Chapter 23

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The snowstorm became so strong that it became almost impossible to see. The weather was extremely cold to the point where someone could freeze just from staying outside for a few hours.

Lucas was advancing slowly with his horse because of the strong wind blowing against the direction they were moving to. The young knight glanced at the unconscious girl that laid beside him on her horse. Her breathing was very slow and unsteady.

'If we keep going like this, she'll be dead before we can even get to the city gate,' he thought bitterly.

Suddenly, Lucas' horse began whinnying loudly which puzzled its master.

"What is it, Evan ? What's wrong with you ?"

The horse turned its head towards Piper and nodded. The two horses began galloping gently together towards another direction than the one that leads towards Lemgan.

"Evan ?! What are you doing right now ?! This is the wrong way ! This is really not the time to play ! The princess is going to die ! We have to go to the city to look for a doctor ! Come on !" Lucas exclaimed angrily, pulling hard on the reins.

The horse did not listen to its master and continued to advance quickly which made its master give up on trying to control it.

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A few minutes later, they found themselves on a beautiful clearing where there was a small river. The ground was completely covered with snow there.

A few meters away from them was a small cottage with a pretty garden with small bushes at the entrance. There was some light coming from the windows and smoke from the top of the chimney. The place was inhabited.

"So, that's where you wanted to take me," Lucas whispered to his horse.

He dismounted the animal and approached the house.

"Wait for me here. I'll be back."

The young captain entered the small garden and walked towards the front door before knocking on it loudly.

"Hello ?! Is anyone there ?!" he called out.

He got no response.

"Please ! Is anyone here ?!"

"I'm coming !" a male voice answered from the other side.

A few seconds later, an old man in his sixties opened the door. He was very tall with a large build. He had pale skin, short gray hair and light blue eyes.

"Can I help you ?" he asked, getting on his guard.

"Please, Sir ! There's an injured woman with me ! She was poisoned with a needle ! Please allow me to leave her here while I fetch a doctor in town ! If she stays outside too long, she might die from the cold..." the young man begged.

"Oh my god ! Bring her inside, My Son ! Hurry up !" exclaimed the old man, opening the door completely for him.

"Thank you ! Thank you so much, Sir !" answered Lucas before returning to the horses.

The old man turned his head around to look inside the house.

"Sofia ! Honey ! Prepare some warm blankets for the guest room ! There's an injured girl that needs our help !" he ordered his wife.

Lucas carried Luana in his arms gently and ushered her into the house.

Arrived in the guest room, he saw an old lady who was preparing blankets and pillows on the bed.

She was slightly tall and slim. She had pale skin, straight long brow hair with a few gray streaks, and brown eyes.

She turned around to look at the young man. Her facial expression exuded a lot of warmth and affection.

"Put her down here, My Son," she ordered softly, pointing to the prepared bed.

Lucas did as she asked and laid the princess down on the soft surface.

"You're very lucky, My Boy. You don't have to go search for a doctor since I am one myself," the old man said as he entered the room.

"Thank God..." Lucas muttered, relieved.

Once his gaze landed on the patient's face, the old man's eyes widened in shock.

"That girl... Isn't she Her Highness, Princess Luana Aubretia ?" he asked.

Sofia turned quickly to look at the young man beside her who nodded his head in answer.

"Oh god... Poor girl..." she whispered, a sad expression on her face.

"Do you know her personally ?" asked the captain.

"No... But my husband knew her mother and father, the emperor and empress," she answered.

"The empress was one of my patients. I visited her several times at the palace to try to cure her of that incurable disease she had. She was an admirable person... I was so devastated when I learned of her death," the old man replied.

"We all were..." whispered Lucas.

"So, I guess that you're Her Highness's bodyguard, right ? You're the captain of the Imperial Knight Army, Lucas Koraxos, isn't it ?" Alastair stated.

"Yeah, that's right, Doctor."

The old man nodded before turning his attention back to Luana. He tilted the girl's head to the right.

"You told me she got poisoned with a needle, right ?" he asked.

"Yeah, Doctor. I found it pierced on her neck. Here it is," replied the young man, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket which enveloped the small object.

The doctor took the needle from his hands and sniffed the tip.

"I thought so... You have nothing to fear, My Son. It's not poison. Rather, it is a very strong soporific mixed with something else that I cannot identify yet. But it's not serious."

"So... She's not in danger ?" Lucas asked, a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Not at all, My Son. She'll be fine. I'll bring her a little antidote for the soporific and also a tonic. Wait for me here," answered the doctor, smiling before leaving the room.

The young knight let out a long sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, My Son. Your lover is in good hands with us. Doctor Alastair Ondynol is one of the bestest around town," Sofia comforted with an affectionate smile.

"I'm reassured... But... The princess is not my lover, Madam... I'm just her personal bodyguard..." replied the young men, his cheeks becoming rosy.

"Oh ! I'm sorry !" exclaimed the old lady, putting her hand over her mouth.

"No, no... It's nothing... Don't worry..." he reassured, smiling sadly while blushing slightly.

The old lady looked at him for a moment before displaying an affectionate smile.

"Judging by your facial expression, I'm sure she will be very soon," she said.

The captain was taken by surprise. His face who was pink, turned as red as a tomato.

At that moment, the doctor came back with two vials in his hands.

"Sofia, Honey, please serve our guest dinner. He must be starving."

"Of course, Dear," she replied.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Doctor Ondynol. But, I really don't feel like eating right now," Lucas answered.

"You should feed yourself, My Son. You need to get stronger. You've walked all over the forest to come here in this heavy storm," Sofia said.

"I can't... Not until Luana regains consciousness... I don't want to leave her alone..." he whispered.

"She won't be alone. I'll stay with her while you have dinner. Like Sofia said, you need to regain some energy," the doctor replied smiling.

Seeing their insistence, Lucas sighed before displaying a small smile.

"Okay... Thank you very much..."

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After having dinner, the young knight returned to the room where the princess was. The doctor had his back turned as he stared out the window. Sensing his presence, he turned around to look at him.

"I hope you enjoyed the dinner," he said, smiling.

"Yeah. It was very delicious. Thank you."

"Glad to hear that. I gave Her Highness the antidote and tonic. She should wake up feeling better tomorrow morning."

"Thank you very much, Doctor."

"Please, My Boy. That's my duty."

At that moment, Sofia entered the room.

"You need to rest a bit, Lucas. I'm going to prepare a room for you."

"That's very kind of you, Madam. But, I'd rather stay here. I'll stand guard over Luana in case she gets unwell during the night."

"Me and Alastair are going to take turns doing it. You've been out in the cold for so long and you didn't rest since you came here. I don't want you to get sick."

"I...I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, Madam... I wouldn't be able to until she wakes up... Besides, you and the doctor have been very helpful to us and you worked a lot too... You must also be exhausted... You should be the ones resting..."

The old lady and her husband sighed deeply before smiling affectionately at him.

"I understand," she said.

"Thank you."

"If so, I'll bring you a blanket so you don't get cold at night," Alastair said before leaving the room.

A short silence settled.

"The princess is really lucky to have a bodyguard like you, you know that ? So loving and protective of her... The force of an Imperial Knight's love is very powerful, isn't it ? I've been through that too..." Sofia said.

"The doctor is an Imperial Knight too ?" Lucas wondered.

"Yeah, he is. But he retired just after the great war against the Demon King to continue his life as a doctor."

"I see..." Lucas muttered, smiling slightly.

Alastair came back into the room carrying a soft, warm blanket that Lucas took from his hands.

"Thank you very much, Doctor."

"Please, My Son. If you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you. Good night to you."

"Good night," the old couple replied as they left the room.

Lucas took the chair that was next to the window to bring it back next to Luana's bed. He wrapped the blanket around himself before sitting down. He looked at the young princess who was sleeping peacefully.

"Good night, Luana. Have sweet dreams," he said, smiling slightly.

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The snowstorm stopped early in the morning giving way to a more or less clear sky. The birds began to sing softly announcing the beginning of a new day.

The young princess slightly opened her heavy eyelids. She turned her head slowly to the right to observe her surroundings. The first thing she saw was the young knight who was asleep in the chair next to her.

"Lucas ?" she whispered in a small, sleepy voice.

The captain, as if hearing her, slowly opened his eyes before widening them when he saw the young girl awake. He abruptly got up from the chair, dropping his blanket on the floor.

"Luana ? Luana ?! Thank God you woke up !" he exclaimed in relief.

"What happened ? Where are we ?" she asked, looking around the room.

"It's a very long story. Are you feeling okay ? Are you feeling any sort of pain ?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little twinge at the neck," she said, putting her hand on the left side of her neck.

At that moment, the old couple entered the room. They were surprised to see the young princess awake. They bowed in front of her immediately.

"Good morning, Your Highness," they said in synchronisation.

The young princess, completely confused, turned her gaze to Lucas, searching for answers to her questions. The young man sighed before explaining the situation to her.

After a few minutes of discussion and explanation, Luana smiled at the old couple.

"I'm very grateful to you, Sir and Madam. You saved my life."

"It's our duty, Your Highness. How can we leave a sick person outside in the middle of a snowy night ?" the doctor replied.

"Still. Allowing strangers to enter your house and spend the night there while the city is going through a period of crisis, I can only bow to such nobility," added the young princess, nodding her head.

"It is a pleasure to have you with us, at our house, Your Highness," said Sofia.

"Please, there's no need to be formal with me. Just call me by my name."

"As you wish, My Child," the old lady replied, smiling warmly.

"Grandma ? Grandpa ?" a small voice called out.

The old couple turned towards the door to see a little girl of around 5 years old, standing there, her hair disheveled from sleep and holding a medium sized teddy bear.

The little girl had pale skin, very pretty brown eyes and short curly auburn hair.

"Good morning, Susan," Sofia greeted as she walked over to her.

"Who are these people, Grandma ?" the little girl asked with curious eyes.

"Well..." Alastair began.

"I'm Lucas, and she's Luana," said the young knight, smiling affectionately at her.

Susan watched them carefully before walking over to Luana's bed and climbing into it.

"Aunty... Luana ?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, that's my name," the girl replied smiling.

"You are very beautiful ! You look like a princess !" she exclaimed, stars in her eyes.

"Really ?! Thank you ! You're very pretty too !"

The young child turned her head to Lucas.

"And him ? Uncle Lucas. Is he your knight ?" she asked, curiousity clear in her eyes.

Everyone burst out laughing at Susan's cute thoughts. Sofia walked over to her.

"Are you coming with me, Susan ? We're going to wash up and make breakfast. Aunt Luana is a little sick. Do you want to help me prepare something to eat for her ?"

"Yeah ! I want to prepare breakfast for Aunty Luana !" she replied excitedly.

The old lady chuckled lightly before leaving the room, holding the child in her arms.


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