Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 28

The Damian family has been ruling over this region for nearly a century. Due to the dense forests in this region it's difficult keeping track of what's happening. The supreme king tackled this issue by making counts take over some of the more remote parts of the empire.

Caelfall is one of the many smaller towns that they have authority over. The family has made an estate here that they live in for most of the time, governing the neighbouring parts of this region.

I came here to sign the contract to start on a project to revolutionize the transport of the world. It's an ambitious project but with knowledge from my past life and status as king it will be much easier than when it was first made in my past life.

"The past few days have really been a pain~ I can't wait to go back home and relax." I said out loud while walking to my room with Amelia.

She followed beside me as we walked down the hallway after dinner. "You got yourself in this. Now pay the consequences!" She said, commenting on my prior cry of stress.

I entered my room and flopped on my bed, tired from today as usual. Amelia curls up next to me as usual and starts to purr.

There was nothing else to do so I took my shirt off and turned the lights off before falling back on my bed and trying to sleep.

"I slept for a long time on the carriage didn't I?" I talked to myself while laying wide awake on my bed. "I would have woken you up but you seemed too tired." Amelia replied back. She can still read my mind even when I'm just thinking to myself.

"How much have you grown up? It's been a few days hasn't it? In this form it's barely noticeable."

I was quite curious about how much bigger and stronger she had become. She already unlocked a lot of her abilities through her dna. How fast do dragons grow up anyways?

Amelia starts to shapeshift for the first time in a while and it brightly lit up the room. It blinded me and when I opened my eyes once again I saw Amelia in her dragon form. But she was different from before.

When I first got her she was small enough to fit inside my pocket. Now Amelia is big enough to curl around my body. In her fox form she could do that from the beginning but now she was as tall as my torso. Impressive.

I smiled seeing her growing up to be as big as a real dragon. It's gradual but at least it's not too slow. I have no use for her but if I can somehow ride her when she grows up I can get around places faster.

"Great! You are nearly as big as me." I told her while petting her head. Her yellow eyes were glowing in the dark, making me quite nervous. "I'm big!" She simply exclaimed.

"Can you shift into any size of a fox?" I asked her, hoping for her to say yes.

"I can! I can stay like before or get as big as this in fox form!" She said while changing back to her fox form.

Great! I can use this shape shifting ability to my full advantage. "Don't get that big! Stay as a small and adorable fox so everyone thinks you're weak."

She seemed displeased that she couldn't show her strengths and had to stay weak. "But I want to show the world how strong I am!" She said innocently. Thinking that she was a dragon I would expect her to grow common sense quite quickly too. Nevermind, she's like a week old. This much common sense is way more than I should expect.

"As I said when we first met. You can't show up as your dragon form in public." I told her to remind her of our first talk. "Dragons are a bad sign nowadays so I cannot show you out in public."

I knew the explanation would not be enough for someone with the mentality of a child but I cannot be bothered. I want to sleep.

Suddenly a knock came from my door. It was soft but it surprised both me and Amelia.

"Is it important?" I asked, trying to fake a drowsy voice.

"It's me, Emily. It's nothing important. Sorry for the disturbance." She said from behind the door.

Emily? What does she have to do with me? This is interesting.

I got up from my bed and slowly walked over to the door, trying not to sound like I was wide awake. When opening the door I was blinded by the lights and squinted, trying to look through the bright lights.

"What is it?" I asked her. My voice came out much more hoarse than I thought.

Suddenly she shrieked and hid her face with her hands. "S-sorry!" She shouted before I realised why she was acting this way. I didn't wear my shirt.

I was unfazed by it and just stared at her blankly. "Oh, sorry about this. Let me go grab my shirt."

Quickly I rushed back inside and grabbed my shirt from the chair and quickly put it on. I also took my cape, knowing it would be quite cold at this time. I fixed the collar of my shirt but kept the top buttons.

I walked out of the doorway and saw her shyly opening her eyes once more. "As you were saying?" I asked her.

She fidgeted around with her hands as she looked at me before speaking. "Well, you've grown up a lot it seems." She said softly.

"I'm not the only one who has. You also seem grown up too, more than you were at the academy." I told her, completely making up the entire thing.

She gave a friendly smile and looked more comfortable than at the dinner table. "I want to catch up with you! It seems you forgot me though… It's fine if you don't want to now!" She said while her face turned to a tomato red from how flustered she was.

I thought for a moment about it. I really want to sleep but saddening her might be a bad idea. After all, she is Alexander's older sister and he is quite fond of his family. I might as well keep up my good nature with the Damians.

"Sure, let's catch up." I told her as I walked out of my room and closed the door behind me.

The tips of her pointy elf ears wiggle and become red from excitement. She was really ecstatic about catching up with me. What history did I have with her?

"Let's go to the garden in our backyard! It's a beautiful sight at night." She exclaimed quietly before taking the lead.

Amelia looked at me with distaste as we walked through the hallway and downstairs. "I thought you wanted to sleep. You place yourself before everyone else and yet, you followed her arbitrary request?"

When did she get so critical? "I did it in my own self interest. I can learn more about the past of this life if I went with her. She might reveal more clues." I told her. Her mood hadn't changed much but she decided to lay down on my head.

The two of us made it down to the back of the mansion. She quietly looked around and opened the door, making no sound in the process. Why is she so cautious?

"Come. Walk slowly so no one notices us." She whispered while motioning me to come through the door.

I made no sounds with my footsteps and concealed my presence, something I learnt through some trial and error.

Once I looked around the garden I remembered why the Luxanor empire was known for being blessed by nature. There were many beautiful flower bushes that grew colourful flowers in big numbers. The backyard seemed to be well maintained but had the sense of a forest.

A stream of water flowed through the middle of the yard, splitting it in two halves. It had wooden bridges on the right, the middle and the left. It all connected to one pathway which had bushes of mixed flowers.

We walked through the garden a bit while catching up. We talked about casual everyday things. Something that I usually don't do. She shared some stories from back when we were in the academy and I listened thoroughly, keeping every detail in mind.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She said while turning to me. "It is. The air is quite cold." I told her while looking up at the sky with many beautiful stars dazzling.

"N-n-now that you mention… It's… cold…" She said while crossing her arms and shivering.

I hadn't realised before but her clothing was quite light. It was a colour I couldn't make out but it was really thin, barely enough to keep her warm. Her collarbone was exposed which really didn't help.

Seeing her sorry state I decided to be a gentleman and give her my cape for warmth. I took it off and placed it on her shoulders.

"W-what are you doing!" She exclaimed as I wrapped the cape around her.

"Helping you, What else do you think?" I replied back. "I knew you would get cold. The dress is really thin for weather like this."

She hid her face in embarrassment but composed herself soon enough. "Thank you…" She muttered out quietly while grasping the cape around her.

We kept walking through the garden and talking. I pointed out the stars in the sky as it's the first time I've seen them properly. In my past life the city lights were too bright and the slums were not that dark at night either. It was difficult to see stars in my past life.

"Do you remember that time we went to the Faunus kingdom on a field trip? You showed us all around the capital of the kingdom. You became our tour guide and the teachers just watched." She said, reminiscing about the past that I never knew I had.

"Yeah… I remember… It was fun leading the class! I'm glad the class trusted me with the task." I replied back, trying to sound as if I remembered.

She chuckled softly before breaking into laughter. "Of course we would! It was your kingdom after all. You rule it now."

I laughed with her awkwardly, trying not to stand out. "You can lie as easily as you breathe!" Amelia told me through telepathy. "You learn these when you've had to go through enough."

"Ah, of course! But it was more fun visiting it on a field trip than as a prince." I told her, hoping to not make myself look like a fool.

She smiles at me before turning around and walking away. "Follow me. I'll show you a really beautiful place really close by.

Suddenly she starts to run off. I followed behind her through the moonlit lush forest that surrounded the mansion. There were many fallen trees and mud around but I carefully dodged through them.

"Keep up! It's not far!" She shouted excitedly. I kept up with her but I was more cautious with the further we got from the estate. Where is she taking me exactly?

After running for a few more yards we made it to a clearing in the forest. She stopped and then turned around. "Look at this!" She said as she pointed at the beautiful sight that was in front of her.

There was a waterfall coming down from a steep hill. The water flowed down and created a river that wasn't too deep. We marvelled at the beautiful waterfall and the fireflies that floated around. It was quite the sight behind the mansion, something I didn't think would exist.

"It's a place of solace for me. I've always visited this place when I got burnt out from… life I suppose." She said while slowly walking across the shallow river.

"..."

I walked into the water as well, disregarding my shoes and trousers that were going to get wet. Amelia jumped off me and walked on the cold, gentle stream of the water that flowed through. It wasn't too deep and was clean.

We walked across the river and she pointed at a few rocks that were next to the river.

"Let's sit here! It's really comfortable actually." She said before walking over and taking her seat on one of the rocks.

I went along with what she was saying and took my seat next to her. Amelia sat on my lap and watched the waterfall.

The water that fell from the waterfall was not too violent, it was quiet and gentle, making it easier to hear around us.

"It's calming, isn't it? The stars, the forest's smell and the water slowly falling from the waterfall." She said in a soft and sweet sounding voice.

"It is. I can see why you come here when you're down."

I felt quite drowsy from how relaxing the area was. The wind was blowing gently through the trees and moved the leaves of the trees. I felt no creatures were around the area, let alone any dangerous ones. This place is perfect for solitude, yet she brought me here.

"Want to see some tricks?" I asked her. I wanted to put on a slight show for her as a way of showing gratitude for showing me such a relaxing spot.

"Oh, sure thing! What is it?"

I held out my index finger in front of her face and told her to pinch it.

"Pinch it." I said with a big grin on my face.

She seemed skeptical at first. She sighed and agreed to it. She pinched my finger and I simultaneously squirted water from the tip. She jumped back on instinct but I controlled the water to disappear so it wouldn't get her wet.

"Woah! That was surprising!" She exclaimed. "Hold it for a while. See what happens."

She tried again and held onto my finger. I squirted out more water and made it float around us. She was quite happy and excited seeing small tricks like this. The Damian family seems quite childish.

I made the water into various shapes and sizes while controlling it. Amelia was also enjoying the mini show that I played out on the spot with no plan.

She giggled and laughed while I put on a show for her. The stars in the sky added to the beauty of the play and the entire forest itself. This feeling was quite… new and soothing.

Suddenly she laid her head on my shoulder. I looked to my right shoulder where she laid her head and she seemed really sleepy.

"Are you sleepy?" I asked her, hoping she could at least walk over to the mansion.

"I'm not. I just wanted to rest my head on your shoulder." She said softly.

I played around for a bit longer as she laid her head on my shoulder. I used some fire as well to add another element in the mix. Amelia was really enjoying it but I realised that Emily had fallen asleep.

"She fell asleep. What should we do?" Amelia asked me while climbing onto my shoulders. "I have no choice but to carry her back. Let's go." I said before gently carrying her in my arms.

"I can help! Let me help!" Amelia said excitedly. What idea does she have?

Suddenly she starts to shapeshift into her dragon form and get bigger. "Hop on! I can fly you there now!" She said excitedly

I gave her a smirk before getting on her. "Sure then. I'll get you a saddle so I can actually sit on you more comfortably."

Emily was knocked out completely in my arms and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Amelia lifted off and we were in the sky. I could see the estate and the forest roof from on top of her as we flew.

Amelia's back was rough so it was difficult sitting on her for a long time. I managed to sit on her and keep my balance. I had to simultaneously carry Emily and also keep my balance. This was getting difficult.

"Hold on tight! We're landing!" Amelia said before diving down to the backyard garden. We landed safely and I slowly carried her through to the inside.

Amelia shapeshifted back and got on my shoulder once more. I looked around inside and saw no one was awake. The lights were turned on but it was no issue. I could carry her to her room easily.

"This way… her room is this way…" Amelia whispered, even though we spoke in telepathy.

"We don't have to whisper. We're speaking in telepathy." I told her. "No fun!" She exclaimed.

We walked down the hallway to her room but suddenly she started to move. I panicked and nearly shrieked.

"A-Artorius… I… missed you…"

She's sleep talking. What was the relationship between Artorius and Emily? Could it be that they were high school lovers?

Amelia pointed towards her room and I followed her directions. We entered her room and I gently put her on her bed. I forgot she still had my cape on her. I had to somehow strip her of my cape and put the blanket on her, without waking her up.

I slowly untied the cape from near her throat and gently took it off her body. I unfolded her blanket and tucked her in before leaving her room and closing the door behind me softly.

"Haa~ That was tiring. What's the time?" I said before taking my pocket watch out and checking the time.

"It's still three. I have enough time to sleep."

We walked back to our room and I closed the door behind me without making a noise. "Finally, bed!" I exclaimed before taking off my shirt and jumping into my bed.

Amelia already made herself comfortable on a pillow and went to sleep. I wasted no time and rolled over to face her. I took a look at her through my squinting eyes before closing them. Without knowing when, I fell asleep.

"Lord Artorius… Lord Artorius… It's morning. Breakfast will be ready soon."

The familiar voice I wake up to usually sounds different… Who is this…?

"Papa! We overslept!"

That's the voice.

I slowly got up and cleared my throat. "I'm up. Give me a minute." I said before standing up.

"I feel so tired… why? Was it the alcohol?" I asked myself, thinking back to what I did yesterday. "You and Emily went on a walk together and caught up. She took you to her place of solace and you entertained us with some magic. She fell asleep on your shoulder and we had to carry her home."

"Oh, right…" I said while rubbing my forehead. I wore my shirt and went to the bathroom to wash my face. Amelia seems to be tired as well today. Luckily I had no dreams, or nightmares. This might be the best sleep I had in a while.

Alexander came into the room suddenly and looked around for me. I gave him no thought and kept washing my face. He suddenly came into the bathroom and saw me washing my face.

"Artorius~! We have a busy day today. We need to meet with the engineers and scientists that will help us complete this project." He chimed in.

"Oh? Alright then, let's get started with this day." I told him after drying my face off on a towel.

Alexander laid back on the doorway and smirked at me. "That's what I like about you. No complaints or disagreement. Always agreeing with whatever your schedule says."

"I would disagree but I threw myself into this project. Might as well get this over with as soon as possible." I told him while staring blankly at him.

"Huh? So you don't want to do this project?" He said, slightly disappointed. "It's not that I don't want to. Working is annoying but sometimes you just need to put your wants behind your needs."

"That's quite wise of you. Let's go! Breakfast should be served soon." He said before leaving my room.

I picked up Amelia and put her on my head before walking out of the room. Out of the blue I saw someone I forgot about. Emily.

She saw me and turned around, becoming flustered as soon as she laid eyes on me,

"G-good morning, Artorius." She softly said while turning her back towards me.

I walked closer to her to talk to her for a bit. Her ears wiggled and turned red again like before.

"Good morning, Emily. Thanks for everything yesterday. See you downstairs." I told her before walking past her.

She quietly shrieked and walked along with me since we both were heading downstairs. I was curious about the past that Artorius and Emily shared but I was too busy to figure that out now.