The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 403: Scheme And Sorrow

Chapter 403: Scheme And Sorrow

The surroundings behind the temple were shrouded by darkness. Yet, the light from the lit-up lanterns in the gardens provided a faint illumination, offering a semblance of brightness to the area.

Sarah’s dark grey eyes widened as she absorbed the details recounted by the royal guard. Naise, who stood a little further away, turned her head left and right and discreetly scanned their surroundings to ensure their clandestine meeting remained unnoticed by others. Anxiety was etched on her face as the two spoke.

"Are you telling the truth?" Sarah probed the royal guard.

"I swear it upon my life! Though I couldn’t comprehend what caused the alarm that required us to seek refuge in the mansion, I’m sure it was not a drill, as Sir Navin mentioned. Something else must have happened, and I saw it with my own eyes from the window when I sneaked around to investigate. The lady rode on the grand duke’s warhorse and left the mansion. Then, the prince followed her from behind. I don’t know why the other knights didn’t bother going after them. The two of them only returned the next day after the knights went searching in the morning. Also..."

The guard turned his head left and right before gesturing to Sarah to come closer. He cupped his hand at his mouth and whispered, "...after they returned, the prince carried the lady to her chamber, and I heard a knight warning the others not to touch her. He mentioned something about lingering dark magic."

"Dark magic?!" Sarah exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth.

The royal guard became more agitated at her outburst.

"Please! Keep it down! If anyone else knew I’m reporting this to you, I’ll be dead!" he said.

Sarah took a moment to respond. The revelation had her taken aback, as such an occasion of dark magic happening in Cassian was a bizarre matter, yet the Knights of Gerhard had chosen to keep it hidden from the others’ knowledge.

"Could it be that she was practising dark magic, so that’s why the knights are protecting her and not revealing this to His Majesty?" Sarah guessed.

"I don’t know. She doesn’t seem to be someone like that. She is usually meek and gentle. But she looked different when I saw her riding the grand duke’s horse. Something about her was out of the ordinary. There was an air of strength and mastery about her. Also, everyone knows that the grand duke’s horse is not easily tamed and cannot be ridden by just anyone," stated the royal guard.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed.

"There surely is something they don’t want us to know. Yet now, she appeared at this wedding ceremony, feigning weakness and ailment. What a manipulative charlatan! Just the other day, she was cavorting and hugging the knights shamelessly. No wonder they are fond of her! This woman knows no shame and just wants to get her hands on all the men around her!"

"She didn’t embrace them all! Only Sir Henderson, the youngest knight, held her as he shielded her from a falling wooden sword during training," the royal guard clarified.

"One, two, or all... it matters not! She’s a woman of loose morals who lacks grace!" the chief lady-in-waiting scolded. Her envy and malice festered within.

The royal guard kept silent. Knowing Sarah’s attitude, attempting to correct her skewed beliefs would be in vain.

Sarah absently twirled her fingers, a smile playing on her lips as she pieced together the puzzle.

"No matter what the reason behind it, one fact remains certain... and that is, the lady spent the night outside the mansion with Prince Kiev... alone," she summarised.

"I’m not so sure about it," said the royal guard. "But I can only say the lady has been sick since then. Unlike before, she hardly leaves her chamber, and we don’t see her around."

"I don’t care about her health! I’m sure my assumption is true since the knights only brought her back the day after. You said it yourself that the prince went after her, and they didn’t return on the same day."

The royal guard bit his lower lip. Though he disliked the obnoxious noble lady, the remuneration she offered was tempting and couldn’t easily be dismissed.

"I can’t be long here. The other guards might notice my absence, so I need to go. I want my money now," he urged.

Sarah scoffed. Her eyes gazed at the royal guard with scorn.

"Fine!"

She took a pouch from inside her long cloak and handed it to him.

"Two pouches of Durrham!" the royal guard demanded.

Sarah’s eyes widened. Though the amount requested was something she could afford, his audacity to want them made her furious.

"You’re greedy!" she spat out.

"I risked my life to give you this information, and I barely made it from being noticed by the knights and the other royal guards! That must have counted for something!" he said.

Sarah pressed her lips in annoyance. Undoubtedly, the information he had given was valuable, and she knew she could use it later.

"Fine! Take it!"

Sarah took out another pouch and threw them to the ground. The royal guard was visibly annoyed by her rude behaviour, but he had no recourse as she was of noble birth.

Reluctantly, he bent down in the darkness, searching for the pouches. A smile crept across his face when he felt their weight in his hands, and he hastily pocketed them.

"I may not be able to meet with you for a while," the guard said as he stood up. "The rules and guard rotations have become stricter, and we are no longer allowed in certain areas. The knights patrol constantly, and all the mansion’s locks have been changed."

Sarah smirked, convinced that the mansion was hiding something.

"Very well, you needn’t meet me anymore. If there’s anything important, send a secret message to Lady Naise Warren through a middle person. She’ll keep me informed."

The guard’s brow furrowed.

"That will be difficult. The mansion’s staff and merchants are all loyal to the Grand Duke and his men. I can’t simply pass messages around. Sir Navin and the steward, Mr Foster, are particularly vigilant."

Annoyed, Sarah warned, "If you want more money, you’ll do as I say. Otherwise, forget it."

The guard sighed.

"Fine, but only for major developments. Otherwise, you won’t hear from me."

Sarah dismissed him with a wave. "Go do your job. I only want to hear from you if it’s worth my time."

Swallowing his frustration, the royal guard departed. He knew dealing with Sarah was taxing, but the money was too good to pass up.

Once he left, Naise, Sarah’s assistant, approached.

"Did you get anything useful, my lady?"

"Indeed, I did," Sarah replied with a smile. She then whispered the information to Naise.

"Oh, how intriguing!" her assistant exclaimed.

"Don’t you see? This fits perfectly with our initial plan with the Mederian Prince. He refused to collaborate with us, but fate has sided with me!" Sarah said excitedly.

"You mean you want to continue with that plan?" Naise asked.

"Of course! Everything is leading to that already," the chief lady-in-waiting affirmed.

"But, how could we make the symptoms of pregnancy arise from the concubine? We can’t easily get into the mansion due to the restriction, as the royal guard said," Naise pointed out.

Sarah’s lips curved up.

"I’m the chief lady-in-waiting of Her Majesty, the Queen. Who can stop me if I want something to happen?" she remarked. "Just wait, and I’ll find a way."

***

"Cheers to the bride and bridegroom!" Eric shouted.

"Cheers!" the others responded in unison.

Glasses were raised to celebrate the joyous occasion, and the merriment continued as they shared their drinks.

Alex’s fair complexion had turned red. Drinking was not his habit, but tonight, he had to entertain the guests who came to his wedding ceremony.

Thankfully, Eric and the Knights of Gerhard backed him up by helping toast with the attendees in the night’s second half. Otherwise, he may have blacked out much earlier.

Eric then wisely navigated the event and managed to ’kidnap’ Alex, gathering him with the other knights in a separate chamber.

"Tonight, you’ll become a true man. So, are you ready to face your bride?" Garin teased, eliciting another flush of shyness from Alex.

"Aww, look at him blushing," Eric laughed, then patted Alex’s back. "The pride of the knighthood is in your hands tonight. Don’t forget, we must prove that we’re true men of Cassian, strong and virile!" The second-in-command raised his arm, flexing his bicep, and the men cheered and clapped.

"Sir Navin, I’m well aware of a husband’s duties on his wedding night," Alex responded, defending his pride.

"That’s the spirit! Go for it, Alex!" Luke encouraged, followed by a whistle. The knights laughed, enjoying this rare gathering that allowed them to address each other casually. Even so, the knights still addressed Eric formally as the grand duke’s representative.

"I’m so proud of you boys," the second-in-command knight said, smiling. "Some of you have become true men, embarking on your journeys of love, compassion, and compromise with your loved ones. You’ll learn the beauty of relationships... and the pain when your woman goes mad." He paused after a laugh. "Today is Alex’s day, Ayden’s official betrothal will be soon, and of course, we have Drystan coming up!"

The announcement piqued the knights’ interest, except the knight, whose ears had reddened.

"Wait, we know about Mr Norman, but Drystan? With whom and since when?" Damon asked, confused.

"Who else? Lady Sylvia Rogers, the marquess’ granddaughter, of course!" Eric clarified.

Hesitantly, Drystan responded, "Sir Navin, I don’t think tonight is the right time to announce it. It’s Alex and his wife’s wedding day, after all."

"No way! I’d like to hear more of this!" Alex insisted. "I thought you objected to the matchmaking from the very beginning! Since when did you develop feelings for her?"

All eyes turned to Drystan, eager to hear his reply, except for Noah, who remained cold.

Drystan rubbed the back of his neck. The matter of his marriage to Sylvia had already been made known to Eric.

After they had agreed to proceed with their marriage plan, Drystan and Sylvia returned to the count’s mansion to convey their desire to her family.

The marquess’s entire family was genuinely delighted with the decision. Within a few days, a marriage talk had been arranged with Drystan’s family in Oldmie, and both sides had agreed.

Urged by the knights, Drystan now had to reveal his upcoming wedding plan, which would be held at the end of the month in a small celebration, given the marquess’ deteriorating health condition.

"So, do you like her then? I mean, we all know the marquess and his family are already favouring you," Eli remarked.

"Of course I do! Otherwise, why would I want to marry her?" Drystan responded, needing to provide an excuse to save Sylvia’s pride.

If anyone knew they were marrying only because of the marquess, it would make everyone pity her and hurt her pride.

"You must have grown fond of her since you’ve been staying at the count’s mansion and always been with her whenever you came to the mansion," Eli teased.

"Her family entrusted her to me. Of course I need to escort her around," Drystan said.

"It seems the task of assisting the grandfather has turned into ’assisting’ the granddaughter. How lucky you are!" Luke joked.

"Yeah, no wonder they were hardly separated whenever he and Lady Rogers came to Gerhard’s mansion," Damon added.

"Did Lady Rogers visit the mansion frequently?" Alex suddenly asked.

"Yes, our lady has been unwell recently, so she came over to keep her company," Eli replied.

The cheerful atmosphere in the chamber suddenly turned sombre upon the mention of Anna’s health condition. Realising he had inadvertently shared unnecessary information, the young knight quickly shut his mouth. Fortunately, he had not misspoken about the recent incident.

"I noticed Lady Raychard’s pale complexion and her lack of appetite. Is she truly fine, Sir Navin?" Alex asked, concerned.

"She’s just having the flu. She’ll be fine soon. That’s why we have Ayden and Rafe at her side, along with Mrs Foster and Madam Collins," Eric said, providing an excuse.

"Yes, I heard. I hope she will recover soon. I truly appreciate that she still attended my wedding even in her condition. I know you all are there for her and have taken good care of her. But I’ve been away from the mansion for quite some time. I promise I’ll cover any shifts if any of you require time off after returning to my duty," Alex said.

"Hey, I told you not to worry about it! Don’t you trust your comrades?" Eric said, steering the groom away from the matter.

The second-in-command and the rest had agreed not to mention anything to Alex until he returned to his duties after his marriage leave.

Alex nodded, oblivious to the actual situation.

"All right, then. So, Drystan’s wedding is confirmed as His Highness, and the Grand Duke agreed to the matchmaking long ago. What about Mr Norman’s betrothal? Are you fine with that?" Alex asked Eric.

The groom had been briefly told that the assistant healer, Mr Norman, had discussed with Clara to make their relationship official.

"Why not? Both of them are serious about it, and I don’t see any problem with that," Eric smiled. "They’re going to make it official soon, but in a small celebration since Dame Verns is still not well."

The knights nodded in agreement, except for Noah, whose expression had darkened.

"Cheers to our fellow companions who finally got their other halves!" Eric said, raising his glass.

The knights stood up and responded with a unified cheer. However, Noah withdrew himself from the group and left silently. As he crossed the grand hall towards the main entrance, Emily, who was gathered with the ladies, Rafe, and Ayden, noticed his hurried steps and clouded expression. She put down her glass and excused herself to follow Noah.

The surroundings outside were much quieter than the bustling interior, filled with people and music. Noah took a deep breath, inhaling the cold night air.

He turned around and heard footsteps approaching. He quickly recognised Emily coming to him.

"What’s the matter, Noah?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing," he answered curtly.

"Don’t lie. I know that look. Something is not aligned with your preference, isn’t it?" she guessed.

Noah turned away, avoiding her gaze.

"Talk to me... You promised you won’t keep secrets from me again," Emily implored.

Noah took a deep breath and slowly opened up. "Sir Mills is getting married by the end of this month, and Mr Norman will also make his betrothal with Dame Verns official soon."

"Yes, I heard it from Lady Rogers and Dame Clara themselves. It’s a good thing that they finally have their partners," Emily said happily.

Noah looked down, his expression full of disappointment, and his fist clenched.

"Sir Navin could accept their choices... But why won’t he let me? It’s not fair!"

Emily held the knight’s arm, trying to reassure him.

"It’s all right. We can wait until His Highness returns and plead for his permission. By then, no one can deny our relationship."

"No, Emily..." Noah paused solemnly. "His Highness won’t allow it."

"What?? Why not?" Emily exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Until the real perpetrator is found and my accusation is cleared, I am not allowed to get involved with any woman, as His Highness has forbidden it. So, we can’t get married."