Chapter 198 - 198 His majesty king Edward

198 His majesty king Edward

Anne was cheering for Arthur and Vale. She stood up from her hiding place and screamed in joy. Vale and Arthur saw her from afar. They wave their hand but then realized a shadow appear from behind her. Another dryad, ready to attack by using its long branch arm. Vale screamed while he and Arthur run as fast as they could to her. When Anne saw the dryad, she closed her eyes, ready for the attack.

Somehow, the attack never came. Instead, a warm body engulfed her, and the voice the asking her, “Anne, it’s me. Are you alright?”

She open her eyes and saw a pair of red ruby eyes, with a sway of red hair on his cheek. She rejoices immediately, “Oh, Justice, is that you?!”

The crown prince smiled, how he was longing to kiss her lips and caress her cheeks, “It’s me, Anne…”

The roar came from the dryad who Justice manage to cut the arm before, the arm that almost hurt his beloved Anne. He looks at her and asked her to stay hidden. Thankfully, Vale and Arthur arrived, ready to assist. Anne once again hiding, the three of them fight the dryad and not a minute later go into the ashes along with the other.

“Let me patrol the area, just in case,” Arthur said to Vale, while he and Justice helped Anne to step away from her hiding place.

Justice saw Arthur walk away and got intrigued. “I was so sure mother would never let any of her precious magic knights in any mission like this?”

“What do you mean, the empress knew about the scale of the threat, and to think king Edward and the crown prince were trapped on the island full of traitors?” Vale chuckles, his hand helping our heroine to climb the rocks.

“Traitors? What do you mean, traitors?” Asked Justice, genuinely confused by Vale’s words. He went quiet for a short time when his eyes gaze on a young woman with long purple hair who swayed when the wind blows, “Anne, it’s good to see you… I…” Without even any words that he can convey, he pulls Anne into his warm embrace. “I miss you.”

.....

The two of them share a moment together, while Vale looked at them with a bright smile, and Arthur saw everything from the far side. He took a deep breath and approach the three of them; he tried so hard to fake a smile when Justice saw him.

“Your majesty, I came as one of your protectors. My name is Arthur, and I…”

“I know who you are. I remember the day when you got promoted as the captain after you slew a large hoard monster alone.” Said Justice to him, he look around the area and then said, “Come on, let’s go back to my place. We never know when the other monsters will come on this dangerous road.”

“Agreed, even though dryad is a middle-tier monster, but to fight more than this would be exhausting,” Vale informed the others when his head was looking around the area cautiously.

They walk together into the new hiding place. At first, Vale and Arthur were surprised to see that they had arrived in a small town.

“I was hiding here, one of the lords is a close friend of my father.” Said Justice when he asked them to follow him by the back alley. “Let’s go. This is our way to go inside.”

The back alley is narrow, but it is walkable, although muddy and dirty. Justice never let go of his hold on Anne’s hand. Arthur can only swallow a hard pill when he saw her and the crown prince. Vale took a glance at him, but never said anything. Instead, he asked Justice about the lord that granted him the protection.

“Who is he, really? How come we never heard of him before?”

Justice scoffed and shrugged his shoulder. He pointed at a black wooden door. “That’s his house. He lives there with his daughter and a partner. Their wife was dead two years ago.”

Justice knocks on the door, but then Vale’s hand grabs his shoulder. “Hey, come on, are you sure this is a safe place?”

Before Justice could reply to his question, the door was opened, and appear a beautiful young woman with radiant red hair appeared, a different shade from Justice’s red hair. The young woman saw Justice and her face immediately lit. “Oh, your majesty, you’re back.” She went closer but then back down when her eyes goes to Anne, who was standing behind Justice. She even took glanced at his hand, who held onto her. “Oh… Who are they?”

“Aliena, this is my friend Vale, the primary captain of the magi, and this is Arthur, the magic knight captain.” Said Justice to her.

Aliena’s eyes go directly to Anne. “and who’s this young miss?”

“Anne? Oh, she is my close friend, a healer from the capital.” Justice even emphasizes the close friend, while he pulled Anne closer to his body.

“Oh… Uhm… please come in. The others are already waiting.” She nervously smiled and let them go inside. After she close the door, she told them to go to the second floor, “They were waiting on the second floor, along with King Edward.”

“The others? Oh, did you mean, Henry, Leo, and Xavier?” Asked Vale to the lord’s daughter.

“Yes, primary captain… Uhm… would you excuse me, gentleman… miss Anne.”

After she excused herself, Aliena goes to the other room, leaving them in the back door kitchen. Justice took a sigh and lead them to the second floor. Anne could see there was something going on between the two of them.

The second floor of the mansion is surprisingly big. They even have a third floor. On the second floor of the lounge room, king Edward was sitting on the sofa with Henry reading in another chair. Leo was looking out the window, and Xavier leaned into the fireplace. When they go inside the lounge room, all eyes are on them.

“Oh, finally! I’ve been worried sick.” Xavier took a sigh and embrace Anne as soon as he saw her face. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m alright Xavier, Justice came at the right time.” Said Anne while smiling at him.

“What?!” Xavier and Henry were shouting at the same time. Henry abandoned his chair and book and approached her. “What happened?!”

She was giggling and shook her head, “Nothing happened, don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?” Xavier asked her again, and the only answer from her was her warm smile and a slight nod.

“Well, well, now I can see it myself. How obsessed the four of you are with this girl. Jason already tells me about her.” Anne turns her attention to the unknown voice. She saw a handsome, slightly older man smiling at her. It was King Edward himself. “Hello, miss healer, nice to finally meet you in person.”