The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 56: The Knight and Knightess

Chapter 56: The Knight and Knightess

The eagles’ piercing call grew louder and louder, shattering the tranquil atmosphere of the verdant Huntbel forest. It served as a warning, alerting everyone to the imminent threat.

Emily quickly rushed to assist Clara as she stumbled to the ground, her crutch falling alongside her.

"Are you all right?" the young woman asked with concern as she helped the knightess back up to her feet, ensuring she was safe and steady.

The knightess grunted in pain, and Emily could feel her discomfort.

"Hold on to me!" She pulled her arm and put it behind her shoulder as they attempted to flee the site.

"Quick! The danger is ne—"

’Thudd!’

Clara’s words halted midway when a sound of leaping footsteps fell before them. A shadow of a burly figure loomed over the women, causing them to startle at the sudden appearance. It had become apparent that their attempts to remain hidden all this time had been unsuccessful.

Emily paled, and Clara nervously bit her lips as they saw a sturdy man towering over them, leaving them rooted to the spot in fear.

"Are you Dame Clara Verns?" the man asked as his obsidian eyes gazed sharply at the injured woman with long hair and dark skin.

Instinctively, Clara and Emily became wary.

"Stand back! Or I’ll kill you!" the knightess shouted.

Clara raised the crutch in her hand, turning it into a weapon and pointed it at the stranger. Emily gripped the knightess’ body tightly at her side as she began to tremble.

Noah observed the two women with his daunting expression.

"You won’t be able to kill me with that kind of injury," he said with a low, stern voice.

"Tempt me!" she hissed, gritting her teeth.

The knightess was twisted in anger, which she used to conceal her fear. Her grip on the crutch was tight as she prepared for hand-to-hand combat.

Despite the odds, Clara realised she was no match for the man’s solid and imposing presence. With no means of escape, she braced herself for what was to come.

Today, she might be confronted with her mortality.

As Noah approached with heavy steps, Clara could not contain her emotions and swung her crutch at him with sheer force.

"Harrgh!!" Her shout reverberated in the air.

Noah displayed quick and agile movements as he dodged the sudden incoming attack. Unfortunately, Clara exploited his opening and landed a stolen hit on his rib before he avoided the blow. He was not in his defensive stance when facing her.

The strike of the blunt object caught the knight off guard, causing him to stumble backwards. Although the force behind the blow was insignificant, the attacker’s deceitful technique was undeniably brilliant. If she were not hurt, the hit could have broken his ribs.

The knight rectified his standing posture. This time, he was vigilant.

Clara staggered back, reeling from the attack.

"Dame Clara! We can’t fight him!" Emily cried, holding the knightess steady to prevent her from collapsing.

"We can’t die in his hand! We fought hard to live!" Clara declared, firming her decision.

"I’m not a threat!" Noah exclaimed.

"Lies! You’re one of them!" Clara shouted.

As she tried to strike with her crutch, her faltering steps caused her to collapse onto the ground, causing the weapon to fly out of her hand.

In an instant, Noah sprang into action, catching her and swiftly stabilising himself. With a powerful arm, he wrested her away from Emily’s grasp while the younger woman tumbled in a state of imbalance.

The knight subdued the knightess by locking her limbs as she struggled to fight back. Although he had no intention of confronting her, he felt compelled to restrain her due to her threatening behaviour.

Emily rushed towards the stranger, screaming, "Let her go! Let her go, you monster!" as she watched Clara being helplessly caught.

Noah was taken aback when the younger woman suddenly grabbed his arm in an attempt to free her companion. She hit him with her tiny fists, which hardly felt like an attack.

Despite his firm grip, Clara continued to struggle and yell. When all else failed, Emily lunged at the knight and bit his shoulder to free the knightess from his grasp.

"Arghh!!" Noah yelled in pain.

The knight wriggled his body hard, making Emily fall to the ground again from the immense force of the shake.

"I said I’m not a threat! Would you please calm down!" Noah vehemently shouted to them. "I can kill you now if I want to! You know that, too!" he stringently warned her.

Clara stopped struggling. Her chest heaved as she gained her breath in between. Emily froze to the ground, eyes wide, and hands shaking.

"What do you want from me?" Clara shouted.

"You haven’t answered me yet. Are you Dame Clara Verns?" repeated the knight.

"Why do you ask? It would be stupid to introduce myself to a total stranger!" She glared, remaining resolute in refusing to give the correct answer.

Noah smirked.

"You really are stubborn, aren’t you?"

Then, upon holding her, the knight observed a chain on her neck where the pendant was partly hidden under her clothing.

"Excuse me for doing this!"

Noah’s large hand pulled the chain and exposed it by holding her arms with one hand and unveiling the whole piece of the pendant, representing the symbol of Ardel’s Royal Knighthood. Clara let out a yelp in response to the abrupt movement.

A big smile was etched on his lips as he saw it.

Without hesitation, he released his grip on the knightess and took a few steps back, creating some distance between them. Emily crawled towards Clara and embraced the knightess with her tiny arms, her face expressing pure terror.

Noah’s sudden retreat left the two women darting their eyes at him. The knight bowed to Clara and placed his right hand over his chest as a gesture of respect.

"Forgive me for being disrespectful just now. I’ve no choice since you did not cooperate. My intention was only to identify you," explained the knight in a calmer voice.

"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Emily posed questions in a trembling voice.

"I am Sir Noah Brooks, the Knight of Gerhard, hailing from the kingdom of Cassian."

The two women exchanged glances before fixing their eyes on him. They both wore expressions of disbelief.

"This is my identification."

Noah pulled out a badge from his pocket that signified the Knighthood of Gerhard. He approached them and presented it to them.

After examining the item, Clara and Emily gazed at him. The knightess who inspected it had verified its authenticity, but she still wore a curious look.

"How do we know that you’re not lying? You could be a bad guy! That badge could’ve been stolen," Emily sneered at him.

"Why would I bother to properly introduce myself when I have the upper hand to take advantage of you both? If I am a villain, I could just commit violence against you now," he answered her.

He then addressed Clara and inquired, "In our brief bout, you challenged me. Couldn’t you determine whether I am a knight from my fighting style? If you’re a fellow knight, you should have already discerned this," he stated firmly.

"He’s right," Clara said quietly to Emily, affirming the claim.

As the two women rose to their feet, Emily helped to dust off Clara’s outfit. Though the knightess had assured her, the younger woman’s eyes remained watchful, revealing a sense of unease and uncertainty towards the stranger.

"I will answer you now, Sir Brooks. Yes, I am Dame Clara Verns of Ardel’s Royal Knighthood. What brings you here, and how did you find us?" she replied with a question.

The knight smiled.

"I am on a quest by my commander’s order for an investigation and discovered you’re the only knightess in Ardel known for your ability to communicate with birds. While exploring the barracks remains, I saw eagles gathering and followed them, which led me to you," he explained.

"You seem to be quite skilled at stealth. The eagles would have likely detected any intruders earlier. They noticed you a bit late," complimented the knightess.

She continued, "I’m curious as to why your commander is investigating me. I have never conducted any business with individuals from Cassian."

"He isn’t investigating you. He was interested to know what happened to a person related to you," Noah amended her statement.

"A person related to me? And who could that be?" The knightess raised her eyebrows.

"A petite fair lady with emerald eyes and long, wavy auburn hair. Her first name is Anna. Do you remember her?" he tested her.

Upon hearing the description, Clara’s eyes widened in shock. She looked at the knight with a panicked expression and asked a series of urgent questions, "How do you know about her? Where is she? What happened to her?"

"Answer me first, and I shall tell you everything I know about her," he urged her to gather details about the princess.

"I can’t tell you anything!" The knightess turned her head and refused.

"Then, you’ll miss the chance to see her again."

"She’s safe and alive?" Clara looked at him anxiously.

"How about we make a fair trade? I need the information about her, and you do too. If you answer my questions, I’ll gladly answer yours, and if your response satisfies me, I’ll even take you to her. Does that sound good?" proposed the knight, offering a deal.

The knightess exhaled. Emily, at her side, shook her head in disapproval.

"I’m not sure about this, Dame Clara. It’s possible that he may not be telling the truth," she dissuaded her.

"It’s your choice, and I won’t force you. I might as well leave now," the knight interrupted.

Clara’s silence prompted Noah to withdraw gradually.

"No, wait! I’ll answer you! What do you want to know?" She raised her voice, stopping the knight from taking further steps.

"What is her full name and her status in Ardel? " Noah firmly asked.

"Her name is Her Highness Princess Anna Adhemar. She’s the first-born princess of the late King Adhemar IV and is the sole heir of Ardel’s dynasty."

The knight’s lips formed a broad smile as Clara confirmed the assumptions made by both him and the grand duke about the lady.

"What happened to her here?"

"There was a coup d’etat orchestrated by the regent, Lord Kaizer Ronan, who was the Prime Minister. He overthrew her and killed the Ardel dynasty’s supporters to claim the throne. When she was captured, I saved her, and she managed to escape," she told him.

"I see... You and your eagle army burnt the barracks to set her free," Noah assumed. "Why didn’t you escape with her?" he asked again.

"I was hit by a pole during the fire and couldn’t run with her. So, I urged her to go. Fortunately, I was saved by this young woman. Other detainees were in the barracks, but we were unsure of their fate. Some might have escaped, too, but some might not," she recounted.

"We’ve been stranded here due to my injury. We hide away from the Lord’s army, which has been lurking in the area," she added.

"So that was what happened." Noah nodded lightly, acknowledging the details.

"Now, it’s your turn to pay me back. How is she? What happened to her? Is she safe? Is she hurt? Where is she right now?" Clara anxiously fired off her inquiries.

"She is perfectly safe and currently stays at the Knights of Gerhard’s camp in Dartrey Forest in Cassian, near the kingdom’s southern border."

"Oh, thank goodness! She’s alive! She’s alive, Emily!"

Looking at the younger woman, Clara’s face was filled with joy as she heard the news.

Emily, who saw the cheerful face of the knightess, also smiled. Ever since their escape, this was the first time she had seen Clara with a bright face.

"How did she get there? That is so far away. She couldn’t have managed to run there by herself. The princess is..." The knightess did not finish her words.

"Fragile. She is as frail as the autumn leaves," Noah continued.

Clara looked at him and said, "So you know her condition. You’ve met her, didn’t you?"

"I did. I was her escort for a few days, appointed by her husband," he replied.

"What? Husband?" The knightess’ eyes widened in shock.

"Yes. My commander, who is also the Grand Duke of Gerhard, has married your princess. She is now known as Lady Anna Raychard."

Clara was bewildered as the news nearly left her speechless.

"She can’t be!" the knightess said after a moment.

"Why Dame Clara? Why can’t she?" Emily asked curiously.

"Because she’s already engaged!"

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