Chapter 745 Die
Amon let out a sigh as he watched Bella blush up a storm beneath him. Despite himself, he couldn't help but think of how adorable she was being while she twiddled with her fingers like a kid who got caught stealing from their parents. It also didn't help that she clearly dressed herself in a more practical manner than some of the women that he saw accompanying them. She knew what a hunt was, and actually made efforts not to dress herself in a way that would interfere with their activities.
Just… Just looking at her made his chest tighten for some reason. She just looked so precious at that moment that he almost wanted to just swoop in and just take her under his wing without a word if only to spare her from further embarrassment.
Of course, he didn't do that. That would simply be the height of callousness.
"You at least arrived, Lady Bella. That's what matters," Amon nonchalantly stated as he moved his horse near to her. "This one here is under my responsibility. "I'll make sure to admonish her later for her lack of punctuality."
"Acknowledged, Your Majesty," the Sorel Guild representative nodded in affirmation. "However, we no longer have a spare horse for her. We already sent the spares back to the stables, unfortunately."
"That will not be a problem," Amon quickly replied. "I'll have her riding behind me."
"What?!"
"Will that be a problem?" Amon cut Bella off, ignoring her outburst as he turned his gaze to the Sorel Guild representative.
"Absolutely not, Your Majesty," the representative quickly replied. "Unfortunately, that would mean that it will fall to you to brief Lady Bella on our current rules of engagement. The forest must be preserved, after all, and these rules exist solely to make sure that is the case."
Amon grunted. "Of course. I'll inform her of what needs to be done."
Stretching out his hand to her, he almost rolled his eyes as he saw her almost hesitate to grab onto him. The hunting party had already gone into the forest, leaving both of them alone by now as he waited for her to actually get on.
"What are you waiting for? We need to leave now."
"A-Are you sure about this?" Bella meekly asked. "Won't I get in the way of the hunt?"
"This is just a ceremonial hunt to start the day," Amon coolly explained. "It won't matter if I don't catch anything. What's important is that I'm present."
Taking control of the situation, Amon went ahead and plucked Bella out from the ground and seated right behind him. The feeling of her presence beside him almost made him feel… something. It was noticeable, but it was thankfully easy enough to ignore. It was a good thing she was behind him, lesser torment.
He shook his head because of how wild his thoughts were with him imagining hugging Bella if she sat in front of him. Her scent… It was very familiar and it smelled divine to her. It was a cozy fruity mix of wild blackberry whipped with sweet vanilla and jasmine.
He released a sigh. This woman… She was making him feel so weird. Everything seemed foreign and yet so familiar and comfortable whenever he was with her.
"Ceremonial, huh… I guess that explains the bow and arrows," she mumbled behind his back as he went and caught up with the rest of the hunting party.
"It does," Amon shrugged as they went into the forest, his bow in hand as he looked out for anything sport-worthy. "We're not allowed to use our abilities here. There's no point in having the most kills in this hunt, but it wouldn't hurt to have something once we return."
He narrowed his eyes as he felt Bella's arms wrap around his waist. It looked like he had no escape from her even if she was sitting behind him. Her touch sent shivers down his spine, but he hid it well as he spotted one of his fellow monarchs in the hunting party. One King Moler of the Kingdom of Eren.
"Greetings," Amon greeted the young king.
"A-Ah, K-King Amon," Moler replied, his eyes shifting as his bow trembled in his grasp. "I didn't notice you."
Amon raised an eyebrow at the young king's behavior. Not that he could blame the kid seeing as he's a teenager at the oldest. If he recalled correctly, the Kingdom of Zura ruled by Moler was one of the many kingdoms devastated by Devon during his rule. The royal family was obviously wiped out, leaving a young kid as the sole heir to the throne.
"I was left behind," Amon coolly responded. "My… acquaintance here came in late despite my advice not to do so."
"You didn't say anything," Bella pouted. "I came here on my own."
"Nevertheless, we're here now, and it's good to see a fellow monarch," Amon continued, ignoring the way her arms tightened around his waist. "Have you seen the rest of the hunting party?"
"Unfortunately, no," the young king stuttered. "I-I guess we got left behind…"
"Then let's not waste time," Amon began as he took the lead. "We have some catching up to do."
Riding out front, he couldn't help but feel suspicious despite knowing that he had no reason to feel such things. With Bella being a non-issue behind him and a fellow monarch riding behind them, they should be relatively secure as they rode through the forest. And yet…
"Now!"
"Amon, watch out!"
His eyes widened as he heard two shouts from behind him. One was King Moller, and the other was Bella seemingly warning him of something. Turning around, to his surprise, his fellow king had drawn his bow at him. Bella was down on the ground in a ready position, and around them, archers from high above the trees all aimed their sights on them.
An ambush then.
"What is the meaning of this?" Amon calmly asked, his senses already scoping out every single would-be assassin trying to kill them.
"Y-You… Your kingdom destroyed my home… Killed my parents," the young king ground out, his aim steady as he cried out. "You have the same blood as that demon Devon. How can we know for sure that we can trust you?! It's just a matter of time before you also make the same move as your brother!!! Demons are an abomination and can't be trusted! You're all the same!"
"Are you blind?! He's literally here to engage in peace talks and establish diplomatic relations! Didn't he let your kingdom be?! If he's the same he'll just continue getting hold of your kingdom under him! What a fool you are!" Bella loudly scoffed, her arms raised as she took up a stance ready for any sort of fight. "What kind of enemy would-"
"Bella, let me handle this."
Getting off his horse, Amon gave Bella a grateful nod before addressing his fellow king. He knew that his kingdom's reputation would be bad, but he didn't think it'd be this bad.
Still, he could probably work this to his advantage. Fighting could not always be the solution. Enough blood was spilled and the only blood he wanted to see right now were those that belonged to the monsters Devon created to create chaos.
"If you truly think that, then take the first shot right here and now."
Amon was resolute as he stood right in front of King Moller with his arms wide open. He knew for a fact that a king this young had no composure of their own. In fact, it was already obvious from the moment they started interacting. The stuttering… the constant shiftiness… This kid was hopelessly out of his depth in his duties.
"A-Your Majesty, what are you doing?!" Bella incredulously shouted at him. "Do you want him to kill you?!"
"Come on, King Moller," Amon taunted. "If I truly was the one responsible for the destruction of your kingdom, then shoot me right here and now."
"Amon!"
He stared unblinking at his fellow monarch even as Bella began trying to stop him from supposedly doing something stupid. This was, in fact, the exact opposite of that. Despite staring possible death right in the face, there was no way this young king would have the guts to shoot him.
Although, feeling Bella tugging at him from behind did make him… feel things.
"I-I'll do it!" King Moller shouted out, her words fraying as his bow shook in his grip. "Y-You'll pay!"
"I'm waiting then," Amon neutrally challenged. "Come on. If you really believe what you're saying, then shoot me."
Amon narrowed his eyes as he stared at the young king right in the eyes. He could see it all… The doubt… The fear…. The obvious hesitation as his grip on his bow wavered more and more.
"Are you serious?" Bella whispered from behind, having finally caught his obvious calmness. "We're surrounded, and he might just kill you."
He simply nodded. Even if the kid shot his arrow, he was sure that he'd survive anyway. After all, what was one arrow compared to the might of a hundred demons?
"F-Fine!" King Moller screamed. "Die!"
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