Chapter 42: Forgiveness
1876 Words
"Beloved Queen!" Sonya exclaimed, and Yelena turned to look at her.
The gracious and innocent queen was immediately filled with joy upon seeing the flowers brought by her maid.
"The flowers are so beautiful, Sonya," Yelena said with a sweet smile as Sonya handed them to her. "Where did these come from?"
Sonya briefly closed her lips, as if expecting something to happen. "They might have come from the beautiful garden in Erin. Someone sent them to you. They were left outside. Most likely, he or she remembers your favorite flower."
"T-These are... my favorite flowers?" Yelena asked, staring at the flowers in her hand. She wasn't sure but truly she felt a strange delight in her heart as she looked at them. "W-What is this flower called?"
Sonya clenched her fists. The truth was, she had bought those flowers to give to the queen, but she couldn't admit it out of caution. Sonya took a deep breath before speaking again, "That is... a Bella Amyra."
"B-Bella... A-Amyra," Yelena repeated what Sonya said and paused for a moment. She couldn't quite fathom the sudden sadness she felt upon hearing the flower's name.
"Yes, my beloved queen," Sonya replied, giving a restrained smile. "It's called Bella Amyra, which means beautiful princess. If you notice, there's a small circular pattern in the middle of the flower that resembles a crown, so that's why it was named that."
"A beautiful princess?" Yelena repeated once more, gazing at the flower, and suddenly...
'My beloved queen!'
The queen gasped in surprise as a voice of a woman suddenly echoed in her mind. It was a cheerful voice, and it seemed like there was a face of a smiling young lady that quickly appeared in her mind, yet she couldn't quite discern who it was.
Wait, that voice! Th-That's the voice I always hear in my dreams!
"Uhmmp!" Yelena tightly shut her eyes as a sudden headache pierced her.
"My queen! My queen! What happened?" Sonya asked, quickly supporting Yelena.
"I-I'm fine! You don't need to worry," Yelena forced a smile.
One of Lord Laxus' men happened to pass by and noticed Yelena's near stumble; it was Hendrix.
"What happened?" Hendrix asked, his attention immediately drawn to the bouquet of flowers in the queen's hand. His eyes widened, and he swiftly snatched the bouquet. "Why does the queen have this!? You shouldn't give her these flowers!"
Sonya and Yelena were taken aback as Hendrix abruptly took the flowers and promptly threw them out of the castle.
"No!!! Don't!!! Don't throw that!!!" the queen yelled, but it was too late.
Yelena fell to her knees, tears welling up as she saw the flowers being tossed away, triggering another fleeting memory. The memory of a bloodied maiden suddenly leaping out of a grand palace window. Yelena didn't understand why tears were streaming down her face, as if she wanted to scream at that very moment. Her heart ached terribly, and she couldn't comprehend why.
"That flower is poisonous!" Hendrix declared firmly.
"Sir, that flower is not—"
Sonya couldn't finish her sentence as she was immediately met with a sharp glare from Hendrix.
"Did you give that flower to the queen!?" There was a threatening tone in Hendrix's question. "Answer me!"
Sonya clamped her mouth shut, trembling in fear due to Hendrix's intimidating stare. She knew that if she confessed, she would be punished, but she hadn't given the flower to the queen to poison her. The plant indeed contained poison, but its effects would only manifest if it were crushed and its essence extracted. However, simply touching and smelling it had no effect. The queen had developed a fondness for that plant precisely because of its unique qualities. It was beautiful and enticing, yet also venomous. That flower was the inspiration for the princess's name, Princess Amara, and the maid's intention was for it to remind her of that.
"No! She didn't!" the queen interjected, turning her gaze towards Hendrix and Sonya. "I simply saw those flowers outside and showed them to Sonya!"
Hendrix stared at the queen for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing whether she was telling the truth. He saw her looking directly at him, her brave eyes unblinking.
"Is that so, beloved queen?" Hendrix spoke with a bow of respect. "Forgive me, but that plant is dangerous. Please be cautious in the future."
"Alright, thank you," Yelena replied, shifting her gaze to Sonya. "Come, Sonya. My king will be arriving soon. I want to appear presentable when I welcome him."
Yelena turned away from Hendrix and started walking away.
"Of course, beloved queen," Sonya said, bowing respectfully to Hendrix before following the queen.
****
Amara's fever was gone, and it seemed that the antidote Louie gave her had finally taken effect. Nina was in their chamber, making sure that the princess was comfortable and well.
Amara slowly opened her eyes, and the sunlight momentarily dazzled her. At first, she seemed to wonder whether she was still alive or if she was still dreaming, until she caught sight of Nina's beautiful face gazing at her with concern.
"Lady Amara! Lady Amara," Nina seemed to awaken her. "Are you awake?"
Amara wasn't entirely sure if it was really Nina she was seeing, as she remembered that Nina was angry with her. However, Nina kept calling her name repeatedly.
"N-Nina?"
A smile formed on Nina's face, accompanied by tears streaming down, "Lady Amara!"
Nina buried her face in her palms and sobbed. She couldn't bring herself to face Amara due to overwhelming embarrassment and regret, but she was incredibly grateful that Amara had awakened.
"N-Nina, why? Why are you crying?" Amara weakly asked, attempting to reach out her hand. "Am I dead?"
"Come on, don't say that!!!" Nina exclaimed through her tears, looking annoyed, and Amara was taken aback. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive!"
Upon hearing Nina's words, Amara was momentarily surprised, but eventually, a smile graced her lips. She felt that she still held importance in Nina's heart.
Amara raised her hand and held Nina. Nina looked at her, and she couldn't understand why the princess was smiling at her.
"You don't know... how happy I am to hear that, Nina," Amara said.
Nina's lips quivered, and despite trying to hold back her tears, she couldn't seem to stop them. Emotions overflowed within Nina, and she tightly embraced Amara.
"Princess! Forgive me!!! Please forgive me! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Nina cried.
"N-Nina!? You shouldn't ask for forgiveness from me," Amara said, embracing her friend as well. "I hurt you, so I should be the one who asked for it. I-I'm sorry."
"No! I was the one who made the mistake! Please forgive me!" Nina repeated, her tears continuing to flow.
"Why don't you just forgive each other? That would be better, wouldn't it?" suddenly spoke Dravis, who was cleaning his sword once again at that moment.
The two women were surprised to hear the young man's voice. Amara had thought they were the only ones there. As for Nina, carried away by her emotions, she had forgotten that there were others present besides them.
"D-Dravis!?" Amara exclaimed his name, her heart seemingly instantly reinvigorated by his presence.
"Damn it! I forgot these idi0ts were here too!" Nina said, quickly composing herself and wiping her tears.
They're here?
Amara glanced towards the window and indeed saw Dravis there, cleaning his sword. Louie and Cyrus were peacefully asleep in their respective beds.
"Ar-Are they still sleeping? What time is it?" Amara asked.
Nina glanced at the two young men who were currently snoring in their sleep. She grinned and shook her head.
"They just fell asleep a few minutes ago. Those two mor0ns watched over you last night," Nina replied.
"T-They kept watch over me?" Amara asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe it at first, but a smile suddenly formed on her lips as she gazed at the two young men sleeping peacefully. "Thank you very much, Cyrus, Louie."
Nina stood up and looked at Amara again. "You're probably hungry by now. I'll just go to the kitchen and bring you something to eat."
"Uh, thank you!"
Nina just smiled at her and left the cabin. The room fell momentarily quiet. Dravis remained silent, seemingly focused on cleaning his sword. Amara, on the other hand, stared at the ceiling. She didn't know how to start a conversation with the young man.
"D-Dravis..." Amara began, but the terrifying man responded with a piercing glance from the corner of his eye.
Huh?! Wait, is he angry with me? Why is he looking at me like that?
Dravis redirected his gaze back to the sword, ignoring the princess.
"Ar-Are you mad at me?" Amara asked when she noticed his cold demeanor.
"Yeah," Dravis replied shortly and directly.
Amara stiffened, seemingly crushed by the young man's answer.
Sh*t! I thought he would say no. Why is this guy so brutally honest!?
"Huh? W-Why!?" Amara's brow furrowed as she tried to force a smile.
"Because you're an idi0t," Dravis's eyes narrowed as he said that to Amara.
Ouch!!! What an insulting creature!!!
Dravis sheathed his sword and walked towards the bed where Amara was lying. He sat in the chair Nina was sitting in earlier. He crossed his arms over his chest, and stared intently at the princess.
"What do you think? Don't you really know why I'm angry with you!?" Dravis asked, appearing somewhat irritated.
Amara blinked her eyes, as if considering possible reasons, but she couldn't think of any valid explanation. She seemed like an innocent child as she shook her head. Dravis sighed and tapped his forehead, his fingers sliding upwards through his hair. Amara blushed from that angle of his face that was so handsome.
"I'm angry with you because you made me worried again!" Dravis said, his eyebrows furrowing. "Do you really want to die?"
Amara gasped and averted her gaze, "N-No. I don't want that, but if it's necessary—"
Dravis suddenly cupped Amara's face to make her face him. He leaned slightly forward, his face almost inches away from hers.
"You fool! That's what annoys me about you! You're too kind," Dravis said, his eyes glancing down at Amara's lips. "You need to apologize to me!"
Amara stole a glance at Louie and Cyrus before covering her mouth. "I just woke up, and they might wake up too!"
"They won't wake up," Dravis said, removing Amara's hand from her mouth. "I don't even care. This is the only way I know to forgive you."
Afterwards, Dravis sealed Amara's lips with a kiss. The princess could do nothing but close her eyes again and savor his sweet kisses. Despite being together all the time, it seemed like they still longed for each other. Every movement of their lips and the sensations that spread through their bodies affirmed their feelings. They wanted to deepen their closeness, but with the presence of the other two young men, they couldn't do so.
"D-Dravis," Amara uttered with a breathless sigh.
Dravis gazed at Amara for a moment and grinned at her teasing beauty.
"Miss me? I miss you too," Dravis said before once again pressing his lips to the princess's.
- Writer
