Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 44: Interrogations

"Really? They are here?" Captain Trevor asked after sipping his hot tea. "Alright, let them in."

"Yes, captain," his subordinate replied.

The man headed towards Dravis' group and escorted them to Louie's grandfather. He knocked on the door as a signal that they were there, and the Captain immediately glanced at the door. When it opened, they walked in formally.

"Hm, I never thought you'd show up again," Captain Trevor said, taking another sip of his tea.

Amara stepped forward in front of them and gently removed the hood covering her head. "I apologize. I fell ill, which caused the delay. Thank you for waiting."

Upon hearing Amara's voice, Captain Trevor paused in the middle of sipping his tea. He slowly turned his gaze towards her, and upon seeing her, his expression revealed his surprise that he hadn't expected the princess to be with them.

"It's you," Trevor uttered, studying Amara for a moment as if assessing her.

Amara wasn't fazed by his scrutiny and met his gaze with confidence. She didn't show fear or intimidation at the seemingly probing looks of the elderly man because she wanted him to see that the accusations against her were baseless.

"Don't stare at the princess like that!" Louie exclaimed to his grandfather.

"It's fine, Louie. He's free to judge me based on how he sees fit," Amara replied.

"But, but, princess—"

Amara glanced briefly at the young healer and smiled, "You have nothing to worry about. We know why they're like that towards me."

Captain Trevor noticed the strong bond between Amara and his grandson, and he assumed the same applied to others around her. However, that alone wasn't enough for him to believe it immediately.

"Princess, please have a seat here, and let's have tea," Captain Trevor invited, redirecting their attention towards him.

Amara didn't hesitate and accepted the old man's invitation. She approached him and took a seat in front of Captain Trevor.

"Thank you."

Captain Trevor looked at Amara again after she poured the tea.

"Do you know that you're an unwelcome guest in my den?" Captain Trevor asked, furrowing Louie's brow.

"You old lunatic! Who gave you the right to say that to the princess!?" Louie retorted angrily, about to charge at the elderly man. Fortunately, Dravis was right in front of him, and he signaled for Louie to stop and be quiet.

"Don't interrupt them in their conversation," Dravis spoke coldly. "Your grandfather's decision now rests with Lady Amara."

Despite his irritation, Louie tried to calm himself down. He took a deep breath and averted his gaze from his grandfather.

"I apologize for my sudden visit. I know I'm not welcome here, so I appreciate you still allowing us," Amara said, holding her teacup. She took a sip of the tea, and her eyes widened slightly. "Th-This tea—"

"Do you know what kind of tea this is?" Captain Trevor grinned.

Amara furrowed her brow, trying to recall where she had tasted that tea's flavor before. "I don't know what this is, but... the taste feels familiar."

"Ah, I see," replied the Captain. "That tea is made by my subordinate, Dino. He used to own a restaurant in Bronwen before. Perhaps you tasted this tea there."

"W-wait, are you referring to the small restaurant in the town of Bronwen? The one in front of the large fountain there?" asked Amara.

Captain Trevor's assistant turned to her, wondering how she knew exactly where his restaurant was located.

"Yes, that's the one," answered Dino, now intrigued. "How did you know about my restaurant?"

Amara looked at Dino, trying to remember the man. Her brow furrowed until a smile flickered across her face.

"It's you!!!” exclaimed Amara, surprising both of them.

"What do you mean, my lady?" Dino asked, thinking the princess might be just lying or pretending to know him.

"You're the vendor there, and you have a little girl serving your customers!" Amara said. "Don't you remember me? My father and I used to visit there often!"

"Right, Elyza is my daughter," confirmed Dino, though he still wasn't entirely sure. "I can't recall the former king coming to my restaurant back then!"

Amara raised an eyebrow as she furrowed her brow, "Right, you might not remember us from back then because we mingled with the people. Father didn't want them to notice us so he could observe their normal lives. After Father tasted the tea from your restaurant, we started going there occasionally, once or twice a month, and I used to have long conversations with Elyza."

"I still can't recall," Dino replied as if he was clearly sensing she was lying.

"I see," Amara said, a sense of sadness washing over her. She forced a smile after taking a deep breath. "It's okay, I understand."

Dino simply nodded at her, not saying anything further. Captain Trevor seemed to sense the sadness in Amara's eyes, prompting him to come up with an idea to prove her point.

"There's a way we can find out if what she's saying is true," the Captain interjected, turning his gaze towards her. "Call for Elyza. If her story is genuine, your child should recognize her, right?"

"Is Elyza here?" Amara asked, a hint of eagerness in her voice at the prospect of seeing her friend.

"H-Huh? B-But—" Dino stammered, finding it hard to believe his leader was showing sympathy to the young woman.

"Can you call your child?" Captain Trevor asked, and it seemed that Dino had no choice but to comply.

"Yes, of course!"

Dino left to fetch their child. Meanwhile, Amara and the elderly captain remained there, a smile lingering on Amara's face due to her excitement.

"You seem happy, princess," the old man remarked.

Amara nodded with a smile, "I haven't seen Elyza in a long time, and my heart is glad to think that she might be here! That we'll see each other again!"

Captain Trevor felt reassured by Amara's confidence and could only smile. From that moment, he could say that what she was saying might indeed be true.

"Hmm, while we wait for them," the old man said, taking another sip of tea. "Could you tell me... what happened on that night when you lost your family?"

At the mention of that, Amara seemed to freeze. The tragic images of her family being murdered came flooding back to her mind.

The young woman slightly bowed her head, tightly clenching her fists, and then nodded. "I found my father and my uncle talking about foreigners in Niall. They suspected them to be spies, so I volunteered to observe them with my group. We stayed in Niall for almost a week, and when we didn't notice anything suspicious, I decided to return to Dillon; to the palace. But, when we got back, I was puzzled as to why the soldiers looked at us as enemies. They wouldn't let us in and they attacked us! That's when I started to panic since I didn't know why."

Captain Trevor's eyes glistened with emotion as he listened to Amara's story, while the four young men, including Nina, remained silent, gazing at her intently.

"They attacked you?" the old man repeated, and Amara nodded.

"We tried to get in, but only three of us managed to get past them. My... two loyal men were killed by them! I lost consciousness then, and I thought it was the end for me, but... I woke up again and... a-and..." Amara's voice quivered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I-I feel like even now, I'm having nightmares! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my father bathing in his own blood! A-And my brother... they hanged him without mercy!!! They are so cruel!!!"

Nina covered her mouth in shock and pity upon hearing Amara's words. Louie and Cyrus also felt deep sympathy for the princess. Ranz gritted his teeth in anger, and even though Dravis remained silent, his fists were tightly clenched in fury.

"After that, I heard my mother's faint voice," Amara sobbed. "She came out with Lord Laxus, and everything became clear to me. No one else could have done it but my own uncle! Lord Laxus approached me and tried to strangle me, but my mother mustered the last of her strength to help me escape! She thrust a dagger into Lord Laxus's eye, giving me a chance to flee! I didn't want to leave my mother, but I followed her orders!"

"So... that's the possible reason why Lord Laxus now has a blind eye!? Hm," the old man asked again. "What about Dravis? He told me he was there, is that true?"

"Yes, I jumped out of the window to escape. Despite being wounded, I managed to get away. I ventured into the dense forest, but they still pursued me. I thought I was going to die, but... Dravis arrived! H-He saved me from the brink of death!" Amara replied.

Captain Trevor glanced at Dravis and saw nothing contradictory in the young woman's story. Then, they heard a few knocks on the door. The door opened, and Dino entered with his child, Elyza.

"Captain, did you call for me?" the sixteen-year-old girl asked.

"Come here, dear. You have a visitor," Captain Trevor said, turning his gaze to Amara.

Elyza's eyes widened slowly, and her smile broadened. "Amara!!!"

Amara wiped her tears and waved with a smile at the young girl. "How are you, Elyza?"

"It's really you, Amara!!!" Elyza exclaimed as she ran towards the princess and embraced her tightly.

Elyza's actions seemed to confirm the truth in Amara's initial words. Captain Trevor felt reassured and smiled.

"It seems this time I'm in agreement with my granddaughter," the old Captain grinned, glancing back at the four young men. "In that case, what shall our plan be to reclaim the kingdom?"