"Don't you know? There was a lady that saved a little girl yesterday morning at the market place! They said she was strong and manly! And how she easily beat down the man that captured the young girl! The rumour has spread all over the capital!" The maid at the Redmere Duchy babbled to the other maid, ecstatic. The other maid's eyes widened.
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"My! Then, do they know where that lady come from?"
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The maid shakes her head. "They didn't saw her face clearly, and the bad man was sentenced in a seven years of imprisonment for almost harming the young girl he captured I heard. And according to the knights' physician in the palace, that man was a crazy in the head! Ho! Thanks to that lady for capturing him!"
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The other maid nodded. "Right!"
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Prince Sage, who's about to enter the Redmere Duchy, stopped when he heard what the maids was gossiping. The knights behind him stopped too, wondering.
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"Your highness?" One of the knights asked.
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The two maids who's gossiping on their working time, was stunned when they heard the two words behind them. They slowly turned around and step back hurriedly.
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That's right! It's his highness! He'll come here today!
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"I-I greet your highness, prince of the Dalis Kingdom!" They both muttered.
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Prince Sage just stared at them bowed their head. He opened his mouth, about to asked something when he hesitated and just decided to shut it.
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Nevermind.
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"Where's the Duke?"
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"H-He's preparing for your arrival, your highness! He's coming here now,"
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And right after the other maid finished her sentence, they heard footsteps behind them and the cheerful face of the Duke appeared.
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"Your highness!" Duke Atticus gladly greeted him.
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The two maids excused themselves.
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"Your grace," The prince greeted.
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"His highness was early---then, let's get inside." The duke smiled.
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Prince Sage nod and asked, "Is it the duchess' month already?"
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"Yes, your highness. And I'm afraid I would faint if I would ever heard her scream from pain of giving birth to our first child. It's---my first time. I will lose my mind,"
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Prince Sage just listened to the duke say about his pregnant wife, the Duchess.
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Somehow, he couldn't help but asked himself, how would I react or feel if I was in his position? Of course, one day, he will be in his position. Every ruler of the kingdom needs a heir, and he's the future king.
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As the duke lead their way to the drawing room, he invited the prince to sit opposite to him. The duchess also entered the room, her baby bump was really like this month she'll be giving birth.
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"I greet your highness,"
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The prince signed his hand, "You don't need to, your grace,"
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As the duchess sat beside the duke, a paper appeared on the table, handed by the prince.
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"Then, your highness, what's the cause of your coming here and what's with the paper?"
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Duke Atticus took the paper from the table and read as his eyes widened in astonishment.
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Union!
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"Your highness, you're getting married in seven months from now?!"
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Prince Sage's eyes fell to the table. "It's what the paper says."
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The next moment, both of the rulers of the duchy was speechless.
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"And...before the wedding takes place, his Majesty the king told the duke to get his affairs done in the border in the span of before the wedding. He wants everything kept in line."
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"Of...of course, my affairs can't take that long. The agreement of the tribe and the Dalis Kingdom in the border is getting good. But this...I didn't know you have a lover, your highness?"
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Surely, the Duke misunderstand.
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"I don't have a lover, my father engaged me ten years ago and I've only come to know it three months ago."
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Now they understand. The prince can't do anything if it's the king's order.
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But once, Duke Atticus was in his position too. He was engaged with the Duchess and he can't do anything about it. But they learned to love each other due to the circumstances they're facing. They're together, never leaving each other's side by the time the problems came. But, also, the duke knows not everyone experienced this kind of tale.
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He's now only wishing that the prince would have a good marriage with the woman he's marrying.
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"Then, may I know who's the lady you're marrying, your highness? There's no name written in this paper. It only says a union between the kingdom's first prince and a lady...what is his Majesty thinking? He's making the lady anonymous,"
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Prince Sage rubbed his forehead. "It's not my father's only unusual doings," He received the paper on his hand the duke read, "The lady is the Captain of the Blue Knight's daughter."
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"Sir Shae Hawthorne's daughter?" The duchess surprisingly asked.
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Shae Hawthorne, who knight and a hero who defeated a hundred troupe of knights of the other kingdom while the war was occuring. He gained the honour of the kingdom and was beloved by the people when the king appointed him to be a captain of the blue knoghts. And now his daughter...was going to be a princess consort.
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They do not know about Shae Hawthorne's daughter a lot, her face was even blurred in their memory, but they heard some news that she was like him. A lady who's strong enough to defeat a troupe of knights in just a young age.
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"That's...that's unexpected." Duke Atticus muttered.
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Prince Sage could only stared at the paper.
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An hour later, the time of Sage's departure arrived. Both the duke and duchess bid their goodbyes as the Prince got on the carriage.
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Before taking the road on the way to the palace, the carriage needed to pass by the Paku Village, where the Prince saw someone he didn't expect to see.
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"Stop the carriage!" Sage shouted.
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The coachman got startled and stopped. Sage got off the carriage and put the cloak for him not to be noticeable.
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There was a group of crowds forming in the middle of the street, watching someone who's shouting.
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"You're out of this!" That voice was familiar, and as Sage realized it, the one who's shouting was Madam Ezra, the Countess. And the countship of his husband the count was located in this area.
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Prince Sage saw a lady his eyes caught on while he was on the carriage holding a child that was about five year old and it's bleeding! One look from it, it seemed like he was being bullied or someone tried to kill him but failed!
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Sage shaken off.
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"Give me the child! He's my slave!"
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The lady who's holding the child gripped the bleeding child's body. The child started to sniffed and silently cried, not letting go of the lady's arms.
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"You can't make a child to be a slave, madam," The lady said calmly, but all know she couldn't repressed her anger by delivering those words.
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"I bought him! You have nothing to do in my business! You're just a daughter of a lowly knight! If you don't go of the child right now, I'll make you face the jail for insulting the nobility!" The veins on the neck of the countess was restraining, she was really mad.
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Prince Sage, hearing that, clenched his fist.
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"Then how much?"
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"What?!"
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"How much did you bought the child, madam? I'll pay you!"
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"Ha! You think you've got that much money? You really think you would get that child by your father's money? You're father was just a knight! And you're just a lowly daughter! Hell with you!"
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Sage couldn't take it anymore and remove his cloak.
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"You can cut it off now, Madam Ezra, "
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Madam Ezra got taken aback hearing that fearful voice as she turned around.
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"Y-Your highness?" She gulped.
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Sloan was astonished too.
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What's he doing here in this place?
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Sage gazed at Sloan who's now furrowing her eyebrows while gently hugging the bleeding and crying child.
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"Your highness! This lady---shes--- she's hurting the child and I was trying to conceive him!"
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What? Since when did the tables turn?!
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Sloan was about to open her mouth to explain when Sage interrupted.
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"Don't flip the situation, Countess. I heard and see what's going on. You can fool everyone but me. And as far as I'm not mistaken, I never saw a law that nobility should took upon child slavery. You know what I'm saying, right?"
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The Countess gulped, speechless.
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"Even if you're part of a royalty, you can't escape a punishment by the law."
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The group of crowds in the Paku Village gasped, hearing the prominent and confident prince of the kingdom who happened to saw the scene.
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"Your highness!"
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Sage ignored him, gazing at Sloan.
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"And you---"
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The Countess interrupted again, finding fault in Sloan. "Your highness! That lowly daughter of a knight must be punished too for insulting a royalty and for didn't bother to greet you!"
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Sage sighed. "There's really no need for that," Sage walk towards her. "Come with me, we'll need to talk."
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The Countess was perplexed, how do the prince talk like that to her?! And when a while ago they seemed like they didn't know each other, but now?!
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Sloan silently nodded while carrying the child.
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As they were about to leave, the Countess shouted.
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"Your highness! What is wrong with you taking that bitch's side?! And why is she coming with you?! She's a---"
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"Countess, I'll bring the knights here as soon as possible when I arrive at the palace." Sage interrupted, getting mad.
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Sloan looked down.
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"Your highness!" The Countess' expression flipped. "Why are you being like this---i bet you don't even know that lowly daughter of a knight---"
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Sage couldn't take it anymore and talk back. "Countess, if you can't shut your words off, you'll be sentenced in lifetime imprisonment for insulting the one I'm going to marry. And when I say insulting the one I'm going to marry, it also means insulting me."
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The Countess got taken aback. Sloan too!
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Why suddenly did he said that thing?! He didn't even mention it once when he's with her!
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"The Duke's tasked was too spread that news over the kingdom but since i couldn't shut my temper off just now, Countess, I slipped and told you. Now, you can't just make a reason. With that, you broke almost three laws of this kingdom."
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Sloan got a hint of what's happening.
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The prince already went to the duke for him to spread the news all over the kingdom. She thought it was next month, why suddenly they're in a rush of making everyone knows the engagement?
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Sloan stared at Sage, questioning him using her facial expression.
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Sage only held her gently like he was protecting her as they turned around and leave to get on the carriage with a bleeding child.
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Now, the Paku Village was in tense and excitement that the Prince delivered. It spread to the other areas in just a matter of time.
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