CHAPTER 5 Part 2

Alena drifted toward the estate's imposing gates when she spotted two of Claveria's most distinguished generals atop their noble steeds—General Aurion Elkhart and General Dravion Valthorn.

These men were not merely famed within the borders of Claveria; they were also known in neighboring lands as military titans.

Everyone knew that these two men had been a vital and irreplaceable part of the Donovian army, and that’s why the royal family had been poaching them for as long as Alena could remember. To the royal family, Elkhart and Valthorn represented unmatched martial excellence, a prize the monarchy sought to claim for its own. They attempted to entice the generals. The king had made countless attempts to woo them, involving even Alena in his schemes. During Aurion Elkhart's visits to the palace as the duke's emissary, Alena had been privy to private conversations with the general at her father's behest to coax him into their fold. However, Alena harbored no desire to sway the general from his chosen path.

Alena's own interactions with General Elkhart had solidified her belief in the man's unbreakable fidelity to the duke. And she was right because even the king's most generous offers—riches, titles, lands—failed to sway the generals. They remained as immovable as stone that some began to call them 'Duke Donovian’s dogs'.

As Alena approached them, her attention was immediately drawn to the imposing figure of General Valthorn. Just like the duke, she had only seen this general from a distance, so Alena was a little intimidated by the general’s sheer size and presence. She had heard he was one of the tallest in Claveria, but up close, he truly looked like a giant! But somehow, the man’s face, though marked with a big scar, didn't look as scary as she had always heard. His very short and ginger-colored hair actually looks nice.

Turning her attention to General Elkhart, Alena somehow suddenly feel relieved finally seeing someone familiar to her. The general appeared absolutely tame now that he's next to Valthorn. She always thought General Elkhart was such a beautiful man though. With his wavy, medium-length soft rosegold hair and those pair of unique eyes, one blue eye and one light brown, it wasn't an exaggeration that he was being called the most beautiful knight.

“What’s up with his lips?” General Valthorn asked, scratching his head. “I mean, it's hard to picture anyone even getting close enough to land one on him. So, yeah, I'm curious.”

Alena had moved along with them, thinking that she might discover valuable information and gain some insight into the duke's current affairs and perhaps even a clue to the whereabouts of her own body.

“His wife bit him,” General Elkhart responded, and Alena stifled a cough, taken aback.

That infuriating duke! The nerve of him announcing to his men that I punched him!

“Hang on, back up a sec,” Valthorn's voice rose a little. “Did you just say the duchess bit him? Or did you mean to say beat? No, wait, you do mean bit, as in with teeth, right?” He looked totally lost.

“Do you really think the Duchess would dare to hit him?” Elkhart raised an eyebrow.

“Well, that's true.”

“I know the duchess and she is such an angel, in fact,” Elkhart mused.

“So if she's such an angel, why would she bite him, anyway?” Valthorn scratched his head, still looking genuinely puzzled. “They’re not already at each other’s throats, are they?”

Elkhart glanced at Valthorn while shaking his head. "This is why I keep telling you to get yourself laid already, Dravion."

“And how many times do I have to tell you, they’re all terrified of me!”