Chapter 4: Clearing misunderstandings

The Duchess opened the door so violently that it hit the wall with a shrill sound. In front of Ella's eyes wide with astonishment, the Duchess had completely abandoned her usual noble image, grabbed a long skirt that reached the ground, and ran towards her.

"Gabriella, I'll take you to hide!" As soon as the Duchess saw her daughter, she became very excited.

Her words made Ella and the surrounding servants even more agitated. But before the Duchess could touch the hem of Ella's skirt, Duke Hesing caught up and grabbed her waist.

With lightning speed, the Duke lifted his rebellious wife aloft in the eyes of everyone's amazement. Then he put her on his shoulder again in the same way a father is teasing his children.

"Melanie, you calm down a bit." Duke Hesing hit his wife hard on the ass.

The sound made the space seem to freeze.

The Duchess had stopped struggling, her blue eyes widening in disbelief. Duke Hesing's actions just now left him dumbfounded.

Everyone present in the corridor seemed to have acupressure points, frozen on the spot. Although they always knew their masters' feelings were good, was it necessary to show them off in front of them like this?

It's embarrassing!

Ella felt the corner of her lips twitch a few times, she slowly raised the notebook and wrote a few lines: "Are you two playing?"

Her question deepened the confusion. Duke Hesing's face flushed red with embarrassment, and he coughed awkwardly a few times to hide his true mood.

Before Duke Hesing could explain anything, a strange voice interrupted what he was about to say: "I don't think I came at the wrong time, do I?"

Samuel Kime brought a beautiful beauty, leaning against the large window on the right of the corridor. Golden eyes wide open watching the whole beautiful play in front of them, how interesting.

Going too fast this morning made Samuel feel that he was too careless when he did not clearly state his request. When he returned to Hesing's house to explain, he came across this 'fun' scene.

Duke Hesing's family, indeed, is very harmonious.

Confusion had reached its climax, and now it's also breaking its limits to the extreme.

…

The three Hesings sat on a long sofa, the Duke and wife sitting on either side, and the precious daughter was sandwiched in the middle. Opposite them was the esteemed Archmage Samuel Kime looking at them with interesting eyes.

He raised the cup of black tea to his lips and took a sip, the value of this tea was very high, only great aristocrats like the Duke could afford it. If you do not enjoy its taste, you have not wasted the host's hospitality.

But the expressions on the Duke and wife's faces were in stark contrast to the usual warm welcome. The two were looking at Samuel with wary eyes, fearing that if they ignored Samuel would take Gabriella away.

Ella couldn't stand this strange atmosphere, she lowered her head to write a few words on the notebook and pushed it in front of Samuel. Because she just learned to write, Ella's handwriting is still incomplete, there is still a bit of unavoidable embarrassment.

"Why do you want me?" Ella asked Samuel so.

Samuel immediately put his hand on his forehead and let out a small sigh. Sure enough, the Hesing family was all messed up, just because he didn't make things clear.

"Please excuse my rudeness this morning. I should have explained better to everyone." Samuel raised his head and looked seriously at Duke Hesing and his wife.

He slowly explained to them that Ella's healing power was a rare form of magic power. If leaving her here would only destroy a young talent, Samuel wanted to accept Ella as his disciple.

The reason he said he would take her away in three days was that Samuel couldn't stay in the Magnus Federation for too long. Your time is only three days, after which you will leave here.

Wanting to train an orthodox disciple, he needed a lot of time and energy devoted to Ella. So it is understandable that he brought Ella along to facilitate teaching.

Perhaps because he had lived alone for so long, Samuel had forgotten a few basic rules when conversing, leading to an unnecessary misunderstanding with the Hesing family.

After listening to Samuel's presentation, the Duke and his wife's attitude softened a lot. But the Duchess was still hesitant, she looked at her little daughter and frowned.

"Although I know it's a great honor to be accepted by you as your disciple, have you ever thought about our daughter wanting to be your student? If she doesn't agree, you plan to force Gabriella to follow you?"

The duchess's question caused the smile on Samuel's lips to fade, and he let out a helpless sigh. It was true that the title of Grand Mage had made him deal with things in a one-sided manner, it had been so long that Samuel had forgotten how to behave normally.

He counted in his head once, it must have been about five hundred years.

Samuel also did not think that Ella would refuse, even more, did not expect the Hesing family to react like that.

"So what do you mean by Lady Gabriella? Do you want to refuse my offer?" Samuel carefully questioned Ella, his golden eyes filled with anticipation.

Along with Samuel's question, everyone looked at Ella. A drop of nervous sweat rolled from her forehead to her cheek, causing Ella to quickly wipe it away with her hand.

She dared not look at the Duchess for fear of seeing the heartbreak in her eyes. Ella turned the page, slowly writing each word clearly: "I agree!"

Samuel's joy was in stark contrast to the expression on the Duchess's face. She held her daughter's hand tightly, and gently asked her: "Gabriella, why do you accept? Do you want to leave your parents so badly? You are only an eleven-year-old child..."

"Melanie, calm down. You're going to freak me out if you're so excited!" Although Duke Hesing was also surprised by Ella's answer, he was still calm enough to advise his wife.

It seemed that all the words of the Duke could not make the atmosphere more peaceful, the Duchess did not wait for Ella's explanation and angrily turned her head to look at Samuel.

"Gabriella is just a child, still in need of parental care. How can someone like you raise her properly, have you ever been a parent?" The Duchess lost her temper, she just wanted to kick Samuel out of the mansion to protect her daughter.

Hearing the Duchess say that, a sense of loss flashed in Samuel's eyes. The reason he wanted to accept Ella as a student was not only that she possessed a rare ability, but also for another reason.

Sophie Kime, her beloved sister who died four hundred and eighty years ago, had angelic beauty. In all this time traveling around the continent of Lani, Samuel had never met Sophie like the Princess of Hesing.

Not only her abilities but also her looks, just like little Sophie was reincarnated.

"I have never been a parent, but I have indeed raised a human child. When she was young, she was very weak, but with my meticulous care, she grew up very healthy. and beautiful. So please rest assured madam, I will take care of Gabriella like that child. If necessary, I will make a soul contract to prove my heart."

The spirit contract is more terrifying than the magic contract or the blood contract. Once the covenant-maker is not sincere enough, the covenant can never be successfully established. If the contract is signed successfully but the signer betrays the contract, that person's soul will be immediately withdrawn from the body and subject to the torment of hellfire for eternity.

This punishment is crueler than the disappearance of the soul.

The Duchess didn't expect Samuel to be so determined, even the soul contract dared to say it. She quietly lowered her head to look at her daughter, raised her hand, and gently stroked her rosy cheeks.

"Do you want to follow him? Can you tell me the reason?" The Duchess kissed her daughter's forehead, trying to stop the rush of emotion that was flooding back.

Ella knew she was heartbroken but she had to be strong in this, would rather keep the Duchess away from her daughter than let her see Gabriella's death in the future.

Ella wrote each word on the notebook and handed it to her: "I want to be strong, I want to learn how to protect myself. And also to protect the Hesing family."

The Hesing family has a flashy appearance full of power, but few people know that they are also surrounded by constant dangers. It was as if Gabriella was attacked by some force until she lost her memories and voice.

Even the mighty Duke Hesing could not properly protect his daughter.

This time, the Duchess nodded in agreement, tears rolling down her face. She held Ella in her arms and whispered, her soft hand caressing her small back.

"My daughter, you have grown up. I always wanted you to stay like that but it seems it's time for you to leave my arms."

That day at the Duke's mansion, a soul contract was signed between Samuel Kime and Gabriella de Hesing in the presence of the Duke and his wife. Samuel gave Ella his oath, he would protect and take care of Ella until the last moment of his almost endless life.