Chapter 06 – Return to the Duke's Household

Duke Gerald waited until the recovery of all the guards from their injuries.

When they all woke up and saw the Duke in front of them, they all knelt. Then, Charlie, the leader of the guards, spoke.

"Forgive us, Your Grace. These subordinates failed our duty to protect you. May you punish us for our failure."

"May you punish us!" All of the guards followed.

But the Duke waved his hand.

"No need. Am I not alive?" then the Duke continued, "You all did a good job in protecting me. Luckily, I encountered a benefactor who helped me when I survived the attack of the wolves. She was also the one who healed you all."

When Gerald mentioned this, all of them inspected themselves and realized that their injuries were now fully healed.

The Duke continued.

"As repayment for her benevolence, she will be joining us in our travel back to the capital." He looked at Charlie and signaled him to talk to him in private. They walked a bit far from the guards.

"I have an agreement with my benefactor. She needs to live in my residence temporarily. For me to do that and to avoid ruining her reputation, I decided to adopt her as my daughter."

Charlie silently digested the information before asking the Duke.

"Your Grace, you mentioned that she helped you prior. Does that mean that you encountered her at the Mystical Forest?"

"Yes."

Charlie looked at him with questioning eyes.

"She's not, that I can guarantee." The Duke immediately answered. How can he not understand what Charlie was thinking? Even he had some reservations when they met.

"She healed all your injuries," he reminded him, "She was also the reason why I was able to find you and protected me so I can leave the forest with my life intact."

"A Mage?"

Gerald nodded.

Charlie saluted him, "I understand your Grace. You can trust this subordinate."

"Good. I know that I can trust you."

He then turned towards the other guards.

"You all listen up. What I said today and what you witnessed will only be known between me and you all. If there were leaked information from today's events, don't blame this Duke for being merciless. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Grace!" They chorused.

"Return to the residence!" he commanded before turning around and walking towards the carriage where Louise was.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," the girl commented when Duke Gerald entered the carriage.

"No worries. It will save me a lot of trouble as well."

The carriage started to move.

She nodded. She casually picked up the fruits and cookies prepared for them, followed by Gerald. Since they didn't have any tea available, he gave her water instead. The Duke looked at her with some curiosity. Louise noticed it and put back the water container that she was about to drink.

"What is it? Just say it. I still have the last say whether I need to answer it or not."

"Ummm.." the Duke hesitated. "I heard that mages could directly use their mana to become their weapon."

Louise stared at him for a while, seemingly understanding what he was trying to ask.

"Mages can also use their own choice of weapon, and I did use my mana to use it as a weapon. Haven't you seen it earlier?"

"Yes, that's why I'm asking you." he thought. "Why a walking stick? Isn't it a little bit cheap? Why not use a grandeur one? You're a respective mage. Can't you care about your image." he wanted to add but stopped himself. He remembered that she also used the fallen branches to attack the wolves.

"It's not cheap. It's called being resourceful." Louise responded, "Why? Do you expect me to use a sword or maybe a wand of some sort?"

Gerald nearly spat out his water and looked at her with astonishment. This was not the first time that the girl seemed to read his mind. He thought it was just a coincidence, so he dismissed it.

"Aye...I can't read your mind, but I can see all your questions all over your face. As a dignified Duke, aren't you supposed to hide your true intention?"

The Duke rolled his eyes. He also had the image of the cold Duke alright. It's just that when it came to this girl, he seemed like an open book that could easily be read.

She drank her water first before continuing, "Of course, I can also do that. But that is too much baggage and very eye-catching."

Gerald lightly coughed and opened his topic of adopting her.

"Since I agreed to have you temporarily live in my residence, I have a few conditions for that."

"Oh? Sure, what is it?"

"I decided to adopt you as my official daughter, but I need to talk to the king to do that. As I mentioned before, you have a very suspicious origin, and I cannot skip scrutiny even if I am a Duke. I hope that you understand my position."

"Of course."

"So, from now on, you should start calling me father." He then tactfully changes the topic. "By the way, you told me that you would only stay temporarily, right?"

Louise lightly laughed. "Are you that eager to drive me out?"

Gerald quickly denied it, "Of course not! I just wanted to make sure that you can be comfortable while staying at my residence."

"Oooohhh...." she trailed off. "That...I'm also not sure of the exact lengthiness of my stay 'father'" she grinned at him.

Gerald silently gritted his teeth before he spoke.

"Didn't you say that it's just a temporary one?"

"Temporary staying in your residence for years and staying in your residence forever is a separate matter," she answered calmly.

The Duke was dumbfounded. So, this is where he felt uneasy. Gerald underestimated this girl's cunningness and shamelessness. Seeing this reaction from the Duke, the girl laughed.

"Ayah...you can't even take humor. When I say it's a temporary stay, I mean it. I'm not planning on staying in this kingdom in the long term. So, you can feel at ease."

When Gerald heard this, he relaxed a bit.

"But I have few conditions as well."

"What is it?"

"I don't like crowds, so I hope that no one in your household will bother me."

"No worries, I will handle it." The Duke assured her.