The Next Day At Stormholt Manor
The knights stood in a row at the entrance of the manor. The group was headed by Randolf.
Sera and the other servants also ford a line alongside the knights as they waited for their young general to arrive.
It did not take long before the carriage stopped at the gate. Caleb was the one handling the reins.
The knights tensed up as they waited for Alaric to co down from the carriage. They heard the news about the argunt that happened between Alaric and Princess Eve at the palace entrance.
Randolf’s group also believed that Princess Eve snuck out of the carriage last night because she was still upset with her husband, Alaric.
Aside from that, the knights in the manor also heard rumors about the affair between Princess Thalia and Alaric. They wondered if he would be divorcing Princess Eve.
Their curious gazes were fixed on the carriage. So of them felt sad for Princess Eve. For the past few weeks, they got closer to her and they started to like her.
"Sigh. I’m going to be sad if Princess Eve leaves the manor. I will miss her cooking," Miles, the youngest knight, whispered to his elder brothers who were standing next to him.
"Are they really going to divorce?" he added, seeking affirmation from the other knights.
"Shh! Don’t say that. I don’t think our young general would be unfaithful to his wife," Dillon responded to his youngest brother.
Michael nodded in agreent. "That’s true. Besides, what we’ve heard is just a rumor. I am more worried if Princess Eve and our general haven’t reconciled yet after what happened last night."
Miles bobbed his head frantically. "Yes. I’m worried about that too. That was the first ti I saw Princess Eve getting mad. She slapped Princess Thalia and General Alaric."
"Stop gossiping! Just be thankful that Princess Eve is safe, otherwise, I have to punish you for your negligence of duty. You were tasked to escort her back to the manor. You were careless, letting her leave the carriage!" Randolf butted in, scolding his three comrades.
The three brothers imdiately shut their mouths, feeling guilty.
anwhile, Sera’s attention was also focused on the carriage.
’I can’t wait for Alaric to make an announcent today regarding Princess Eve’s unfaithfulness. I hope he will kick her out of the mansion.’ Sera thought to herself.
In a brief mont, the carriage door was pushed open and Alaric alighted from it. Everyone was quiet as they watched their young general.
’Is Princess Eve with him? Or did she stay behind at the palace?’ Everyone had the sa question in mind.
Alaric was still facing the carriage. Then he extended his hand to assist soone. The knights had their hopes up when they saw a glimpse of a woman’s hand.
"Oh! Princess Eve went ho with General Alaric!"
Randolf and his comrades were about to rejoice when suddenly a beautiful maiden greeted their eyes.
The knights and the servants exchanged puzzled glances with one another.
"Who is she? Why did General Alaric bring another woman?"
"Where is Princess Eve?"
Despite the fact the lady possessed captivating beauty, the knights were waiting for Princess Eve to step out of the carriage.
Randolf and his comrade felt upset and disappointed when they didn’t see Princess Eve. Alaric and the lady had started to approach them with their entangled hands.
Randolf could no longer hide his displeasure as he stared at his young general sharply. His expression turned grim while his comrades were still confused as to why General Alaric was holding another woman’s hand.
"What’s going on here? I can’t believe that our young general brought a different woman, instead of his wife," Miles blurted out, turning to his brothers with a questioning gaze.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Michael also expressed his thoughts.
Everyone fell silent once more the mont General Alaric and the woman reached their spots.
"Good morning!" The beautiful maiden greeted everyone with enthusiasm. Her charming smile put the knights in a trance.
Alaric also smiled as he gazed at the woman affectionately.
The sweet interaction between Alaric and the beautiful maiden pissed Randolf off further.
"My Lord, where is Princess Eve? Why didn’t you co ho with her?" Randolf spoke up bravely.
Caleb, who was standing behind Alaric, shook his head while scratching his face. He had expected that the knights in the Stormholt Manor would not recognize Princess Eve.
Her real appearance was different from her plain-looking disguise. His comrades were not observant enough to notice her erald eyes and silver-gray hair, which were similar to those of the previous Eve they knew.
Furthermore, the Eve, whom they thought was a mute, was now speaking with her gentle voice. So Caleb was expecting this group of n to experience a great shock early this morning.
Keeping her friendly smile, Eve approached Randolf who was still having a dark expression on his face.
She imdiately held his hand, catching Randolf off guard. The other knights also gasped in surprise when the beautiful maiden grabbed Randolf’s hands.
"I’m glad you are here. I thought you were sent to the prison fortress for your punishnt. I was so worried about you, Randolf."
Randolf imdiately pulled his hands away from Eve, staring at her confusedly. "How did you know my na?"
The other knights also looked at Randolf suspiciously. The lovely lady seed to know him! How could that happen?
"Stop teasing them, Milady. You should introduce yourself to them properly," Alaric said, taking a deep sigh.
Eve let out a soft giggle before nodding.
"Hello, Everyone. I’m Evelina Valemont Stormholt, your general’s wife."
Everyone was at a loss for words, eyeing both Eve and Alaric with disbelief.
They thought Alaric and this woman were playing a prank on them right now. How could she shalessly claim she was Princess Eve and Alaric’s wife?
Even Sera could no longer stay quiet.
"What is the aning of this, our Lord? Claiming soone else’s identity is a cri. Who is she?" Sera didn’t recognize Eve. But her voice sounded familiar.
Caleb facepald once again. He could understand why the people in the manor didn’t believe Eve at first.
"She is my wife, Eve. The real Eve..." Alaric declared to them.
"What?! My Lord, do you an the ’Princess Eve’ who stayed with us for the past three weeks is an impostor?" Miles, the youngest knight, asked Alaric with his innocent eyes.
"Oh! I get it!" Michael also spoke up, flicking his fingers as if he had realized sothing important. "No wonder Princess Eve knows how to do household chores and cook. She even planted her own dicinal garden. It turns out she is just an impostor. A royal princess won’t be able to do those things!"
There was a sudden uproar in the front yard because of this. The knights had different reactions.
"Where is the previous Princess Eve? What happened to her? Was she punished by the royal family? Is she alright? How could this happen?" Randolf spoke with genuine concern for Eve.
Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to his knights.
"There is no impostor!" He said impatiently. "She is the sa Eve you have known for the past few weeks!"
Everyone shifted their eyes on Eve once again, scanning her from head to toe. They still refused to believe that the woman in front of them was Princess Eve.
This ti Eve’s soft giggle bubbled up once again. She was amazed seeing their reactions.
"Let prove to you that I’m the Eve you have known for the past few weeks."
Eve started to call their nas one by one, proving to them that she knew them. After identifying each servant and the knight, Eve reminisced about her monts with them.
Everyone listened to her attentively, their eyes widened and mouths agape. After a few minutes, they were now convinced that the lovely maiden in front of them was the sa person they had known– the pure and kind-hearted Princess Eve.
"Your Highness! Forgive us for doubting you! You look very different today... You are so beautiful like a goddess."
Randolf and others knelt before her.
"Don’t apologize. This is my fault for hiding my true face and pretending to be mute. Forgive for not being entirely honest about myself," Eve bowed her head as she apologized to them.
anwhile, Sera clenched her fists tightly. She didn’t expect this turn of events. But Alaric still needed to address the issue of Eve’s unfaithfulness.
"My Lord, have you forgotten what I told you yesterday?" Sera broke her silence as she confronted Alaric.
Caleb gave Sera a warning look. This was not the right ti to discuss this in front of everyone.
However, Alaric didn’t avoid Sera’s question. He imdiately wrapped his arm around Eve’s waist, pulling her to his side.
"Yes. I’ve never forgotten what you said. But you don’t have to worry about that. My wife and I have already fixed the issue. And we cleared the misunderstanding between us."
"Go now to your respective stations," Alaric added, dismissing everyone.
After saying those words, Alaric escorted Eve inside the manor. He wanted to be alone with her. Eve had already spent too much ti proving her identity to everyone. Seeing the admiration in his knights’ eyes, Alaric had the urge to hide his wife from everyone.
’Sigh! She is now attracting more attention,’ Alaric mumbled inwardly, feeling a little bit jealous. Alaric’s possessiveness kicked in.
anwhile, Sera watched him in disbelief. She clenched her fists, feeling disheartened.
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