Chapter 83
After much persuasion, Aurora finally convinced her father to allow her to provide medical care throughout the Emberforge Duchy.
At first, Duke Owen refused.
"You have only just returned home," he had argued. "You should be resting, not running all over the duchy."
Aurora had simply smiled.
"Daddy... I studied medicine for two years. Let me put that knowledge to good use."
The duke sighed dramatically.
"I knew sending you to study would somehow end with me losing every argument."
The Duchess laughed.
"That's because your daughter inherited your stubbornness."
"...She inherited yours."
Aurora grinned victoriously.
"So... is that a yes?"
The Duke rubbed his temples.
"Yes."
Before long, word spread throughout Emberforge.
Lady Aurora was treating patients herself.
A large medical tent was erected near the centre of town, and from sunrise until sunset, a line of villagers stretched far down the road.
Turner stood nearby with several knights, quietly watching over her while keeping the growing crowd organized.
Aurora barely had time to drink a cup of tea.
One moment she treated a child with a fever.
The next, an elderly farmer suffering from aching joints.
A pregnant mother worried about her unborn baby.
A little boy who had fallen from a tree.
A blacksmith whose hand had become infected.
There were no modern machines.
No X-rays.
No blood tests.
Diagnosis depended on careful observation, listening, touch, and experience.
Aurora combined everything she had learned in the East with the medical knowledge from her previous life.
She carefully examined every patient.
She listened.
She comforted.
She explained every treatment patiently.
By evening, her shoulders ached and her voice had become hoarse.
Emily handed her another cup of tea, "You've seen over a hundred patients today."
Aurora smiled tiredly, "And there are still thirty waiting."
One elderly woman stepped forward after receiving treatment.
She suddenly took Aurora's hands, "My Lady..."
Tears filled her weathered eyes.
"No noble has ever treated me like a person before."
Aurora squeezed her wrinkled hands gently.
"We're all people."
The old woman cried openly, "May the heavens bless you."
Nearby, several villagers wiped away tears.
Even Turner quietly looked away for a moment.
Three days later...
Aurora was still returning to the medical tent each morning.
Every day, the line grew longer.
Every day, more people arrived from neighbouring villages.
One little girl shyly handed Aurora a daisy.
"My mama said doctors deserve flowers too."
Aurora accepted it with a smile that warmed everyone's hearts.
"Then I shall treasure it."
By the end of the week, her desk was overflowing with flowers, baskets of vegetables, fresh bread, homemade cheese, and jars of honey.
Emily laughed.
"I think they're paying you in food."
Aurora laughed.
"I don't mind."
"You'll never need to buy supplies again."
That evening, everyone gathered around the dining table.
After dinner had been served, Aurora cleared her throat.
"Father... I have a suggestion."
The duke immediately looked suspicious.
"Aurora, my princess..."
He slowly put down his fork.
"Whenever you begin a sentence like that, I know it's going to cost me money."
The Duchess shot him a look, "Owen!"
"What?"
"How can you compare our daughter's dreams to your pocket?"
The duke smiled innocently, "My dear wife..."
He placed a hand over his heart.
"My pocket is the one funding those dreams."
Laughter erupted around the dining room.
Even the servants struggled to hide their smiles.
Philip chuckled, "I've missed dinners like this."
"So have I," Aurora admitted warmly. "Although Katherine and Emily certainly kept me entertained while we were away."
Emily proudly nodded, "We were hilarious."
Aurora laughed, "That is... one way to describe it."
The duke smiled, "So, my expensive daughter..."
"What is your latest idea?"
Aurora leaned forward excitedly, "I want to train medical assistants."
Silence filled the room.
"Medical... assistants?" Owen repeated.
"There is far more work than one doctor can manage alone."
She looked around the table.
"I can teach people to clean wounds properly, prepare medicines, check fevers, change bandages, assist during childbirth, and recognize illnesses that require a physician."
The Duchess nodded thoughtfully, "That would help every village."
Philip agreed, "Doctors cannot be everywhere."
"Exactly," Aurora replied.
"If we train local people, patients can receive immediate care instead of waiting days for help."
The duke slowly smiled, "I like this idea."
Aurora's eyes sparkled, "I've already chosen the perfect location."
The duke sighed, "Of course you have."
"The abandoned farm outside the village."
Everyone laughed.
"You've already planned everything, haven't you?" he asked.
"A little."
"A little?"
Emily coughed into her sleeve, "She already has sketches."
The duke covered his face dramatically.
"My wallet never stood a chance."
Even Turner quietly smiled.
Within weeks, the abandoned farmhouse had been transformed into a small medical centre.
Four eager young men and women became Aurora's very first apprentices.
She patiently taught them anatomy, hygiene, herbal medicine, wound care, and patient compassion.
Word spread quickly throughout the kingdom.
The schools flourished.
The workshops expanded.
The jewellery and clothing businesses prospered.
The people of Emberforge grew healthier.
Children attended school.
Families found work.
For the first time in generations...
Hope had become Emberforge's greatest treasure.
Since the welcome banquet, King Lucian had been unable to spend much time with Aurora.
She was always teaching...
Healing...
Building...
Improving someone's life.
Still, every single morning, fresh flowers arrived at the manor.
Sometimes accompanied by a handwritten note.
Sometimes by her favourite pastries.
Occasionally, a carefully prepared picnic basket would arrive at lunchtime.
Lucian never asked for anything in return.
He simply wanted Aurora to know that someone was thinking of her.
Finally, one morning, Theo arrived carrying an elegant invitation.
"His Majesty requests the pleasure of the Ambrose family's company for dinner at the palace."
Meanwhile...
Hundreds of miles away, Duke Isaac Indigo sat in his study reviewing reports from across the kingdom.
Every report praised Emberforge.
Its exports.
Its schools.
Its workshops.
Its growing prosperity.
He finally looked up.
"Isaac."
"Yes, Father?"
"Arrange a meeting with Duke Ambrose... and Lady Aurora."
Isaac looked surprised.
"May I ask why?"
The Duke folded the reports carefully.
"Because Emberforge is growing faster than any duchy in the kingdom."
He smiled thoughtfully.
"If we refuse to learn from them.....one day we will be left behind."
That very afternoon, a second invitation arrived at Ambrose Manor.
A request for a business meeting with Duke Indigo.
The Duchess starred at the elegant invitation that arrived early that morning from the palace.
And invitation to dine with His Majesty.
The Duchess nearly squealed with excitement.
"Oh! Finally!"
Before Aurora could protest, Eleanor seized her daughter's hand.
"Come!"
"M-Mother?"
"We have gowns to choose!"
Emily and Anne hurried after them, already carrying jewellery boxes and ribbons.
Dress after dress appeared across Aurora's bed.
"What about the blue one?"
"No."
"The green?"
"No."
"The silver?"
"No."
Aurora buried her face in her hands.
"We only going to dinner..."
The Duchess gasped dramatically.
"Exactly!"
Meanwhile...
Aurora escaped to the garden, while her mother declared war for the perfect outfit.
Golden sunlight filtered through the branches of the ancient oak that overlooked the manor gardens, scattering dancing patches of light across the neatly trimmed grass.
Beneath its broad canopy, a small table had been prepared with a porcelain tea set, fresh pastries, and a bouquet of wildflowers gathered earlier that morning.
Aurora sat comfortably with a book resting open on her lap.
Though...
She had not turned a page in several minutes.
Instead, she found herself watching the gentle breeze ripple through the gardens, listening to the bird's singing overhead.
After two years of bustling ports, crowded markets, and unfamiliar cities...
The quiet felt like a luxury.
She lifted her teacup, inhaling the delicate scent of jasmine before taking a slow sip.
"I wondered where everyone had disappeared to."
Aurora looked up.
Turner was walking along the garden path, his hands clasped behind his back. His usual armour had been exchanged for a simple dark tunic and fitted trousers. Without the polished steel and crimson cloak of the Royal Knights, he looked younger.
Less like the kingdom's most feared captain...And more like a young man.
A smile spread across Aurora's face, "I escaped."
Turner raised an eyebrow, "Escaped?"
She nodded solemnly, "My mother has discovered I've returned."
He chuckled, "That explains everything."
Aurora gestured toward the empty chair across from her.
"Would you like some tea?"
"I wouldn't want to interrupt."
"Turner."
She gave him an amused look, "If I wanted to be alone, I wouldn't have had a second cup prepared."
He blinked, "You planned for company?"
Aurora shrugged, "I hoped someone interesting might wander by."
"And if no one had?"
"I would have been forced to endure Emily."
Turner laughed. A genuine laugh that caught Aurora slightly off guard.
"There it is," she said.
He frowned, "What?"
"I forgot you could laugh"
His smile softened, "I suppose I forgot too."
He finally sat opposite her.
Aurora reached for the teapot, "Jasmine?"
"If you're pouring."
She filled his cup with practiced ease.
Turner watched her movements, "You've become rather skilled."
"I had excellent teachers."
She smiled fondly, "The tea masters in the East believed making tea wasn't simply preparing a drink."
"What was it then?"
"A conversation."
He looked at the steaming cup, "A conversation?"
"They believed the person preparing the tea revealed something about themselves."
Turner picked up the cup, "And what does yours say?"
Aurora pretended to think, "That I'm patient."
"I disagree."
She looked up, "I'm curious."
He smiled, "You were never patient."
She gasped dramatically, "I'll have you know I waited nearly an hour for Emily yesterday."
"You complained every five minutes."
"I suffered quietly."
"You announced you're suffering to everyone within hearing distance."
Aurora laughed, "I did not."
"You absolutely did."
She pointed accusingly, "I've been away for two years."
"I know."
"And this is how you welcome me?"
"It's familiar."
Aurora smiled, "...It is."
A comfortable silence settled between them. Neither felt the need to fill it. The breeze carried the scent of lavender through the gardens.
Turner looked toward the flower beds, "The gardeners planted those while you were away."
"They're beautiful."
"They're your favourite."
Aurora turned to him, "You remembered?"
He looked almost confused by the question, "Of course."
Her heart gave the faintest flutter. Such a small thing. Yet somehow...It mattered.
She looked down at her tea, "The East was beautiful."
"I can tell."
"I've never seen mountains so high."
She smiled softly, "Or rivers so wide."
"I thought about writing to you."
Turner's fingers tightened slightly around his teacup, "What stopped you?"
Aurora laughed quietly, "I didn't know what to write."
"You could have written anything."
"I know."
"I would've answered."
She looked at him, "I know."
Their eyes met.
For a moment...Neither looked away.
There was no awkwardness. No uncertainty.
Only a quiet understanding that had existed between them for years.
Aurora finally broke the silence, "May I ask you something?"
"Always."
"Why have you never married?"
Turner nearly choked on his tea.
She hid a smile.
"I've faced assassins with less warning."
"You avoided the question."
He looked toward the gardens, "I suppose..."
He searched for the right words, "...life became busy."
Aurora tilted her head, "I don't believe that's the real answer."
"It isn't."
Another silence stretched between them.
"I never found someone."
Aurora studied him carefully, "Or..."
She smiled gently, "...the person you wanted wasn't free."
Turner looked at her. For just a heartbeat...His composure slipped. It was enough.
Aurora looked away first. She suddenly found the roses incredibly fascinating.
Turner slowly set his teacup down, "There are some things..."
he said quietly, "...that become easier to carry than to confess."
Aurora understood. Not because he had said it. But because she felt exactly the same.
She smiled sadly, "I suppose there are."
The breeze stirred the branches above them, showering a handful of white blossoms onto the table.
One landed in Aurora's hair.
Turner reached out instinctively. His fingers stopped only inches from her face.
Aurora looked up. Neither of them moved.
For a long moment, the world seemed to disappear.
Then Turner slowly withdrew his hand, "...You had a flower."
Aurora gently removed it herself, "Thank you."
Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment as she took it from him.
It was nothing.
Barely a touch.
And yet...Both of them felt it long after it was gone.
Neither spoke of it.
Neither dared to.
Some feelings were too precious to rush...
And too frightening to name.
Far beyond the kingdom's shores...
A lone merchant vessel quietly docked beneath the cover of dusk.
A cloaked figure stepped onto the pier.
Watching the kingdom in silence.
Whether their arrival would bring fortune...
...or disaster...
No one yet knew.
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