Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 18: Treating Wounds

The once seemingly emotionless general now had furrowed eyebrows, just like Cyruz, who openly showed his admiration for Lady Amara; it was because they kept on remembering when Ranz locked her in his arms as he pledged his loyalty.

After Dravis's battle with the bandit leader, Ranz finally agrees to ally with them. His men served them, especially the princess. They gave them a room to rest, food to eat, and assurance that they were no longer enemies.

"That annoying guy, he had the audacity to embrace my princess!!" Cyrus grumbled in frustration.

"You two are alike, both perverts. Why are you so angry?" Dravis mocked. "Didn't they say birds with the same feather flocks together?"

"Shut up!!!" Cyruz growled.

They heard a few knocks on the door before it opened. The female bandit, Nina, arrived with some medicine for Dravis's wounds, and she was with Amara, who had just finished bathing in the spring.

"You," Cyruz said, glaring sharply at Nina. He hadn't forgotten that she wanted to separate Amara from them.

"C-Cyruz?! Don't be like that to Nina," Amara awkwardly smiled.

"Nina?" Cyruz looked at the female bandit, but she just snubbed him in annoyance.

"I wasn't coming here to make friends with you! I brought some medicine for that man. I'm here to treat him," Nina said as she turned her gaze to Dravis.

"Witch," Cyruz exclaimed upon hearing Nina's tone.

"What did you say?"

"That's enough! Stop it, Cyruz!" Amara intervened, trying to keep them from arguing. "Ahmm, don't you want to take a bath? I think you should bathe already, Cyruz; the water from their spring is refreshing."

"A spring?" Cyrus suddenly perked up. "Why didn't you take me there earlier? Maybe you want to bathe again, princess? Come on, let's bathe together—"

Cyrus stopped talking when Dravis threw an apple at his face. "Go bathe by yourself, you perverted jerk!"

Amara covered her mouth in surprise, and Nina's eyes almost popped out when Cyrus recoiled and fell onto the bed.

"Cyruz!"

"Dravis! You scumbag!" Cyruz shouted as he got up and rubbed his injured nose.

"Again? You two, that's enough! Enough with your teasing," Amara commanded and sighed.

"Are you sure you don't want to bathe again, my lady? I can massage your back," Cyrus grinned mischievously.

Dravis glared at him again furiously. He wanted to throw something again at Cyruz that would automatically crush his face, but Amara's command to stop sunk into his mind.

"No, I'm fine. I'd rather rest," Amara replied fiddly.

Cyrus didn't insist on Amara any longer and left to take a bath. Amara glanced at Dravis when she saw Nina approaching him to treat his wounds. Nina told the handsome man to remove his upper garment to examine his wounds. Despite seeing Dravis's body several times, Amara still felt a mixture of tension and admiration as she saw it again.

As she stared at them, she found Nina enticing. She could see that the beautiful bandit had a fierce face and a well-shaped body, and her ample and alluring bosom was certainly captivating to men like Dravis. Then she thought Dravis and Nina seemed to be a perfect match.

She didn't realize that she was standing there for too long and doing nothing except staring at them. Amara didn't expect that Dravis would suddenly turn his gaze toward her. Their eyes met, and Amara gasped in surprise, quickly turning away to avoid the young man's gaze.

She wanted to ignore the strange feelings stirring inside her, feelings she couldn't comprehend. As she was about to step back to distance herself from them, Nina suddenly spoke.

"Why? I'm still treating your wounds," Nina asked, puzzled.

"You don't need to do that anymore; I can take care of myself," Dravis coldly replied.

"But some of your wounds are deep, and—"

"If you could leave the ointments here, that would be enough. Thank you," Dravis concluded their conversation.

Nina nodded before standing up and leaving the room. Amara didn't expect Dravis to act that way, and with only the two of them left in the room, her heart pounded again.

She was about to move away and pretend that she didn't hear them, but Dravis's voice stopped her.

"Hey, princess," he called out to her. Amara slowly turned to face Dravis and saw him slightly frowning while staring at her. "I think you're responsible for me, so why don't you be the one to heal my wounds?"

"H-Huh? M-Me?"

Dravis nodded, squinting his eyes. "Who do you think forced me to fight that moron?"

Amara remained silent, but she thought that the young man was right. She was the reason Dravis got injured. As Dravis had said, Amara took a step closer to him to tend to his wounds.

Amara kept her head slightly bowed, feeling embarrassed in front of the young man. She took the medicine and treated the wounds on Dravis's muscular arm. While doing so, her heart pounded rapidly, and she tried to avoid Dravis's gaze, which seemed fixed on her.

"Hey," Dravis broke the silence between them. "What do you think of Ranz?"

"Hmm? Ranz?" Amara appeared thoughtful as she gently applied the medicinal cotton to Dravis's wounds. "He seems strong. He managed to fight with you and matched your attacks. I believe he could be a great help to us—"

"That's not what I'm asking," Dravis interrupted with irritation. Amara looked up, taken aback by his tone, and their eyes met again. Dravis's eyes were piercing deep into her. The young woman seemed bewitched as she could not divert her gaze from him. "What I'm asking... is how you feel about him. Why? Why did you seem willing to marry him earlier?"

"D-Dravis..."

"Don't you trust me? Do you think I can't win him over in my own way? Or do you really want to marry him? Is he the type of guy you—"

"NO!" Amara quickly interjected, but she also surprised herself with her sudden response. "I-I mean, that's not what I'm thinking. T-That's not what I really wanted to do! At that moment, I just didn't want your and Cyruz's sacrifices for me to go to waste, so I thought I should do something to help you."

"And you thought it would be a great help to us if you simply agreed to what he wanted to become our ally? Is that it?" Dravis questioned with exasperation, causing Amara to bow her head again, admitting the young man's accusation. Dravis took a deep breath. "It would indeed be significant for us to have Devil Wolf's group as our ally, but if we have to convince them in such a way, it's not worth it."

D-Dravis.

Amara sensed the annoyance in the former general's tone, and she didn't know why she found herself smiling despite knowing Dravis was pissed. However, the alluring bandit woman, Nina, once again crossed Amara's mind.

"Well, thanks to you, I don't need to marry him, and we have got a strong force to ally with!" Amara bitterly smiled before biting her lower lip, "How about the woman earlier? She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Hmm? Which woman?" Dravis furrowed his brows as if he didn't understand what Amara was saying.

"The woman who brought the medicine and cleaned your wounds earlier," The princess clarified, which seemed to puzzle Dravis.

"Hmm? That was a woman?" Dravis replied, sounding unsure.

Amara looked at him in surprise, unsure if that was indeed what Dravis thought about Nina or if he was just joking.

"What the heck, Dravis? Are you for real? She's obviously a woman!" Amara said, but Dravis just shrugged his shoulders. The young lady sighed in defeat and decided not to think about it anymore.

"You jerk—"

"I see her now as an ally," Dravis said, halting Amara's annoyance. He caressed the damp strands of her hair and smelled its scent. "She will now be one of my comrades in my mission to protect you."

Amara met the young man's gaze again and blushed when she saw him smiling at her. Her face reddened, and her heartbeat quickened. In such close proximity, tension enveloped Amara once again.

T-This feeling again— Oh gosh! He'll hear my heart throbbing!

In her shame, she tried to turn away, but Dravis suddenly caressed her face. His touch was so gentle, giving her a feeling of warmth and ticklish electricity crawling down her spine. The young man's eyes alternately glanced at her eyes and lips, which only fueled the princess's desires. Amara felt intense anticipation about what Dravis would do next.

And just what she wished on her mind, Dravis claimed her lips again.

Amara closed her eyes and unconsciously placed her hand on the young man's body. Countless emotions surged in her heart, overwhelming her. That kiss was different from the one he gave her in the tent. Dravis parted his lips and slid his tongue into Amara's mouth. She couldn't fathom the passion she felt, especially when Dravis wrapped her in his arms; the warmth of his body was putting her on fire. It was as if something was telling her that the kiss was not enough, that she wanted the young man to touch her even more.

Amara fought against the intoxicating kiss from Dravis. She was running out of breath, yet it seemed that the young man didn't want to let her go.

"D-Dravis, w-wait," Amara restrained him.

Dravis stopped and looked at her. Amara was frowning, so he felt slightly disappointed. "I'm sorry for forcing you to—"

"No!" Amara blurted out, slightly bowing her head in embarrassment. "T-That's not it! I-I mean, I'm embarrassed! I... I don't know how to do it right!"

"Do it right?"

"Y-Yeah! T-This thing! I-I'm sorry, you're the only man I've kissed, so I don't know if I'm doing it right. I'm running out of breath," the young princess explained.

Upon learning Amara's reason, Dravis seemed relieved. He chuckled softly and removed Amara's hand from covering her mouth.

"No, you are doing great. It's addictive," Dravis said, giving Amara another taste of his kiss. "I apologize for being too aggressive earlier. Let me do this properly now."

Amara fell silent as Dravis kissed her lips again, but unlike before, his kisses now held tenderness and caution. Unbeknownst to Amara, the young man lifted her up and settled her into his lap. Then Amara's arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. She felt like she was losing herself in the passionate kiss, yet neither of them seemed to want it to end.

After a while, Dravis restrained himself. That time, Amara was the one who got confused. Disappointment washed over her.

"Damn," Dravis cursed himself.

"I'm sorry! I told you I'm not good at this," Amara said, her eyes filled with sadness.

"No, sorry, forgive me for my insolence," Dravis humbly said, avoiding eye contact with the young woman sitting in his lap. "I shouldn't have done this to you. It's better if you stand up before I can't control myself. I'm afraid I might do more than this to you."

Amara couldn't comprehend what Dravis was saying. She asked what he meant by his concern over a simple kiss.

"Dravis, if I disappointed you, please forgive me—"

"That's not what I mean!" Dravis interrupted, exhaling deeply. "You're arousing me."