CHAPTER 496: [SPECIAL CHAPTER] THE GRAND DUKE’S SOULMATE

The announcement sent shockwaves through the hall.

"Four months?" Kyren repeated in disbelief.

Anna stood beside him, speechless. Her eyes were wide and shocked as well.

"Yes, Your Highness! About four months ago, we travelled from the border to Gantz under His Majesty’s royal decree to bring Lady Raychard here. We crossed mountains and sailed back on a cog ship. Due to her sickness, you took care of her yourself. She was with you throughout the entire journey. There’s no other explanation than to say you are the father of the child," Ayden explained.

Kyren’s gaze remained unblinking. The assistant healer’s remarks about their journey were undeniably accurate. Even as he allowed his wife to attend her cooking class in the galley, he still secretly peeked at her, ensuring she was always in his view.

"For months of pregnancy... the voyage..." Luke muttered to himself, but loud enough for the other knights to hear.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind, and he exclaimed, "The Great Luck! It’s the old seafarers’ superstition about a newlywed couple’s first dance!"

The knight’s words caught the crowd’s attention. Realising he had inadvertently blurted it out, he quickly covered his mouth.

The statement swiftly reminded the other knights of a seaman’s tale who was conceived after his mother danced with his father on a boat.

Eric suddenly turned pale as he recalled the knight’s training, one that he had almost forgotten due to the chaos that was surrounding them.

"That means I trained a pregnant lady!" he exclaimed alarmingly.

"Lady Raychard experienced spotting the night after the training. It was a light bleeding due to the strenuous activities. Thankfully, she didn’t have a miscarriage, but it could be a dangerous situation for a pregnant woman, especially during the early phase," Ayden added.

The second-in-command knight slumped into his seat, guilt washing over his features as he realised he had almost harmed Anna and Kyren’s child. His hands gripped the edge of his seat, expressing his emotions beyond the spoken words.

"Why... why wasn’t I told about this?!" Rafe asserted, bewildered.

"The lady didn’t want to stop the training. She wanted to prove herself worthy of His Highness and only agreed to the blood test after I promised to keep it a secret," Ayden explained.

Rafe sighed heavily, frustration mingling in his heart.

"I’m sorry!" Anna said, her voice cracking in guilt as she noticed the defeated looks on the knights’ and healer’s faces.

"I swear I didn’t know! I thought it was just the usual weakness I had!"

Kyren faced his wife, her agitation revealing deep remorse. The grand duke understood that jeopardising the baby was never her intention, having witnessed her fierce protectiveness over the child. In fact, she hadn’t realised she was pregnant until the day of the commotion.

"Anna," he called softly.

Their eyes met, and a whirlwind of emotions surged between them.

"Four months ago... on the cog ship, we had our first dance. That night... the two of us... within the cabin..." the grand duke paused.

Without continuing, everyone could figure out what he meant.

The couple had shared one of the most blissful, intimate nights together—a night that had brought a new life into their world.

Anna felt a wave of relief wash over her. Now that it had been revealed, she had proven her innocence, and the most comforting part was that the baby she carried truly belonged to the grand duke, just as her heart had always known.

"The great luck from the first dance brought a blessing to us!" the princess exclaimed, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks.

Just as they were about to celebrate this, the chief of the lady-in-waiting stood up.

"This is a lie!" Sarah sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. She then accused Ayden, "You must have forged the document just to save your lady!"

"I did not!" the assistant healer retorted. "The document bears the royal laboratory seal, and the dates are immutable. It contains all the specifics of when the sample was received, the tests performed, and their outcomes. No one can fake it! I personally delivered the sample to the royal laboratory! Everyone present on that day can attest to that. My name is even included in the report!"

Ayden’s explanation resonated with the events that had transpired.

The knights and healer then remembered that he had been absent on the morning of the second training day, claiming he was running errands. At the time of the meeting with the tribesmen, they believed he was ordering an engagement ring for Clara.

"May we have the report to verify it, Your Majesty?" Gabriel suddenly requested.

King Kyden, still processing this revelation, nodded. Charles took the parchment to hand it over to the duke, but Lord James, impatiently snatched it midway and began reviewing it with his daughter. The shock registered on their faces couldn’t be described after reading it.

Displeased with the minister’s brashness, the chamberlain took the report back without saying a word and passed it to the Duke of Greene, who had requested it earlier.

The report was then viewed and circulated among all royal court members and other nobles for affirmation. Even Adam cracked a smile after reading it, proud that Anna had proven herself and relieved for having placed his belief in her.

Everyone agreed the report was genuine—only Lord James and his daughter remained cold and tense.

Kyren then turned to Kiev.

"You didn’t r*pe her. I know you didn’t! Tell me the truth, Prince Kiev! What happened that night in the forest?" he pressed, anxious to know.

The Mederian Prince inhaled deeply. There was no point in hiding the truth any longer.

"Due to the dark-magic possession, Princess Anna nearly had a miscarriage. I used almost all my mana to save her and the child. I thought I would lose them both, but God was merciful. The baby absorbed my mana in the end and survived the ordeal."

Kyren closed his eyes, trembling. He was now thoroughly convinced that the baby was his. There was no doubt about it. The only question was—how?

"This can’t be!" Sarah exclaimed. "Your Majesty, you confirmed earlier that His Royal Highness the Grand Duke can’t have any heirs! How can she suddenly bear his child?"

The heads and representative of the Pillar Families exchanged glances. The Knights of Gerhard and their healer shared their suspicions, too.

Wasn’t the grand duke bound by the binding spell with the deceased Ro’an princess?

"Your Majesty, we heard rumours speculating this when the accusation was made, but what is the exact reason for His Royal Highness’s inability to have children that you affirmed?" asked Benjamin.

"If this report is accurate, and with the affirmation from His Highness and his assistant healer, the child indeed belongs to him. Could His Highness’s impotence issue have been resolved?" suggested the Duke of Greene.

Sarah clenched her fists, her face paling.

’Kyren shouldn’t know about this! He shouldn’t!’ she shouted inwardly, fearing what she knew would come to everyone’s knowledge.

"There is a reason why I affirmed it. That’s why I am having difficulty processing all of this," said King Kyden.

Turning to his brother, he asked in bewilderment, "How can this happen?"

"I don’t know! Has the binding spell untangled and ceased by itself?" Kyren replied, more to himself than anyone else.

"Did you say the binding spell?" Kiev looked at the grand duke, perplexed.

How did Kyren suddenly know about it?

There was only one binding spell in the world, the one that sealed Anna’s power within her soulmate.

"The binding spell..." Kyren paused, glancing at the king.

The king nodded slowly.

"Tell them about it, Kyren. The spell is related to you. Given the situation, they deserve to know."

Kiev remained confused, unable to grasp the connection between the spell and Kyren.

The grand duke turned to face the crowd as he prepared to reveal the truth.

He began, "When I was seven, I was injured during the kidnapping that occurred in Galicia that left me in a severe coma. I was on the brink of death..."

The nobles nodded, acknowledging the fact known throughout the kingdom.

".... My mother took the Emperor of Ro’an’s ring and brought me to Semeta to meet the heavily pregnant Princess of Ro’an, the emperor’s daughter. My grandfather, the then-admiral, had rescued the empress, earning him the ring. So, she implored the princess to save me based on that merit," said the grand duke."

Kiev’s mouth opened in shock, rendering him speechless as Kyren carried on with his story.

"In exchange for my life, the princess cast a binding spell on me and the child she carried. I was destined to feel no love and could never bear a child with anyone other than her offspring. The baby was born the same night, right after the ritual, but both mother and daughter perished during childbirth. Because of me, the direct descendants of the Ro’an emperor have perished forever!"

The grand duke’s explanation bewildered those unaware of the details.

Anna lowered her gaze. How could she explain the contradiction that was now unfolding?

Yes, the binding spell was valid because it saved Kyren, but her pregnancy, which resulted from her intimacy with him, has also been proven.

Then, how would this case be resolved?

Among the confused crowd, Kiev was the most truly surprised. He looked at Kyren in astonishment.

"You... you’re her guardian!" he suddenly cried. "You’re the one we’ve been looking for!"

The Mederian’s loud voice garnered everyone’s attention.

Kyren and Anna turned to him, who seemed on the verge of tears. The missing puzzle piece had finally connected everything.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked, confused.

Tears fell from the Mederian Prince’s eyes.

His fear and constant worry about the princess had all been lifted. It was now his turn to reveal the secrets he had kept for so long.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know! If I had known, I would have told you everything!" Kiev said, filled with remorse.

"What do you mean, Prince Kiev?" Kyren questioned, his brow furrowing.

"That Ro’an princess... the baby you thought died that night is Princess Anna! She’s your soulmate!"

Loud gasps erupted in the chamber as the most shocking news was unveiled to them.

"I’m a Ro’an princess?" Anna exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes, you are! Your mother, Her Imperial Highness Princess Angela, is the emperor’s daughter! You are the last remaining direct descendant of him!"

The revelation stunned everyone, especially the princess. How could she, of all people, suddenly be recognised as the direct descendant of the Ro’an Emperor?

"You said my mother is a half-Mederian!" Anna questioned.

Again, those who didn’t know about this matter were surprised.

Kiev nodded.

"I didn’t lie about that. She is half-Mederian and half-Ro’an. Your grandmother, a Mederian, is my great-aunt, which makes your mother my second cousin. Callis and I are your relatives. We came to this continent to take you home to Semeta. I couldn’t bring you back after the shipwreck two years ago because you were too weak to withstand the journey or pass the strong barrier of the island. So, I went to cultivate my mana in the mountains to become stronger and protect you. That was the only way I could ensure your safe return," he revealed.

This explains why Anna’s previously ’mysterious betrothed’ vanished without a word and never came to support her in her time of need after the funeral.

When the Mederians first arrived at the mansion, Callis merely said that Kiev was at war and couldn’t come to fetch the princess. The true reason was now beginning to surface.

Anna looked down at her hands, struggling to accept this truth. She had never imagined she would bear such a prestigious lineage. It felt too good to be true, but everything began to fit into place.

With her true identity revealed, the mystery of Kyren’s inability to have children was now solved. She was the determined princess destined for Kyren, the only one who could bear his child!

"How can this be? I saw the baby die! She was blue and not breathing!" Kyren exclaimed, shocked.

"We all thought she died, too, but she didn’t! She awoke and cried much later, after you and your mother left!" Kiev explained. "It was the after-effect of the ritual!"

"But... but... I’m weak and powerless... I couldn’t be a Ro’an princess!"

Anna shook her head in disbelief.

"You are! You became like this because the binding spell severed your mana line and shifted your power to your soulmate! It was the only way to protect you from your ambitious father! He wanted to use you to conquer the continent!" said the Mederian prince.

"No wonder I couldn’t sense you with my ability... I thought you were an ordinary person!" the grand duke said to Anna.

Kyren also struggled to make sense of this revelation at first. But as he reflected on his childhood experiences and Kiev’s story, he was convinced that his wife’s fate was intricately entwined with his in ways he had never imagined.

Anna was the only woman who had moved his heart and captivated him from their very first encounter. That feeling never diminished, regardless of the many challenges they encountered. Repeatedly, he yearned for her affection. Now he understood why he was always drawn to her.

With tears welling in his eyes, the grand duke looked at the princess and noticed her lingering confusion.

She had just been born when they first met and knew nothing about it. It appeared that no one had told her the whole story of her birth night.

"You were born prematurely. I remember the moment I held your hand. It felt freezing..." he reminisced, his voice trembling as he reflected on the event that brought him great sorrow. "A lady told my mother and me to leave because there was danger approaching. I had no idea what was happening then and had to leave you!" said Kyren.

"The Prince of Ardel, her father, came to retrieve his wife and their child. Unfortunately, Her Imperial Highness, Princess Angela, had already died in childbirth due to the ritual. He insisted on taking his baby, and we couldn’t refuse him. We were forced to give her up," Kiev explained.

A deep sorrow overcame him. Although it saddened him each time he remembered, they had a right to know, especially Anna.

"At that time, since the baby was too small and delicate, Nessy, Jessy’s twin sister, pleaded with him to take her along, and he agreed. We only connected with her years later through a letter from an eagle sent by Dame Clara Verns. That’s when we learned the baby was named Anna. My engagement to her was meant to ensure her safe return to Semeta," said the Mederian Prince.

Kiev recounted the same story he had told Anna when he met her on the morning of her second training day.

Only this time, a few additional details that had been twisted or had not been disclosed were revealed.

"No wonder you were so adamant about taking her with you, even after you have found your soulmate," Kyren said.

"I made an oath at her mother’s tomb, Grand Duke. I love my Elis, but I first swore to protect Princess Anna with my whole life! It’s a promise I can never break!" the Mederian Prince replied earnestly.

Anna remained frozen in place. The grand duke was also filled with overwhelming emotions as he realised that his believed-to-be dead soulmate had been right with him all along.

His hands trembled as he held the princess. Disbelief filled his expression, and worry crept in that this could be a dream. Yet, when he gazed into her emerald eyes, he realised it was real.

"You are my soulmate, Anna! My soulmate!" he declared.

At those words, he pulled her closely into his hug, feeling the warmth of her body against his.

Kyren stood proudly and happily, embracing his destined love.

She, who had always held the key to unlocking the depths of his heart and fulfilling the yearning that had long resided within his soul, was now revealed.

The one and only—the grand duke’s soulmate!