Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 20: Annoying Rat

"Has the elusive princess not been found yet?" Lord Laxus asked his generals.

They knelt before him while he sat on the throne of the former king.

"Not yet, my lord, forgive me," Thaddeus replied. "But there have been reports that she is in the town of Erin, so I am currently scouring every household."

"I see," Lord Laxus said and took a sip of his wine. "If possible, I want you to capture the princess alive; if not, go ahead and kill her."

"As you command!" the five generals responded in unison.

The door opened, and they heard soft footsteps approaching. Lord Laxus turned to look and immediately brightened at the sight of the beautiful face of the queen.

"Why are they here? Is there a problem, my love?" Yelena, the queen, and mother of Amara, asked.

She approached Lord Laxus, and he took her hand and kissed it. "No, my love. Everything is fine in our kingdom. I was just checking on them."

Yelena smiled, and her face lit up like the dawn sky. The generals remained bowing, showing respect to their majesties.

"You seem tired. Would you like to rest?" Yelena asked.

"Thank you for your concern, but not now," Lord Laxus replied. "We still have matters to discuss."

"I see," the queen pursed her lips before speaking again. "May I stroll through the town today—"

"NO!" Lord Laxus quickly exclaimed, startling the queen. Seeing her startled expression, he quickly regained control. "I-I apologize, my love. Perhaps you are right; I am just tired. I didn't mean to shout at you."

The sadness appeared in the queen's eyes. "I apologize as well, my dear king. I just wanted to check on our people. Besides, I... I thought... maybe there are things or people there who can help me regain my memories."

Lord Laxus frowned, thinking that Yelena might remember everything. Anger filled his heart, but he restrained it.

"It's too dangerous outside! I won't allow them to hurt you again!" Lord Laxus reasoned. "You understand me, don't you?"

The queen bowed her head and took a deep breath. Although it went against her heart, she reluctantly agreed to Lord Laxus' words.

"As you wish, my dear king."

The king caressed Yelena's beautiful face. He smiled at her to ease her desolation.

"When everything is settled, I promise I will take you wherever you want," Lord Laxus said, and Yelena smiled in return.

"Thank you, Laxus," Yelena said. The pretentious king was about to lean in for a kiss, but suddenly the queen pulled back. Even Yelena herself wondered why she seemed unwilling to be kissed or held by the king, who was her husband. It was as if her body had a mind of its own, moving away from him. "I-I apologize! I actually... uhm, have something to do."

Yelena turned away, and Lord Laxus's eyes narrowed. He felt her distancing herself from him, but he decided to let it be. What mattered to him was that he was finally the king of that kingdom, and the woman he loved was already his wife.

****

That night, Amara, Dravis, and Cyrus slept together in one room again. The princess could have slept in a separate room, but they chose to be together for her safety.

As Amara lay on her bed, she tossed and turned, having trouble falling asleep. Her body was tired, but her mind seemed wide awake. She lay there, lost in thought, while Dravis and Cyrus peacefully slept. Nina's words echoed in her ears, reminding her that she liked Dravis but couldn't admit it to herself.

Why did I end up liking this guy? When I first met him, he was a drunkard and spoke without care for other people's feelings. His behavior was rough, and it seemed like everyone around him was his enemy. I thought he was an old man until he cut his hair and shaved his face. Only then did I realize how handsome he is—damn it! What is this happening to me? Am I really in denial?

Amara tossed and turned again in bed, trying to push those thoughts out of her mind. The night was also chilly, so she wrapped herself in a blanket, but the cold couldn't make her fall asleep immediately.

When she turned to where Dravis was lying, Amara was surprised to see him sitting by the side of his bed, resting his chin on his palm. He was already staring at her, seemingly annoyed.

"D-Dravis," Amara said in surprise.

"You're so annoying," the young man said coldly. "Why can't you just sleep?"

Amara felt embarrassed that her restlessness had awakened Dravis. She half-covered her face, leaving only her eyes visible.

"I-I'm sorry for waking you up. I'm just having trouble sleeping," Amara replied.

Dravis furrowed his brow, seemingly wondering why. "Aren't you tired yet?"

"I am, but..." Amara couldn't continue her sentence because she couldn't admit to Dravis that the events between them earlier kept replaying in her mind. "I-It was just too cold. Sorry, please go back to sleep."

Amara lied and turned her body away. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to force herself to sleep. However, a moment later, she quickly opened her eyes again when she felt her blanket lifted, and Dravis was about to lie beside her.

Startled, Amara looked at the young man, and her heart began beating faster.

"Dravis, w-what are you doing?" Amara whispered, her voice trembling, as she stole a glance at Cyrus, who was still asleep.

"Even if you slap that guy, he won't wake up," Dravis said softly. "You said you were feeling cold, so let me warm you up."

"B-But Dravis—"

"I promise I won't do anything to you. I'll leave once you fall asleep," Dravis said as he lay down beside her.

As Dravis embraced Amara, she could feel the warmth of his body. Her face turned red, but it was impossible for Dravis to notice because the room was slightly dim. Amara reluctantly agreed, even though she felt anxious that Cyrus might wake up and see them like that. But with Dravis's arms around her and the comforting warmth of his body, the young lady didn't want him to leave her side.

"I'm sorry," Dravis whispered as he smelled her hair and tightened his arms around her.

Amara lifted her gaze to look at him. She saw that he was staring at her, and his mysterious eyes seemed to speak to her. "Huh? Why?"

Dravis grinned before speaking, "It seems I can't keep my promise of not doing anything to you."

"H-Huh? W-What—" Amara couldn't finish her sentence as Dravis suddenly sealed her lips with a kiss.

The princess didn't resist, as she had been longing for his lips all day. Amara eagerly allowed Dravis's tongue to explore her mouth while wrapping her arms around his neck. In response, Dravis embraced her tightly, making their bodies press together.

Gradually, the chilly night warmed up with the intensity of their passionate kiss. Under the sheets, Dravis's restless hand couldn't resist caressing and touching Amara's curvaceous body. With every touch, a tingling sensation surged through her entire being as if an electrifying current coursed through her veins.

"Dravis, maybe Cyrus will wake up," Amara muttered, glancing at the other young man sleeping in the next bed beside her.

"If that happens, I'll knock him out again so he can go back to sleep," Dravis said before kissing her neck gently.

"D-Dravis, a-ahh…"

An arousing sensation overwhelmed Amara as she felt Dravis's tongue on her skin. She struggled to suppress any sounds, breathlessly trying to remain silent. Dravis continued to explore her body, unveiling her voluptuous figure under the robe, exposing her ample bosom to his admiring gaze.

"D-Dravis— mmm!" Amara blushed in embarrassment but couldn't help closing her eyes when Dravis's tongue played with her.

The young man fondled her breasts, and his moist tongue circled her n*****s, evoking pleasure she had never experienced before. Each sucking and licking action from Dravis made her lose herself in overwhelming bliss.

"Ahhh… uhmmnnn…" Amara couldn't contain her moans.

Cyrus stirred in his sleep, causing Amara to panic. In her nervousness, she pushed Dravis away from her bed abruptly. Dravis was taken aback, not expecting that to happen. He fell onto the floor, and Amara quickly adjusted her robe.

"What's going on!?" Cyrus sat up, hearing the thud of Dravis hitting the floor. "Oh, what are you doing down there, Dravis?"

Dravis's surprised face quickly turned into annoyance. Amara silently opened her mouth to apologize so that Cyrus wouldn't hear her. Annoyed, Dravis had no choice but to sigh in exasperation.

"Nothing! She said she saw a rat, so I'm looking for where it went," Dravis lied irritably and stood up.

Amara, in turn, glanced at Cyrus and anxiously nodded her head.

"A rat? Where? Did you kill it?" Cyrus asked, looking around.

Dravis looked at Cyrus as if his eyes were on fire. "I really want to kill that annoying rat! It's a nuisance!"

Amara glared at Dravis.

"A nuisance to sleep! Tsk!" Dravis added, turning away in frustration while scratching his head.

"Are you afraid of rats, princess?" Cyrus asked, smiling broadly. "I can sleep with you there so you won't be scared anymore— ahh!!!"

Dravis quickly threw a pillow at Cyrus's face, causing him to fall back onto the bed. "You're a pest too. Just go to sleep!"

Amara couldn't help but laugh at their banter. "Enough, both of you! Let's not wake the others. Let's go to sleep!"

****

"My princess!!!" Ranz's eyes sparkled like hearts when he saw Amara's beautiful face that morning.

Ranz invited them for breakfast, along with some of his skilled men. He approached Amara and kissed her hand. Cyrus and Dravis glared at him in annoyance, as if they wanted to pierce their swords into his eyes. Amara awkwardly smiled and signaled them not to do anything that would cause chaos.

The princess noticed that Nina was there, and sadness loomed in her eyes, so she quickly withdrew her hand from Ranz's grasp.

"Good morning to all of you!" Amara smiled and sat down beside Nina. "Good morning, Nina."

Nina smiled back and greeted her in return. Dravis, seeing Amara making a new friend, secretly felt a sense of happiness for her.

They shared a meal, but Dravis couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling of being observed by some of the men who were eating with them at the table. He knew one of those men was keeping an eye on them.

"I wrote to my grandfather again, and I informed him that you are here in my camp," Ranz said, seeking permission from Amara. "What plans have you discussed so far?"

Amara looked at Dravis since she didn't know their plan either.

"I would prefer to discuss that… privately," Dravis replied, which provoked heated gazes from Ranz's men.

"What do you mean!? Are you suspecting that we'll be obstacles to your plans, is that it!?" one of the men with a scar on his arm, named Ramir, barked.

"If you don't trust us, why are you here with us?" another man named Nolan added.

"That's enough," Orson, the man who spotted Dravis, Amara, and Cyrus in the forest, spoke up. "It's natural for them to be suspicious since they've only known us for hours. Besides, we're bandits, and I wouldn't easily trust us if I were in their position either."

"Thank you, Orson," Amara smiled gratefully at him.

Orson felt mixed embarrassment and happiness, "You're welcome, princess."

"What the hell? They're in our fortress! They should follow us, not the other way around!" Nolan insisted.

"They're not our captives," Ranz spoke up, silencing them. "Didn't you hear my pledge to the princess? I am her servant, and I will protect her in any way I can!"

Nina felt a pang in her heart at Ranz's words. Her lips quivered, and despite Ranz's repeated reminders that she wasn't important to him, her heart couldn't get used to it.

"If that's the case, you should pledge to me as well since I defeated you," Dravis said as if taunting Ranz. This statement caused irritation to the leader of the bandits.

"Shut up! I intentionally let you win for the princess!" Ranz lied and glared at him, his eyes ablaze with frustration.

Dravis didn't respond, knowing it wasn't true. Instead, he mockingly stuck out his tongue and teased Ranz again.

"I think that's enough teasing," Amara said as she took Nina's hand. Nina looked at her with curiosity. "I want to thank all of you for accepting us here. I hope our friendship strengthens, and we will succeed in our mission together."

Moved by the princess's sincerity, Nina grabbed her glass and raised it, "To a new friendship!"

"To new battles in the future," Cyrus raised his glass too.

Ranz grinned and lifted his glass, "To our victory!"

And others followed suit, raising their glasses and celebrating their camaraderie over the meal.