•Bella's POV•

"I-I need time to think." I tell Arthur as we both sit on the back steps of the castle. My mind is reeling at the information I had just overheard, and been told. The entire time Arthur told me what had happened only moments ago, there was a hopeful glimpse in his eye.

I'm almost certain it's because he believes I will automatically forgive him. Yet, something inside me is holding me back. I mean from what I have gathered, Arthur's life is a mess.

His best friend manipulated him into hurting me multiple times.

He is being forced to marry some chick, for the sake of the kingdom.

His brother/trusted advisor is behind all of this.

Then there's me, the one who has to kill him soon. Like I'd forget about that. Especially since now, all the sins are here.

Arthur looks at me his eyes still full of hope. "Please, give whatever we had a chance. Especially now, knowing that it wasn't me, can't that help?"

My head looks up at the granite colored ceiling. "No matter what happened you still hurt me, I can't just forget that." I say calmly.

"Bella, please?" He practically begs me. It takes all my mental strength to not turn and jump him at the mention of my name. What is it about him and my name?

Can I forgive him?

I take a large intake or air before deciding, "Arthur I-"

"Sire." Both of our heads snap to the source of a voice to see a woman. One dressed in a maids uniform. Her face is slightly pale and she looks uncoordinated.

Arthur gives her a one over before speaking, "Yes?" He says bringing on his authority voice. One I've heard way to many times to feel accustomed to it. It's the type of tone that he uses when he's angry. Poor woman whose in the range of his fire.

"I-I have so-some news." She stutters.

I place a hand on Arthur's shoulder in order to calm him down. I feel his shoulders relax under my touch. "Please tell me." He says a little bit less authoritative.

The woman looks towards me, "Um, what about her." She says disgusted. What the hell is up with everyone treating me like dirt. Do they want me to slit their throat, because I can easily chop their neck off with my eyes closed.

Arthur wraps his arm around me. "Whatever it is she is allowed to hear." The side of my mouth curves up slightly at these words.

The woman blinks multiple times as if assessing his words. Then she finally speaks, "Sir, one of your guests. A man of the name Gowther, was found dead a couple minutes ago."

My jaw literally drops. I mean sure I don't really like Gowther, and yeah he creeps the fuck out of me, and I really can't stand him. But he is still one of the sins, and one thing I learned when I was with them is,

The sins don't die.

Arthur notices my body stiffen and he turns to look at me, "Did you know him too?" You'd think he'd be acting really rude about that, but he was calm and concerned.

Maybe Merlin did take complete control of him. This isn't the same Arthur that flipped off at me. No this is the same Arthur I met day one, and went on a date with, the same one that ordered me orange chicken, and is way more childish than he lets on. This Arthur is sweet, caring, and forgiving.

"Y-yeah." I stutter. My thoughts are jumbled together in an tangled knot. Arthur envelops me into a tight hug noticing my distress.

The woman that I forgot was there clears her throat, Arthur doesn't move. "Would you like to see him?" She asks.

I somehow am extremely alert as I feel his hand rubbing circles on my back. I shouldn't be doing this, I know that. Yet I can't seem to move.

I feel a warm breath whisper into my ear, "Do you want to see him?" His low gentle voice asks.

I inhale sharply, then I nod.

Arthur moves back to stand then he reaches his hand out to me. I take it, using his hand to balance my disheveled self.

Somehow I'm being guided towards the fourth floor. The hallways have a eerie silence to them. As if the murder is hiding in the shadows. We begin approaching a doorway filled with people. The only ones I can recognize are Ban and Meliodas, both standing off to the side talking in hushed voices.

Again my ear tingles at the warmth of a breath hitting it, "We can wait until the room clears up." Arthur suggest. Immediately I shake my head, I need to know.

He nods his head in understanding and we swiftly make our way into the room. As we pass Meliodas and Ban I can catch the single tear falling from Meliodas's eye. We make eye contact and the fear in his eye is painful. I can see it, he's confused. Most likely as to how his comrade died, how someone could kill a sin.

I break eye contact and focus on the ground as we squeeze our way into the room. I don't bother meeting the faces of the other sins whose presence I can easily feel watching me. Although I can't seem to find Harlequin, wonder where he is.

Arthur's arm is still holding on tightly to my side, as we approach a bedside. "We're here." He whispers again into my ear.

Timidly my eyes move up. There lying dead is in fact Gowther. I inhale sharply as I take in his lifeless form. The cause of death had to be poison since there is no marks of a weapon on him. It can also be seen that he's been dead for a while, all by just examining him.

That's when I notice his face, and his eyes are open. I look into his eyes searching for my answer. Then I feel it, a cold air surrounds me, and the bodies of people around me disappear. I take a breath and look around me. I'm in a pitch black area.

"Hello." My voice resonates throughout the room.

Suddenly a grey cloaked figure appears in front of me.

I knew it.

"So, we meet again Uchiha." The familiar female voice comes from the woman in front of me. She wears the same grey cloak as before, and her head is still faced downwards. All I'm able to see is her cloak and the outline of her slightly taller than me figure.

"Yeah, guess we do." I say casually.

"I'm guessing you tried looking into your friends eyes?" She asks feigning sweetness.

I refrain from rolling my eyes, "If I hadn't I wouldn't be here now would I?"

She gives a halfhearted laugh, "True, but aren't you surprised you didn't see what happened?" The woman asks condescendingly.

I let out an annoyed breath, "He's dead, I figured I would appear in emptiness. Although, I had hoped it wouldn't be with you."

"I warned you did I not? I told you I wanted you to kill King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot." As she says his name I can almost feel the hatred.

"You said you wanted him dead on his birthday, that's on Friday. Today's Wednesday." I inform her as though I'm talking to a 5 year old.

"I know what day it is." She bites out angrily, "But, I've been watching you. You seem to be getting awfully friendly with a dead man."

I cross my arms and glare at her, "What business is it of yours to question my work."

"I'm your employer." The woman feels the need to pronounce every syllable as if that will make a difference.

"I'm doing this to get paid by you. Whatever happens, is on me. Not you." I tell her restating the obvious.

"That's why I said I'd kill the sins." I watch as her arm flicks out to her left. Then appearing before both of us is a picture of each sin in no particular order. Only Gowther's picture has the letter K on it with black ink dripping from the letter.

I try to seem unfazed at the image in front of me. What the hell does K mean? "Look you only killed Gowther, the weakest sin. I wouldn't really count that as something to hold against me."

I can hear the smirk in the woman's voice, "It was a warning Uchiha. I will make sure each sin is dead if you don't kill Arthur by Friday night."

I let out an annoyed sigh, "The sins will be on alert, and why would you go on killing them. You know I will kill Arthur on Friday." I'm not sure if those words are the truth or not, but that's something I can decide on later.

"That's why I will kill then on Saturday- why am I telling you this?" She shakes her head giving me a quick look at the face under the cloak. A face that I can't really decipher in less than a second.

I raise an eyebrow, "Doesn't really matter you're going to get what you want. So you killed an innocent man for no reason. How's it feel to have innocent blood on your hands?"

There's another smirk in her voice, "Fantastic."

With that my surroundings change again, and the dark room quickly slips away. Bringing me back to the room with Gowther lying dead in front of me, and Arthur's arm wrapped securely around me.

I turn to look at Arthur giving him a tight-lipped smile, "Let's go." I say.

As we exit my mind is again reeling. I was right she did kill him. I somehow felt it when the maid came in earlier and broke the news to Arthur. I somehow knew everything was linked together. So now here I am.

Completely and utterly confused.

All because I'm not sure which is more important,
Arthur the King of Camelot's life?
Or
The Seven Deadly Sins lives?

The answer shouldn't even be that complicated, but something is throwing all logic out the window in my mind. The same something has their arm wrapped securely around me.

•End Chapter 17•