The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 249: A Sister-in-law’s Intervention

Chapter 249: A Sister-in-law’s Intervention

"I’m truly sorry, Your Majesty! It was an unintentional oversight. Everything happened so fast!" the governess pleaded, kneeling to the ground, seeking forgiveness.

Laura, desperately trying to mitigate the situation, tugged at King Kyden’s cloak and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please don’t be angry, Father! Lilith only wanted to get closer to the puppy."

The king let out a weary sigh, his frustration tempered by his love for his daughters.

"Did you two secretly escape from your governess and servants again?" asked the king, looking at his girls alternately.

Both Lilith and Laura nodded hesitantly, acknowledging their naughty behaviour. Armel was taken aback by the question, realising that this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred.

"Now you have erred twice! Lilith and Laura, there will be no excuse for your punishment!" declared the king.

"But I didn’t steal anything!" protested Laura.

"You aided Lilith in her actions, making you an accomplice. That is still wrong. As a consequence, both of you will be grounded and prohibited from attending the festival," explained the king firmly.

The severity of the punishment took aback the princesses. Their eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, Your Majesty, please reconsider!" pleaded the governess, her voice filled with desperation. "They are still children. The festival is a much-awaited event for them! It was my fault for being careless. Please punish me instead."

"What they did was truly wrong, and I cannot have anyone questioning my ability to raise them properly," King Kyden responded sternly. "As the Princesses of Cassian, they must be held accountable for their actions, with no excuses."

Turning his attention to the governess, the king’s voice grew even more resolute. "As for you, this is the third occurrence of negligence. I cannot tolerate such carelessness. Gather your belongings and leave immediately. The rest of the servants will be reassigned to different positions immediately."

"Your Majesty, please..." the governess pleaded, her voice choked with tears.

"You asked for punishment, and I have granted it. If you persist in arguing, I will personally administer further consequences. Consider yourself fortunate that I am refraining from harsher measures due to your repeated negligence. Now, leave!" the king declared with finality.

The governess sobbed uncontrollably, standing up and casting a sorrowful gaze at the princesses.

"Helen, please don’t go!" Laura cried out, her tears breaking the heavy silence.

Lilith’s sobs followed suit, their cries echoing through the air. Despite their pleas, there was nothing the governess named Helen could do to change the king’s decision. She bowed to the king and departed, her eyes glistening with tears, followed by the dismissed servants who wore sombre expressions.

The weight of the situation affected Armel as well, and his mood turned down. He hadn’t anticipated that things would escalate to this extent. The remaining individuals stood in silence in the heavy atmosphere as the two princesses continued to cry.

"Stop crying, both of you! This wouldn’t have happened if you had been more responsible and refrained from such actions," the king’s words, intended to bring them to their senses, seemed to have the opposite effect, causing the children to cry even harder.

"Greetings to the Sun of Cassian."

Suddenly, a gentle voice broke through the tension, capturing everyone’s attention.

They turned to see Anna, accompanied by Meredith, Eli and Damon, who arrived onsite. Both ladies curtsied gracefully while the knights bowed respectfully to the king.

"Please pardon my interruption, Your Majesty. I heard cries emanating from this place while taking a walk and couldn’t help but wonder. So, I came to inquire," Anna explained.

"It’s just a minor matter, and I am merely addressing it accordingly," the king responded calmly.

Anna then directed her attention to her crying nieces.

"What happened, Laura and Lilith?" she gently inquired.

"Aunt Anna!" Lilith cried out, rushing into her arms. Laura followed suit.

The princess squatted down to hug her nieces. She enveloped them in her embrace, patting their backs to console them.

"There, there... don’t cry. Now, tell me, what happened?" Anna encouraged, her voice soothing.

Through sobs, Laura began recounting the incident while Lilith continued to cry.

"Please tell Father not to send Helen away! I don’t want her to go!" pleaded Laura.

"Me too!" added Lilith, her voice filled with desperation.

Anna’s gaze shifted toward the king, seeking clarification. She asked, "Your Majesty, is this true?"

The king proceeded to explain the situation in detail, emphasising that it was the third time the governess and the servants had lost track of the princesses. He expressed his concern for their safety and his unwillingness to tolerate such incidents any longer.

"I see...," Anna replied slowly, absorbing the information.

She looked into the children’s eyes and said, "Taking other people’s belongings is wrong, Lilith and Laura. You must promise me that you will never do that again."

"I won’t! I promise! I’ve already apologised," Lilith affirmed earnestly. "Can Helen come back now?"

Anna let out a sigh, deliberating her words carefully, aware of the delicate situation.

"That is your father’s decision, and I have no authority to intervene. I’m sorry," she expressed with a sombre expression.

The two children continued to sob in disappointment. Understanding their sadness, Anna spoke gently, "I know you both are upset. But I hope this becomes a lesson for you so you won’t repeat the same mistake in the future."

Then, Anna turned to the king and requested, "The children are feeling down due to the circumstances. I understand they are grounded now. However, would it be permissible to take them with me and spend some time together? I assure you, we won’t leave the premises and will comply with the punishment. They will simply stay with me in my room."

The king hesitated, concerned about the possibility of them getting lost again.

"I worry that they may wander off once more," he voiced his concern.

"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I will watch over them closely. Besides, I have no plans to go anywhere now," Anna reassured him.

"Today is the festival day, and there is a grand celebration at the plaza. Won’t you be attending?" the king inquired.

"I will attend with Kyren, but he is occupied with preparations for his departure. So, I must wait until he is finished. He had set off earlier for his task," Anna explained.

The king nodded lightly, considering the princess’s request and the situation at hand.

"He’ll be gone quite a while to Agathe Islands. I’m sorry for having to send him at this moment. Rest assured, he’ll be back very soon," said the king. He then continued, "Very well. You have my permission. You can take the children with you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Anna expressed her gratitude, a sense of delight colouring her voice.

She turned to her nieces and extended an invitation, "Would you girls like to spend some time with me? We can read storybooks and play together in my room."

"Storybooks?"

Lilith’s light brown eyes widened with excitement, her cries subsiding.

Laura, still sniffling, asked hopefully, "Can we have cakes and cookies too?"

"I don’t think that’s against the punishment."

Anna glanced at the king, seeking his approval. King Kyden nodded, granting permission with a subtle smile. How his sister-in-law made his children cease crying almost instantly amazed him.

"I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare them for us," Anna confirmed with the princesses, bringing joy to their once gloomy faces.

"I want butter cookies!" Lilith exclaimed, her tone cheerful now, no longer crying.

"Very well. We’ll have all the food you desire. But remember, eat in moderation. Too many sweets are not good for you," Anna cautioned.

"All right, Aunt Anna!" the princesses happily responded.

"Now, why don’t you go to my room with my friend Meredith? I’ll join you shortly," Anna suggested.

Meredith smiled warmly and addressed the princesses, "Please follow me, Your Highnesses. I will guide you to the room."

The princesses excitedly followed Meredith, looking forward to their time with their aunt and the promise of stories, games, and treats.

Anna instructed Damon to accompany the princesses while Eli remained by her side. The king expressed his gratitude, acknowledging Anna’s ability to comfort the children.

"Thank you for being able to console them. I know I’ve been firm about this, but they need to learn," the king admitted.

Anna nodded understandingly, her expression empathetic. She then mustered the courage to address the matter of the governess, aware of her position but hoping to share her perspective.

"Laura and Lilith clearly have a deep affection for their governess. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so devastated. I, too, had a nanny who cared for me since I was a baby. My mother passed away during childbirth, so she became the closest person I had to a mother. Her death has left me devastated, and even now, I find myself crying when I think of her," Anna revealed, her voice filled with emotion.

The king listened, his stern demeanour softening slightly at her heartfelt words. However, he remained resolute in his decision.

"They are still young. They will forget about it with time," he responded, his tone attempting to dismiss the emotional impact.

Anna countered gently, "I understand that they may not remember everything as they grow older, but memories of love like this are not easily forgotten," she paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing, "Furthermore, Kyren informed me that he taught his nieces about the secret passages within the palace so they would know how to escape and hide themselves during emergencies. It seems the children took advantage of that knowledge, which is why they could disappear without a trace. So, in a way, my husband is also at fault too. Therefore, I hope Your Majesty can find it in your heart to forgive him and the others."