave they had gone. When they returned, it was clear that everyone was waiting for them, and the people they had left sleeping were now awake.

"Lady Amara!" Cyrus exclaimed upon seeing them.

Pollie looked at Amara and asked, "Lady Amara? Are you an important person?"

"She is the former princess of this kingdom," Ranz explained, widening the siblings' eyes.

"P-Princess!?" they both repeated in shock.

Amara smiled at them. "Yes, but that was before when Lord Lennox was the king and still alive."

The siblings were still taken aback, their tongues seemingly frozen. Amara couldn't help but softly laugh at their cute reaction.

"Louie," Dravis called to a companion. Louie turned to him as if waiting for what he had to say. "Get ready. We're going to visit these children's grandfather. He's sick and needs treatment."

"Oh right, I haven't introduced them yet," Amara suddenly said. "Pete, Pollie... these are our friends and companions..."

Amara introduced each of them one by one, and they also introduced the children.

"...and this is Louie. He's the skilled doctor we're referring to! He will take care of your grandfather!" Amara explained.

Pollie's eyes sparkled, and she repeatedly thanked them even before her grandfather could be treated.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!!!"

"Do you know how to ride horses?" Ranz asked the children and the siblings nodded. "That's good."

"Ranz, perhaps it's better if just Louie and I accompanied the children. If there are too many of us, they might notice us right away," Dravis said.

"Alright, you're right," agreed the leader of the bandits.

"Just the two of you!? I'm coming too!" Amara interjected.

"Me too!!" Cyrus chimed in, mimicking the behavior of children.

Dravis tapped his temple as if getting irritated again, sighing, "Both of you, just stop! Just stay here—"

"Let's go, Pollie, Pete!" Amara smiled and held the young girl's hand, seemingly ignoring Dravis' words.

Dravis looked like his veins were about to burst from frustration at what Amara had just done.

Ranz grinned, "You can't do anything about that! She's a girl, so she won't listen to you."

"What did you say!?" Nina snapped at Ranz, her gaze sharp.

"N-Nothing!!! Huh!?" the young man stammered in response.

Dravis couldn't do anything about Amara's stubbornness, and despite the ongoing rain, she still joined them.

Pollie rode along with Amara on the horse, while Pete was with Cyrus. The children pointed out the direction to their grandfather's house, and in a short while, they reached it.

As soon as the children got off the horses, they hurriedly ran into the hut and searched for their grandfather.

"Grandfather, we're here— Grandfather!!!" they shouted in shock, and upon hearing them, Amara, Cyrus, Louie, and Dravis quickly followed the children.

"What happened—" Cyrus stopped his question midway when they saw the poor old man lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

The two children cried out, out of extreme worry for their grandfather. Dravis and Cyrus swiftly lifted the old man and laid him on a bed. Louie immediately examined the elderly man; he checked his pulse, heart rate, and his eyes.

"His heartbeat isn't normal. He's running a fever. His breathing is labored, and he's sweating profusely," Louie said, "Can you tell me what could be the possible illness of your grandfather? Has he ever been examined by a doctor?"

"We don't know," Pete replied, "Our mother only sent us these herbal remedies."

Louie looked at the herbs, but he couldn't determine the cause of the old man's illness. Those herbal remedies were typically used for fever, so he couldn't figure out the underlying issue.

"Does he take these often?" Louie asked.

Pete nodded, "He's been taking them for a week since he started feeling unwell."

"A week?" Louie seemed puzzled, thinking that if it were just a simple fever, he should have recovered within the first few days. He glanced back at the old man upon hearing the old man's severe cough. The old man held onto his chest as if it were painful while coughing. At that moment, Louie realized the condition of the old man. "N-No!!! Tsk! Get out!!! Don't approach him."

"W-Why, Louie?" Amara asked, surprised and confused.

"B-Because his illness is contagious," Louie said, covering the lower part of his face from his nose down to his mouth with his bandana. "He might have a serious illness called pneumococcus."

"W-What!?" Pete exclaimed.

"W-Wait, isn't that a lung disease?" Cyrus asked, remembering a book he read about the said condition.

Louie nodded, "It's not just any illness. We need to treat it immediately because it could be life-threatening!"

The two children seemed frightened and started to cry.

"No, please heal our grandfather!!!" Pollie sobbed, clinging to Amara.

With compassion, Amara hugged the little girl too, "Don't worry. Louie will make him better, won't you, Louie?"

Amara glanced at the young doctor who was standing there, seemingly deep in thought about what to do. Amara herself felt anxious because, from Louie's demeanor, it didn't seem like he was certain if he could do it.

"We need to administer a potent antibiotic for his illness, but considering his age, I'm not sure if his body can handle it," Louie said.

Everyone became worried, but they didn't want to give up.

They followed Louie's instructions. Louie had Cyrus and Dravis gather various ingredients and plants, while Amara stayed behind with the two children to keep them entertained. Meanwhile, Louie continued to tend to the elderly man, doing his best to bring down the fever.

Several more hours passed, and the two children had fallen asleep. Louie stepped out of the room and immediately washed his hands.

"They seem tired, huh?" Louie remarked.

"It's getting close to morning, so they're probably really sleepy," the young woman said as she tucked in Pollie and Pete.

"And you, aren't you tired yet? Rest now, I'll wait for them," Louie suggested. "They left a while ago, they're probably on their way back."

"I was thinking they might have had a hard time gathering things now because it's still dark. It's good that the rain has stopped, but they might have encountered some wolves or wild animals on the way. I hope they're okay," Amara said, gazing out the window.

Then... she was surprised... when Louie embraced her from behind.

"L-Louie!? W-What are you doing!?" Amara asked in astonishment, realizing that... he wasn't wearing an upper garment. "L-Louie!?"

Louie rested his forehead on Amara's shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment. "Forgive me, princess. I just wanted to draw strength from you."

Amara wasn't comfortable with his embrace. She felt frozen in place and didn't know what to do to ask him to let go without hurting his feelings.

"Princess," Louie spoke again and he let go of the hug, but he held Amara's hand and turned her to face him.

"L-Louie? W-Why? Is something wrong?" the princess asked.Several more hours passed, and the two children had fallen asleep. Louie stepped out of the room and immediately washed his hands.

"They seem tired, huh?" Louie remarked.

"It's getting close to morning, so they're probably really sleepy," the young woman said as she tucked in Pollie and Pete.

"And you, aren't you tired yet? Rest now, I'll wait for them," Louie suggested. "They left a while ago, they're probably on their way back."

"I was thinking they might have had a hard time gathering things now because it's still dark. It's good that the rain has stopped, but they might have encountered some wolves or wild animals on the way. I hope they're okay," Amara said, gazing out the window.

Then... she was surprised... when Louie embraced her from behind.

"L-Louie!? W-What are you doing!?" Amara asked in astonishment, realizing that... he wasn't wearing an upper garment. "L-Louie!?"

Louie rested his forehead on Amara's shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment. "Forgive me, princess. I just wanted to draw strength from you."

Amara wasn't comfortable with his embrace. She felt frozen in place and didn't know what to do to ask him to let go without hurting his feelings.

"Princess," Louie spoke again and he let go of the hug, but he held Amara's hand and turned her to face him.

"L-Louie? W-Why? Is something wrong?" the princess asked.

Louie smiled faintly while looking seriously into the eyes of the young woman, "It's nothing, princess. I just wanted to ask for your forgiveness once again."

"I told you, didn't I? You don't have to ask for forgiveness from me," Amara replied, attempting to retrieve her hand, but Louie pulled her in closer. "L-Louie!"

Louie caressed Amara's beautiful face and seemed to entice her as he leaned closer, "May I kiss you, my princess?"

Amara's eyes widened at Louie's question, and she immediately pushed the young man away. She felt irritated with him and glared at him.

"That's not a funny joke, Louie!" she exclaimed.

Louie was slightly surprised as it was the first time he had seen Amara seem angry. After a moment, he managed a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry, princess, I hope you don't take it the wrong way!"

"What on earth possessed you to do that!? It's not funny at all!" Amara retorted, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.

"Well, how about Dravis? Why is he okay with you doing that?" Louie asked.

Amara was taken aback by Louie's mention of that. She quickly looked at Louie again, and her heart raced due to nervousness.

"L-Louie, did you see—"

Louie nodded and smiled again, "Yes, twice."

Amara felt as though cold water had been poured over her where she stood. She couldn't believe that Louie had seen the one-time kiss between her and Dravis. Amara was enveloped in embarrassment, yet she couldn't find words to defend herself because she knew she was terrible at lying.

"Why? Why Dravis?" Louie asked again, his gaze fixed on Amara.

With her lips sealed, Amara couldn't answer that question herself. Louie suddenly let out a soft laugh, which puzzled Amara.

"Princess," Louie smiled and approached Amara once more. "You love him, don't you?"

Despite Louie's question, Amara didn't sense any anger in his tone. Nevertheless, she couldn't give the young man a straightforward answer, as she herself wasn't sure about the depth of her feelings of love.

"It's okay, princess. I'm just testing you," he said.

"T-Testing?"

Louie nodded, "From the first night we slept in your cabin... that was also the first time I saw you two... well!?"

Amara's face turned red.

Louie grinned, "It's true that I became infatuated with you, but... I didn't want to steal a heart that already belongs to someone else."

"L-Louie," Amara spoke as Louie's words turned serious, though he still had a faint smile on his face.

"Now, there's no reason for me to let myself fall for you. But don't worry, my sworn promise will endure, and I won't let you down, princess!" Louie slightly bowed to Amara as a sign of respect.

"T-Thank you... Louie," Amara responded.

Deep down, Louie was ready to accept that he had no chance of winning Amara's heart. Amara saw the sincerity in Louie and was truly grateful for his broad-mindedness, which made her smile.

"We're here now— Ahhh!!! Why are you half-naked!?" Cyrus burst out as he suddenly entered the hut and saw Louie without his upper garment.

Dravis immediately shot a stern look at both Amara and Louie, and an ominous aura emanated from him. Amara quickly realized this and attempted to explain.

"W-Wait! You've got it wrong! Y-You're thinking the wrong thing!" Amara said with a forced smile.

"What did you do to my princess!? Why are you half-naked!? Did you take advantage of her!?" Cyrus exclaimed, playfully choking Louie.

"C-Cyrus! No!!!" Amara intervened.

"I-I just took off my clothes because they might have a virus, they could get infected, well..." Louie explained with difficulty in between breaths.

"I don't believe you, you perverted doctor!!!" Cyrus retorted, continuing with his actions.

"Cyrus!?" Amara called out and let out a sigh.

"Lady Amara," Dravis called out in a cold tone, and their eyes met.

Amara shook her head, and with that gesture, the former general believed that nothing really happened between Amara and Louie.

"Cyrus, let that doctor live," Dravis said. "If he repeats it again, I'll cut off everything long from him!!!"

"You're so cruel, Dravis!" Louie managed a strained smile in response to Dravis' threat.