Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 18

"I think we lost them." Amelia said as I ran into an alleyway.

We gathered too much attention which made more people come. I barely escaped by bolting it towards a small alleyway. It would be really helpful if we could just not be bothered.

I peeked through a corner of the alleyway and saw no one had noticed us yet. It was also getting dark which should make it harder for everyone to realise who I am. My clothes may stand out but everyone else is wearing stylish and fashionable clothing themselves.

We walked out of the alleway and looked around at the people who wore beautiful outfits. Everyone took out their special dresses and uniforms and started celebrating today. Women wore beautiful dresses of all colours while men wore stylish doublets and some even wore capes.

The centre is where the best part of the entire celebration is. It had people playing instruments and people dancing to it. They had set up a floorboard around the fountain for the dancers. The dancers seemed to be in a pair so I could not join in, not that I could since I haven't learnt how to dance.

"Papa! That stall is selling flower crowns!" Amelia exclaimed while pointing at a stall which sold flowers.

"Do you want one?" I asked her, not sure if she would have the right size for a crown. "Yes! Can I~?" She pleaded.

"Fine, let's go see it." I agreed and went to the stall

The stall wasn't quite crowded but had a decent amount of customers. The flower crowns all looked really adorable and sweet, something you would buy for a loved one.

"K-king Artorius! Welcome to my stall! What may I help you with?" The vendor asked, trembling and shaking from just seeing me.

"Shh! Keep your voice low. I don't wanna be crowded. Just give me the smallest crown you have." I said in a hush voice.

She panicked and quickly looked for the smallest size of flower crown she had. It was still quite big for Amelia but she really wanted it. I thought this was a good disguise for me as well even if it just changed my appearance barely.

"Can I have two normal sized ones?" I asked the vendor. Once again she panicked and handed me two that would fit on my head.

I handed her a gold coin and left. I overpaid but I should be supporting my own people rather than trying to bargain. I crowned myself with both the normal sized ones and tried to put the other one on Amelia. It was too big for her head so she put it on like a necklace.

"Nice necklace. Looks really cute on you!" I told her while patting her head. "You look odd with the two crowns! Take the other one off." She said looking at my crowns.

"It's for disguise. It could draw less attention if I looked a bit odd." I tried explaining to her

"Isn't that counter intuitive?" She said, skeptical of my plan.

"Okay that's true but at least it will be more judgemental than recognition."

Amelia was not bought off the idea but she shrugged it off. "Whatever floats your boat."

It got dark quicker than I thought. The sun was already setting and the lanterns started to glow and light up the streets. The orange glow from the lanterns' fires was so bright that you could pretty much see everything.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I told Amelia who was also admiring the bustling streets full of people.

"So many people and so much activity. It really is!" She exclaimed out of excitement.

ALEXANDER'S POV

Artorius' plan on keeping the attention to himself. We were barely recognized and flooded unlike before. It hurt my ego to not be noticed but it made sense, I was not a king but a count's son, I'm not even the count of this kingdom either.

I looked at Felix who had a bottle of whiskey he was offered by Vincent at the pub he was working at. I refused since I had no wish to get drunk but it seems that Felix is a heavy drinker.

"Damn that Vincent! Gave me a bitter one rather than a sweet one." He shouted in frustration.

I giggled as he angrily looked at the bottle of whiskey. "Where do we go next?" I asked him.

He looked around and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure either. There's too much happening! Let's just go to the centre and dance." Felix said who I thought was half drunk.

"Find me a lady and I'll show you what a dance is!"

Felix looked at me completely unfazed. "With those looks you can get one yourself." He said in a monotone voice.

"I was being sarcastic! A noble like me will never do something like that unless it's with someone I truly love!" I said in a panic.

Felix laughed hysterically as I tried to tell him my reasons. "Haha! You're quite the jester. Let's go and get more food. The smell of all the food around constantly makes me hungry." He said while looking around for good food.

We finally found a stall that sold sandwiches which smelled delicious. "I'll take two of these! They seem tasty." I said while taking two and handing the vendor a gold coin.

Felix on the other hand took five sandwiches. I laughed at him trying to handle all five on his hands while trying to eat them simultaneously.

"Where's Artorius? I miss him." I asked Felix while taking a bite from my sandwich.

Felix had his mouth full with a sandwich, tried to answer while eating. "Probably near the centre." He said while chewing.

"Let's find him!" I exclaimed before storming to the centre.

The centre had a beautiful fountain and pillars that surrounded the area of the fountain. It was a roundabout which was turned into a dance floor using floorboards put together like a stage. There was music coming from there and I assumed Artorius would be spectating, or even dancing!

I made it through the crowd of people cheering on the dancers that were dancing. The music they played really made the mood even better. I could hear it from far away and added an extra ambience to this festival. I let down my pride of being a noble and blended with the common people.

Even the commoners in this kingdom dressed in a really beautiful manner. They all looked like nobles with their beautiful dresses and doublets. No one stood out more than the other as they all blended in with their gorgeous outfits, except Artorius who always stood out no matter what.

"These dancers are really good! Is this choreography or just people dancing?" I asked Felix who was finishing his last sandwich.

"It's just people dancing. If it was a choreography it would be much more different, more elegant should be the right word." Felix answered back

I grabbed Felix's whiskey and took a gulp from the bottle. "Sorry, I was thirsty."

"Sharing a drink with the butler of a king as a nobleman? Doesn't that go against your code of conduct?" Felix asked me.

"I see you more as a close friend rather than a butler. I made friends with you and Artorius quickly since we are business partners after all." I tried to explain to him

Felix looked at me confused. "Friend? Can I stop calling you sir or sire then?" Felix asked mischievously.

"You can, actually. I don't like titles which is why I dropped calling Artorius king or lord."

Felix seemed surprised by my explanation. He did not expect me to actually let him call me just Alexander.

"Well then, Alexander. Let's find Lord Artorius." He said with a gentle smile.

I nod my head and smile back. "This will be quite the goose chase."

ARTORIUS' POV

I check my watch and realise it's already getting quite late. I was not sure how much longer I would spend in this festival. "How much longer do you wanna stay?" I asked Amelia who was still full of energy.

"How much longer can we stay?" She asked me while staring at the dancers. "However long you say."

"Forever!" She exclaimed childishly. "This won't last forever! Say a proper time."

"After we meet the lady you smiled at in the parade." She said while puffing her cheeks.

I sigh and look around for a moment. "It's nearly impossible to find her here. Same goes for finding Alexander and Felix."

We leave and start looking for Kathlyn. We were close to her store but I would assume she isn't going to be at her store.

Amelia got off my shoulder and looked around on her own. I looked around but to no avail I couldn't find her. Why is Amelia so keen to meet new people? She's a dragon who is known to be prideful, not childish.

Suddenly I was approached by a familiar face of an old woman. It was Adley's mother.

"King Artorius! I am so glad to have found you here! I wanted to thank you because you saved my daughter!" She exclaimed as she held my hands.

"Whose that?" Amelia asked through telepathy.

"Don't mind it. It's someone who I helped in the past." I told her back.

She aggressively shook my hands while Adley came from behind. "King Artorius! It's nice to meet you here!" She exclaimed

"Good evening to both of you. I hope you're enjoying the festival." I said with a smile.

"Don't mind my mother. She's still really happy for your help. I am grateful too." Adley said while dragging her mother away from me.

"It's alright. It must've been hard for you to have your daughter be taken away from you. I won't let this pain be felt by other parents." I said, promising them on a brim.

I wanted to fix the justice system but right now I just want to enjoy myself. I want to live comfortably without having to deal with people's issues all the time. But my duty as king also has to be fulfilled, this is really frustrating!

"Please come over to our house sometime! I want to give you a treat for what you've done."

I was slightly taken back by this. I'd rather not eat at a person's house just because I was invited to. "I'd have to decline your offer. I'm really busy so it's difficult attending dinners" I told her as an excuse

"It's alright, my lord. She's just overreacting." Adley said while pushing past her mother. "We'll take our leave. Have a great rest of the night!"

She dashed off with her mother and I was left dumbfounded. "They were weird…" Amelia said before climbing back on my shoulder.

I looked ahead and by a stroke of luck I found who Amelia was looking for.

But before I could reach her I was suddenly surrounded by a mob of people who recognized me. I was cut off from Kathlyn who was looking around aimlessly. "Damn it!" I said under my breath.

People swarmed me and started to ask me questions again. I smiled and pushed past but it was no use. I had to turn around and face the crowd to answer their questions.

"Sire! Is this fox yours? We've never seen a crimson coloured fox that matches your hair colour. What's the story behind it?" One asked while looking curiously at Amelia.

I sigh and shake my head. "I found her after the battle. She was injured in the battle so I adopted her. She's my bond now." I answered and tried to turn around.

"Isn't your horse your bond? The heroic tale of you raising the weakest horse to become the strongest and fastest horse is quite popular." The same person asked me once more.

"They both are my bond. Blizzard is the only horse I can trust in bringing me from point A to point B but Amelia is more of a comfort bond." I said in a rush.

I saw Kathlyn turn towards the commotion that was happening. She started to walk away due to the noise which is the opposite of what I wanted

"If you want to write news on this, ask for an interview with me at a later date. For now I bid you all a farewell and a good night! Enjoy the rest of your night." I told them all before running away.

Kathlyn hadn't gone too far and I finally could talk to her. The paparazzi and other people also left my back which meant I could finally talk to her.

"Kathlyn!" I called out to her as she walked away. She turned around and saw me rushing towards her. I might've given her the fright of her life doing that.

She covered her mouth with her hands as I rushed to her and caught my breath. "Kathlyn! How have you been?" I asked her, out of any other question.

"She really is pretty! Her dress looks so floral and cute!" Amelia exclaimed from seeing her. I look up and see her properly for a moment. She really was beautiful.

"I-I'm doing well! It's surprising for you to remember me even still! I'm glad that you returned from the war unharmed." She said in the same gentle voice I remembered.

"Unharmed…" I muttered under my breath. I really wasn't unharmed. "I wasn't unharmed but it was not too serious, to my standards at least." I said confidently.

She smiled and giggled while I caught my breath. "Your speech today was really heartwarming. It made me feel safe when I heard it. Thank you for protecting us."

"I smiled at you during the parade. Our eyes met as well. Why did you look away?" I asked her.

She became flustered and looked away. "I-I didn't know! I was just looking at the parade go by a-and I couldn't figure out what to do! I didn't realise you smiled at me!" She stuttered and said in a panic.

Amelia suddenly jumps onto Kathlyn's arms and I panic. "AMELIA! Don't do that! I'm sorry she's still a newborn!" I told her as I went in to grab her off.

I was about to grab Amelia but then realised that Kathlyn wasn't freaked out or scared. She held Amelia like a mother would hold her daughter. Amelia was smiling and laughing while Kathlyn held her.

"Oh my! Amelia is so cute and fluffy! I saw her on your shoulder and got curious where you got such a beautiful fox."

I scratch the back of my head and let Amelia and Kathlyn have their moment. "I found her after the war. She was injured but luckily she healed quickly." I lied to her about it.

Amelia climbed onto Kathlyn's shoulder like she would with me. She snuggled up to Kathlyn's cheek and smiled.

"Mama! Mama!" Amelia shouted at me through telepathy.

My heart drops as she says that. "No she's not your mother." I told her back.

"But she's pretty and kind!" Amelia protested against my wishes to make Kathlyn her mother, which meant my wife.

"You two seem to get along quite well! Amelia likes meeting people as far as I can see so far." I said while Kathlyn took Amelia off her shoulder and hugged her.

"She really is friendly. I never knew foxes were so friendly with people. She also has a cute name!"

Amelia comes back to my shoulder and slowly climbs back to my head. "It was difficult picking her name." I admitted.

She began laughing at Amelia who laid down flat on top of my head. "She likes my head a lot apparently."

I realised that she was alone this entire time. Does she not have friends or any other relative?

"Are you here alone?" I asked her out of curiosity. "I am. I only made acquaintances with customers and most of my family lives far from here." She admitted shyly.

I felt bad for her since she was alone all this time. I had people with me but she didn't. "Come with me then. I'm also alone for the rest of the time I'm here.

She blushed and became flustered once again. "W-with you!? I cannot! I'm just a mere florist that barely makes a living! I would not be fit to accompany you when you look so gorgeous and I don't."

Her self esteem is really low. She must be quite shy after all.

I looked at her dress to see what she was talking about not being fit. Her outfit was a white dress with a maroon overcoat. What was she talking about!

"Who said? You perfectly fit the colour theme I'm wearing!" I said. Without thinking twice I grabbed her hands. "You would look perfectly normal walking with me." I told her softly.

She looked away with an embarrassed expression. "F-fine…"

"Let's go. You don't have to worry about anything as I can pay for everything you want to do."

We started walking around the festival and looking around the stalls. I had pretty much seen all of it but I wasn't sure what she would be doing. I was then reminded of something I could do.

I took one of the flower crowns off my head and put it on her head. I also found out she was quite a bit shorter than me, only reaching upto my chest.

She smiled shyly and said, "Thank you…" in a soft voice.

She's cute.

"See? Even you like her! Papa likes mama!" Amelia exclaimed as we walked.

"Shut up. I'm only doing this because she's alone." I told her back through telepathy.

We still gathered the attention of many people as we walked through the street.

"Woah.. isn't that King Artorius? Who is that woman with him?"

"She looks pretty! She must be from a noble family."

"Has King Artorius already found a queen?"

I could hear all of them talking. Kathlyn might've heard them too but we both paid no attention.

"That stall sells really good sweets! Want to try some?" Kathlyn suddenly spoke out.

I haven't had any sweets so I decided it might be good. "Sure! Eat whatever you feel like." I told her with a smile.

She dragged me to the stall and we found many tasty looking sweets. Candy, chocolate, lollipops, I had no idea how advanced this world was!

One sweet that caught my attention was the candy apples. I haven't had those forever and I wondered what it tasted like in this world.

I took two of them, one for Amelia and one for me. Kathlyn looked for a bit more time but took the same thing we did.

"That would be five silver coins, sire." The vendor told us.

I had my hands full with mine and Amelia's candy apple. "Kathlyn, could you just pay from my pouch? It's on my left waist and I have both my hands full!" I told her.

She grabbed my waist and felt my pouch. My waist was sensitive to touch and I jumped by accident.

"S-sorry! Are you alright?" She shrieked out of fear.

"I-it's alright! I'm just sensitive at my waist." I tried explaining to her.

The shop vendor started to smile which made me feel uneasy. Nevertheless she took the coins out and paid for the candy apples.

I took a bite from the candy apple and it tasted as I imagined. The sweetness of the hard candy mixed with the slightly tart apple was perfect. The candy shell was not too thick and easy to bite through. It brought back memories to my childhood.

"Mmm! It's so sweet!" Kathlyn said excitedly.

Amelia bit through the apple fairly easily and also loved it. "It's so sweet!" She squealed in joy.

We walked while eating the candy and it turned out to be calming. The festival calmed down as it came close to midnight time but also much more fun to be in. The stalls were slowly closing and the dance was where everyone went. Seems to be the final act of the festival

"The dance is still going on? I thought it would end." Kathlyn says while looking at the crowd gathered near the dance. "I think it's the final part of the festival."

We also went to the gathering crowd to see what's so special about it. I nearly lost Kathlyn in the process so I held her hand through the crowd.

We finally got to a position where we could see the dancers. They danced gracefully in a waltz. The music fit perfectly and it seemed that the young couples were enjoying each other's company.

"Do you dance?" I asked Kathlyn who lost herself looking at the dance.

She freaked out and answered in a panic. "Y-yes! I was taught how to dance when I was young."

"Would you like to?" I asked even without a single first hand experience in dance.

My only hope was to use the knowledge I learnt about waltz from my old world.

"I-is it going to be appropriate…?"

"You're a young maiden, I'm a young king. You're dressed like a noble and I'm dressed like a king. I think it should be obvious."