บท 34: An Everlasting Bond
Sebastian sat in Markus' office and drank the tea given to him by one of the maids.
"I can't say I agree to you using your authority as a successor to a major house to court my daughter," Markus spoke without a hint of emotion in his voice. Sebastian didn't respond, he knew it was a joke.
"Originally, I planned to leave you alone even though that person personally contacted me to give you that item. But, after seeing the commotion your disappearance caused, I'm intrigued. Who exactly are you?"
Markus leaned forward on his desk and intertwined his fingers.
"I have no time for idle chat, I need the House of Luna's cooperation."
Although Sebastian spoke arrogantly, Markus didn't show any signs of being angered.
"My daughter's reaction can be understood seeing as how she is absolutely smitten with you. However, the House of Sol and Walt House are different. You've been treated horribly and rumors have even began spreading that you're to be disowned but what's this?
"The House of Sol was the first house to initiate the search and the House of Luna followed soon after. The resources both houses have used to search for a single person on the verge of disownment was unbelievable."
Markus held the cup to his lips and drank a couple gulps before continuing.
"Just two days after the two houses searched, my daughter personally marched into the Walt House bearing her title as the successor to the House of Luna. A few hours later, the Walt House began searching for you with great intensity.
"My daughter has no power to move the Walt House so what could have happened? Why would she go this far just for you?"
Sebastian felt guilty after hearing what Amy had kept doing when he disappeared. He had worried her this much.
Nevertheless, Sebastian knew his priorities. He could always deal with political matters later, there was something more important, "Aurum Forest is on fire. I ask that you divert your house's resources from searching to suppressing the fire."
He spoke while bowing his head. Although the House of Sol alone was enough, it would take them longer. The House of Luna's sphere of influence was greater than that of the House of Sol's. They could mobilize more minor houses than the House of Sol and that's exactly why he asked for their help.
Markus continued to look at Sebastian for a few minutes in complete silence. Sebastian's change was too drastic, what happened to him that he was forced to change like this?
"Very well," like Jonathan, Markus quickly stopped his questioning when he heard about the forest. It was a vital piece of land to the kingdom and if they were to lose it, they would have to rely on the neighboring city's forest.
There would be no end to the problems they had if that were to happen. Markus sent Sebastian away to make preparations and told him Amy's location while he was at it.
...
It didn't take long for news of Sebastian's return to spread throughout the capital.
Amy rushed over to Clarice's estate as soon as she could once she heard about it. The guards let her through the moment she appeared. She had been frequenting the estate for the past few days and the guards were already used to her.
Although she was in a hurry, she didn't forget her manners and opened the door normally. She saw Martha and Baritos carrying a tray of porridge and some towels respectively.
"Is Sebastian back?!"
Martha and Baritos looked at each other and the latter began to lead her upstairs. All the way to Clarice's room, Amy's heart was beating so hard it felt like it was threatening to leap out of her chest.
Was he really back? Why was she so nervous?!
All of her thoughts vanished once she saw Sebastian sitting by his mother's bedside. Although his back was turned, she would never mistake him.
She was about to leap into his embrace but before she could take a single step forward, a crushing pressure threatened to envelop her. Her pupils contracted and were trembling.
Sebastian's back looked like a giant mountain. The pressure his body was emitting was intense enough to give Amy fear. But, it only lasted for an instant.
Sebastian noticed their presence and turned around. Before her mind could think, her body had already moved, sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his body.
"Amy..."
"You idiot! Why did you disappear for so long...?!"
Although she really was angry, she couldn't hold back her emotions and began crying.
"You're still quite the crybaby," Sebastian jokingly teased.
Amy wiped her tears away and sat up. She looked at Sebastian's face for a few moments before placing her hands on his cheeks. She closed her eyes and leaned closer.
"Eh?"
Sebastian didn't know what to do and in a fluster, he mimicked her movements and puckered his lips under the gaze of Baritos and Martha.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Amy pulled on his cheeks.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop!"
"Who were you calling a crybaby?!"
"I'm sorry already! Please let go of my cheeks!"
Once she stopped, Sebastian began rubbing his swollen cheeks.
"What?"
Sebastian looked at Amy who was staring at him with an intense gaze. She had placed her hands behind Sebastian's neck at some point. Her eyes were glazed and her face was flushed.
Although she was still crying, they were definitely tears of joy.
At some point, he lost his self-control and moved Amy closer to him. Their lips touched for only an instant before he released. However, before he could get away, Amy pulled him back and deepened their kiss.
It was definitely their first time, their teeth kept clashing here and there. But, it didn't take long for them to get used to it and soon, the two of them lost themselves in passion.
He licked her lips and she offered no resistance. She sucked and bit on his lips at times but it didn't hurt, it only served to ignite the flames of his heart more.
They parted to catch their breaths before leaning back closer as if they couldn't bear to part any longer than that. Soon, just her lips weren't enough. He began kissing her on the neck and bit her earlobe playfully.
"Ah..." although Amy gave a cry of alarm, she didn't resist his advances. But, she couldn't bear it for long and initiated another kiss. This time, it was deeper and she tried to pry into his mouth.
The two of them focused only on each other.
But, just when they were about to go any further, they were stopped with some light coughs.
"Ehem," Martha who stood by the door with Baritos purposely coughed once to catch their attention. Her face was a little flushed as she muttered, "youngsters these days sure are bold..."
Only then did Sebastian notice their situation. Amy and him were lost in their throes of passion while Martha and Baritos watched them.
Sebastian awkwardly turned his head. He couldn't meet Amy's eyes and neither could she. As he turned his head, he saw his mother's eyes stare back at him.
"..."
"I was expecting around three grandchildren but seeing as how passionate you two are, then maybe five isn't out of the question," Clarice said with a weak smile.
Sebastian shifted his eyes to Amy who was still sitting on his lap. She had hear head lowered and even the tips of her ears were red. He couldn't hold back from gulping audibly.
"Young master, we know you haven't seen each other in a week but please do exercise restraint in public," Martha reminded him.
He couldn't say anything in return and awkwardly scratched his cheek. Amy got up from her spot and took the towels from Baritos with a flushed face and began to take care of Clarice.
With that, the awkward air that the two of them caused slowly vanished and Clarice who was feeling weak and saddened from Sebastian's disappearance had mostly recovered. She only needed a few more days of bed rest.
Now that Sebastian had returned, she ate proper meals and drank more water so it was only a matter of time.
When they finished taking care of Clarice, Sebastian spoke to Amy in a whisper, "let's go to my room."
"Sebastian, I'm not sure how I feel about you inviting a girl to make my grandchildren in front of me," Clarice joked and Amy flushed in response.
"I'm not! We're just going to talk."
"R-really?" Amy asked while glancing at Sebastian. Was she always this eager?
"Yes, really."
Only after he assured her a few more times did she follow him to his room. Martha and Baritos continued to take care of Clarice while they left.
"I'm, uh, sorry for kissing you so suddenly," Sebastian apologized. The two of them sat on the bed like they always did but today was different. He could feel his heart threatening to leap out of his chest.
"I-it's fine, I didn't hate it..." rather than not hate it, she enjoyed it a lot.
In fact, if he were to initiate it once more then she wouldn't resist him at all.
"I heard that you were planning on attacking the Walt House," Sebastian spoke. The air around the two of them changed into that of unease. He could tell that Amy was even more nervous than she was before.
"T-they left me no choice. They wouldn't admit where they took you."
Amy turned her eyes away from Sebastian. Maybe even she understood that what she did was unreasonable. Other than the fact that she knew Gilbert targeted Sebastian, there were no other facts to go on.
There definitely weren't any witnesses either.
Sebastian held her hands, "Amy, don't be so rash next time. I felt like I was walking on pins and needles when I heard about it!"
He remembered how nervous he was earlier. If the House of Luna and the Walt House were to really go into war just because of him, it wouldn't end with a simple apology.
"I'm sorry..." Amy began sniffling. Although he couldn't see her face, she was definitely crying again. Was it because they'd been separated recently? He felt as if her emotional barriers had broken completely.
"I'm not mad, I was worried. I'm going to do my part in solving this but you have to make an official statement too. We can't have the future heir apparent of two major houses to engage in full-blown war."
Amy kept her silence but he didn't miss the occasional sniffling. Sebastian smiled helplessly and turned Amy's face towards him. They locked lips again but unlike earlier where they lost themselves, this kiss was gentle. It only lasted for a few seconds but the satisfaction they felt eased all of their worries.
"Do you want me to send you home now?"
Amy shook her head and lowered her body on the bed, "I want to rest for a bit."
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders and was about to leave but Amy held onto his sleeve. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm letting you rest..."
Amy pat the other side of the bed and Sebastian helplessly lowered himself as well. The two of them faced each other for a few moments and seemingly satisfied with that, Amy slowly closed her eyes. All of the fatigue that had accumulated in the past week disappeared.
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