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With the lights on, Nia rushed to Mengdie, worriedly pressing a handkerchief against her bleeding wounds. Edward, completely exhausted, slumped to the ground while Xiu attended to him urgently.

"Ho! Impressive. Edward, the strike to your abdomen went in and out without harming any organs. You're incredibly lucky!" Xiu exclaimed.

Leaning against the wall, Edward looked at the hunched old man cleaning his small trowel with a mix of exhaustion and respect. "My teacher is the 'Sword Master'! Former commander of the Royal Knights, an invincible general leading two hundred thousand soldiers, known as the strongest Sword Master, Saldin! Teacher! How did you end up in Luowei City as a gardener? And what happened to your back? You disappeared suddenly ten years ago, and I've missed you so much!"

After cleaning the trowel, the man known as Saldin, now called Rand, slowly placed the trowel back in his toolbox and turned to kneel before Edward. The simple act seemed extraordinarily difficult due to his severe hunchback.

"Your Highness... You've grown. I am no longer the Sword Master Saldin of the past. I am just a humble gardener named Rand."

"What are you talking about? Teacher, who taught me swordsmanship! Please, get up! I have so much to talk to you about, so many questions to ask!" Edward, excited like a child reunited with family, implored.

Mengdie, taking some crystal grass powder she had prepared from herbs picked at Lake Missuriwa, approached Edward to encourage him to consume it. But he was too engrossed in conversation to notice, only eating the powder after a while.

Rand, now called the gardener, watched Mengdie administer the medicine to Edward, his murky eyes flickering with faint light. After confirming the powder was made from crystal grass and hearing it was picked by Mengdie, his interest shifted from his former pupil to the young girl.

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"I apologize, miss. The prince, who was supposed to marry the Third Princess of Luowei, is here with such a beautiful young lady. I was a bit concerned..."

Nia, standing beside Mengdie, looked at her blood-stained handkerchief and bluntly stepped forward, pointing at Rand's nose, "What? Are you worried that Mengdie sister is seducing this useless prince to disrupt the peace between the two countries and manipulate the future politics of Yinyue?"

Rand didn't respond but stared intently at Nia. The previously bold Nia suddenly felt intimidated and quickly hid behind Mengdie, using her tail as a shield.

"Ah... I did have some concerns," Rand admitted, "You are Mengdie, right? The relationship between the beastmen and the Luowei Empire is good. A beastmen girl coming here with the prince does raise some suspicions. On the other hand, I wanted to test how much the prince has grown in these ten years."

Please, that's not suspicion, that's outright hostility! You were ready to kill me! If Edward hadn't recognized you, I'd be dead! Although my body heals fast, death might be a different story.

"However, since Miss Mengdie was able to pick crystal grass, I may have misunderstood. I apologize, Your Highness."

Saying this, Rand approached Mengdie, knelt on one knee, and performed a knight's salute.

Rand's "Your Highness" and his current salute put Mengdie in an extremely awkward position. She wasn't sure whether to ask the old man to stand up first or to clarify that she was a man, not Edward's wife.

After the basic treatment, Mengdie's wounds began to heal, so she just covered them with a handkerchief. Edward's injuries were more severe, but the crystal grass gradually healed him.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the wife, please take a seat. And the two friends of the prince, please sit too. I'll make tea for you four."

In the resting area next to the greenhouse, Rand gestured to four chairs for them to sit and then hobbled to the tea room. Hearing his teacher refer to Mengdie as "wife," Edward's face beamed with joy, seemingly forgetting all his pain. In contrast, Mengdie's face turned red with embarrassment and frustration at the title.

"Sir, let me help you with the tea. You might find it difficult," Mengdie offered, walking into the tea room.

The tea room, like the rest of the house, was adjusted to Rand's height. Even so, brewing tea was still a challenge for him. Rand watched Mengdie cautiously, and as she entered, he almost knelt again.

"Don't kneel, please!"

"Yes, Your Highness. If you insist, I will not," Rand replied.

Edward, overhearing this, was overjoyed. Nia, annoyed by his expression, punched him in the stomach, turning his smile into a grimace. Xiu chuckled at the scene.

"No, no, no, I'm not any wife! Mr. Sword Master, please don't misunderstand!" Mengdie insisted.

Rand looked puzzled, "Not the wife? Miss Mengdie, did the prince elope with you? Are you betrothed in secret? This is not acceptable! Although the beastmen are more open, please understand that the prince is the future of Yinyue! He should not be involved in such matters with you! If you let the prince return to his country, even if you can't be his official wife as a beastman, being a concubine is possible!"

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