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They had come rushing when they heard Mira’s desperate scream. They were given only one job- protect Mira and Jack. Neither wanted to think of the consequences of failing in their duty. They ran to help… what greeted them was three grown men hiding behind bushes, two in trees and one standing frozen. They had gotten here before Mira but decided to watch as they couldn’t make sense of the situation. They couldn’t figure out if the men started fighting and attacked each other or if there was another enemy…. What eventuated…they enjoyed watching… Martin came back with the small boar along with Oden. “What are we doing with this?” Matthew turned to Mira ignoring the surprised faces of everyone other than Harry. “They…” Beth pointed at the men and hid behind John. “Let’s marinate and have a big dinner tomorrow.” Mira smiled greedily as she clasped her hands. “Let’s get Almera and her Marquess over as well.” Mira smiled as she looked at Jack. Although it was a statement, she was asking
“Cousin’s wife is very generous.” Martin shook his head. He had heard the other apprentices talking about their families. Mira took good care of them even though they were only cousins. She took care of them the same way she looked after her folks. “Ha… ha…. ha….” Jack laughed as he gave the reins to Martin. He knew Martin liked to ride. They rode back quickly. Mira completed another small strip and came out of space. She decided to do some more floral patterns using yellow threads. Jack and Martin returned shortly after she started embroidering the spare robe. It was almost like a celebratory gathering. The men chopped the woods and made the preparation for the fire since they had to start early cooking early in the morning. Ursula got the beets prepared while Agnes made the blood sauce. By the time Mira came out, Beth had all the vegetables ready. Mira added 4 gallons of water, 8 cups pickling salt, 6 oranges and 2 lemons halved along with 2 bulbs garlic in a large pot. She sque
The next morning, Mira and Jack woke up early. They had lots of things to do before everyone came. Jack milked the cows while Mira took 30 eggs and prepared stuffed eggs; placed them in space. For breakfast, she made some scrambled eggs with the rest of the eggs which was plenty for all the family. She shredded the peasant that was left over from yesterday and made a dry dish that could be eaten with bread. She took out the rosemary and thyme bread she had stocked in space. Jack came in with the pail of milk and handed it to Mira. “Do you want to have breakfast now?” Mira asked as she started the fire to boil the milk. There was no reason for Mira boiling milk…. Everyone just drank it just like that… but she liked the taste of hot milk… so she boiled it! How could she know that it would become a standard practice thousands of years later. “I will wait for everyone.” Jack’s lips curled up as he saw the breakfast preparation his wife had done. “Then, drink a mug of hot milk and let’
“Come… come…” Matthew and Harry invited in unison with a wide grin. “By god, man…” Jane laughed “You two still alive?” “Ha… ha…ha…” Harry laughed and smirked “Did you think you suddenly got the ability to converse with ghosts?” “If I did” Jane hooked her eyebrows “I know there will be other ghosts I want to meet first.” “This is my daughter’s house.” Matthew started politely “It might not…” “Good lord, Matt…. When did you become so long winded?” Jane rolled her eyes as she walked forward like the empress. Samuel chuckled as he followed. Jane and Thomas didn’t need any introductions. Matthew introduced John, Beth, Oden, Martin and Anne-Marie while Harry introduced Agnes, Ursula, Jack and Mira. Thomas introduced Aldrin and Ferran; Almera didn’t need any introductions. Jane introduced Samuel to everyone. Once introductions were out of the way, everyone mingled without reservations. Mira slipped away while everyone was chatting and went to the cellar. She took the items she had prev
“She is useless anyway.” Joan smirked as she pulled Caster’s hand. “Leave this house today and the two of you are dead to us.” John warned as Emma was about to walk out the door with Joan. “Makes no difference.” Joan shrugged her shoulders as she walked out. Silence filled the room. No one spoke… only Anne-Marie’s tiny sobs could be heard. Oden hugged her comfortingly. “Mom hasn’t woken up…” Anne-Marie sobbed bringing everyone’s attention back to Beth who had fainted. “I will take her to the healer. You lot stay here.” John stood up; his step faltered although he put a tough front. “Dad, you stay here with Anne-Marie.” Oden supported his father “I will take mom along with Martin.” “Um” John nodded as he rubbed his chest and walked over to his bed. Anne-Marie watched both her parents miserable state and didn’t know what to do… Her father was putting a tough appearance… but she wasn’t so sure… She did the only thing she knew… She waited for her father to lie down and left the hous
Both Beth and John were back to normal after a day’s worth of good rest. Ursula went back home with Matthew when he came in the afternoon, after preparing both dinner and supper. She didn’t wait for Oden and Martin to come back as Beth was already feeling better after eating the porridge with the medicinal herbs that Mira gave. Mira and Jack didn’t have any other distractions. They both worked hard fully concentrating on their work. They even ate in space as the food was already cooked and placed there. They only came out to water the crops, let the animals out to graze in the morning and lock the barns at night. Martin couldn’t deliver the crown clasp on Monday as promised but Jack and Mira didn’t care. Jack paid a visit to the smithery on Mira advice and told Simeon to deliver on Wednesday as they had some inconvenience. Simeon just laughed in good humor. How could he not understand? Martin bought the short chain and crown clasp on Wednesday as promised and the long chain on Thurs
“Aunt, I am home.” Jack called out standing at the doorway. Beth hurriedly wiped her hands on the apron rushed to open the door, but Anne-Marie beat her to it. “Cousin...” Anne-Marie jumped into Jack’s embrace before looking behind him and asking with a sad pout “Where is cousin’s wife?” “She is working … she sends her love.” Jack ruffled her hair as he walked in. “Jack, son what is it?” Beth asked anxiously. Jack wouldn’t come on his own if there was nothing wrong. “Shouldn’t you be telling me what’s wrong?” Jack complained unhappily. “Me?? Wrong???” Beth knitted her brows before laughing “It’s all better… thanks to your medicine.” “Aunt, do you even consider me as your son?” Jack frowned seeing that his aunt had no intention of speaking the truth. “My boy… what are you saying?” Beth sighed but before Beth could open her mouth, John and Oden entered in a hurry. “Jack… son…” John called out in a fluster before calming down. “Are you here to check on the blankets?” Oden asked
The next day was the same. Both husband and wife only took a break from their work to take a dip in the hot spring to relax their tired muscles and to sleep at night or dawn when Jack made a ruckus. Sunday morning had a slight twist with Ursula and Agnes arriving to cook. Both frowned as they saw the fireplace that had not been lit for days. Jack took a break from his work and entertained Matthew and Harry. They decided to plant the saplings that were waiting to be planted in the morning. Mira had to stop work and come out as Ursula and Agnes would not hear about any excuse. She was no match for her two moms. She could only compromise, come out gobble everything they put on her plate and run back. Jack chuckled looking at his wife bulging cheeks as he saw her stuffing all the food in her mouth like a hamster. She looked really cute. “Ddd..oo….n.n.m…ll….mmmee” Mira pouted as she chewed her food fast… Jack “???” “Don’t laugh at me.” Mira repeated with a pout as she swallowed her fo
The Sorens arrived pompously by late afternoon. Not just the old duke and duchess but also the marquess and his wife along with Lord Amberton and his wife, Lady Basvec.Jack’s lips curled up subtly as he saw the line up but feigned an ignorant yet proud expression as he portrayed the picture of an arrogant lord who was stuck up with his overnight good fortune. What was curious was the appearance of eight extra guards surrounding Jack and Mira along with Lazarus.Martin followed Jack with an uncultured, greedy expression; Mira could hardly hold her laughter, she struggled to maintain a haughty expression as she walked beside Jack, holding his arm, arriving fashionably late along with Jack to welcome the unwelcome guests.“Apologies…” Jack spoke lazily without a trace of sincerity as he arrived and sat down with his wife, yawning impolitely “We were resting after our big move.”“We still haven’t even finished exploring the castle.” Mira added with an equally lazy expression.“Apologies…
“And then….” Cornelius repeated a little lost before shrinking within himself “my sorry excuse of a father happened.”He took a deep breath composing himself before opening his mouth to continue “The next duel was meant to happen when I was 30 and it was meant to be with the heir of the Worthington duchy.”“My father, was not only greedy but also stupid as a pig.” Cornelius was not at all reserved nor did he consider his station as he fumed “Misguided by the Asters, he thought that if he tripped the Zumerongs, he could rule over for another 100 years.”“He forgot that if the duel was forfeited without the actual duel taking place, then the chance would befall the next duchy that was due in the chain.” Cornelius shook his head “The Asters were conceited; they knew they could never win against Alex nor me as long as Alex was around, so they first tripped Alex.”“Stripping him of his title so that the Zumerongs would be disheartened and give up their chance. They convinced the old man th
“Why did the previous king resent the Zumerongs?” Martin asked with a puzzled expression out of the blue.“I don’t resent them.” Cornelius’s face darkened as he spat out resentfully.Martin: “”. He turned his head looking at the faces around him with his naïve comical expression that had ‘Did I say that?’ written all over.“Orseus is the current sovereign.” Thomas chuckled looking at Martin’s colorful expression. Martin smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head and corrected “I meant the one before the previous king.”“Nothing in particular other than greed and jealousy.” Cornelius opened his mouth uncomfortably. He sighed seeing Jack and Mira’s blank and curious gaze “To know the reason, you have to know the history of our kingdom’s establishment.”He started his narration looking at the eager faces around him-“When the kingdom of Hal was established my great ancestor, Cornelius, the righteous, was chosen as the ruler at the end of a duel with the six founding dukes, who
Everyone slowly relaxed as Jack turned his attention back to Harrison. He thought for a moment before saying “Accept his visit.” Jack paused narrowing his eyes before adding “Don’t let them know that the royal sovereign, his highness and the others are here. Notify the household that any slip ups, intentional or not, will not be tolerated.”“My Lord, the staff that we have left…” Harrison sighed with a heavy heart “are all the loyal ones… who stayed back out of loyalty.”“But their loyalty is not towards me.” Jack retorted with a childish grin, he seemed to have found a new hobby, he enjoyed taunting the otherwise stiff upper lip, flawless Butler.“My Lord…” Harrison sighed helplessly “They will not betray you, but they may decide to quit once the original masters return.” He knew Jack knew…. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said that… there was no point in talking in circles or feigning ignorance.“What about you?”Mira pinched Jack’s waist as she noticed Harrison becoming visibly uncomfor
“If the Zumerongs were involved, then it makes perfect sense for Jerome to pass their token and heirloom for safekeeping to me.” Matthew nodded thinking back to Jerome’s caution about not handing it to anyone other than the bearer of the heirloom.“But isn’t there someone already in charge of the Duchy?”“Dad didn’t you say that the Zumerongs were exiled with the charge of high treason?”Both Almera and Mira asked in unison.Matthew pursued his lips unable to answer as that was the last piece of information he had; But he didn’t have to think long as Cornelius spoke “I cleared their name as soon as I took the throne and re-instated them but……” He paused and then continued with a depressed expression “But the direct family, the old duke’s brother and sister who were exiled, along with their family refused to come back. The current owners are the old duke’s cousins.”“If there is already an owner, then why are people still pursing the heirloom?” Mira asked out loud, knitting her brows.“
“Jack is the long-lost Leander.” Bernard continued with the known facts, picking up on Orseus’s intention. Lazarus dutifully jotted it down although he was visibly shaken by what he just heard; it took him a great deal of willpower to keep his calm even though his hands trembled and if one looked carefully, they would notice the slight curves in the otherwise elegant cursive.The room quieted down and sank into a gloomy silence.“That’s it???” Harry was the first to break silence; the frustration in voice and expression was not hidden.“That’s what we know for sure.” Thomas shrugged, his frustration no less than that of Harry as he had been working on this ever since he became capable, an obsession passed onto him by his father.“Then let’s start re-telling the stories we know.” Mira suggested innocently adding as she saw her father hooking his eyebrows “Well, if it not a fact, then it is fiction, in other words story,” She shrugged.“Father always said that stories are like a puzzle w
“So, are you saying that your highness didn’t know that this was Jack’s when he announced the prize?” Almera exclaimed in awe.“So, are you saying that this was originally cousin’s property?” Martin exclaimed at the same time as Almera and continued patting his chest in comfort “So, we don’t have to find the heir and hand it over making all of cousin sister-in-law’s hard work mount up to nothing…. this is good…very good…. hur…hur… ”“Wow… so the property found its own owner without anyone doing anything…” Martin continued his mindless chatter, his eyes widening in wonder.“How is it that no one did anything?” Beth slapped the back of Martin’s head as she chided “Isn’t it all because of the sleepless nights your sister-in-law spend, working tirelessly for the competition?”Cornelius chuckled seeing Martin’s innocence and opened his mouth to clarify at the same time as Beth “I truly didn’t know who he was, until Mira announced her fifth request.”Martin rubbed the back of his head with a
The next morning, everyone gathered around the dining table for breakfast, filled with renewed energy and full of fighting spirit as they all knew the agenda for the day; even young Anne-Marie’s eyes were filled with excitement. “Good morning, everyone.” Cornelius and Aglaya were the last to join the table; Jack nodded towards Harrison, in a gesture that conveyed ‘Get everyone away from this area.’ Harrison nodded in acknowledgement before he started to retract the maids and manservants who were serving towards the back of the house. “Keep an eye on the front so that no one interrupts the Lord’s business.” Harrison called on Lazarus before withdrawing to the back himself “I will keep the household engaged at the back.” “It would be better if you could get your men to watch around the room, close enough to guard and yet far enough to not intrude on the Lord’s privacy.” Harrison added as an afterthought. Although he didn’t know what they were going to discuss, he knew Jack didn’t wan
The long journey had worn everyone out and they decided to rest early as Martin was yet to return; Jack had promised Martin that they wouldn't start before he came back.“I made a fool of myself.” Mira pouted unhappily once Mira and Jack were alone in their room.“Nonsense… who said my wife’s a fool?” Jack feigned disbelief as he looked around;he didn't even blush as he spoke, he wasn't lying; his wife could do whatever she wanted.Who would dare to say anything?Mira hmphed as she sat with an unhappy expression for a few seconds before she got distracted with her thoughts, she turned around, her expression still wrinkled in a pout “What are we going to do about Martha and Seirra? I don’t think that we can get to them as we previously planned now that everyone is here.”She leaned forward and whispered, “They don’t seem to have any plans for leaving any time soon.”Jack chuckled as he stared dotingly at his wife’s innocent face that was filled with a gossipy aura.Her eyes widened with