The Crown's Entrapment

Chapter 731 Fight for Him No Matter What

It was almost dark out when Helion's entourage reached Haven Forest. As expected, there was a barrier protecting the entrance of the forest as the members of Mount Sorel's Guild began their security checks. They vetted each one of the entourage members along with all their belongings, inspecting if there was anything prohibited, especially those that had poison, dark, or black magic on them.

"Everything is clear for Helion's Entourage," the member in charge of the entrance declared. He then assigned one of their members to guide King Amon and his subjects to their assigned location and make camp inside the forest. For a brief second, it almost looked like they were leaving their guests behind, but King Amon stood still.

"What about them?" Amon questioned, his gaze lingered on Bella, making her blush.

On Bella's part, she quickly composed herself the moment her sister-in-law Jayra suddenly bumped her elbow at her.

"They're also cleared, but we still need to verify their identities and their supposed participation with the King of Cordon," one of the members of the guild declared. "All attendees must be accounted for in each kingdom."

"Those three are with us," King Darius authoritatively declared as he announced his sudden arrival. "They are my people."

"Bella!" Queen Xenia greeted her. "You got us all worried!"

Bella smiled and apologized with a curt bow. And of course, as she expected, both their King and Queen froze the moment their eyes landed on King Amon. It was a good thing then that her brother Bartos had already sent them word in advance so that they wouldn't act too surprised like how she, Bartos, and her sister-in-law did the first time they saw the man.

"Thank you for keeping them safe throughout their journey. I am Darius, the King of Cordon," King Darius gratefully declared. "Bartos had already informed me about the situation in advance. As such, everyone in my entourage has already been briefed to behave themselves whenever they'd see you. Rest assured that you will be addressed as King Amon of Helion. Although…"

King Darius trailed off, and Bella bit her inner lip as she wondered what exactly would happen next. She was well aware of how close King Darius's relationship was with Osman. Already, she could see how those solemn eyes of their king were starting to well up.

"I… I'm grateful and in bliss right now to see you doing well, King Amon," Darius greeted with a genuine smile. "Hopefully, we can have a drink together just like old times during this event."

From the sidelines, Xenia could only watch as her heart broke at what she was seeing. She was trying her best to stop herself from hugging Osman, and she knew full well that her husband was doing the same. She could feel his emotions right now, and she knew just how much he missed their missing friend.

And yet… They knew they shouldn't just walk up to him and act like nothing had happened, if only for the sake of Osman's peaceful standing as Helion's King. He was now in his true identity from the start, the destined and rightful ruler of Helion.

Some time after, Bella interrupted the two kings. She motioned to her, and Xenia was glad to see how her friend had lightened up the tension by introducing her to King Amon.

"It's nice to see you well, King Amon," she greeted, those words being the only words she could utter with every Helonian still eyeing their every move.

"I'll see you inside the gathering," Darius said before he excused himself to Amon and signaled for all of them to follow him inside. Taking her rightful place, Xenia walked beside her husband, who immediately grabbed her hand and gave her a tight squeeze.

"He's alive, Xen. I still can't believe I just faced him like that," Darius beamed. "Did you see how great he looks in his own crown?"

Xenia bit her lip in silence. This time, the tears of joy he was suppressing finally rolled down his cheeks, and she couldn't help but join him as they walked into the forest towards the direction where the Mount Sorel Guild had assigned them to make camp for their entourage.

"My dear friend is now a king!" he proudly remarked. "How it would seem that fate had rewarded him!"

Ah, they probably looked crazy right now as they cried and chuckled at the same time. T'was only a good thing that they were walking ahead of the rest of their friends. Although, now that she thought about it, Xenia couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for Bella to learn of all this. However, seeing her friend smile radiantly while staring at Osman a while ago, she could tell that Bella handled everything quite well.

Shaking her head, Xenia wiped a few tears off her cheeks just as they stopped walking to turn around and face their three friends. With Bartos, Jayra, and Bella in front of them, her eyes particularly darted towards the last of the three as she said, "I owe you an apology, Bella. I'm sorry that I kept this from you."

"It's really nothing. At first, I got mad, but then I realized that all of you only did what you thought was best for me," Bella chuckled as she casually waved her hand at them.

"I know that all of you were just concerned for my well being, and I understand that well now. Sis Jayra also informed me that none of you were really confident that the King of Helion was Osman, seeing as Helion had become very strict ever since its change of ruler."

She then gave them a shrug as she added, "King Amon is a reclusive king, and none were allowed free access to their kingdom until now. In fact, this entourage right now is Helion's first attempt at going out of their kingdom."

"Thank you, Bella," Xenia hummed.

Bella simply nodded. "This honestly calls for celebration," she declared, her lips stretched wide as she eagerly spoke. "If only Osma- I mean, Amon didn't lose his memories, then we'd all be celebrating together right now. Still, it doesn't matter since what's important is that he's alive. And with that, I'm more than content with myself."

"Hah! Content? Absolutely not!" Jayra interrupted with a frown.

Bella blushed, and Xenia chuckled knowing exactly what Jayra meant. She already heard that her friend wanted to represent their kingdom as a participant in Helion's Competition for the Queen's Throne, and while she didn't really mind, the fact that it happened meant that there was a chance that her friend could become queen.

"I support you, Bella. You have to fight for him no matter what," Xenia eagerly encouraged. "I'm sure he'll remember you sooner or later. And even if he doesn't, then just create new memories with him and make him fall for you all over again!"

"Seriously, Xen… You women should have a separate gathering without us men," Darius complained.

"Fine, we women will have this important meeting later," Xenia giggled. "For now, let's settle down in our camp and discuss more important matters pertaining to this global summit."