The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 439: A Sense Of Belonging

Chapter 439: A Sense Of Belonging

"Nah! We’ve already got our hands full with our own matters, and we don’t have many knights here. His Highness, the Grand Duke has assigned us the tasks of taking care of Lady Raychard and the mansion, so we can’t allocate our men for him," Eric added further.

"Thankfully, Sir Navin made a wise decision," Garin said, smirking.

"I would wholeheartedly agree! Regardless of his connection to our Grand Duke, there’s no need to help him or those knights! They’re adults! They have their own legs and can walk home by themselves. Why should we search for them like they’re lost children?" Rafe exclaimed.

"Right!" Garin added, nodding in agreement.

The other knights shared a similar sentiment, their expressions filled with disdain as they smiled mockingly.

"It’s a fair resolution. Besides, the patrolling guards are more familiar with the city and the surrounding area, so it would be best for them to handle the search rather than us," Eric remarked.

"I wish I could have seen his face when you told him that," Luke interjected. "Nevertheless, you went without us."

"I had to leave immediately since the guards insisted it was urgent. But just to satisfy your curiosity, yes, he was furious when I informed him and threatened to report my refusal to His Highness the Grand Duke later," the second-in-command knight replied.

"Don’t tell me you just shrugged it off and turned away," Eli joked.

"I wish I could have done that, but maintaining decorum was necessary. He’s a lord with a business collaboration with our Grand Duke, so I had to respect him despite his anger. I just told him kindly to wait for the patrolling guards’ actions," Eric explained.

"Don’t worry. He’ll find his men soon... in a ’nice and good’ shape, of course," Kiev said sarcastically.

Damon’s smile widened at the remark, though he tried to control himself.

At that moment, Noah, who had been silent, spoke up, "Can we talk about something else? I don’t think the matter of Count of Abinair is important enough to discuss at the table. It’s making me lose my appetite."

"Of course, definitely," Eric agreed understandingly. Turning to Callis, the second-in-command knight asked, "What were you talking about before we arrived, Mrs Amares?"

"Nothing much. Just about Anna not having an appetite and requesting something to eat that I couldn’t quite figure out," she replied.

"Oh, now I’m curious. What was her request?" Eric asked.

Callis sighed.

"She wanted a savoury, filling meal, less salty and sweet, a bit sour, and definitely not from the mansion’s kitchen. What exactly do you think she desired?"

Hearing this, the knights pondered what that might be.

"If she doesn’t want a dish made by the cook, then I can prepare it for her. I just need to know what it is," Luke said confidently.

With his culinary expertise, he could easily whip up any kind of recipe.

"Hmm... savoury, less salty and sweet, but a bit sour... How about grilled seabass with lemon sauce and herbs? That’s what you cooked for her when she was ill during the voyage, and she loved it so much that her appetite returned rapidly after having it," Damon suggested.

The other knights’ eyes sparkled at the idea, including Callis.

"That’s it! The dish has lemon sauce, so there’s a sour taste! It’s filling and savoury, and it’s not too sweet or salty, is it?" the Mederian Princess asked.

"No, not really. In any case, Sir Parker can surely adjust that," Damon replied.

"Leave this matter to the expert," Luke said, patting his chest smugly. "Tomorrow, I’ll cook the dish for her," he declared confidently.

"It’s settled then. Now you don’t have to worry about it anymore," Kiev said to his sister, who was already beaming with excitement.

Callis’s bright smile didn’t stop there. An idea struck her as Luke mentioned the word ’cook.’

"Since you’ll be cooking, can you start teaching me to cook too? You still owe me that cooking class, remember?" she reminded Luke of his promise made during the knights’ apology when she arrived at the mansion.

"No problem! We can start tomorrow!" the knight said enthusiastically.

Excitement brewed in him at the prospect of having a new ’apprentice’ for his secondary skills. Meanwhile, Kiev furrowed his brow.

"Are you sure you want to teach her, Sir Parker?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"Why not? It’s just cooking. It’s not that hard. Even Lady Raychard excelled in it during her first lesson!" the knight replied proudly, recalling the delicious fish chowder she made on their journey to Port Braska.

Kiev leaned back in his chair, glancing at his sister before returning his gaze to Luke. The Mederian Prince knew well that a disaster would occur if his sister entered the kitchen for that purpose.

If given blades or bows, she would do well and amazingly, but pots and pans were definitely not her forte.

"May I suggest something?" Kiev suddenly said after a long pause.

"Yes?" Luke responded.

Callis was prepared to rebut if her brother opposed her desire for cooking lessons, but instead, the Mederian Prince proposed.

"Create an outdoor cooking area for your class, away from the building. It would be much more accommodating for everyone," he suggested.

"What? Cooking outside? In this weather?" Luke asked, surprised.

"It’s fine! Anna also mentioned that she didn’t want her meal prepared in the kitchen. So, I’m good with doing it outdoors," Callis stated, eager to ensure her plans proceeded without interruption.

"Relax, Sir Parker. We have a grill pit outside near the training ground that hasn’t been used for a while. If it’s not snowy or too windy, you can cook there," Garin added.

Luke nodded slowly. While it would be a bit challenging given the season, it was indeed possible. Besides, an outdoor barbecue with his comrades sounded fun!

"All right then," he said, agreeing to the suggestion.

The group continued their meal and small talk. Just then, the door of the dining hall opened, and Emily arrived, smiling brightly.

"Greetings, Your Highness. " She bowed in respect to Kiev and then announced, "Forgive me for being late, everyone, but I have a surprise for you!"

"Oh, what is it? Is it a good one?" Eli asked excitedly.

"It definitely is!" she exclaimed.

Emily turned to the person behind the door and said, "Come in now! Don’t hesitate. They’ll surely want to see this!"

The attendees at the dining table paused their eating and waited patiently. They heard footsteps approaching, and before their eyes, Dame Verns appeared, walking on her own two feet, with Ayden trailing behind. She no longer used crutches or needed assistance.

The group was amazed by this revelation. However, Clara’s stride wobbled as she took her next step, closing to the table. Seeing this, Ayden rushed to support her.

"Take it easy, dear," he said gently.

Clara looked back at her beloved, a bit disappointed. "Sorry! I thought I could make it to the chair."

"You did great! You walked from the chamber to the dining hall without assistance. You shouldn’t be sorry," the assistant healer said, beaming with pride.

"She did that? Oh my God, that’s amazing!" Eli exclaimed.

"You are so resilient, Dame Verns! You astonished me and everyone else with such a speedy recovery!" Noah added with admiration.

Clara smiled happily as Ayden helped her to the seat while Emily took her place beside Noah.

"We’ve been practising walking every day because she is so determined. That’s why you haven’t seen us around much. We planned to surprise everyone when His Highness the Grand Duke returned, but then Lady Brooks said, why wait? So, here we are," Ayden explained.

"This is truly remarkable! Are you experiencing any pain when walking, Dame Verns?" Rafe asked in concern.

"No, not really. Each day gets better and better. I can’t wait to be fully well again. Once I am, I’ll start retraining. It’s been so long since I practised, and I need to polish back my combat skills," Clara said excitedly.

Rafe, Noah, Ayden, and Emily’s expressions turned solemn at her words, knowing it was unlikely for Clara to serve as a knightess again. However, they quickly masked their emotions to avoid dampening her spirits after such hard-earned progress.

"I can see your health has greatly improved, and your ability to walk has returned, but do be careful and don’t overdo it. Thank you, Ayden, for taking good care of her," Rafe said to the couple.

"I will, Mr. Amares. Don’t worry. Ayden would be the first to nag me if I overexert myself," Clara replied, her eyes shining with cheer.

"I would definitely support you always, dear," said the assistant healer.

The servants began to serve the food for the trio and left after being instructed. As the group finished their meal, Eric turned to the knightess.

"How’s the search for the Bargesians? Any updates from your tribe members?" he asked.

Clara shook her head.

"The last I heard from Sky was that they saw the mage and Lord Morro jump into the river and never resurface. They informed me they’d be tracking the two men along the riverbank. That was a few weeks before winter started, and I haven’t received any other news since."

"They’re probably still searching. In this weather, it won’t be easy to trace any tracks, even for a skilled hunter or mercenary," Eric said. "Let’s not give up hope on them."

The other knights nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, as the group discussed the Bargesians, Kiev stole glances at Clara. He had been discreetly observing her movements since she entered the dining hall.

From experience, he could tell her injury was severe, and he was sure she wouldn’t be able to practice her fighting skills or serve as a knightess again. The brief changes in Rafe, Emily, Noah and Ayden’s expressions confirmed his intuition, but as always, Kiev chose to remain silent.

Deep down, the Mederian Prince wished to repay Clara for the good deed she had done. If it weren’t for her, Anna wouldn’t be alive today. It felt only fair to heal the knightess so she could return to her position.

Kiev knew he had to wait until his mana pool was fully replenished to perform another ritual of restorative magic for Clara. Until then, he hoped nothing dangerous would befall her or any of them.

The Mederian Prince now realised that it wasn’t just the last Princess of Ro’an that he wished to protect, but all those around him whom he had begun to cherish.

As he got to know these people better, a sense of belonging and camaraderie slowly took root in him. Their laughter warmed his heart, their banter amused him, and their disputes made him learn his lessons about the complexity of human hearts and emotions.

If only he hadn’t conflicted with Kyren over Anna, they could have formed a great team together.

But fate had its own ways of telling the story...