The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 111: The Beginning of A Storm

Chapter 111: The Beginning of A Storm

"What happened? Was it because she came out and met the fans?" Luke quickly guessed, trying to make sense of the situation.

"It must be because Lady Raychard learned of His Highness’s true identity. She seemed incredibly surprised when the fans addressed him with his royal title before her," Damon speculated, connecting the dots as he had witnessed the scene before the commotion.

"How did she get out anyway? Weren’t both of you looking after her?" asked Damon in confusion as he addressed the matter to Alex and Drystan.

"We don’t know for certain. We were in the main hall the whole time after having lunch with her. She went to His Highness’s private library, and then suddenly, His Highness walked in, carrying her in his arms," Alex replied, his expression mirroring his perplexity.

"I’m not sure either. But it appears that His Highness was aware of it when we mentioned that she was in his private library. There must be some sort of hidden passage there that leads to outside. Did any of you hear their argument?" the healer questioned, directing his gaze towards the knights.

"No, we didn’t. We only just returned after the commotion caused by the fans subsided. Sir Henderson had arrived back from the palace, having requested backup," Damon explained.

"Backup?" The healer’s curiosity was raised as he sought clarification.

"When His Highness saw the lady among the fans outside the main gate, he immediately requested a hundred palace guards for support, but instead of sending them, His Majesty dispatched his own royal knights. So that’s why we were able to regain control of the situation quickly," Damon clarified, recounting the sequence of events.

Rafe nodded. His gaze swept over the knights’ dishevelled appearance, their clothes tattered and worn. He let out a weary sigh, fully grasping the extent of the chaos and turmoil that had happened.

"Are all of you all right? Does anyone require medical attention?" Rafe asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I’m perfectly fine, Mr Amares," Luke reassured him, his voice steady.

"I might need something to calm my nerves," Drystan admitted.

"Why? Are you injured?" Rafe inquired, his eyes scanning the knight for any signs of physical harm as they rolled up and down.

Drystan rubbed his chest, a pained expression on his face.

"No, it’s not physical. My heart hurts! Those girls... they were all over me, rubbing their bodies on mine! I had a hard time keeping myself composed," he admitted.

"You p*rvert! You’re still thinking about it at a time like that?" the healer scolded, his voice filled with exasperation.

"No, I’m not! I’m a victim of assault! Look at Sir McQuinn... he got the ’best’ assault ever," Drystan retorted, pointing at Damon.

The men’s eyes turned towards Damon, their gazes falling upon his flushed cheeks, neck, and tunic adorned with lip tint marks.

"What is he talking about?" Damon questioned, clearly perplexed.

"Sir McQuinn, you have lip tint marks tainted all over your face and clothes. It looks like you received quite a lot of kisses," Luke chimed in, unable to contain his amusement.

Not believing, Damon turned to search for a nearby mirror on the wall. When he caught sight of his own dishevelled appearance and the lip tint marks all over his face, embarrassment flooded his features. He hastily wiped them off with his sleeves, muttering under his breath. Drystan and Luke couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

"All right, enough with the jesting! I have a serious matter to address," Rafe interjected, his tone commanding their attention.

The knights’ eyes locked onto the healer, realising the importance of refocusing their efforts.

"What is it, Mr Amares?" Alex inquired, his voice brimming with anticipation. Damon returned to the group as the healer’s words garnered his curiosity.

Rafe took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to reveal.

"Everyone, there’s something crucial that you need to know. It concerns Lady Raychard. She is, in fact, the Princess of Ardel!" the healer disclosed. His words travelled to the men’s ears.

"What?" The knights exclaimed in unison, their eyes widened.

"How can this be?" Alex questioned, his confusion apparent. All he had known about Anna was that she was a slave, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice that aloud.

"Oh, my God! She’s the descendant of one of the traitorous lords," Drystan exclaimed, the gravity of the situation dawning on him.

Speechless, the knights stood in stunned silence.

"I need all of you to embrace this information carefully," the healer began.

With the knights’ full attention, he proceeded to recount the details of the intense altercation between the couple and the secret about their lady.

The truth of the argument was far more complex than they had imagined. The implications of Anna’s true identity reverberated through their thoughts and the looming question of how the king would react once this information reached his ears left without an answer.

Just then, Eli entered the mansion and immediately noticed the shocked expressions on the faces of his comrades.

"What did I miss?"

***

’Prang!’

The sound of shattered porcelain filled the air, emanating from the main hall. Anryr hurriedly emerged from the nearby corridor and rushed inside.

That marked the third item the grand duke broke within a mere half-hour of him sitting alone in the main hall. The tension was palpable among the group.

"What do we do now?" Eli questioned hesitantly. Concern etched on his face. "I still need to deliver the message from His Majesty."

"At this rate, the main hall will turn into a demolition zone," Luke remarked, his voice laced with worry.

"Sir McQuinn, please accompany me," Eli requested, turning to Damon with hopeful eyes.

Damon raised both hands before him and shook his head, a gesture of surrender.

"I’m not going in. Last time they had a heated argument, I ended up with a punch to the jaw from His Highness," he explained, unwilling to subject himself to another round of physical confrontation.

"I’ll go with you," Alex offered, stepping forward with determination. He understood the gravity of the situation and the importance of delivering the message despite the potential risks involved.

Eli nodded gratefully, appreciating the knight’s willingness to assist. Among them, Alex was the highest-ranking knight in the order and also had the highest noble status as the son of the Duke of Sanad.

Exhaling a deep breath, the two knights prepared to face the storm that awaited them in the main hall, hoping to navigate the delicate situation and convey the king’s message.

The two knights entered the hall. However, it wasn’t long before another bout of shouting and yelling erupted from within.

"Oh, my! This is not good," Drystan remarked, his concern evident.

"I don’t think we can handle him," Luke added, shaking his head.

A few moments later, Eli and Alex emerged from the room, their expressions grave.

"Sir Mills, come with me," Alex commanded, his tone firm.

Surprised, the knight furrowed his brow. "Why?" he inquired.

"We’re hereby punished for failing to protect the lady adequately and being negligent in our duties. Therefore, we are to train all night at the training ground, starting immediately until the day after tomorrow’s dawn," Alex explained resolutely.

"Oh, God!" Drystan exclaimed, realising the implications of their punishment.

"Let’s move quickly before his anger worsens," Alex urged, his voice filled with urgency.

The two knights swiftly moved to the training ground, knowing they needed to fulfil their punishment before matters spiralled out of control.

"This is getting out of hand. He’s as furious as he was the last time we brought her to Mistdale," Eli confided in Damon, his voice filled with concern.

"Can’t you do something about this, Mr Amares?" asked Luke to Rafe.

The healer sighed.

"I wish I could. But you know how he is. Once he becomes enraged, it’s nearly impossible to reason with him. It feels like chaos unleashed. The lady had been our shield, protecting us from his fury all this time. Now that she’s turned against him, I’m at a loss as to how to rein him in," the healer admitted with helplessness in his voice.

Eli leaned forward, his brows furrowed in concern. "So, what are we supposed to do? How do we address this situation?"

Rafe pondered the predicament for a moment, deep in thought. Then, a realisation struck him.

"There’s only one person who can handle this," he declared.

Damon looked at the healer and asked, "Who?"

"The ’Love Coach’, of course!" the healer exclaimed.

A glimmer of hope crossed Damon’s face, but it quickly faded as Luke intervened.

"But, Sir Navin isn’t here! He went back to visit his family," said the knight, his tone tinged with disappointment.

Rafe paused, considering their options. Then, he turned his attention to Eli.

"Sir Henderson, I need you to go to Sir Navin’s sister-in-law’s house. Inform him of the situation and ask for his immediate help," Rafe instructed.

Confusion washed over Eli’s features as he questioned his role in this matter.

"Why me?" the knight asked, seeking clarification.

"Why not?" all the men asked back in unison.

Knowing he’s the youngest of them all, Eli couldn’t retort and accepted the task.

"Go now before it gets dark! Hurry!" urged the healer.

The young knight wasted no time and swiftly carried out his task, returning just before the sun fully descended to the horizon. Spotting the waiting knights and healer at the knights’ quarters, he hastened towards them, bringing the outcome of his visit to Eric’s family’s place.

"So, what did Sir Navin say?" Damon inquired eagerly, his eyes fixed on the young knight.

Eli took a deep breath before relaying the message he had received.

"Sir Navin said that, for now, there’s nothing we can do. Any attempt to reconcile them will only make things worse. He also mentioned that since the lady has initiated the silent treatment, things may worsen over the next few days. So, we need to be cautious and avoid provoking them if possible," Eli explained carefully.

The healer furrowed his brows, seeking further clarification. "Won’t he be coming back?" Rafe questioned.

Eli shook his head, his expression solemn. "No, he got his hands full with his children and wife at the moment. But he assured us that he’ll return the day after tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, frustration washed over the group, and they couldn’t help but express their exasperation.

"God! We’re all going to suffer for two days!" Rafe exclaimed and patted his forehead in irritation.

The rest of the men nodded in agreement, realising the challenges they were about to face in managing the feuding couple. They could only hope that the argument between Kyren and Anna wouldn’t get worse.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.