8. Maiden in love

After conversing with her brother, Raelynn reluctantly took her leave from him. It was not every day that she got the opportunity to speak to him and now that she had found a chance, it had ended sooner than the siblings had expected. Eldrick too was not ready to see his sister depart. But he knew that she had her responsibilities and he could not stop her, even if he wanted.

Lord Eldrick's chambers were in the far interiors of the palace and other than his trusted servants, nobody else was allowed to enter this part of the palace. So, Raelynn did not have to worry about getting caught wandering in the private quarters of the Lord. Everybody she came across knew who she was as well as her relationship with their Lord. So, they bowed to her and greeted her respectfully.

However, the knights guarding the other locations did not know about it and as soon as Raelynn appeared from inside, they gave her one scrutinizing look before they averted their gazes. Raelynn too did not mind them as she had been well versed with their attitude towards her. So, she walked towards where Laurier was patiently waiting for her.

Every other commander and minister had left the courtroom and Laurier was the only one standing in front of the entrance door. Raelynn could not help but feel apologetic seeing his state. The man sure was patient with her and her heart wavered slightly seeing him. 

Raelynn had no idea when her heart was getting pulled towards the man who stood with one of his feet inclined on the wall behind him. He was the only one in the entire army who had trusted her capabilities, more so than her brother, and had encouraged her to continue with her training. If not for his motivation and help, Raelynn would have returned home long ago.

Raelynn could still remember the day when she had first met the man. They had joined the new training batch together. Since she was the first woman ever to apply for the army, people had condemned her and the knights had looked down upon her. But, Laurier was the only one who had never spoken ill about her. Although he was no better than Raelynn when it came to fighting skills, he always had an encouraging smile on his face and that was enough for her to keep going.

When Raelynn had finally passed the training and was posted in the East Battalion, he had appreciated her wholeheartedly and that was the first time, she had seen him smile brightly. It was as though the man was genuinely happy on seeing her reap the fruits of her struggle.

But what was etched in her brain was the moment when Raelynn was announced the Commander and Laurier was given the position of Knight Commander. The man had been delighted for her more than for himself, unlike the other men who looked at her in jealousy. She knew that at that instant, the man who had been her compeer had gained a special place in her heart which nobody would ever replace. He had become the guy she fell in love with.

Raelynn smiled seeing the man tapping his foot. 'So what if the man is dense or hesitant to take the first step, I'll approach him myself.' Making a firm decision, Raelynn approached Laurier and the man finally heaved a breath of relief on seeing her.

"Finally, you are here. I was wondering if you had lost your way in the palace." The man teased even though he had more or less guessed that it would not happen. 

"If that was the case, then I wonder if you would come for my rescue," Raelynn replied, her eyes looking at him in anticipation. Now, she was not the Commander she was in front of the other knights. She was just a maiden in love who was sending the man she liked some subtle signals to tell him her feelings. 

Laurier noticed Raelynn's unusually soft behavior and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is everything alright with you?" There was nobody around them. So, they had dropped the honorifics with each other. "You are behaving weird."

His words made Raelynn to grit her teeth. As she had expected, the man was as dense as ever. She would have to come up with another approach to convey her thoughts. But this was not the place to do so. Many people would walk around the palace and she could not risk confessing her feelings in front of an audience. "I am fine. Shall we leave?"

"Yes."

The duo then left the palace with Raelynn darting one look around her, making sure that nobody had heard her conversation with Laurier. But to their dismay, they met the man who had created a commotion in the courtroom a few hours back. It was none other than Cathal Bringe. "Commander Rosevelt." He greeted her with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

Although Raelynn was in no mood to entertain him, she had to return the courtesy. So, she greeted him back. "Minister Bringe."

"I never expected you to be this beautiful and moreover, you are a Commander. Beauty, brains and bravery, I must say I am impressed." The man was clearly trying to flatter Raeylnn and even the woman in question felt it, let alone Laurier who had had his guards up as soon Cathal had stopped. He had noticed the way the man had looked at her in the courtroom and his male instincts had kicked in right away. It was not just a look of appreciation, there was something more in it. And Laurier was having a bad premonition about it.

"I am thankful for your sweet words. But let me tell you one thing, I am here to impress no one." Raelynn's blunt words stunned Cathal for a second and he looked taken aback. But the next instant, he recovered himself and put on a charming smile on his face.

"I think there is a misunderstanding here. I was only praising you for your esteemed skills and beauty." 

'Such a glib tongue you have here.' Raelynn shouted in her mind while her face did not reveal a thing. She was unsure as to why the man had even approached her in the first place. "If that is the case, then I can say I was born beautiful and I trained hard to perfect my skills. So, I deserve the praise."

Raelynn did not try to be humble with man, not when she knew that the man had come to her with her reason. Also, it was true that she had sacrificed a lot to reach the position she was in right now.

"Definitely, My Lady."

"It's Commander Rosevelt." Raelynn interrupted him immediately. Although she did not hate it when people addressed her this way, she preferred to be called Commander Rosevelt. It made her heart swell with pride and she found it more respectful.

Her unexpected intervention surprised Cathal once again. "My apologies, Commander Rosevelt. It was a slip of tongue." He bowed slightly to show his sincerity while Raelynn did not comment about it further.

"Minister Bringe, if there is nothing else, I would like to take my leave."

"Just a second, Commander. I would like to speak to you about something." Now, Cathal's face turned serious and he stared at Raelynn. There was something in the way the man looked at her which made Laurier uneasy. He could not stop the ominous feeling he was starting to have.

"Definitely. I am all ears."

"Commander Rosevelt, as you already know that I have been chosen as the messenger for the treaty of peace." Raelynn nodded at him. "Although I know self-defense, I am not that proficient at it. So, I was wondering if you or Knight Commander Laurier would accompany me to meet the enemy..." Cathal stopped halfway when he noticed the change in Raelynn's expressions. There was a frown on her beautiful face and she seemed to be in deep thought.

"I apologize, Minister Cathal. As I have already said in the courtroom, I cannot leave my Batallion unattended, nor can Knight Commander Laurier. I can arrange for some knights to accompany you. I promise you that you will not face any troubles with them around."

Her words made the hope in the man's eyes vanish completely and he did not pester her more about it. "That would be of great help. I can be assured with the knights." Yet, he tried to put on a brave front. "I would have to leave now. I still need to discuss a few things with the other ministers."

"Sure." Raelynn smiled at him while Laurier just gave him a curt nod. The man had not spoken a word during the entire time. He had been observing Cathal all the time.

As soon as Cathal left them, the smile on Raelynn's face disappeared. "The man is planning something malicious. Send someone trustworthy to keep an eye on him."