Female Novel
Chapter 731 More Confusions Arise (Part One)
That day, batches of medicinal herbs arrived at the yard where Harper lived. The soldiers guarding thegeneral's mansion were quite taken aback because even though they were in the Birch Pass, themedicinal herbs were very rare for them to see. In addition, the sultry weather in the south domain allyear round caused the air to be filled with miasmas. As a result, numerous people died on a daily basis.So when they caught sight of a large number of medicinal herbs being sent to the general's mansion,they were overjoyed at the prospect of that. However, as the true soldiers they were, they didn't showtheir happiness on the outside. For them, it was possible that Harper knew they were running short ofherbs. If that were the case, she was indeed a very caring woman.
However, after a long period of waiting, they didn't get the order from their general to ask them to fetchthe medicinal herbs from Harper. The fragrance of the herbs would occasionally spread from Harper'squarters, bringing them both peace and comfort.
"Why is there always smell of herbs coming from the inside?" The guards gathering outside Harper'syard began to discuss with each other.
"Maybe she's making some medicine." One guard made a wild guess.
"Have you ever smelled medicine this good before? You must be kidding. From what I can smell, she'scooking something delicious," another guard responded while sniffing the air around him.
"The only thing you can think about is food. That's exactly the reason you're assuming that it's food."
"Excuse me, food isn't my only expertise. I know a great deal about fighting as well!"
Meanwhile, Luther was on his way back after assembling the team to escort the envoy. When hereached the entrance to Matthew's yard, he noticed that it was surrounded by several guards. With afrown on his face, he asked, "What exactly is going on here?"novelbin
The guards, who were still indulged in a heated debate, instantly stopped throwing words at each other.Composing themselves, they greeted, "General!"
"What are you doing here?" Luther asked again.
"Our curiosity brought us here. The lovely fragrance emitting from Prince Matthew's yard has been inthe air for hours now. We are wondering whether this scent is because of some medicine or perhapssome delicious food," one of the guards replied right away.
Hearing this, Luther couldn't help but laugh. "Stop bothering yourselves with it. Instead, do what isasked of you. Your duty is to guard this place. As far as I remember, standing here while trying to guessthe source of a fragrant smell doesn't fall under your duties. It doesn't matter where the smell is comingfrom because it has nothing to do with you guys. All right, everyone? Go back to your positions."
"Yes, General."
In fact, Luther knew that a lot of the medicinal herbs were sent to his mansion from the TreasurePavilion. He was well aware of what kind of herbs that place would provide. He even knew theircunning tricks. Yet, Harper was a woman with incredible medical skills, so it would not have been easyto deceive her. Luther concluded that this time, the deceptive Treasure Pavilion would suffer a greatloss because of Harper.
"General, His Highness wants to see you," Jack said while he invited Luther inside with a smile on hisface. As a matter of fact, he didn't have to follow Matthew all the way here. But when he found out thatFrancis might be in the South Kingdom, he didn't hesitate to follow his master. He was determined toavenge himself for the wretched months that he was imprisoned because of Francis.
Luther followed Jack into the room. The first thing he noticed was that only Matthew was there. At thatmoment, the man was reading the official report. When he saw Luther come in, he looked up at him butonly for a brief second before he continued to review the report. "I will go to the South Kingdom
tomorrow. This time, I may encounter some incidents on the way. Whatever happens, you must keepand protect the Birch Pass. If anything changes, you should prepare to provide assistance at any time,"Matthew said while his eyes were still glued to the report.
"Yes, Your Highness. I've already selected five hundred skilled fighters from the barracks. They willescort you and Her Highness on your way to the South Kingdom," Luther responded.
"That's very kind of you." Matthew expressed his gratitude. He didn't refuse his offer. After all, fivehundred soldiers would certainly be helpful. He knew that it would be hard for them to reach the SouthKingdom without being spotted. And he didn't intend to do so either. There was no need for them tokeep a low profile. He figured that some people might have already known that he and Harper were atthe Birch Pass.
"Your Highness, you are welcome. This is what I need to do," Luther responded.
"Where are you from?" Matthew asked in a casual tone.
"I come from a remote and small city. My parents died when I was very young and I have no otherrelatives. In a short time after that, I left my hometown. I haven't gone back since I left. It's been somany years that I lost count already," Luther quickly answered without any hesitation.
"You're not that young anymore and yet you're still single and unmarried. Don't you feel too lonely? Ithink it's a great time for you to find the right woman and get married," Matthew advised. His tone wasplain and casual, as if Luther was just an old friend of his.
Luther, however, merely smiled. "Your Highness, please don't make fun of me. As a soldier, I have theresponsibility to protect this country from every threat and harm. A war may happen at the border anytime soon. If I marry someone out of loneliness, I may put her in danger. With my occupation, I may
even die without warning. Either way, if I marry someone, I'll just put her in a very miserable situation. Ican't be that selfish."
"That's not right. Most of the soldiers who I know have parents, and some even have wives andchildren. They are eager to end the war as soon as possible and return to their families. General, yourhouse is too lonely because there are only a handful of people in this big estate. It's good to have athoughtful woman taking care of you," Matthew replied, vehemently disagreeing with him.
Luther was silent after that because he didn't know how to respond. Somehow, he just didn't want toget married any time soon. Perhaps, it was because he had not met the one he truly cherished.Matthew actually noticed his reluctance to the issue. He didn't urge him any further. After all, it was justa casual conversation. "I'm afraid that the South Kingdom already revealed their evil intentions. WhenHarrison defended the south domain, he had a very close relationship with the South Kingdom.Hoffman had a good relationship with the princess of the South Kingdom, too. So your role is veryimportant," Matthew said, changing the topic.
"I'll try my best to protect the Birch Pass," Luther promised.
Matthew nodded at him before saying, "I don't doubt your capabilities and loyalty. But Hoffman and hisfamily had been guarding the south domain for generations. Moreover, we have no idea how manyspies from the South Kingdom are there in the Birch Pass. I'm afraid the Worship Ceremony is just anexcuse. The Bright Dynasty and the South Kingdom are likely to be at war with each other soonerrather than later. While you're concentrating on guarding the Birch Pass, you should also pay closeattention to the ones among your men who are behaving a bit strange, just in case they may causeunnecessary trouble."
"Yes, your orders have been duly noted."
"I have also met the other two generals. They will cooperate with you while I'm away." The lastsentence that Matthew uttered was quite surprising for Luther. He knew how stubborn the two generalswere. But it had just been a few days since Matthew arrived at the Birch Pass and he actuallyconvinced them to obey his orders. When did he succeed in persuading them? Why didn't anyonereport this to him? Luther was becoming more confused.