Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 37: Sick Princess

"In the absence of Lord Lennox, much has changed, and many have suffered," said Captain Trevor, as if reliving it all. "I never expected him to meet such a fate. I had no idea that the princess could be so heartless, capable of slaying even her own father and sibling!"

"With all due respect, it seems you may have received false information," replied Cyrus, staring boldly at the old man.

Captain Trevor turned to him, furrowing his brow in puzzlement. "What do you mean? There is evidence suggesting that the princess murdered the king!"

"I was there," suddenly spoke Dravis, surprising Trevor.

"W-What? What do you mean?"

"On the night the king and his family were slain, I found the princess. I helped her escape the clutches of death that very night," revealed Dravis.

"You helped a criminal?" Trevor questioned sharply.

"Lady Amara is not the criminal, but rather the current king is! He's the one who killed Lord Lennox and his family. I think they also wanted to kill Amara, but she managed to escape. Perhaps because they knew she was still alive, they blamed everything on her," concluded Dravis.

"Wait, are you telling me that you've been with the princess until now?" the old man asked, frowning.

"Yes, she's still with us," Dravis replied without hesitation.

"But how can you be sure that the princess escaped from them because she wanted to avoid being killed, and not to run away from her crime?" Captain Trevor inquired.

"After serving the kingdom for so long, I know who the enemies are, and I also know who is not," Dravis replied directly. "I also know that the princess is the victim here."

"The princess has a good heart! If you could only get to know her, you would see how fragile she is!" Cyrus chimed in, seemingly trying to convince the captain.

"I agree," Ranz added. "The princess is indeed brave and strong, but I don't see any evil intentions in her. Her desire is to seek justice for her family and to reclaim the kingdom for its people!"

The old man fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. Since the former king's death, they had cursed the princess in their anger. But at that moment, he seemed to be conflicted as he turned his gaze towards his grandson.

"What about you? What do you have to say about her?" Captain Trevor asked his grandson as if seeking his opinion.

Louie irritably avoided his grandfather's gaze, saying, "Since when did my words matter to you? Huh!"

The veins in the old man's temple throbbed in annoyance at his grandchild, "Seems like I shouldn't have asked you after all! Huh!"

"When I saw the princess, I hesitated," said Louie, capturing their attention. "I had thought she was the reason why my mother was on the brink of death, but when I looked into her eyes... I knew it was as if I instinctively knew I shouldn't blame her! But I kept pushing her away repeatedly because I couldn't erase from my mind what happened. And now that I've been with her, I've become even more convinced that she couldn't have done that to her own family! She's kind not only to her companions but also to everyone, even those she doesn't know."

The old man fell silent again. He wasn't sure whether to believe all this, but it was Dravis who spoke, and his grandchild and friends confirmed it. That had partially unsettled his mind. However, given the events and experiences in the kingdom since the former king's disappearance, he felt inclined to believe them.

"I couldn't believe it right away when I heard that the king's own son would be the one to kill him," the Captain said, sighing. "Lord Laxus is known throughout the kingdom for being good, and valuing people, and, like Lord Lennox, many admire his bravery, so when he accused the princess of committing a heinous crime in the kingdom, no one refrained from criticizing her. But now, it seems his true colors are coming out! His true ambitions! If what you're saying is true, it's likely that he wants to rule the kingdom, and it's already within his grasp!"

"That's why we want to reclaim the kingdom from his hands," Dravis said, serious and determined in his purpose. "And we want to ask for your help in being part of this!"

Captain Trevor took a deep breath in response to Dravis' request, and when he looked at the other young men, including his grandson, they all stared back at him with determination in their eyes. They all seemed to have convinced him to agree with them, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I want to see the princess. I want to see with my own eyes the reason why you are all so determined to fight for her," the old man said. "It is there that I will decide whether I will join you or not."

Cyrus smiled, and a sense of relief was evident in their faces because of the captain's words.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the camp as Amara suddenly lost consciousness. Her body started to heat up, a sign that she had a fever. One of Ranz's men immediately carried her and brought her to his quarters.

"Doctor! We need to call a doctor!!!" the head cook, Martina, exclaimed in panic.

"My big brother isn't a doctor, but he knows a lot about healing, but they're not here yet!" said Enrico, one of Louie's twin siblings.

"We need to get someone from the town! Hurry!!!" the anxious elder said.

"But if we call a doctor from the town, they will find out that the princess is here! Besides, it takes three hours to go down and another three hours to come back!!! It's better to wait for the boss and his group to return! They're probably on their way already!" one of Ranz's male followers suggested.

Martina pondered on this, and since it made sense, she had no choice but to agree.

"My brother warned us not to approach a sick person, especially if we don't know the cause, as the illness might be contagious!" Shiloh said.

As Martina realized what the child had said, she agreed with it. "Yes, you're right! Everyone should leave! I'll take care of the princess myself!" Martina declared. "I'll try to lower her fever while they're still away."

"I'll accompany you! I know a little about it because my big brother taught me sometimes," said Shiloh. "Everyone should wash and cleanse themselves, especially those who got close to the princess!"

"Shiloh, my dear," Martina responded with a smile.

Following the young girl's advice, Martina and Shiloh proceeded to the room where the princess was and began to wipe her body. They stayed there for three hours, but her fever still didn't subside.

"Princess, are you alright?" Shiloh asked with concern, but the princess didn't respond, unconscious and struggling to breathe.

"Why? Why does she seem to be having difficulty breathing?" Martina worriedly wondered.

Shiloh glanced around and opened the window. They gently touched the princess's forehead, but her fever remained high.

"What could have happened to her?" Martina asked, and then they turned to the door when they heard continuous knocking.

"Martina! They're here!" a man outside the door informed.

"Quickly tell them what happened to the princess! Hurry!!!" Martina ordered, and that's what he did.

Dravis' group had just arrived at the camp when they were greeted by Ranz's men and Louie's siblings.

"Big brother! Big brother!!!" Erica and Enrico cried out with worry as they saw their older brother dismounting his horse.

Dravis and his companions dismounted their horses as well and were puzzled by the appearances of those who welcomed them.

"Why? What is it?" Louie asked.

"The princess!!!" Erica said, tears welling up in her eyes.

When the four young men heard her mention the princess, they immediately paid attention, mixed with fear.

"Why!? What happened to her?" Louie asked urgently.

"She suddenly fainted earlier! Her fever is really high!" Erica replied.

"Where is she?" Ranz asked.

"She's in our room—"

Before the young boy, Enrico, could finish speaking, the four young men quickly walked towards the unfortunate princess. They headed to the room and without hesitation, opened the door.

"My princess!!!" Cyrus exclaimed, startling Shiloh and Martina.

Shiloh and Martina looked at the four young men and immediately became flustered. "Boss, the princess! Her fever is still high!"

Ranz, Dravis, Cyrus, and Louie approached the princess's bed and saw her struggling to breathe. Cyrus's heart filled with pity.

"My princess!!!" Cyrus almost rushed towards Amara, but Louie stopped him.

"Wait!" Louie said, sounding nervous as he focused on the princess. He approached her and conducted a quick examination. Cyrus checked Amara's pulse, looked into her eyes, and checked the inside of her mouth. His eyes widened, and he trembled for a moment due to the symptoms he observed. "N-No!!! This can't be—"

"Louie! What's happening!? What's wrong with her!?" Martina asked tearfully.

"Everyone, leave! Clean the surroundings too!!!" Louie said, turning to them. "Th-This... If I'm not mistaken, it's a—a type of Influenza Virus! It's a contagious disease! Get out of here!"