Chapter 43: Taunting
1471 Words
Amara made a full recovery and they resumed their mission: to form an alliance capable of reclaiming the kingdom of Emmett.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay, princess?" Nina asked.
Amara mounted her horse and turned to Nina with a smile, "Yes, I'm fine, but that doesn't mean you can go away from me again."
"W-What? What nonsense are you talking about!? Of course, I won't—"
"Good," Amara interrupted, glancing at Orson. "Could you bring out Nina's horse? I would like her to accompany us."
"Princess!?" Nina exclaimed in surprise.
Dravis, Cyrus, and Louie turned to the two ladies who were talking, while Ranz stood behind them, gripping his horse's reins tightly.
"Don't you want to come? We're going to Louie's grandfather's. We want to persuade them to form an alliance with us!" Amara said.
Nina's eyes betrayed her concern as she discreetly glanced at Ranz.
"You don't really need me there," Nina looked away.
"Hm? I always need you," Nina chuckled softly, and they all turned when they saw Orson holding Nina's horse. "Get on so we can leave!"
Amidst Amara's sweet smile, Nina seemed unable to refuse her request. She smiled and nodded, then mounted her horse. Cyrus, Dravis, and Louie didn't object to Nina joining them, but Ranz seemed to feel annoyed that she had agreed.
Nina joined them, and the two ladies enjoyed their journey. In some way, Cyrus and Louie were now engaging in light banter with Nina, and through their genuine laughter, it seemed they had forgiven her for what she had done to Amara.
However, due to their seemingly cheerful conversation, Ranz couldn't suppress his irritation. Nina's laughter seemed to cut into his heart, prompting him to scold them in annoyance.
"Quiet down! You might attract the attention of people around us and get us into trouble!" Ranz said.
Cyrus and Louie looked at him, seeming puzzled. Shortly after, they burst into laughter silently, as if teasing the leader of the bandits.
"Don't make noise? Isn't he the one who's always noisy whenever we're out and about?" Cyrus chuckled.
"Yeah! It's quite strange that you're not joining the conversation this time," Louie added teasingly. "Now that we have Nina with us, your tongue seems to have retreated."
"Sh-Shut up, unless you want me to chop your head off!" Ranz snapped at Louie, turning his gaze suddenly, and at that moment, his eyes inadvertently caught Nina's. He paused briefly, his eyes widening slightly as he saw Nina looking back at him. He quickly regained his composure and clenched his teeth in annoyance. He averted his gaze from them and walked ahead. "Do whatever you want! You bunch of lunatics!"
As Ranz left them behind, Louie and Cyrus felt that he wasn't in the mood for their playful banter. They were quite surprised, as Ranz usually was the first to engage in their teasing, but not at that moment.
"What happened there!? Is he in a bad mood? Did he get his monthly period? Why did he get annoyed so quickly!?" Cyrus asked.
Meanwhile, Nina had just watched Ranz. She knew that his behavior was because he didn't want her to be around him. Nina lowered her head slightly and felt a sense of sadness, but Amara didn't allow her to be consumed by it.
"Hey! I thought you were going to set your heart free from him?" Amara asked, turning to Nina. Amara smiled at her and spoke softly, "Your heart won't be free if it doesn't truly want to leave that cage. Nothing will happen if you don't attempt to step out."
"L-Lady Amara," Nina replied, pondering. She remembered her words and promises to herself - to no longer care about Ranz and to stop loving him. Nina took a deep breath and nodded, "You're right! I shouldn't be thinking about that man anymore! If he doesn't want me here, that's his problem, not mine!"
Amara nodded back at her with a smile. Louie and Cyrus exchanged glances and shrugged. Dravis seemed indifferent to their conversation, his gentle gaze fixed on the path ahead.
On their way, they passed by several men, who greeted them in passing as their horses neighed. Amara quickly bowed her head and adjusted her head covering to avoid being recognized.
"There are so many soldiers patrolling these days," one of the men commented.
"They've been patrolling for days now! It's because they had already captured the former general, Azalea! She's imprisoned now and they're trying to make her reveal her accomplices. They're searching for those rebels here in Priya!" another man explained.
They simply glanced at Louie when they heard the name of his mother. Louie held the reins of his horse tightly as he was silently listening to the two talking men.
"Why are they even here in Priya? Aren't they from Bronwen?" an annoyed man asked. "We're even getting caught up in their mess! The soldiers' actions are causing fear!"
They remained silent until they had completely passed the men and continued on their way.
"L-Louie..." Amara whispered softly.
Louie merely glanced at Amara and smiled slightly. "I'm fine, princess. I know my mother is fine too; she's strong and won't easily succumb to them."
"It's good news that she's still alive," Dravis said in a cold tone. "But we don't know how much she can endure, so we still need to hurry if we want to reach her alive!"
Dravis's words seemed to sober them. They became more focused on their mission and quickly urged their horses forward.
After a few more hours, they reached the hidden camp of Captain Trevor's group, Louie's grandfather. They found Ranz tying his horse to a large tree, and still seemed pissed.
"Good that you're finally here, it took you long enough!" Ranz said irritably.
Cyrus sighed, "You're so impatient!"
"So what!?" Ranz retorted, his annoyance evident on his face.
Dravis grinned as he dismounted his horse. He approached Nina and assisted her in getting down.
"Be careful," Dravis advised, as if intentionally displaying it to Ranz. Amara also watched Dravis as he helped Nina, and her heart twisted in pain as she felt jealousy in his act.
Louie and Cyrus exchanged glances and quickly understood Dravis's intentions. They came up with a mischievous plan and promptly dismounted as well.
"Yeah, be careful! A beautiful and sexy lady like you shouldn't get hurt!" Cyrus quipped, taking Nina's other hand.
Nina descended from the horse, bewildered by the sudden and strange actions of the young men. She glanced over at Amara, who also had a puzzled expression on her face but was trying to smile.
"Wait! Let me see, she might be hurt!" Louie said, holding Nina's waist and examining her body.
Seeing this, Ranz's nose flared in anger.
"W-What are you shameless people doing!!! Stop your indecency towards her!!!" Ranz shouted, wanting to pull Nina's hand away from them, but his pride held him back.
"We're not doing anything wrong to her," Cyrus said.
"True! We're just checking if she's okay, right Nina?" Louie winked at the young woman with a smile, causing Nina's face to blush in embarrassment.
"H-Huh!? Ahh, y-yes! Thank you!" Nina stammered in response.
"Y-You—sh*t!!!" Ranz couldn't speak, knowing he had no right. Frustrated, he took heavy steps away from them, clenching his fists tightly. "Fine! Damn it!"
Louie and Cyrus covered their mouths to stifle their laughter at their mischief. Nina sighed and shook her head.
"Hey," Dravis called out to Amara, who was still on her horse.
"H-Huh?" Amara responded in surprise as Dravis approached her and extended his hand.
"Come down from there," Dravis said, as if waiting for the young lady to reach for his hand.
Even though Amara was confused, she went through with it. She gave her hand to Dravis and allowed him to help her down. Their eyes were focused solely on each other, and once again, Amara's heart fluttered with joy because of Dravis' gesture.
"You weren't jealous of what I did for Nina, were you?" Dravis softly asked, careful not to be overheard by their companions who were still laughing and teasing Ranz at that moment.
Amara's face turned red, and she pouted like a sulking child, "Jealous? And why would I be!? No way! Hmp!"
Dravis grinned and seemed pleased with the princess's reaction, "Well, that's good to know."
"W-Wait! What? Tsk! Fine! I'll go ahead! I want to talk to Louie's grandfather now! Hmp!!!" This time, Amara seemed irritated, feeling as if Dravis was making fun of her. Like Ranz, she walked away briskly, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
Cyrus, Louie, and Nina were puzzled by the princess's behavior. They looked at Dravis and asked, "What happened to the princess?"
Dravis chuckled lightly and walked casually, "Nothing! Don't mind her, she's fine."
- Writer
