"Your Highness, Master..."
Felix stood outside the gazebo, still panting. Shadows of the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves of the ancient tree that sheltered the gazebo appeared on his face.
"Can I co inside?" He asked apprehensively. He could see that the prince was displeased by his intrusion.
"And why not? Co here. I’ll show you an improved version of the stethoscope. You can also check the prince’s heartbeat."
Felix lingered at the threshold, his gaze fixed intently on Alaric. An unsettling trepidation coiled within him. He understood that he needed Alaric’s nod of approval before he could dare to step over the threshold.
And as if there was a prior agreent between the two, Agilus also arrived. When he saw that Lara was wearing a dress, he whistled. But then he felt the usual chill run down his spine. He could only stop and silently complain.
"You looked different in a dress, Kane, ... I an Lara," Agilus said the mont he entered the gazebo.
Alaric gave him a look that said, "Shut up!"
"I an, the dress. It looked different, not the usual one that won would wear." Agilus corrected himself. "But honestly, Lara looks better in a dress rather than in n’s clothes." He sat down in the farthest corner of the gazebo, away from Alaric’s arms or legs that might reach him should he feel annoyed with his praises for Lara.
"Felix, co here," Lara called, curling her fingers in a beckoning gesture.
The young dic hesitated, casting a nervous glance at Alaric before stepping forward. Lara gently guided Alaric’s hand, positioning the chest piece exactly where the heartbeat should be felt strongest beneath the skin.
"Your Highness, can I have the earpiece?" Lara asked.
With clear reluctance, Alaric removed the earpiece and handed it over, his fingers brushing lightly against hers in the exchange — a fleeting touch that sent an inexplicable thrill up his arm.
"Now, try to listen to his heartbeat," she instructed, passing the stethoscope to Felix.
Felix’s hands shook slightly as he accepted the device. He pressed the funnel-like device to Alaric’s chest with utmost care, as though afraid to offend. His brow furrowed in concentration as he listened.
"It sounds normal. I am hearing the sa sound when I examine the others." Felix reported. He was confused why Lara was expecting sothing else.
Lara frowned, her lips pressing into a small line. "Strange," she murmured. "Just a mont ago, Alaric’s heart was racing. I thought he was about to have a heart attack."
At that, Agilus, who had been nonchalantly sipping water from a ceramic mug brought by a servant, choked violently, spluttering and gagging.
Felix rushed over, patting him hard on the back until Agilus finally recovered, coughing into his sleeve.
The two n exchanged a knowing look — the kind that was filled with poorly concealed laughter and shared, silent understanding.
"Well, I am pretty sure, it is a normal reaction when a doctor as pretty as you handles the examination, Miss Lara."
The words had barely left his mouth when Alaric’s voice cut through the mont like a blade through silk — cold, sharp, and unmistakably dangerous.
"Agilus," he said, his tone cool as frost, "do you really wish to be assigned here at the border... permanently?"
Agilus raised both hands in a placating gesture, his easy grin faltering. "Ari, I was only joking," he stamred quickly. "You know how tense I am... what with all the new people Prince Reuben brought from the capital.
The tension lingered for a heartbeat longer before Alaric leaned back slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he commanded Agilus.
"Accompany Lara tomorrow. She wanted to purchase a grazing land in a village along with so cows. Make sure that she gets a good deal."
"What?" His voice rose a pitch higher. "You... are buying a property? Really?" Agilus asked in disbelief.
Lara was baffled by his reaction. "What’s the matter?"
"I am just curious, why would a woman like you want to own a property?"
"What is wrong with that?" Though Lara knew that the status of won in that period was low, she still wanted to hear it from the mind of a male chauvinist of that era.
"Well, you are a woman, and a woman’s role is to take care of the house and raise the children. It is the husband’s duty to earn for the family.
"And why is that? Can’t a woman earn and do things that a man could?" Lara asked sarcastically.
Agilus was taken aback by Lara’s words. He knew that Kane’s words baffled him, and his ways of thinking were radical. He did not expect that even when she was no longer disguising herself as a man, she still kept Kane’s thought process.
Agilus wanted to retort, but before he could, Lara shifted his focus to Prince Alaric, who was looking down, lost in thought.
"How about you, Your Highness? Do you also think the sa?" Lara asked, curious to know Alaric’s beliefs.
The prince lifted his head and t her gaze. "If a woman is strong and capable enough, why not?" he said. "There are so tasks that a woman can handle just as well as a man, but not everything can be done on equal footing. So roles are ant for n, just as there are areas where won excel." He observed Lara’s reaction and was surprised when she responded with a sweet smile.
Lara thought that Alaric’s beliefs were far too radical for his ti. It wasn’t complete equality, but he seed to be on the right track. He has the makings of a good king.
Since Alaric had spoken, Agilus could not say anything else to contradict him. Otherwise, wouldn’t he suffer from his bad mood in the next few days?
"It is getting late, Your Highness. I need to be on my way. Oh, how can I forget?" She smacked her forehead and pulled a bamboo tube the size of a regular mug. A bamboo lid covered it. Inside were twenty tea bags made from a coarse, breathable fabric.
It was similar to tea bags of the 21st century. Each tea bag contained different proportions of herbal tea.
"These teas can help promote sleep. However, every person had a different constitution, so let know which one works best for you."
"Wow, Lara, how did you co up with such an ingenious way to wrap the tea leaves?" Agilus’s curiosity got the better of him, and he ca closer, picked up one tea bag, and lifted it for the two others to see.
Lara just rolled her eyes. Of course, she could tell them that the normal way to drink tea in modern tis is to steep the teabags. Loose leaves were inconvenient.
"I just think it is more convenient this way. The teabag is washable and therefore reusable. The two beads at the end of the string would make sure it is easy to remove after steeping it for so ti."
She took the tea bag from Agilus, put it back inside the bamboo jar, and handed it to the prince.
"Where is mine?"
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