Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 22

Alyssa Meyer was the daughter of Lukas Meyer. They both did not have a good relationship as Lukas always neglected his fatherly duties and continued to work rather than give his daughter some time. This caused a bit of family drama between Lukas and his wife about her wellbeing.

Now that Lukas is dead, Alyssa would be taking the crown. If she had not been given a will to her by her father then I could take the kingdom myself. Which I obviously won't

Alyssa looked young, too young. She has dark hair and a really slender build. Her hair was straight and not braided. It came down just below her chest and covered most of her face.

I could only get a glimpse of her face which revealed to me a horrible sight. Her eyes were puffed up and red, from excessive sobbing. Her cheeks were red and she had bags under her eyes. I felt terrible for what she has had to go through.

"Alyssa, my dear! I'm so happy you came down to eat. Please take a seat next to me." Lady Serena said as she pulled out the chair from beside her.

She ghostly walked over to the chair and took her seat. She sat opposite of me and I felt quite uncomfortable seeing this.

"Poor soul… She has a blue aura around her. She must have a lot of trauma and pain…" Amelia told me through telepathy.

"I could tell. This must've been because of Lukas' death." I replied back to her.

Felix came closer to me and whispered. "Artorius, do something to make her feel better before the meeting. The meeting will go badly if we don't do anything."

I gave him a nod and smiled. I couldn't reply back as it would look really suspicious.

Food had been served and I was starving. I smelled the first course which was soup made of different herbs and spices. It had pieces of meat in it which were steamed.

I took a spoonful and blew into the hot soup. I drank it and it tasted blissful. The warm soup filled my insides and I felt energy come back to me to start working again.

Amelia was served her food on the chair and she took a lick. She squealed from how tasty the soup was and I started to giggle from how happy she was for soup.

However as we enjoyed the soup I looked over to Alyssa who was not eating.

"Do you not like soup? We can give you the main course if you wish." Lady Serena asked her, also seeing her not eat.

"I-it's okay, l-lady Serena. I-I'm waiting for it to cool." She said softly, barely being heard.

Everyone suddenly looked at her as if it was her first time speaking. I kept drinking my soup and not being bothered by it. Even Amadeus was surprised.

"Alright my dear! Just take your time." Alaric spoke out to break the silence.

Amelia and I were both sharing the same idea. Eating to our hearts content. Felix and Alexander were chatting amongst themselves in whispers while Amadeus read his book while eating. I would say that's bad etiquette but he's the son of the supreme king and I would be executed for that.

We finished our first course while Alyssa just started her second. I patiently waited for the second meal to come while I cleaned Amelia's mouth with a cloth. "Messy eater you are. Let me clean you."

She grunted as I cleaned off the soup from her mouth. The second meal was served as I cleaned off the last bits from her mouth.

The main dish was a huge steak done in medium rare. It was tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned and just exploded with flavour in your mouth.

My eyes lit up from how delicious the steak was. The juices just overflowed in my mouth and nearly made me tear up from how good it was.

I turned to Amelia who was eating the steak like no tomorrow. She nearly finished the entire steak within seconds while I took my time to enjoy the taste of this blissful steak.

"That was the best steak I've ever had! They eat this on a daily basis? I want to be part of the Leonard family now!" Amelia said while finishing her last bits.

"Don't leave me for food! I also wish to have steak like this to be honest." I told her back.

She started laughing at my panic. "Don't worry! I will never leave Papa! But this steak really is something else."

Alyssa left her soup barely touched. She finished about half of it before asking for the main course. How depressed is she about her father's death?

I took a glance up from my steak and looked at Alyssa for a moment. She was staring dead at me with killing intent. This killing intent was scarier than the hellish hound or even the dragon. Even Mori did not have such an aura.

"She's scary… Her aura changed to red." Amelia says while peeking over the table, looking at Alyssa.

"Scarier than even the God of Death. How do I calm her down?" I asked her, hoping for her to give me guidance.

"Just talk to her after dinner! There's no other option."

Not the answer I wanted.

The main course was finished and we were served with dessert. It was an odd soft bread that was similar to cake. It was basically one of the first renditions of cake that this world had. Made up of flour, eggs, milk, sugar and nuts.

I took a bite from the cake and as expected of the royal family dinner, it tasted wonderful. Amelia took her bite and found it equally delicious.

"Mmm! It's so good! The chefs really know how to make food!" Amelia exclaimed to me in telepathy.

"That's an insult to our own chefs! They make equally delicious food. It's just our food is different."

"That's true. Still this is all amazing!"

Alaric suddenly spoke out from eating the cake. "Artorius, I forgot to ask. What's your bond's name?" Alaric asks me all of a sudden.

"Amelia. I don't think I've made it public so this is the first time I've revealed it to someone other than Felix."

"A wonderful name! Your family has quite the taste with names." He exclaimed out of excitement.

I awkwardly laugh and go back to finishing my cake. "Oh, that's your bond? I thought your bond was your horse." Amadeus asked me, seeing that a crimson fox would be my bond.

"They both are. Amelia is more like a comfort bond." I explained to the curious but quiet prince.

Amelia suddenly jumps onto my lap and starts squealing innocent and cute noises while looking at Amadeus

"Adorable…" Amadeus said, staring at Amelia with sparkling eyes but a monotone expression.

The room laughed as Amadeus muttered out his thoughts on Amelia, except Alyssa who was still staring at me as if she wanted to rip me apart.

I could see that the Leonard family tried to keep this dinner as joyful and fun as possible but Alyssa's mood hadn't changed. The only other option was for me to talk to her personally, as her father's killer.

"Thank you for the meal, your majesty. I am quite tired so I will take my leave. Have a great rest of your evening."

I told them good night before getting up to leave the dining room. I was stuffed and so was Amelia. She climbs back on my shoulder and onto my head to rest. "I'm stuffed!" She said while laying down flat.

"Good night, Artorius. I'll see you in the morning or at the meeting itself." Alaric told me as I was leaving.

The giant doors opened and I walked through the hallways to the staircase to go to my room. It was on the fourth floor and I think I'd remember which one it was.

"I want to sleep badly!" Amelia exclaimed while yawning.

"I do too. But we have one more job." I told her while walking up to the fourth floor.

"Couldn't we just do it at dinner?" She asked me, tired of all the work we had. "Nope, it would kill the mood."

We made it to the room and I laid down for a moment. I had no clue where Alyssa's room was but that's where Amelia's work comes in.

"You know her scent, right?" I asked Amelia who curled up into a red furball.

"Yep! I still remember. Her room is quite close. I smelt her scent while walking back."

Bingo.

"Let's meet her when she enters her room."

We had to wait for her to go inside her room. I knew she would go inside and start crying. I had to comfort her. I knew she hated me and would be violent so I had to get ready for her attacks. I couldn't attack her back so I had to take the hits.

"She's close. She must've entered her room."

I heard a door open and close loudly nearby. It must be her.

I quietly got up from my bed and walked over to my door. Amelia got on my shoulders and I took a deep breath before opening the double door.

Slowly I walked towards where Amelia pointed me towards. Her room was just a few metres away from mine. It was scary how close she would be to me with that killing intent.

"This room… it has her scent…" Amelia whispered while pointing at a door opposite and diagonal to my room.

I checked my watch and saw it was close to midnight. Nearly an hour away. I knocked on her door softly to not startle her too much.

"Alyssa. It's me, Artorius. May I come in?"

I could hear soft sobs coming from her room. As I predicted she would be crying. I needed to talk to her before the meeting to calm things down.

"Alyssa, please. I have to tell you something. It's about your father." I spoke out once more.

The sobbing stopped and I became nervous. I was at God's will now.

"C-come in…" A quiet voice whispered.

I put my hands on the double door to push it open. I take a deep breath to keep my cool when entering.

"Let's do this." I whispered.

I pushed the doors open and found Alyssa on her bed, she had her knees tucked into her chest and had used tissues all around the room. She looked like a mess and I could see how much she was hurt from her father's death.

"Alyssa, will you listen to me for a moment?" I asked her, speaking softly and calmly.

I closed the door behind me and slowly walked closer to her. Amelia held on to me, scared of how much of a mess Alyssa looked like.

She slowly turned around from her curled up position and gave me a death stare that made me freeze in my spot. "W-what do you w-want…"

"I need you to listen to m-" I said before being cut off by her.

She suddenly jumped at me while creating a spiralling wind with her fist. She is trying to kill me.

I react fast and create four layers of mana shield on my arms. I held her arm which had violent winds spiralling like a tornado. She wanted to slice through me using such violent winds. Luckily The mana shields stopped it even after three of the four broke on impact.

"Violence is not going to solve this matter! Listen to me, Alyssa!" I shouted while throwing her onto her bed.

"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" She spoke out from frustration and anger.

"I HAD TO!"

I shouted back at her with power in my voice. She became startled from the power in my voice and started to tear up.

She was frightened easily and started to tremble. I took a closer look at her and I realised she really was a princess.

Long straight hair that came down below her chest, the face was hidden behind her hair but her face slightly peeked through her hair. Small nose, eyes full of tears and cheeks blushing red from the excessive crying.

"Alyssa. Please understand the circumstances. I had to talk to you about your father."

"What do you want? I don't want to talk to my father's killer." She said through her sobs and coughs.

I sat down on her bed and turned towards her. "Stop labelling me as your father's killer. I'm sorry but it had to be done. I honoured his final wishes and killed him with my father's blade."

She stopped sobbing and cleared her throat. "I hate you."

"I know."

Amelia got off from my shoulder and slowly walked over to Alyssa. She felt bad for her and wanted to comfort her.

"Get that fox away from me. I hate everything about you." She said while staring at Amelia.

I shake my head and sigh. "Hate me all you want but if you want to fulfil your father's wishes then you have to take the crown."

"What wish? All there is in the will is just him telling me to take the crown and that's all." She said while looking at a letter which I assumed was the will.

"A will is a wish. Your father wanted to end this as much as your family and my family did. If you want to finish that wish then please, stop crying and hating me. I am not here to take your crown or hurt you. I want the best for you and me."

She looked at me with disgust and hatred. I felt no pressure from her anymore and just wanted to make this end.

"You don't understand what I've been through since you killed him and celebrated your victory. I've gone through hell."

What she said made me chuckle. I couldn't believe what she just told me. I held my mouth with my hand, trying not to smile from how humorous I found her statement to be.

"Hell? Don't make me laugh. You're a princess that was protected by her father and mother for her whole life. You don't know what hell is. I lost my mother when I was born because of your father and my father died only a few months ago. This isn't hell. This is just the entrance."

Her face went from frustrated to a shocked face. She couldn't believe I called her version of hell just an entrance to hell.

I wasn't sure what hell is either, but this was surely not it. I've gone to a hellish land and faced death itself and came back. I had the most experience dealing with hell and people from hell.

"What do you mean…? How can it get any worse?" She said softly, moving her hair back revealing her entire face for the first time.

"I'm not here to talk about what hell is and what it isn't. Right now I need you to become stable and not a crying mess. Your father would not be happy seeing you in this state. He cared for you and his last wish was to meet you one last time."

No matter how terrible of a person he is in my eyes. He was still a father and a husband. He was not the brightest which is why all of this happened. He was also a king like me which meant he had a heart somewhere inside him no matter how cruel he was on the outside.

Amelia went closer to her and put her paws on Alyssa's legs. She tried to comfort her ever so slightly and I hope that an adorable fox like Amelia could melt her heart like she did with Alexander's.

"What do you want…" She muttered under her breath. "Take the crown and act like the queen you were meant to be."

She bit her lips and looked as though she was about to start crying once more. "I will try."

Perfect. I just needed her word. I tamed the wild beast.

"Good. If you need help I'm always here. I'm a king just like you from the same empire. We need to work together rather than be enemies."

I get up and Amelia runs back to me and climbs onto my shoulder again. "Remember, you are a queen. People count on you for leading them through everything. You can't be the one breaking down."

With my last piece of advice I leave her be for the night. That is what I would do.

Suddenly I heard fast and loud footsteps coming towards me. I quickly turned around and get pushed back by Alyssa who held onto me tightly.

"I don't know how to be a monarch… I don't know what I'm doing… Help me…"

I looked down at Alyssa who started to cry softly while hugging me. I became confused and looked at Amelia who just shrugged at me.

"You will learn slowly. Just be strong, okay?"

I pushed her off me and turned back around. "Good night, Alyssa. Don't worry about tomorrow. It will be alright." I told her in a soft voice while opening the doors.

We left Alyssa in her room and went back to our own. "I'm so done." I said under my breath as I pushed open my door.

"I was waiting for you for a while, Artorius." A voice came from the right. It was Alaric.

I sigh and get ready to talk to Alaric even though I was not in the mood. "Your majesty. It is a surprise seeing you here. I was just going to sleep."

"I expect you talked to Alyssa and calmed her down?" He asked me while staring deep at me. "She left the dinner table full of tears. My wife and I couldn't stop her."

"I did my best. I think she will be fine tomorrow. Leave it to me." I gave him my word and a cheerful smile.

He seemed satisfied with my promise and patted me on my shoulder. "I want to make you an example for Amadeus. He is a bookworm and barely talks to anyone other than us."

Me as an example? What is Alaric thinking!? "I'm not the best person to use as an example. If you want someone to be an example for prince Amadeus then I suggest you take the role."

Alaric looked at me with a slightly shocked expression. I couldn't care much at this point and just walked inside my room. "Have a good night, Alaric."

Alaric gives me a confident and aggressive smile. "Good night, Artorius." He said before I closed the door on him.

"Is it alright to call him by his name and close the door on him?" Amelia said before jumping onto the bed.

"He didn't mind so it's fine."

I took off my shirt and cape and left it on the table. The scars had healed quite a bit but it irritated my skin but I got used to the irritation to not care about them, even if it felt like they were about to gush open and start bleeding.

"Do you want to take a bath?" I asked Amelia who was already too tired to even move.

"You can if you want. I feel pretty clean."

I disregarded my feelings to take a bath and paid attention to my feelings of going to sleep. I jump onto the soft and comfortable bed and get engulfed by it.

"Haah~ finally. Time to sleep."

The pillows were fluffy and comfortable. The mattress was clean and cold, perfect for the spring weather. It was the ideal sleeping conditions.

I turned off the lights and let the moon shine through the window to light up the room. Amelia cuddles up next to me and starts purring.

"You're more like a cat than a fox or a dragon." I teased her while she tried to sleep.

"Do you want me to be more like a dragon?" She asked me. "Not at all. I hope you stay like this forever."

My eyes slowly closed on their own. I felt Amelia's fur against my body and her body warmth. I thought for a moment about what would happen tomorrow at the meeting. Will Alyssa be stable enough by tomorrow?

Not long after thinking that I drifted into my sleep. Not realising when it happened.

"Sung Hei. Remember to always stay strong. Never forget what I taught you when we were in the slums."

"Yes, pa. I understand."

"I promise you, one day we will live happily with no one bullying you or hurting you."

I smiled at my father who just finished bandaging me up again. The same old beating from the same old people. It felt like hell. I want it to end but… this may never end.

Dad left my room and left me alone. I limped back to my bed and carefully laid down, trying to not irritate my wounds and bruises.

"Damn those kids… Kye, Dilan, Rexie. One day I will show them…"