The Crown's Entrapment

Chapter 740 The List

Amon let out a deep sigh as he observed his men interviewing the individuals who had approached their camp. They claimed to be the missing Helonians they were searching for, but it was still prudent to at least verify their claims.

"Looks like Father will be quite busy…" Samari commented beside him.

Amon glanced at Casimir who was currently working with his assistants to collect blood samples from these individuals. These samples would then be taken back to their kingdom to check their identities with the families eagerly waiting to reunite with them.

"Yes," Amon replied in kind. "I'm sure there will be many more coming forward as the news spreads to other kingdoms."

"This is all because of you, Your Majesty," Samari praised him. "You're doing a great job protecting us, your people. You're helping all of us get back on our feet after what Devon did to us…"

"It's all thanks to King Ezekiel," Amon corrected him. "He was the one who ended Devon's tyranny and crimes…"

"While that's true, it only happened because King Ezekiel made his move before us," Samari defended, making Amon smile. "If he hadn't, you would've been prepared to fight and take down Devon as well."

"That wouldn't be for certain. We're not even sure if I could've defeated Devon," Amon pointed out. "I'm not as powerful as King Ezekiel. Not only does he have divinity in his veins, but he also has dragon powers. If he wanted to, he could easily conquer the world and have everyone bow down to him."

"Do you think he has the desire to do that?" Samari murmured. "He looks so cold."

"We don't know, but we'll be prepared for whatever comes our way," Amon replied with a serious tone. He then turned to Samari and asked, "Aren't you going to help Casimir?"

Samari blushed. "Oh right. I will, Your Majesty," she timidly answered. "I'll go to him now then."

Amon simply smiled as he shook his head looking at Samari who quickly ran to her father to help him.

"What a way to shoo her…" Lera remarked as she came to his side.

Amon didn't respond since he was guilty as charged. Instead, he just asked her an obvious question. "Do you think you'll find your sister here?"

"Well, I believe I've already found her. It's just that she's not among those that came to us yet," Lera answered. "Maybe she'll appear later."

Amon frowned at his cousin. "Who is it then?" he asked. "I assume you saw and recognized her in the gathering, right?"

It would be wonderful news if it was true. Lera had been missing her sister so much ever since they got separated, and looking for her was the first thing she did the moment Devon died.

"I have a hunch. And you know her already," Lera confidently announced. "She looks exactly like Mother. She's Lady Jayra."

"Lady Jayra?! Are you sure about that?" Amon quickly asked. "We should go there now so you can talk to her. Also, why didn't you approach and ask her the first time you met her before?"

It was great news. He had mixed emotions about it, but he was still grateful and hopeful about this development.

"I'm just observing and waiting for now. If she won't come here to our camp today, then I'll go and talk to her tomorrow. Although… I'm honestly just very nervous and hesitant to approach her…" Lera admitted. "I mean, seeing her gave me so much hope that she's my sister. That she's very much alive and living well… But for some reason, the thought of being mistaken is creeping me out. What if I'm wrong and Lady Jayra and I are not connected? What if my sister is still out there somewhere struggling? Or worse, gone?"

Amon let out a sigh as he wrapped his arm around Lera's shoulders and patted it. It wasn't much, but he hoped that his simple gesture would give his cousin some comfort and relief.

"There you are…"

The familiar voice of Amon's mother interrupted him and Lera from their stupor. She had a gleaming smile as she addressed them. "We're done distributing the parchments to the selected kingdoms for your intentions to get a wife!"

Amon tried his best not to put his face on his palm, but that didn't mean he couldn't shrug as he retorted, "It's your intention to get me a wife, Mother. Not mine."

"Why? You don't want to have competition now that you have your eyes on someone?" his mother teased.

"You should tell Aunty early enough so that we can stop the competition and save ourselves from the efforts of organizing it," Lera interrupted.

Mona let out a sigh. "It's not like we can stop it anyway unless we can convince most of the court council and officials, and that would be impossible since all of them have already put their daughters on the list," she stated. "Even if we cast a vote, the notion of canceling it would be rejected"

"The only thing we can do now is help Lady Bella then," Lera hummed. "I'll assist her in the shadows as much as I can."

Amon immediately frowned. "No, don't do that, Lera. It would be unfair to the other participants," he pointed out. "Besides, I'm sure Lady Bella wouldn't want that as well."

"Interesting. You sound like you know her well enough to get what she wants," his mother commented with a raised brow.

Amon gulped. His mother and cousin were staring at him intently now, and they were clearly silently teasing him as they discerned his expression.

"I'm just saying things based on my observation during that time when she was with us," he defended himself. "She seems like the type who wants to fight fair and square."

He said that, but deep inside, he knew his cousin was right. He could feel something inside him leaning towards Bella the moment he first saw her.

"I believe she hasn't been with us for a long time for you to come to a firm conclusion about her," Lera pointed out with a teasing grin. "Or perhaps maybe, deep inside your heart… you somehow recognize her already?"

Amon's face turned crimson red, and Lera chuckled at his expense as she continued, "Ah, I have a feeling that you'll come to me later asking for help to assist Lady Bella in winning and securing the crown to be your wife."

He didn't know how to respond, and he was only grateful for Lady Nita's sudden arrival. She was his mother's personal assistant, which meant that she probably had news for her.

"Queen Mother, we have already received feedback from five kingdoms." Lady Nita excitedly informed as she handed his mother the list.

"This is interesting. I thought Lady Bella would be the only one participating from Cordon, but apparently, there's another woman on the list," the Queen Mother curiously stated with a wide smile on her face. "Looks like my dear son is getting more attention from women than I expected."

"For real, Aunty?" Lera asked in excitement. "Who's the other woman participating?"

Amon stared at his mother, waiting for her to say who it was.

"It's Lady Lena Grant."