The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 190

Princess Eleanor walked toward the garden and she smiled softly.

Her eyes looked over at Doctor Raul whose face was filled with confusion. "I don’t know where you have learned all of this?" Doctor Raul shook his head in irritation as he swallowed hard.

"There is nothing that can not be done. My grandparents are normal people and they love gardening. Maybe because my mother came from a humble background, she gave us the freedom to do whatever we liked. And even though my father was a King back then, he would not oppose her way of raising us. Was it because he loved her or because he himself did not like the fixed and stubborn learning techniques, I am not sure. But I remember that he was always very supportive."

"And that’s why you decided to learn gardening?" Doctor Raul raised his eyebrows as he looked at the land where small buds could be seen. He knew that what Princess Eleanor had done was not a normal hobby of nobles. Even when they said that they like gardening, but in reality, they only like to sit on a chair and order people to plant it.

"When I lost my parents, I had to move to my maternal grandparent’s house. They are knowledgeable people. They have to survive and do farming and gardening by themselves. After my mother’s marriage, their lifestyle upgraded but they were still the old people at heart." Princess Eleanor choked on the words as she swallowed hard, "When I went there, I saw a new style of living. They make their own food, at least a little, they know what is poison and what is not. They knew this kind of thing and taught it to me. It was something that I would never have known as a Princess. The knowledge they have is vast but accurate and I learned about this plant there. It is a rare species which is not found anywhere else."

Doctor Raul nodded his head. It was true that it was a rare species and it was something that they do not have here. "And how do you know about the poison?"

Princess Eleanor smiled as she gave a pair of gloves to Doctor Raul. "Well, it was a species that used to be found in the depths of the jungles and somehow it ended up in my maternal grandparents’ house. I heard that they went to a faraway land once and there they encountered the tribe which knew about it. Eventually, they brought the seeds of that plant back. It was just recently that I was able to grow the plant and hence very few people know about it."

Princess Eleanor blinked her eyes as she could predict the following questions coming up. "Nia, get the waters."

Nia nodded her head as she walked towards the side to give Princess Eleanor some space. She could feel that Princess Eleanor had something to talk to Doctor Raul about, and she did not want to interfere.

"Do you want to know how I identified the poison?" Princess Eleanor walked within a circle of the buds before bending down. Her fingers trailed over the bud softly.

"I saw a small animal eating it and then soon after, it died." Princess Eleanor blinked her eyes as she looked up at Doctor Raul. "Well, you might already know this, or not, but we all do have a device that we use to see the poisonous contents. So I simply used that device. And do you know what I found and understand? Something marvelous."

Princess Eleanor looked down at the small buds around her as she smiled, "The seeds are the most poisonous. That was the reason I was wearing gloves." Princess Eleanor stood up as she walked out of the path as she stood in front of Doctor Raul, "Followed by the buds."

Princess Eleanor moved her hands as she extended two fingers as if she was showing the length of the plant, "Until it grows up to this size, the whole plant is filled with poison. But then as it grows, the poison moves down to the roots. So if we are dealing with a mature plant, remember that the roots contain the maximum amount of poison."

Doctor Raul nodded his head as he understood what Princess Eleanor was saying, "And did you say that they resemble Salvia flowers?

"I did not say that but I think Sir Kit might have informed you." Princess Eleanor sighed as she nodded her head, "Indeed there is a resemblance but it is not complete. If you look closely then you will be able to notice the difference. In any case, all the parts of the plant are poisonous, unlike Salvia. Although the concentration of the poison is different, it is still there."

"And what is this called? The plant that Princess is currently cultivating?" Doctor Raul took a deep breath as he asked. He was someone who was always interested in things like these. As a doctor, he loved to identify new poisons and diseases and find a cure for them.

"I don’t know the local name but my grandparents called it Knightpur." Princess Eleanor smiled as she looked at Doctor Raul. "Maybe it is the original name, or maybe it isn’t. But we will call it Knightspur."

Doctor Raul nodded his head. "Can the Princess teach me how to extract the poison and how to store it?"

Princess Eleanor smiled as she nodded her head. Her eyes were full of sparkles as she said in a small voice, "Of course, I have brought you here for that exact purpose. Isn’t it the reason why I had asked you for help? Once I enter the Royal Palace, you will be the one who will take care of my plants. So let me teach you how you have to take care of it."

—--

Princess Eleanor took a deep breath as she sat on the chair.

It had been a long time since they had moved into her room. Teaching Doctor Raul was not difficult but she was always on edge. The plants were extremely delicate and she could not afford to lose even a single one. After all, these plants were the ones that will help her, here in the Roulux Empire.

"Princess," Doctor Raul entered the room. He bowed his head and sat himself down in front of Princess Eleanor.

"You look fresh," Princess Eleanor joked as she smiled. Her eyes curled up at the end, "Anyway, you leaned faster than I had thought you would."

Doctor Raul looked at Princess Eleanor who looked all beautiful now that she had washed up too. When they entered the mansion from the garden, they had soil all over their hands and legs. Even Princess Eleanor’s dress was covered with mud and no matter who they walked by, they could feel everyone’s eyes following after them.

Doctor Raul was not used to such attention but he still kept quiet as he looked to his side and saw Princess Eleanor not being affected at all. It looked like, for her, it was a very common thing as if she had experienced it a thousand times already.

But now that they had all washed up, Doctor Raul felt good. It felt like he had grown up from a child playing in the mud to a doctor doing research.

"Princess, I already understand how to take care of the plants. What do you want me to do?" Doctor Raul’s eyes glowed with excitement. He could not believe that he was getting to learn all this new knowledge from a Princess. There was a little smile on his face.

’I am happy that Grand Duke Christopher likes the Princess." Doctor Raul thought, ’I do not know what the future would hold, but I am just happy that my friend has found his happiness.’

Doctor Raul did not know when, but he had started seeing Princess Eleanor as the mistress of the household. Intuitively, he had thought that maybe because he had never seen any women in Duke Beaumont’s house, that it was the case. But then he heard a few maids whispering about Princess Eleanor.

They were just happy that it was the Princess from the Angevin Kingdom who was there. She was not overbearing and cruel to them and they all respected her to the point that they would not mind her being the master of the household. Doctor Raul found it funny. Who would ask the maids about such things?

But it was not long after he had a word with Lady Gisella that he realized how the maids of other Princesses are suffering at the Royal Palace. After all, rumors spread faster than wildfire.

Maybe after that, the things that he had heard had formed a thought in his mind and when he saw her acting in front of the Crown Prince and chief healer, he felt like he was seeing the Grand Duke, spreading his web to catch their prey. It was a perfect match. They were a perfect match for each other.

Princess Eleanor was silent for a brief second as she saw the unknown emotions spreading over Doctor Raul’s eyes. She looked to the side as she thought, ’I have to put Nia to work. Even though she is portraying that she is not affected, I know in my heart that she must be feeling low. After all, today is her ex-lover’s wedding.’

Princess Eleanor took a deep breath as she said, "Nia, help Doctor Raul with the other steps. Teach him the steps on how we make perfumes and soaps."