The Grand Duke's Soulmate

Agnes instinctively took a step back.

Although the man before her did not resemble a thug or a bandit, and his sturdy build and neat appearance made him look more like a knight than a common traveller, he was still a complete stranger.

The alley was quiet, and there were only the two of them standing there.

A wave of uneasiness crept into her heart.

Anything could happen.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously. "What do you want from me?"

Luke immediately straightened himself.

The apprehension in the court lady’s eyes made him realise how his sudden appearance must have looked.

He had been so relieved to finally find Agnes that he had forgotten how suspicious he must seem to a lone woman in an empty alley.

"Forgive me for stopping you," he said politely. "I saw you alone at the pier and hurried over. When you turned into this alley, I took another shortcut to catch up with you. I suppose I startled you."

Agnes’s brows knitted together.

She had never seen this man before.

Yet the way he spoke to her was strangely familiar, as though they were already acquainted.

She remained silent, her guarded eyes studying him carefully, weighing every word that came out of his mouth.

The scrutiny made Luke grow increasingly awkward.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah... I haven’t properly introduced myself." He gave an apologetic smile. "My name is Luke—"

"I don’t know you," Agnes cut him off sharply. "Get away from me!"

She instinctively took another step back. One hand gathered her skirt slightly, ready to flee at any moment.

"Wait!" Luke quickly raised both hands. "I mean you no harm. I only wish to speak with you!"

The court lady paid him no heed. She turned on her heel and bolted down the alley.

Luke stared after her in disbelief.

"Oh, no..." He ran a hand over his face before muttering under his breath, "This is going terribly."

Without another thought, he immediately gave chase.

Agnes ran as fast as she could.

The morning was still young, and the narrow back alley remained dim beneath the shadows cast by the rows of buildings on either side.

Fear gripped her heart. Right now, only one thought filled her mind. Get as far away from that stranger as possible.

She kept running. Her footsteps echoed through the alley until she reached the junction.

Only after she reached the end of the path, where the morning light spilt into the street beyond, did she risk a glance over her shoulder and realise something.

There were no footsteps behind her, no voice calling out and no sign that the man was pursuing her. Though the passage remained dim, she could make out that no one was there.

Bending forward slightly, she drew in several deep breaths, trying to steady herself. It had been a long time since she had run that fast.

Just to be certain, she turned her head once more. Yes, the man was gone.

Finally, relief washed over her. That was a close call. She turned back and-

"I just want to talk—"

"Aaa!" The scream escaped her mouth.

Luke had somehow appeared right in front of her, like a ghost, with no sound, no trail.

Startled by his sudden presence, Agnes instinctively stumbled backwards. Her hand shot out for support, reaching towards a stack of tall bamboo poles leaning against the wall.

"Look out!" Luke shouted.

Without thinking, he lunged forward and caught the court lady by the waist, pulling her into his arms as he turned his body to shield her.

’Bruupp!’

The stack of bamboo poles came crashing down. Several struck Luke squarely across the back.

The sudden impact made him stagger. At the same time, the terrified Agnes instinctively shoved him away.

Caught off guard, the knight lost his footing, and the two tumbled together onto the ground in a tangled heap.

Everything happened in a blur.

Had Agnes not screamed and struggled so suddenly, Luke would have reacted much more steadily. He had approached her with every intention of being polite and avoiding any misunderstanding.

Instead, everything only seemed to make matters worse.

Meanwhile, Agnes slowly lifted her head. A sturdy arm was wrapped securely around her waist.

Her eyes drifted to the bamboo poles scattered across the ground before finally settling on the man beneath her.

She had landed right on top of the stranger.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that this man had caught her.

He had somehow intercepted her, stopped her escape, and even reacted quickly enough to hold her.

Panic surged through Agnes again. She had to get away.

As a last resort, she slipped a hand into the hidden pocket beneath her surcoat and swiftly drew a small dagger concealed within.

"Hiargh!"

She thrust it forward without hesitation.

Luke’s eyes widened.

"Whoa!"

His hand shot out instinctively, catching her slender wrist just before the blade reached him.

"Wait! Wait!" he cried in alarm. "What are you doing?"

"Let go of me!" Agnes shouted, twisting and struggling against his grip with all her strength.

"Would you just calm down?" Luke snapped, his patience finally wearing thin.

This woman wasn’t listening to a single word he said. Instead, she had drawn a blade against him the moment she found the chance.

"No! You—"

"Halt!"

A commanding voice echoed through the alley.

Both of them froze.

Two patrol guards had just appeared from the open street, their hands already resting on the hilts of their swords.

"You there!" one of them barked, his gaze fixed on the dagger. "Drop the weapon!"

Agnes immediately let go. The dagger slipped from her hand and clattered onto the stone pavement.

Seeing that she was no longer armed, Luke released her wrist at once. The moment she was free, Agnes scrambled to her feet.

"Help!" she cried, her voice trembling.

She hurried behind the two guards, keeping them between herself and the knight.

"That man has been chasing me!"

Luke slowly rose to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes.

"It isn’t what you think," he explained quickly. "I know her. I only wished to speak with—"

"No, you don’t!" Agnes cut him off immediately.

She clutched the back of one of the guards’ sleeves, still breathing hard.

"I’ve never seen this man before! He saw me at the pier, followed me into the alley, and wouldn’t leave me alone!"

Luke closed his eyes for a brief moment. This was becoming increasingly difficult to explain.

The two guards exchanged glances. One looked at Agnes, the other at Luke.

Neither appeared convinced.

"You can explain everything at the guard station," the senior guard said firmly. "Both of you. Come with us."

Agnes’s shoulders eased slightly.

At last, the authorities had arrived, and she was saved. Surely this troublesome stranger would be dealt with once they heard what he had done.

Before her, Luke’s expression fell. Of all the things that could have happened, this was the last occurrence he wanted.

He had come looking for the court lady for help, yet somehow he was now being taken to the guard station like a criminal.

Neither of them objected. One believed justice would be served. The other was hoping he would somehow be given the chance to explain. Both were unaware of the fate awaiting them.

***

"I told you, I just wanted to talk to her!" Luke insisted.

Agnes, who was seated across the table from him, folded her arms across her chest. She turned her face away, her lips curving into a deep frown.

"A pervert like him would say anything just to get away," she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"What the h*ll?" Luke shot to his feet.

His chair scraped backwards with an unpleasant screech against the wooden floor.

"What did you just call me?"

"Oh, shut up, Luke!" Agnes snapped, glaring at him in disgust.

"Hold on," one of the patrol guards interrupted, raising a hand to calm the escalating argument.

Then he turned towards the court lady.

"You said you didn’t know this man." He frowned. "Yet just now, you called him by his name."

Agnes was caught off guard. She looked back at the patrol guard in surprise. The other guards at the station were also staring at her.

Slowly, she turned to Luke. Only then did she realise what she had just said.

"That’s the name he gave when he approached me!" Agnes quickly defended herself. "I got scared and ran away from him! I don’t know anything else about him!"

Luke gritted his teeth. He was about to respond when one of the patrol guards halted him.

"Sit down," he ordered firmly. "We’ll sort this out."

Reluctantly, he sank back into his seat.

The senior patrol guard in charge of the case looked at the two of them in turn before speaking.

"Before we come to any conclusion, I would like to confirm your identities. State your names and where you came from."

"I’m Luke Parker from Cassian," Luke answered. "I came here with my entourage on business. We’re currently residing in the city of this island."

Agnes raised a brow.

So he was from the continent.

Did he have any connection with the free Healer House?

Then again, with the Lantern Festival taking place, visitors from the continent and all over the place were arriving in great numbers. There was no reason to assume every foreigner was connected to it.

The senior guard then turned to her.

"And you, miss?"

Agnes looked up.

She hesitated for a brief moment, her heart beginning to race.

She could not reveal that she had come from Semeta, much less that she served as a court lady to the Mederian royal family.

If this incident were officially recorded under her true identity, word would inevitably reach the palace. Worse still, her trip to Sabel with Anna had never been formally recorded in the first place.

No problem.

A small lie would do.

"I’m Agnes Bree," she replied calmly. "I came from the small island of Canaris."

Luke immediately shot her a glare.

"That’s a lie!" he blurted out. "I know your real name and where you came from!"

Agnes’s eyes widened. She turned to the knight in disbelief.

"Were you stalking me all this time?" she shot back.

The senior guard slammed his palm against the table.

"Stop it, both of you!"

His stern voice silenced them.

"I don’t want to hear another argument again! Continue this any further, and I’ll have both of you locked up!"

The room fell silent. Though neither spoke another word, they continued glaring at each other from across the table.

The senior guard let out a quiet sigh before asking, "Is there anyone who knows either of you? Someone who can vouch for your identities?"

Agnes took a slow breath.

Another lie had to be told. She had no choice.

"I came here with a few friends for the Lantern Festival," she answered. "They left earlier this morning. I missed the boat because I had something to buy, so I’m waiting for the next vessel."

She lowered her gaze.

"I have no one who can vouch for me."

"What about someone from Sabel?" the senior guard asked.

Agnes slowly shook her head.

"No."

The senior guard then turned to Luke.

"And you?"

"I do."

Without hesitation, the knight asked for a piece of paper and quickly scribbled down an address.

"My friend is staying here. His name is Noah Brooks."

He handed the paper to the guard.

"Please ask him to come. He can vouch for me."

The senior patrol guard accepted the note before passing it to another officer.

"Go and bring this man here."

"Yes, sir."

The patrol guard hurried out.

Silence settled over the room once more.

Neither Agnes nor Luke uttered another word. After the warning from the senior guard, neither wished to worsen the situation nor prolong their stay at the station.

Not long afterwards, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

The station door swung open, but instead of just Noah, three other men stood at the threshold.

They were Kyren, Eric and Rafe, all wearing anxious expressions after hearing that their companion had been taken into custody.

The patrol guard looked at them in surprise.

"Who might you all be? I believe we only summoned Noah Brooks."

Kyren immediately stepped forward.

"I’m Captain Ky, leader of the Blue Mantle Company," he introduced himself calmly. "We currently operate the free Healer House in this city. Luke Parker is my subordinate."

He gestured towards the men behind him.

"This is Eric Navin, my assistant. And this is Noah Brooks, the man you requested."

Both men acknowledged the guard with a slight nod.

Agnes, who had been observing the exchange, slowly lifted her head.

Did she hear that correctly?

The Blue Mantle Company...

The free Healer House...

The patrol guard then looked at the remaining man, who had grey hair and eyes.

"And you?"

The healer stepped forward this time.

"My name is Joseph."

Agnes’s eyes widened.

"Joseph...?"

She stared at him in disbelief before asking, "You’re Mr Joseph? The Mr Joseph from the free Healer House?"

"Yes," Rafe replied.

A puzzled look crossed his face.

The court lady’s surprised expression was evident, although he couldn’t grasp why she reacted so intensely upon hearing his name.

Agnes remained speechless. Never had she imagined that fate would arrange such an unexpected meeting. Never...