The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 84: A New Maid of the Gerhard’s Castle

Chapter 84: A New Maid of the Gerhard’s Castle

Heavy rain pounding against the roof and windows created a gloomy atmosphere.

The space was dimly lit despite the curtains being drawn back to the sides. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, casting a fragrant aroma throughout the medium-sized treatment room with several furniture and beds.

A fireplace sat unlit on one side of the wall, waiting to provide warmth in the chilly and damp weather. Noah carefully laid the weakened Clara onto a bed with a clean white sheet.

"I’ll help start the fire," Emily offered, noticing that the knightess was now settled on the bed.

She moved to the fireplace, checking for any debris or leftover firewood before crumpling some used papers and placing them at the base. She then added small sticks and twigs, followed by larger sticks and ignited the fire with some matches.

As the fire grew, Emily grabbed the bellows and pumped air into it, intensifying the flames. She added more logs as needed, ensuring the fire would provide ample warmth for Clara’s recovery.

A maid with a slender figure, long black hair tied up neatly in a bun, piercing blue eyes, and fair skin rushed in. Despite her striking appearance, the maid’s expression was solemn.

Upon seeing Noah, the new maid hesitated briefly. However, she quickly regained her composure and looked down, doing her best to avoid his gaze. She then placed the basin and towels on the table.

She approached Emily, who was crouching before the fireplace, bellowing the fire and said, "My lady, please take a seat. Let me do this for you."

Emily turned to the maid and said softly, "Oh, don’t mind me! I’m not a lady. I was just a maid."

The young woman’s face fell slightly. "But the steward said you are an important guest."

"It’s all right. Why don’t you help me dampen Dame Clara’s face with the towel? She’s having a fever. My hands are a bit dirty now," Emily suggested, gesturing to the basin of water and towels.

"Dame?" the maid turned to Clara and asked them hesitantly. "A knightess?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes, she is. Please help," insisted Noah, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The maid approached the bed and measured Clara’s temperature by placing her palm on her forehead as the knightess closed her eyes. Her forehead creased momentarily before she moved to the table and soaked a small towel in the water basin.

She wrung it out and gently wiped the knightess’s face. Then, folding the damp towel, she placed it on Clara’s forehead, hoping to alleviate her fever, and tucked her in.

She informed them, "I’m going to brew some medicinal tea. It’ll help reduce the fever quickly. "

Emily, who had just finished tending to the fire, approached her in amazement. "You know about remedies?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, a little bit," the maid replied modestly.

"That would be great. Please prepare some while we wait for the healer," ordered Noah, grateful for the maid’s knowledge.

The maid nodded without even looking at the knight.

"Wait! Let me come with you! I want to wash my hands," Emily requested.

"Of course, ma’am. Please follow me. I’ll lead the way," the maid replied politely.

"It’s Emily... Emily Baker," the young woman corrected.

"Forgive me. Then, Miss Baker, please come along," the maid invited.

Gladly, Emily tagged along with the maid to the kitchen, leaving Noah and Clara alone in the treatment room.

***

Noah and Garin stood in the corridor, a safe distance from the treatment room, where the healer attended to Clara, whom Emily and the young maid accompanied.

"Can you explain the details now?" Garin asked Noah, eager for more information.

The knight paused for a moment before responding. "This is a mission given to me by His Highness," he revealed.

"I had a feeling. All of us noticed you disappeared suddenly, as usual," Garin responded with a knowing smile. "Who are they?" he asked, gesturing towards the treatment room.

"The sick woman is a knightess. She’s acquainted with Lady Raychard, and the other young woman is her companion," Noah explained.

"A knightess? This is intriguing! Were you investigating Lady Raychard all this time?" Garin guessed with interest.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose the details of the mission to you. Everything must be reported to His Highness first, and he will decide whether the matter shall be made known to others," replied Noah, keeping his tone firm.

Garin nodded his understanding. "I trust your loyalty to His Highness and the importance of this mission. However... Seeing you with the women worries me," he said.

Noah’s face twisted in anger. "Don’t start! I’m only carrying out my duty," he snapped, his obsidian eyes glaring at Garin.

"I’m just saying... the last time something happened was when you were on duty too. That r*pe and murder case... remember?" Garin reminded him, keeping his voice calm and level-headed.

"I swear! If you’re going to talk about that again..." Noah threatened, his tone laced with irritation.

"All right, all right! I’ll keep quiet," Garin surrendered, not wanting to aggravate the situation further. "By the way, just so you know, I dismissed your guide," he informed Noah.

"Armel? Why?" Noah asked, curious.

Garin then recounted the incident involving the bouquet in the camp.

"Good for him! I knew there was something off about him. I almost slit his throat for eavesdropping," Noah admitted.

"Yeah, he told me everything about how you met him. I guess it’s for the best," Garin agreed.

"It is," Noah nodded in agreement. "Anyway, why are you still lingering in the castle? Aren’t all the knights on frontier duty usually given time off after the rest interval is announced?" he asked.

"Damon’s not around, and I don’t have a drinking buddy. So, I decided to stay back and entertain myself here," Garin chuckled, his tone lightening.

"Fine... carry on entertaining yourself."

Just then, the maid accompanying Clara and Emily in the treatment room opened the door and called out to them. The knights followed her inside, along with the steward waiting on the corridor’s other side.

"How is she?" Noah asked, squinting as he looked at the healer who attended to the knightess. Clara was already asleep after taking the medicine.

"Not so good. Her injured leg is swollen, probably due to continuous strain. I believe it was broken and hasn’t healed properly," the healer replied with a serious expression.

"Oh, no! What do we do?" Emily’s voice quivered, and her eyes looked teary.

"Can’t you do something about it?" Garin asked from a distance, his voice hoarse.

The healer shook his head in response. "I gave her some pain relief, but she needs surgery. This is beyond my capability," he explained.

He turned to Noah and continued, "You need an expert healer to treat her. Mr Amares is one of the best healers in Cassian. He is well known for his expertise. Perhaps you could consult him."

"Unfortunately, he’s not here right now," the steward interjected.

"That’s too bad. She needs urgent treatment, or her leg will become deformed. As of now, it’s already getting worse," said the healer.

"Perhaps we could write to His Highness and request Mr Amares to return as soon as possible," the steward suggested.

Noah sighed heavily and shook his head in resignation.

"That would only lengthen the time it takes for her to receive treatment. Even with a fast carrier going back and forth to send the letter and reply, it will take a week. We can’t be completely sure he could come back quickly. We should take her to Gantz, as there are other expert healers as well. Should Mr Amares be unavailable, we have other options," said Noah.

"You’re right. The fastest way to get her treatment is to bring her to the capital. There’s a new carriage that you can use. It’s in good condition, and she’ll be much more comfortable along the way," Garin chimed in.

"Yes, I would suggest the same. Delaying the treatment would only put her in more pain," the healer agreed. He then turned to the maid and asked, "By the way, may I know what herbs you brewed for the medicinal tea? It seems to be reducing the fever rapidly."

The young maid opened her mouth and replied, "It’s Arkette flower. It’s known to relieve fever and pain back in my hometown."

"Arkette flower can be used for that? Isn’t it from the same family as Purple Krista?" the healer asked with interest.

"Yes, it is. Actually, Purple Krista is also used as a pain reliever. But if processed incorrectly, it could turn into a dangerous aphrodisiac," the maid explained.

The healer smiled. "You’re quite knowledgeable!" he acknowledged. "We don’t even use Arkette flower here, fearing it would have the same effect as Purple Krista."

"I’m glad it worked well," the young maid replied, standing a little further away from the men.

"So, can we move to Gantz quickly?" Noah asked the healer, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Give her time to rest today since she has consumed the medicine. You can take her there tomorrow, but she’ll need someone to nurse her along the way," the healer advised.

They all nodded.

"I’ve left the medicine and instructions on the table. Please follow accordingly," the healer said. "That would be all. Please excuse me as I need to rush to another patient."

"Thank you for your help," Noah said gratefully.

The healer nodded in acknowledgement before taking his leave, and the steward guided the healer out.

As Noah and Garin discussed their journey, the maid replaced the wet towel on Clara’s forehead and covered her injured leg with a cold, damp towel to reduce swelling. Emily sat beside the knightess with a saddened expression.

Noah’s sharp eyes noticed how careful and gentle the maid was while tending to Clara. After talking to Garin, he then suddenly asked, "Miss, what is your name?"

The maid, surprised by the question, turned her head to him.

"E.. Elisabeth... Elisabeth Canton," she stammered as she averted her eyes.

"Miss Canton, you must come with us. It’s better to have someone with medical knowledge."

The maid widened her eyes in surprise. "What? Me?"

"You can teach Miss Emily along the way so you can take turns looking after her," said the knight.

"Yes! You seemed to know a lot about nursing sick people!" Emily agreed.

The young maid appeared reluctant, nervously looking down and only nodding. She quickly took the empty cups to clear them away.

The steward appeared again at the door, informing of sudden news.

"Sir Skyler, we received a proposal suggesting a business collaboration with His Highness. The letter claims that it was agreed upon with His Highness himself. However, the amount of money requested for the initial capital is quite high," said the steward.

"From whom?" asked Garin.

"From the Count of Abinair of Dracor."

The young maid’s eyes widened, and her hands shook upon hearing the name. The tray in her hands suddenly fell to the floor, shattering the glass.

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll clean this up immediately!" she shouted in fear as she quickly crouched to pick up the broken glass.

Emily rushed to help as the maid cut her hands.

"You’re bleeding! Let’s sit down," she said, leading her to a stool.

Garin asked if she was fine, but the maid just nodded with a scared face. Emily took a clean towel and wiped her wound. Luckily it was just a tiny slit.

Garin pondered for a moment, staring at the maid. His deep brown eyes seemed to know something.

"Noah, I thought about it," he said, calling the knight by his first name since he was off-duty.

"What?" Noah asked.

"Let me come with you," the knight said. The maid turned suddenly to the knight, her gloomy face turning brighter at the statement.

"Why?" Noah inquired.

"It’s better to have another knight accompanying you along the way. Though it’s a short journey, you can’t predict what will happen on the road," he explained, his eyes fixed on the maid.

"All right," Noah agreed.

"What about the proposal, Sir Skyler?" asked the steward again.

"Just endorse it. His Highness has approved it. I can vouch for that," the knight replied. The steward nodded in acknowledgement of the order.

"I hope we don’t trouble you," Emily said to the young maid.

"Oh, it’s fine. Besides, Sir Skyler will be coming too, so I feel much safer. The more, the better," the maid answered with a smile.

"What can I call you? Miss Canton sounds a bit formal. Furthermore, we are of the same profession," said Emily.

"Please call me Elis."

"And I’m Emily," she smiled.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.