Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 32

"I can't wait this long." I whispered under my breath.

Amelia jumped out of the window and rushed to the gate while I jumped out of the carriage and rushed towards the gate as well. The guards realised my rush to get inside and panicked.

One of them came forward and greeted me as the gate opened up. "Welcome back, my lord. Is there something wrong? You seem to be in a rush." He said as he nervously smiled at me.

I couldn't waste chatting with the guards. "Someone's in danger. I need to save them." I said hurriedly before crawling underneath the gate.

Amelia was already inside the city waiting for me. I crawled underneath the gate and came through and found her already running towards Kathlyn's shop. Just what is happening?

I caught up to Amelia and followed her to where she senses danger. She took a few shortcuts through alleyways and narrow gaps between buildings. My clothes became dirty from the crawling and the spaces that I had to get through.

The streets were busy as usual but I thread the needle through and dodged through the crowds around the streets, finally making it to the road where her shop is.

We turned the corner to the street and looked straight ahead. A crowd had gathered around Kathlyn's store and there was a lot of commotion happening.

"No time to waste." I muttered under my breath before rushing towards the crowd. Amelia followed me to the crowd to see what was happening.

"It's a berserk from the beast tribes. I can't make out which but he's gone insane. He has a greatsword and has already killed two soldiers. Be careful." Amelia notified me through telepathy.

"How do you know?" I asked her in the small time I could. "I can see under the legs of people and I see two soldiers on the ground. The beast is shouting furiously while swinging his sword around in anger, possibly jealousy due to his aura being purple."

"..."

I could hear the beast shout from here. He was telling Kathlyn something but I didn't know what it was. I tried harder to listen to what he was saying and heard a snippet of what he said.

"Why him!? Just because he's a king you will love him more? I've given you so much more!"

You've got to be kidding me.

The crowd surrounded the commotion and watched it in horror. I had to somehow get through this tightly knit crowd and stop him before things got even worse.

"If I can't have you, then no one can!" The beast said while getting ready to strike down using his sword.

Everyone gasped in terror and did nothing. They just stared as he was about to strike down on Kathlyn who was scared for her life and fell to her knees.

With no second thought I leaped forward and unsheath my sword. I squeezed through the tiny gap in between the crowd and distracted the berserker as he striked down. I easily parried his swing and he jumped back, surprised from my sudden arrival.

I stared at him as he got back into his fighting stance. I was furious that someone would even dare such a thing.

Amelia ran behind me and found Kathlyn on the ground, fearing for her life while I tried to protect her from this berserker. I turned around to see her trembling in fear. The crowd just watched as if it was a show being put on, not realising that an innocent life is on the line.

"What the hell are you doing? I go out of the capital for a week to give you all peace and I return to more violence?" I shouted out to him. I targeted these words towards the entire crowd and not just him. No one stepped up to save an innocent person from harm and it really annoyed me.

He didn't want to cooperate with me and shouted in a fit of anger before lunging towards me once more. I couldn't dodge the attack since Kathlyn was behind me and she would be in danger.

There was a crowd surrounding us, making the area I can fight even smaller. Using elements around here would be dangerous too. I could maybe use wind but that would be difficult.

I sigh and get into my stance, seeing no other options. He swung at me but I parried it once more. His sword was bigger than me and his strength was overwhelming at some points but it was not as difficult as it looked.

I noticed he was from the wolf tribe. This meant he must've gone feral and into his beast form due to pent up rage. They can become really strong in this state and take down whole platoons in mere seconds. I can get killed in one good swing. I could do the same if I went for his neck.

He continued to strike at me from different angles using different methods. None of them were of success and he was making an even bigger commotion. If this keeps going my sword will end up breaking.

Suddenly he striked down from the top once more and I parried him. Instead of pulling away he kept going. He put all his energy on this attack and nearly overpowered me.

"See? You're weak. Die so I can be with her!" He shouted with anger and jealousy. His saliva drooled from his mouth and fell next to me as I tried to keep up with his strength.

"Weak…?" I muttered under my breath, really annoyed that I'm having to deal with this.

I was going easy on him, seeing that he was doing this out of jealousy. But when he called me weak I lost it then and there. My sword wouldn't be able to handle more hits so I had to make it quick.

"Papa! Mama is scared and crying! Finish this quick!"

You really have done it now.

I pushed harder than ever this time. He stood no chance when I gave it my all and pushed him back. He tried to give it his all but it was nothing compared to me. This fight was decided the moment he tried to kill Kathlyn.

His pupils became smaller as I overpower him and make him kneel down in front of me. He still tried his best to push against me but it was futile. I could overpower him with ease.

"Do you realise who you're talking to? Is this how you talk to your king?"

His expression changed to a nervous and terrified look. He begged for mercy as I slowly overpower him and make him kneel down in front of me. Slowly his body became smaller and smaller as his rage turned into fear.

The wolf that towered over me with a muscular build was now shorter than me and could barely hold his sword. He whimpered like a dog as I stared at him down, pushing with my sword as he tried his hardest to defend himself.

"I-I'm sorry! Stop! Please! I beg you, my lord!" He cried out, realising he was pinned down for good this time. Tears rolled down his face as he cried from fear of death.

The audacity to beg for mercy. Shameful.

"Die." I simply muttered out as I broke out from his parry. He tried to get up and make a run for it, dragging his sword which he couldn't even lift anymore.

I bolted it towards him with no second thought and jumped at him. With one clean swing his head was off his body. I land on my feet and turn back around to see his body collapse to the floor with his head rolling away.

At that moment, Felix and Ron came with the carriage from the other end of the road and found me standing with my sword covered in hints of blood.

"Amelia! How is she?" I asked her through telepathy while sheathing my sword. "She has her face covered. She's too scared to look at the fighting."

The crowd that surrounded the area watched the body with morbid curiosity as I walked past it. Some covered their eyes or mouth from shock, seeing a headless body spewing out blood from the top and making a pool of blood around the headless body.

I started walking back to Amelia who was beside Kathlyn trying to consult her. The crowd just stood and stared at me with fear and shock. "What are you staring at? Get lost." I told them, frustrated and annoyed that people would rather watch someone get killed than help them

The crowd slowly dispersed and went their own way, minding the dead body and its head laying in the middle of the road.

Felix caught up to me as I walked towards Kathlyn and walked alongside me, Taking quick glances back at the body and back to me.

"What happened here? Why did you have to kill him?" He asked me quietly, terrified and clueless of the situation.

"Things happened. He went berserk and killed two soldiers. I became his judge and executioner."

He scoffs and nods his head. "Very well. I will go and dispose of his body." He said before turning around and walking to the dead body with a pool of blood around it.

"Come here quickly! She's tearing up!" Amelia chimed in suddenly through telepathy. "Oh, right. I'm coming." I said back to her before continuing to walk to her.

I knelt down beside her as she cried softly, covering her face with hands.

"Kathlyn, it's me. You're safe." I told her softly while moving her hands from her face. Her face went from petrified to a comfortable smile.

She wipes off her face from her tears and slowly stands up. I picked up Amelia and stood up with her to ask her about what happened.

"What did you do? Why was he going berserk?" I asked her, hoping for a detailed recount to justify my actions of killing a berserk. This is really going to taint my image but at least she's safe.

She cleared her throat before answering me, "W-well, he usually comes to my shop to talk to me. We became close but suddenly he stopped coming over. Today he came with his sword and started to threaten me. It grew attention and guards came to stop it. He killed them both and a crowd gathered. But you came and saved me!"

I gave her a soft smile but grit my teeth under it. He was jealous and had a misunderstanding about the entire thing. "Well, at least you're safe. I hope this doesn't affect you in any way."

Amelia suddenly jumped to her shoulder and curled up around her neck. She started to purr loudly as she rested around her neck like a necklace.

I panicked and tried to get her back. "Stop! I want to be with her!" Amelia exclaimed as I tried to take her from her neck softly.

"Sorry, it seems Amelia has grown really fond of you. Would you mind if she stayed like that for a moment?" I asked her, hoping she would agree.

Kathlyn was quite fond of Amelia too now. She picked up Amelia from her neck and held Amelia closer to her in a maternal way.

"Sure! I kind of missed her. She's so adorable!" Kathyln said, giving me a sense of relief.

"Thank you so much!" I told her, sighing a breath of relief.

She played with Amelia while holding her and laughing with her. Amelia was enjoying herself and I just waited till Amelia was satisfied. She started making high pitched noises in joy while having fun.

"Do you want to come in? I don't think she will let go that easily." Kathlyn said while looking back at me.

Amelia looked at me as well with glittering eyes, pleading to accept her request. "Pwease~?" She said to me through telepathy.

"Sure! I don't mind."

What am I saying!?

"Come inside then! I can make some tea if you want." She said while fixing her bangs. Without a second thought I followed her inside her store and just took a moment to look at it.

The shop had everything from potted plants to seeds. She decorated the place with vines hanging from the walls. The pleasant aroma of plants and greenery really set the mood of the shop. Amelia also marvelled at the store while Kathlyn took her through it.

I followed behind Kathlyn through her store while taking quick glances at the many potted plants which sprouted out flowers and buds on all of them. They all looked well looked after as well. None of them were dying.. She seems to have a lot of experience in gardening.

She walked us upstairs where she uses it as housing. It had a living room and a kitchen with her dining table. It was really cozy upstairs but still had the floral scent of flowers and plants from downstairs.

"Your house is really well planned out! It's really cozy up here. I said before taking a seat on her sofa. Amelia lets go of Kathlyn and decides to sit down with me.

Kathlyn smiled in response to my compliment. "Thank you for your flattering words. It's where I lived my whole life. I'll go make the tea and bring something for Amelia. You two just wait a few minutes."

She left us in the room and went to the kitchen. I laid back and just took a breather for a moment. I had been travelling since yesterday and I finally made it back home just to slice off a citizen's head because they went berserk. I really need this tea.

Amelia sat down on my lap and rested for once as well. We both were burnt out and tired from all the travelling we had done for the past few days.

The sweet scent of fruit cake came from the kitchen and made both me and Amelia quite hungry but excited. My stomach growled from how hungry I was since I only had a small portion of ribs in the morning and alcohol to drown it down. Needless to say I was in need of nutrition.

"Isn't that person in the picture grandpa?" Amelia told me, breaking the silence. "Where?" I asked her, looking around the room to see the painting.

The painting was to the left side of the room near the doorway to the kitchen. It really was my father. I saw many portraits of him drawn in the palace while taking a walk around it, even in the office room and the storage room me and Amelia visited.

"That is! But why is this in her house? And who is that man with him?" I replied back, pondering to myself about who it may be.

Kathlyn came out of the kitchen with tea and cake on a tray. She noticed me gawking at the painting of my father and looked at it as well. "Oh my, I forgot! I'm sorry, I should've taken this down before I let you in."

Why would she hide it?

She put the tray down and sat down on the sofa opposite of me. "Who is the man next to my father?" I asked her directly, hoping for an easy answer.

She seemed quite down from me mentioning it. "It's… my father. He was a close associate with King Theo. He was a two star general, on his way to become a three star general. Sadly he died in the last war King Theo had with the Aberdeen kingdom."

My eyes grew larger as I heard the shocking story of how her family technically has ties with my own. "W-what!? So our fathers k-knew each other?" I said, stuttering from shock.

She nodded slightly and swiftly. "Doesn't that technically make you a noble?"

"We were counted as nobile and even had a villa. Sadly after my father's passing we fell from grace and moved into the capital with whatever we had left." She said while slowly becoming unhappy.

I cleared my throat and composed myself. "Sorry for asking something so insensitive." I told her while taking a slice of cake from the plate.

She looked the other way and held her mouth close before clearing her throat. "It's okay. I'm extremely sorry, I'm just a really emotional person." She said, trying to hold back her tears.

Feeling bad for her I tried to change the topic. "Well, how's it been anyways? After the festival we didn't see each other." I told her, trying to brighten up her mood.

She smiled softly and passed on the cup of tea to me. "It's been good! I've had a lot of customers lately. Especially the day of the festival. I was the first to restock so I had an influx."

I picked up the cup of tea and smelt the aroma that came from the tea. It smelt minty and put my body into a state of relaxation just from the smell. The tea tasted sweet and minty and filled my mouth with a flavour I was not used to before. Just what kind of tea leaves did she use?

"That's fantastic! By the way, this tea is extraordinary. What kind of tea leaves did you use?"

Her face became a light shade of red as I complimented her tea. "O-oh, it's a special mix that my mother taught me about the blend and it's always amazed me too!" She said with a bright smile.

Amelia ate the cake in silence while me and Kathlyn talked about what happened, catching up on each other like old friends. This was the first time I experienced this, even though I did the same with Emily.

"Mama and papa are cute together." Amelia said as I took another sip from the tea, nearly making me spit it out. I started to choke and nearly dropped the cup.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" She said as I coughed. "I-I'm fine. It just went down the wrong way." I said while taking back my composure. She really caught me by surprise.

I looked at Amelia with a stern look which made her nervous. "Stop saying such things without a warning."

"Sorry…"

I finished the tea and Amelia finished another piece of cake from the plate. A quick glance at the clock on the wall revealed that it was nearly two o' clock. I had to get back to the palace.

Amelia started to slowly fall asleep and slowly fell limp on my lap. She must be tired from everything that happened today. I might as well leave.

"It's getting quite late for me. I'll need to leave now. Thanks for keeping me company right after I returned. It's nice getting to know you more!" I told her before getting up and carrying Amelia's sleepy body.

She got up as well and placed everything back on the tray. "Oh, I see! I'm glad I could help you relax from your journey. It's odd having the king of the kingdom at my home but, I feel like I can connect with you easily."

Her words caught me by surprise and made me flustered. "O-oh! I see! It must be because our father's knew each other." I said in a panic.

Why am I panicking?

She chuckled at my flustered expression and fixed her hair. "It might be. It's been a pleasure though." She said before turning red in the face. "A-also…" She muttered out softly.

"T-thank you for saving me." She muttered out quietly.

My heart felt heavy as she thanked me. "I-it was nothing. I need to save people in danger, as usual." I muttered out in a panic before turning around.

Without a thought to spare I walked downstairs with Amelia sleeping in my arms. I stepped outside and sigh of relief. "What am I doing?"

The streets were cleaned off the blood and everything continued as usual. I walked to the palace while looking around, trying to find Felix if possible. I was noticed along the way as usual but most of them just waved and said hello. After a long walk I made it back to the palace gates.

"Welcome back, my lord." The guards outside the gate said while bowing down. "Thank you for your warm welcome." I simply said before walking inside.

I shook Amelia awake so that she could wake up to eat. She would kill me if I ate without her. "Wake up, sleepy. We're gonna have food soon." I told her while shaking her awake.

She slowly woke up from her slumber and opened her drowsy eyes. "F-food!? Where!" She exclaimed as she looked around, realising we are still in the courtyard.

I giggle from her childish acts before replying back to her. "Not yet. Let's take a shower first."

I continued the walk through the courtyard to the front door while admiring how neatly it was kept. It looked just like how I remembered it to be. After reaching the door I sigh and take a deep breath before turning the door handle.

As soon as I entered I saw Felix talking to the head chef in the foyer, talking about something that I couldn't make up.

Felix turned around and bowed down. "Welcome back, my lord. The bath is ready." He said as I entered.

I gave him a nod before going upstairs. It's been a while since I saw the hallways and the rooms of my own palace. It feels bizarre that I only got here nearly just a few weeks ago. Even stranger is the fact I have a dragon pet and have connections with a god.

After nearly getting lost in my own palace I made it back to my room and stripped my clothes off before walking into the bathroom.

Once I stepped into the bathtub I felt all my fatigue disappear in an instant. I laid back into the bathtub and just melted in the water, keeping my head above the water for breathing.

"You seem tired. Have you not recovered from the dynamite?" Amelia asked while staring at me. "Not just that. The war and the explosion." I told her back, barely having any energy in me.

Realising that I might fall asleep like this I sat down and cleaned my body. I hadn't bathed in a few days. It feels blissful to be in this bath.

"Right, let's get some food."

After stepping out and drying off both me and Amelia I picked up my usual clothes for the first time. Plain white shirt and beige pants, casual clothes for once.

A knock came from my door and I expected it to be Felix.

"Food is ready. You may come down anytime."

A smile broke from my lips as he told me about lunch being ready. "I'll be down. Give me a minute."

I missed this.