The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 269: A Soulmate Bond

Chapter 269: A Soulmate Bond

"What?" Anna exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock as she mistakenly believed that the Mederian Princess was referring to her husband.

She hurriedly stepped forward in a rush of protectiveness, positioning herself between Kyren and Callis’s path, her small hands outstretched as if to shield him.

"You can’t have him! Never! He’s taken!" Anna’s voice rang out, filled with fear and defiance.

The sudden outburst caught everyone’s attention, and even Kyren himself was taken aback by her unexpected act of guarding him.

Observing the situation with furrowed brows, Kiev cast a dissatisfying glance at Anna.

The princess’s realisation dawned upon her amid her passionate defence. She recalled the lingering agreement of a pending duel between the Mederian Prince and the grand duke for her. Seeing the delicate circumstances, she hesitated before quickly correcting her words to Callis.

"I mean... he’s not interested in you. You and him are not suitable," Anna amended her statement. Her outstretched arms returned to her sides.

The Mederian Princess let out another sigh. With a deliberate gesture, she raised her left hand and pointed her finger, clarifying, "Not the grand duke. Him."

Anna’s sight followed the direction of Callis’ finger, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the actual figure of the Mederian Princess’s affection.

All of the other eyes also swiftly shifted in the indicated direction, landing upon Rafe, who was discreetly positioned behind Kyren, his head tilted to catch a glimpse of the Mederian siblings. The sight left the group utterly speechless and astonished.

Breaking the lingering silence, the princess sought confirmation once more.

"You mean... Rafe?" she asked in disbelief.

With her gaze fixed on the healer, Callis nodded. Rafe’s reaction to the news reflected the group’s collective surprise. The knights exchanged glances, their expressions indicating their perplexity, before returning their gaze to the Mederian Princess.

Unable to contain his disbelief, Kiev erupted in protest, "This is absurd! How can you fall in love with a man you’ve only recently met?"

"It’s love at first sight!" Callis exclaimed passionately.

She lowered her head, downcasting her eyes before continuing, "I fell for him the moment I laid eyes on him when we arrived at Gerhard’s mansion! You won’t understand!"

Rafe, visibly taken aback, interjected with disbelief, "This... this can’t be! Why would you develop feelings for me? You’re a Mederian Princess, someone of high status. This must be a mistake!"

"Indeed, it is!" Kiev chimed in. "She deserves someone better!"

Callis, however, refused to waver. Her voice brimmed with determination as she defended her feelings.

"No one is better than him! He’s intelligent, responsible, and genuinely caring. He treated me kindly and sincerely and made me happy whenever we talked. When we arrived at Gerhard’s mansion, he was the only one who listened to us instead of assuming we were there to cause trouble. We wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t acted as our mediator and might have resorted to violence, endangering other people’s lives just to reclaim your betrothed," she explained.

A stunned silence again filled the air upon the Mederian Princess’s reasoning.

"No! I won’t approve of this, Callis! And because of it, he must die!" Kiev’s declaration cut through the silence with a tone full of anger.

"No!" the Mederian Princess vehemently yelled in desperation and defiance.

"Hold on!" Kyren finally interjected, his voice rising above the tension as he assessed the situation. "Why are you so worked up over my healer placing flowers in your sister’s hair to the point of wanting to kill him? Could you please explain what this is all about since we have no idea why it holds so importance for you that you’re reacting this way," he said, aiming to defuse the escalating conflict.

Kiev let out a weary sigh. His anger was barely contained within his chest.

After a moment, he spoke, "That is a ritual that we, the royal Mederians and Ro’an, perform for our soulmates. When a bride marries the man she loves, she allows him to adorn her hair with flowers. It symbolises her complete surrender of heart, body, and soul to her spouse as she declares him as her soulmate in her heart. It is a serious commitment, binding her to him for as long as her soulmate lives. That is why she is prohibited from wearing flowers in her hair until she gets married!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd as they absorbed the explanation, their eyes widening in surprise again.

"I’ve never heard of this ritual before," Rafe admitted, his voice filled with genuine astonishment.

"Nor have I," Kyren added, his brows knitted in perplexity.

"Of course, you wouldn’t have," Kiev responded, his tone tinged with a hint of bitterness. "It’s a discreet ritual, known only to the couple involved, much like the intimate moments shared between spouses. The first emperor of Ro’an initiated this custom when he married our clan’s princess. Though not all emperors and Mederian royals did the same, the last emperor made the soulmate declaration to his empress. We know this since many of us Mederian royals were married into the Ro’an Empire."

"So, what is the problem now?" Kyren inquired, seeking clarification.

Kiev’s frustration resurfaced as he replied, "The problem lies in my sister doing it before her marriage! It was supposed to be done after! Now, she won’t be able to marry another until Mr Amares dies! What will become of her future?"

Noah interjected sceptically, trying to make sense of the situation, "How could such a simple ritual bind people’s lives together forever? If that were the case, anyone could just place a flower in the hair of a Mederian maiden and declare her as their soulmate."

Kiev responded, exasperation lacing his voice, "It doesn’t apply to everybody! It is a custom reserved for royal Mederians and Ro’an brides and requires the woman’s consent. She willingly allowed him to perform the ritual on her!"

"But... but... I didn’t know! She never told me!" exclaimed Rafe.

"Oh, no! This is a serious matter! Without Mr Amares’s permission, how could you proceed with this ritual? Even if you have feelings for him, you ought to have expressed them to him upfront before acting this way," said Meredith to Callis.

"I know deep down that I shouldn’t have followed through, but I really feel this way with all of my being. The fear of rejection consumed me due to our circumstances. However, I was unable to shake the constant thoughts of him or ignore the intense feelings that overwhelmed me," said the Mederian Princess.

Anna attempted to grasp the profound depths of Callis’s emotions as she asked, "So, you did this because you believe he is your soulmate?"

The Mederian Princess nodded slowly.

"Yes. I know it may not make sense to many, but the truth is, Mr Amares is the only man who has ever made my heart flutter. When I first laid eyes on him, words cannot adequately describe my feelings for him. Deep within my soul, I knew without a doubt that he was the one, and there could be no other. You may be angry with me and lay blame on me, but I truly, deeply love him. He has captured my heart with his charm and attentiveness."

Anna’s gaze then shifted to the healer as she posed another question. "And what about you, Rafe? Do you feel the same connection after the ritual?"

Rafe’s voice was laced with confusion, "No! I didn’t even realise that I had bonded with her! In fact, I didn’t even know it was a sacred ritual!"

"He won’t feel anything, I assure you. Please believe me when I say I am not forcing Mr Amares to be with me. The effects of the ritual are mine to bear alone, not his burden to carry. The devotion and surrender I offered are a one-sided gift from me to him, as he did not wish for the same when he adorned me with the roses," the Mederian Princess continued.

As the knights and ladies absorbed Callis’s heartfelt confession, their initial annoyance turned into sympathy for the Mederian Princess. Her sincere gaze and earnest words had touched their hearts, revealing the depth of her love for the healer.

Despite knowing it was unrequited love, the act of declaring Rafe as her soulmate was an extraordinary display of devotion and love from the Mederian Princess.

Reflecting on recent events, Damon spoke in a thoughtful voice, "Come to think of it, Mr Amares also has shown great attentiveness towards Her Highness. He rushed to her aid when Miss Canton urgently sought his help the other day due to her worsening condition."

Confused, Kiev turned to Elis, seeking answers.

"What is he talking about? You told me my sister was uncomfortable with her sling, Elis."

Garin, taken aback by Kiev’s use of the maid’s first name instead of her usual formal title of ’Miss Canton’, observed the exchange with surprise.

Elis quickly bowed respectfully and apologised, "I’m sorry. I thought it wasn’t that important to mention."

Kiev’s frustration grew, and he raised his voice, demanding an explanation, "Tell me what happened!"

Elis inhaled deeply and spoke regretfully as she related what had happened, "Her Highness’s injury grew inflamed, and she started to get a fever. I looked everywhere for you and couldn’t find you, so I sought help from Mr Amares! We applied a poultice to her injury and gave her medicine. After that, her fever subsided."

"We? Did the healer touch my sister again?" Kiev asked, his anger evident.

The maid clarified stammeringly, "I applied the poultice.... and... and..."

"And?"

"Mr Amares held her in his arms while feeding her the medicine," she continued nervously.

Kiev’s red eyes turned to the healer, and he gritted his teeth.

"You.... How dare you embrace my sister!"

"I was merely fulfilling my role as her healer! She is my patient and required my support that time!" said Rafe.

"No wonder you willingly took medicine for the first time in your life and refused my healing! Turns out you already got smitten by him and planned to see him again!" Kiev turned to his sister and scolded her.

"I know you would disapprove if you were aware of my feelings for him. You would never give me a chance to pursue my love!" Callis responded.

Kiev vehemently declared, "Of course I wouldn’t allow it! How can I blindly let you choose an unknown man as your suitor?"

Kyren voiced out, defending Rafe, "You cannot blame my healer based on this situation. He did not know the ritual and wasn’t informed about it. If he had known, he wouldn’t have even considered it. The responsibility lies with your sister, and she should be held accountable for her actions."

"I know it’s my fault! It doesn’t matter if Mr Amares doesn’t love me back or accept me! I’m willing to bear the consequences," the Mederian Princess declared, her voice quivering with emotion.

Tears shimmered in her ruby eyes, reflecting the depth of her anguish.

Kiev’s anger surged, and he forcefully silenced Callis with his sharp words.

"Shut up! You don’t even realise the gravity of what you’ve done! Now, I have to clean up the mess you’ve created!"

With a chilling determination, the Mederian Prince directed his rage towards the grand duke, demanding, "This soulmate bond must be severed, and for that, either one of them must die! Hand over the healer to me!"

Rafe’s face drained of colour as the weight of the situation bore down on him. Fear and shock mingled in his expression, realising the dire consequences.

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