Return of the General's Daughter-Chapter 209: Reuben’s Infatuation

Reuben laughed. "Okay, as you say, Brother." Then he shifted his focus back on Lara. "See you tomorrow, Miss Lara."

With that, he turned around and exited the gazebo. His few guards who were with him stepped in and followed him back to the manor.

"How arrogant!" Agilus said, gritting his teeth.

"Arrange for new accommodations," Alaric said, his voice firm, leaving no room for debate. "The baron’s mansion is too small for us. Besides, I have no desire to share space with that man."

"But, Ari! We are here first!" Agilus protested, stomping his foot like an indignant child. "Shouldn’t they be the ones scrambling for lodging?"

Alaric shook his head, calm but unyielding. "I don’t want to cause Baron Yanez any more trouble than necessary. We’ve already disturbed his peace. Besides..." His gaze narrowed thoughtfully. "I’m more curious about what Reuben is planning. Why is he here? What strings is he pulling? Could he be the hand behind the corruption rotting this town?"

He spoke plainly, even with Lara standing nearby, undeterred by the ears that might be listening.

Agilus let out a long, weary sigh. "The mayor is really tight-lipped. Even if we tortured his son in front of him, he still stood with his earlier confession that there was no one backing him and that he did everything in his own accord. I could throttle the man for his stubbornness."

Alaric’s eyes drifted toward the cobbled path where the Second Prince had disappeared, suspicion sharpening his features. "With Reuben coming here, it is probably him and not Alderan."

Beside them, Lara lifted her hands in a helpless plea, her voice sweetly laced with mock despair. "Your Highness, I am afraid, I shouldn’t be in this place. The more I know, the more difficult my life would be." The tone of her voice, though, did not match the weight of her words.

To everyone’s surprise — and perhaps even his own —Alaric turned to her and said with quiet sincerity, "I’m sorry."

Agilus and Felix both blinked in astonishment. When had their prince ever apologized to anyone?

Agilus quickly regained his composure and, with a frown, added, "I’m afraid there aren’t many choices left. The inn is overflowing with Prince Reuben’s entourage. Unless we move to the mayor’s house, we don’t have a lodging big enough to accommodate us." Agilus shared his worries with the prince.

"How about you ask Master Jethru about this? I am sure he can make arrangements." Lara suggested.

Agilus’s face lit up as if the very sun had broken through the clouds. "Perfect! With the right amount of gold, I’m certain your master would find us a room."

...

Lara, riding astride her steed and flanked by Aramis and Agilus, left the baron’s manor in the late afternoon. From the third-floor window, a curious pair of brown eyes watched as she skilfully mounted her horse; her skirt turned out to be a wide-legged pair of pants.

"Is she not using a side saddle? How could she ride like that? " Reuben turned to his knight, Espior. He was shocked, but deep inside, his admiration for her grew a notch higher. She looked amazing with her straight back and balanced posture, showing harmony with her horse. She rode gallantly, like a general leading her troops into battle.

Espior underwent rigorous training from boyhood and had become Reuben’s constant companion, his knight who pledged allegiance to him. He was the brave and chivalrous horseman who supported him. He also handled the security detail of the prince. The secret guard whom Reuben sent out to investigate Lara was under him.

"My Lord, she isn’t wearing a skirt. That’s a pair of pants with a wide hem that looks like a skirt."

"I know. How bold of her. Isn’t she afraid that people would despise her? It was believed that a woman seen with her legs astride a horse risked losing her virginity while riding, unless she didn’t have any regard for what people said."

Reuben continued to watch until the three figures were swallowed by the dust in the distance.

"Hmm. Interesting." Reuben shifted his attention to his guard. "So, what have you gathered about her so far?"

The knight flinched. It was only a few hours. He was anxious that the prince would not be happy with what he had uncovered.

"There is not much information about her, My Lord." It seemed as if she had just recently appeared out of nowhere, together with the old man she called her master. They lived in a small manor in the Narra Alley, a property that Baron Yanez sold to fund his new manor in Legares more than a month ago."

"And?"

The knight swallowed hard.

"No one knew about them before they settled in that alley. The old man she was with was called Jethru...Jethru Mendel, not a native of Calma. His name appeared in the census recorded more than twenty years ago, but he was invisible here." Espior explained.

"Mendel!" Prince Reuben’s brows furrowed, trying to remember any of the major families in the capital, but the name did not ring a bell.

"Is she Jethru’s granddaughter?"

"It is not clear at the moment, My Lord. There are three other children in the manor. A pair of boy-girl twins, around seven years old, and another boy of the same age. Neighbors said that they were Jethru’s grandchildren."

"Hmm. Continue to investigate. If she is a commoner, then it will be easy for me to take her as my concubine."

"My Lord?" the guard wanted to ask why the prince would be interested in such a kind of woman, but when he remembered how beautiful that woman was, he swallowed his words. "There is one more thing. Three of General Odin’s sons are here in Calma and have visited the Narra Alley a few times."

Prince Reuben’s gaze flicked to the knight. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Are they here to show support to Alaric?" There was a sharpness in Reuben’s voice that caused Espior to step back.

"It doesn’t seem like it, My Lord. They seem to be interested in Jethru’s family." Espior glanced at Reuben. He surmised that he needed to know about what the Norse siblings did. "By the way, they entered Mount Ourea a few days ago and they just returned yesterday. Jethru and Kane Mendel accompanied them."

"Kane Mendel? Why does the name sound familiar?" Reuben frowned, trying to remember.

"He was the messenger sent by Prince Alaric who brought the letter to General Odin. He also contributed a lot to the battle in Carles."

"So, he was the one who subdued those stupid women, children, and the elderly who blocked the soldiers from entering Carles?" Reuben’s eyebrows shot up in contemplation.

"Yes, My Lord! He was also skilled in warfare, particularly in archery. Many of our soldiers praised him. He is also highly skilled in dealing with wounds." Espior shared enthusiastically. It appeared that he admired Kane Mendel.

But regretably, he seemed to be Alaric’s man. What a pity, he is in the wrong camp."