Today, we decided to visit Temple of Goddess Amelia. It is largest temple with Kingdom.
Unfortunately, our religious trip end up torment.
A sudden ambush by demons left us in despair.
Allan, who tried to protect me and Reena, was severely wounded.
His whole back was struck by arrows. It was so hostile that I couldn't even imagine to put myself in place of him.
But, after being wounded... in suffering, he stubbornly refused to stay down.
I thought it was crazy.
The fact, that he was so dedicated towards his duty. It was crazy...
Fortunately, before any more damage, aid arrived.
In shower of arrows, cluster of demons found themself helpless. They all suffered for what they did to Allan.
Just the way they ruthlessly... the disgraceful assaulted Allan with arrows, leaving him immobile. They too got slain by numerous arrows raining from sky.
𝘉𝘶𝘵...
"Allann!!"
I approached Allan. Fallen on ground, he wasn't moving the slightest. I shook him but there was no response. Reena to did the same.
𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘸.
"Princess!"
"Princess Lucia!"
I turned as I saw Neulon and Leon, with knights backing them, rushing to us.
"Princess, are you fine?! You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?" Nervous, Leon asked.
"I am! But Allan right here, he is no good. We must take him for rehabilitate, fast!" I commanded.
"Yes, my Lady!"
We made our way back to Raj Mahal as soon as possible. Called for best physicians we had to start Allan's treatment.
. . .
"That's it! I can't wait anymore!" I complained as I made my way to the door, but Nerisa stopped me.
"They told us to wait and that's all we can do. It would be better if you stay here and wait for professionals report."
Right now, we were outside Allan's room, he was getting his treatment inside.
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵? 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯... 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Reena, she must have noticed my worries or no, it was too obvious.
I heard some footsteps approaching as all three of us turned to check.
"What's the situation?"
"The recovery process is still undertaking, Your Majesty." Nerisa answered my father. With brother and Leon on his side.
"I see..."
"F-Father, we must—,"
"Do you got treatment for yourself Lucia?" Father asked.
"There are no injurious just a few scars,"
"I see. I'll appreciate if you return to your room and have some rest."
"B-But—"
"Reena, you too. I shall have Leon accompany you back. You must go and see your parents, they must be worried too,"
"... I understand."
With that, Reena left with Leon.
"Father! Stop ignoring me."
"I am not ignoring you Lucia."
"You are! Why do you—"
"What are you even bothered about?! That Allan?" He interrupted me again.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮?! 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥?
"It is. I want you to check him out."
"Why so?"
"Huh...?"
I was at lost of words on father's reply.
"I asked, why is it necessary for me to check him out?"
"What are you saying?! Isn't it obvious that you should at least see how is his condition after being wounded so badly?!"
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨!
"It's unnecessary."
"Hah?!"
What is he saying?
"It seem you are forgetting something... I am a King, and that man is just assigned for your security Lucia. It's his duty to protect you by all means, even if it meant to sacrifice his own life."
"...What in the world are you saying?"
I was so astonished by the fact that my own father said those words.
"How could you—"
"Don't forget this Lucia, you are a Princess. Princess of this nation. While he, he is just a common man. We don't know his background, hell, we don't even know whether he is a Kshatriya or not. What makes you so attached to him?"
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥.
I didn't even know how to reply. Such words...
"There were others too who lost their lives, you are not even mourning for them. Listen here, they die for us. Our life are important then theirs'. You don't have to grief for every single one who trys to protect you, your's is what that matters after all."
With that father turned leave.
I tried to stop him but my brother got in between.
"What father said is correct Lucia. It's your life that matters the most. You don't have to feel down for someone who sacrifice himself for you. No... You can't call this a sacrifice. It was Allan's job what he sincerely did so stopping wasting your energy on senseless."
𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨?! 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥!
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯?!... 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦.
After witnessing my silence, brother turned his heel too.
"Princess, are you okay?" Someone called me so I turned back to face them.
"Neulon...?"
𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗂𝖽 𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗈𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾?
I was so busy with my thoughts that I didn't realise him approaching.
-----------------------
"...I don't know," Lucia replied to Neulon.
Neulon, don't know what say after this, just stood there awkwardly.
"Hey..." Lucia called out in low voice.
"...You heard everything, right?"
"I have been here for a while now actually. I even greeted Prince and His Majesty from afar and yes, I witnessed everything." Neulon answered honestly.
"What are your thoughts on this...?"
"I believe what Prince and His Majesty said was right."
"...Why?" Lucia mummerd.
"Huh? My apologise, but I didn't heard you well," Unable to caught on, Neulon urged Lucia to repeat.
"I said, Why?! Why do you think everything that father said was right?"
Neulon, on Lucia's sudden outburst, slightly took aback.
Then he replied, "It's hard to explain, or it's more likely that it will take time for me to fully explain this to you. It's bottom's duty to serve those above him..."
"..."
"All in all. It is how it is,"
On Neulon's words, Lucia didn't moved for sometime.
"...P-Princess?"
"A-Ah, sorry..."
"N-No, it's fine,"
"...Well then, I'll return to my room. I need sometime to think, alone..." With that, Lucia ran off.
"P-Princess, I didn't mean to hurt you in anyway!" Neulon tried to explain but Lucia never turned back.
For a moment, Neulon thought he saw tears fell behind.
When Lucia was nowhere in his sight, Neulon surveyed his surrounding one last time.
𝙆𝙉𝙊𝘾𝙆! 𝙆𝙉𝙊𝘾𝙆!!!
"Excuse me,"
After knocking couple of times, he entered the room.
There he saw few physicians treating a person.
The man has his whole body bandaged.
"...Report the condition,"
"Lord, it's almost done, all the wounds are treated. It's a..."
"What? Say it!"
"I-It's just, this man, his wounds are recovering in much faster rate compare to a normal person. All he needs is at least a week rest and he'll be good to go."
Neulon, who never in his life saw someone injured to this extent survive was taken aback hearing those words.
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵! 𝘑-𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘺...?
– Neulon thought.
"You may leave now."
On Neulon's permission, physicians left.
Neulon made is way to a chair right infront of bed and took a seat.
After sometime, he finnally decide to speak up.
---------------------------
"...Hey, I know you're awake. So just get up already." Red-hairs said.
"Oii, Even I can tell that— You heard me right, so answer me already."
"...So Loud," I sighed as I lifted my body up and sat down.
Red-hairs, who was sitting right in front of me, was starring straight at me.
"What? Don't you even know that it's rude to interrupt one's rest."
To which he gave me a disgusted look.
"You, tell me everything." He asked.
"Tell you what?" I questioned him back.
"Argh! Not this again! Just tell me already, why are you doing this?"
𝘈𝘩𝘩, 𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵...
"That, you'll understand eventually," This reply only made him more irritated which I, personally enjoyed.
"So, what's next? You just can't go around with that body of yours, can you. You will fall,"
"Can't deny that, so what?"
"Haah?! Don't tell me you forgot the very arrangement you made yourself!" Red-hairs said, annoyed.
Maybe I played enough dumb. Or too much.
"Don't worry, we'll go as we planned."
He looked at my whole body from up to down, "In this condition?"
"I appreciate your concern but no need to concern about that, now then—"
After that I explained Red-hairs all the plan, of course the main course I left vague. We decided to meet behind church, a specific place suggest by Red-hairs himself. Though, he was still a bit suspicious of me so I came hard with my words.
There were few compromises but we end up deciding 11 of night for...
"I still didn't get it... What is it that you're so eager to visit church?" Red-hairs asked. He must have his questions but I decided to pay no mind to them.
"Just few things I need to confirm..."
My silence made it clear to him that he wouldn't get it unless he try to act on it.
"Well then," He got up from chair to leave.
"It's decided, 11 at night. Don't you dare to play prank on me, okay? Make sure to come on time. I wouldn't wait even for slightest second if you're late,"
"Whatever..." With that he left the room.
I took a deep breathe as soon as Red-hairs left and fell back to bed as my consciousness started to fade again.
Then I had a dream.
A Nightmare.
I was trembling, though body wasn't.
And last thing I know... was a warm sensation.
Warmth of someone.
In my dream, it was a person who embraced me, but.
I could feel it around my palm. My Hand.
As I calmed down from all the suffering.
My eyes open.
. . . . .
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