788 Queen Bella
Slowly opening her eyes, Bella yawned as she did her best to wake herself up. For a brief second, she tried to remember what happened the day before only for her eyes to quickly widen as she thought about her husband.
"Amon?"
Blinking, she was currently in a room somewhere in Helion Castle. She at least remembered making her way up there to sleep, and for a brief second, she thought that Amon would be with her by the time she woke up. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and she was left all alone in a place that she didn't really know too well yet.
[You should relax,] Poona advised her. [We had a long day yesterday, and I'm sure that our mate is just fine.]
[I know, but still, we should at least know where he is,] Bella insisted. [He's our mate, and for all we know, he might already be awake.]
As if to test that theory, Bella immediately tried to contact Amon through their bond even though a part of her already knew what she was about to get as a response.
[Amon? It's me, Bella. Are you awake?]
Seconds passed after she sent out that message, and sure enough, silence was the only thing she got in return as she frowned. Still, that was why she already dressed herself before whichever servant even got to her room first. She wasn't going to waste any time here. She wanted to see Amon, and she was going to see him now.
Making her way out of her room, Bella was immediately greeted with the feeling of being in a foreign castle as her memories of yesterday's trek around the place never really stuck to her. As a result, she had no choice but to wander around blindly as she did her best to look for her missing husband.
"Amon would probably be in an infirmary somewhere," Bella wondered to herself as she wandered around the castle hallways. "Maybe Jayra's with him too. Or maybe they're actually just near my room?"
Blinking, Bella realized too late that she probably shouldn't have wandered too far away from where she began. Already, she had made a considerable distance from where she began as she found herself in some kind of garden in the middle of the castle.
[I told you you shouldn't worry too much,] Poona chided her.
Rolling her eyes, Bella shrugged as she decided to enact a different plan other than to just aimlessly wander the castle. Instead, she walked up to the first servant she spotted and told him to take her to where Amon was currently being taken care of.
"In here, my lady," the servant meekly bowed as he showed her the door to the room in question.
"Thank you," Bella nodded, not bothering to correct the man by telling him that she was his queen. "I'll take it from here."
Watching the servant leave, Bella took a deep breath as she turned to face the door separating her from Amon. Raising her fist to knock, she gave the door three taps before slowly opening the door.
"Who's there- Ah, it's just you, Bella," Jayra greeted her with a smile. "Come in."
Bella blinked as she spotted Jayra over a still-unconscious Amon. By the bedside, Queen Mother Mona sat patiently by her son's side, seemingly content with just watching over him before she turned to greet her with a nod of her own.
"You're finally awake," Queen Mother Mona smiled at her. "Come closer. We have much to discuss."
Doing as she was told, Bella closed the door behind her before standing right next to Amon's bedside. Looking at the two other occupants in the room, she smiled as they both gave way, allowing her to lean down to Amon's forehead and give him a loving kiss as her way of helping him along his recovery.
"I'm assuming he's still recuperating?" Bella asked Jayra as she turned to face her friend. "That damn thing Devon put in him just had to do this much damage, huh…"
"You're right on the mark, unfortunately," Jayra faintly smiled. "We've done all that we can to help him. All that's left is to let his body do its thing and recover on its own. Don't worry, Bella. He's pretty much healthy. All that's left is to simply wait for him to wake up."
Bella sighed in relief at what she just heard. Even though she knew that her sister-in-law wouldn't let her down, there was still a part of her that thought maybe Amon wouldn't pull through from this. That he would leave her alone yet again to pull herself back together right after they just found each other again.
"That's good," Bella beamed. "Thank you, Sis."
"It's the least I can do for you, Bella," Jayra smiled back. "Queen Mineah also helped though. Without her, I'm sure that King Amon wouldn't be as healthy as he is now."
"Ah, I should thank her then. King Ezekiel as well," Bella mused. "Where are they, by the way?"
"They already left," Jayra answered. "They still have their duties, after all."
Bella simply nodded in understanding. That was to be expected anyway, even if she did feel a bit bad about not being able to thank the two properly.
"I still wish I could've properly thanked them though," Bella lamented with a shrug. "I guess I'll just have to write them a letter or something."
"Don't worry, dear. They know well of your gratitude for them," Queen Mother Mona chimed in with a sly smile. "Also, you better get changed in a few minutes."
Bella blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"
"For your introduction to the kingdom, of course," the Queen Mother smiled as she stood up. "With my son still unconscious, I took it upon myself to arrange the event. It's only proper that our new Queen be known by the public as soon as possible, after all."
She froze at the sudden surprise. All of a sudden, Bella felt like she was being put on the spot as she became hyper aware of her current dress. Obviously, she was far from ready to be seen as the queen that she was now.
"I-Isn't this a bit too sudden?" Bella reasoned. "Shouldn't it be pushed to tomorrow? Or at least until Amon wakes up?"
"That's just the way things are," the Queen Mother smiled with a reassuring tone. "Until 13:54
you and Amon are bonded and you are crowned as his queen in accordance with the "Nonsense. It's better that we do this now," the older woman chuckled. "Now go. I've already sent for a few servants to help you."
Before Bella could even blink, she found herself being dragged along by the supposed servants who were going to help her get ready. Whisked away into a changing room, she was surprised at how quickly she went from someone that just woke up to look like someone who was befitting her station as a queen. It also helped that the Queen Mother herself was overseeing the preparations.
"That was fast," Bella remarked in surprise as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"We pride ourselves in our efficiency, if all else," Queen Mother Mona smirked. "Now come. Let me show you to your new subjects."
Again, everything moved quickly for Bella as she was all but thrust into the crowd. Now standing over a balcony overlooking the mass of Helonians that came to see her, Bella did her best to look dignified as the Queen Mother began her announcements.
"People of Helion! We come to you all to bring outstanding news!" the older woman bellowed as she gestured to her. "Our King has finally chosen his new queen! Queen Bella! They are bonded through the Ritual of Marking, and they will be our new monarchs moving forward!"
Bella blinked before she eventually got the hint and waved at the crowd below. To her "Greetings! I'm Bella Hindman, lady of Lock Heart Pack in the Kingdom of Cordon and while I may not be of this land, I will do my best to support King Amon to the best of my ability!" she declared to the crowd below. "I will do my best to be the best Queen that I can be, and I'll make sure to be as fair and just as is expected of someone at my station."
A faint round of applause was the only thing she got in response to her heartfelt speech, the tension in the air almost making her sweat before the Queen Mother thankfully bid everyone goodbye and got them out of that place. Bella could only gulp even as they finally got out of that suffocating balcony, her nerves fraying as she let out a nervous sigh.
"I-I guess I have a lot of things to do to prove myself," Bella weakly chuckled.
"That's just the way things are," the Queen Mother smiled with a reassuring tone. "Until you and Amon are bonded and you are crowned as his queen in accordance with the laws of Helion, the public won't accept you as their new queen."
Bella shrugged. "That's just normal, I guess. Still, at least that would be a start."
That was to be expected. She knew she had to prove herself. Nothing too fancy, she supposed. Either way, she was going to make sure to be the best Queen these people ever had.
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