The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 298: The Journey To Rivendelle Began

Chapter 298: The Journey To Rivendelle Began

The morning sky was painted with the vibrant hues of the rising sun, casting a warm glow upon the horizon. As the cold wind blew, it carried with it the promise of a new day filled with possibilities. It was the perfect moment to embark on their journey.

"Any more luggage?" Rafe inquired, observing the carriage driver and Armel as they secured the final bag onto its storage compartment.

"That should be the last of it. Please refrain from adding more. We’re not moving permanently to Rivendelle," Kiev remarked with a sigh.

The sight of Callis’s luggage caught his attention, piled up higher than he had expected. Aware that they were about to visit her family-in-law for the first time, the enthusiastic princess had indulged in a last-minute shopping spree to gather gifts for them, dragging Elis and Jessy along.

Initially devastated by Kiev’s decision to keep her away from the princess, the nanny was taken aback by Callis’s sudden return. Learning about the agreement between Rafe and the Mederian Prince brought her a sense of relief.

It also dawned on her that the healer was not just a good man but a genuinely honourable and honest. If it were any other person, they might have seized the opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful Mederian princess for their own pleasure.

"Oh, Your Highness! Why can’t I come?" Jessy inquired with a disappointed expression. "I want to accompany you! I can’t bear the thought of leaving my precious princess all by herself!"

"Don’t worry, Jessy. I’ll be just fine," Callis reassured her, beaming with a bright smile. She was brimming with excitement for the upcoming trip.

"It would be awkward if you were to come along. After marriage, women don’t typically have their nannies by their side. We had discussed this yesterday," Kiev explained, his reasoning clear.

The nanny, already aware of this, let out a resigned sigh.

"Still, you could just say I’m her personal maid," Jessy suggested.

"You’re not adept at pretending, Jessy. People would see through it immediately. I don’t want Mr Amares’s family to become suspicious of Callis and me. If they perceive this as a genuine trip, the conversation will flow naturally, and I will be able to gauge their true nature," Kiev explained his rationale.

"But it’s not fair that Armel and Elis get to go," Jessy protested, a hint of sulking in her tone.

Armel, who stood nearby, glanced sympathetically at the disheartened nanny. She was the only one ordered to remain at the palace. Even the Mederian Prince’s escorts were joining them on the journey. He felt sorry for her.

"I need him for various tasks. He knows the way well and can navigate easily. Having him with us will be beneficial. Consider it a one-week break from your usual headaches caused by my mischievous sister. As for Elis..." Kiev’s words trailed off abruptly.

He suddenly turned to the maid, who had just arrived and was approaching them. His crimson irises scanned her, taking in her hesitant and awkward expression. She was wearing a beautiful dress that belonged to Callis, and at that moment, she appeared like an exceptionally gorgeous noble lady.

"Forgive me for being late... I’ve changed into this dress as you requested, Your Highness," Elis said, her voice trembling with hesitation.

The Mederian Prince nodded slowly, his eyes still fixated on her.

"Good, let’s go," he finally said, turning away.

"Your Highness... if I may ask..." Elis interjected.

The Mederian Prince turned back to her, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What?"

"Why do I have to wear Her Highness Princess Callis’s gown?" the maid asked.

"Why not?" Kiev asked back.

"I’m just a maid... It doesn’t seem right for a servant to wear royalty’s attire. I don’t see the necessity for that," Elis’s voice faltered, her gaze wary of the Mederian Prince’s determined stare.

As of now, Kiev’s actual plan had remained unknown, as he had kept it to himself. However, he decided it was time to reveal it to them.

"I want you to pretend to be my betrothed. That’s why I asked you to change your dress," the Mederian Prince disclosed.

"What?" Elis exclaimed in surprise. "But... but... why?"

Standing beside Jessy with a happy smile, Callis was taken aback by her brother’s remarks. The same went for the nanny, Rafe, and Armel.

"That day at the festival, no women approached me when I held you in my arms. By becoming my fake betrothed, you can help keep them at a distance," the Mederian Prince explained.

"Why did you hold her?" Callis asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Some b*stards were bugging her, and she asked for my help. So I saved her and held her for safety reasons. That’s why I was late to meet my sister again, who at that time was busy pouring her feelings into her so-called soulmate!" Kiev teased, causing Callis and Rafe’s faces to turn red at the remark.

The healer cleared his throat, attempting to address the Mederian Prince’s misconception about being engaged in the kingdom.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but I think you have a slight misunderstanding regarding betrothal in Cassian, Your Highness," Rafe interjected, catching everyone’s attention.

Kiev turned his gaze to Rafe. "Do explain," he requested.

"It is true that a lady is allowed to hold hands with her suitor during courtship. However, as long as she is not yet married, it is not common for her to leave her territory without a guardian unless it is an order from His Majesty. Accompanying a betrothed on a trip that requires overnight stays is definitely out of the norm. It would be unwise to ask Miss Canton to pretend to be your fake betrothed," Rafe explained.

Kiev narrowed his eyes at the healer, then turned to Armel, seeking confirmation.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. It is. I believe the ladies at the festival didn’t dare to come close to you because they thought Miss Canton was your wife," Armel replied.

"What’s the difference?" the Mederian Prince inquired further.

"Those who attempt to disrupt or cause a breakdown of an official marriage will be harshly punished by law," Armel answered.

"Yes. It is a new regulation imposed by His Majesty when he ascended to the throne. Homewreckers, adulterers, and those who commit s*xual assault are punished severely. Women are banished, and men are flogged a hundred times. No one wants that," Rafe explained.

"I see... No wonder they didn’t approach," Kiev mused, reminded of the mysterious ’accomplice’ he had encountered the previous day, who had mentioned similar consequences in her malicious plan.

Luckily, Kiev decided against the collaboration, realising it would invite trouble for himself. Elis felt relieved by Rafe’s explanation, believing she was no longer required to be the Mederian Prince’s fake betrothed.

"I guess I have no choice then..." Kiev muttered, seemingly accepting the situation.

Elis began to smile in relief, but her expression quickly faded as the Mederian Prince suddenly changed his decision to a more bizarre one instead of withdrawing.

"We’ll just have to tweak it a bit. You’ll become my fake wife," Kiev ordered.

"Your Highness! How could I?" Elis exclaimed, surprised by the new request.

"I knew you would say no. That’s why I didn’t reveal my plan earlier," Kiev explained. "May I remind you, Elis, that you owe me favours, not just once. When you asked me to save you, I didn’t hesitate and lent you a hand. Now, are you saying no to me?"

The maid lowered her gaze, her blue eyes filled with resignation. Knowing the Mederian Prince’s determination, she realised she couldn’t resist him.

"So this is your ’method’ that you mentioned yesterday!" Callis exclaimed, connecting the dots.

"I don’t think this is a good idea," Rafe voiced his concern.

The atmosphere grew tense as the group contemplated the implications of Kiev’s plan.

"I need her as my shield. It wouldn’t be hard for her to pretend. She has been with me and my sister for a few days. She just needs to serve me as usual. Only her ’uniform’ is changed," Kiev stated nonchalantly.

"But I barely know you, Your Highness. How could I pretend to be your wife? What if people start asking things that I don’t know?" Elis expressed her concerns.

"You’re attentive and quick to learn. We have two days of the journey before arriving in Rivendelle. During this time, you can learn about me. Wearing the gown is your first practice," the Mederian Prince responded.

"But... but..."

"Are you refusing my order, Elis?" Kiev’s commanding voice silenced the group.

The maid shook her head as she bowed, worry evident on her face.

"No, Your Highness," she reluctantly replied.

"Brother, forcing Elis is absurd! Even if you helped her, you can’t use that as a reason to make her your fake wife. It will cause her trouble later!" Callis strongly disagreed.

"Do you want the ladies in Rivendelle swarming at me like crazy? You know how much I despise that!" Kiev’s furious tone and glare silenced his sister. "I wouldn’t resort to this if it weren’t for you causing this!"

His words left the Mederian Princess speechless.

"Please don’t fight. I... I’ll do it," Elis relented.

"See? She agreed already. I’m not forcing her," Kiev justified his decision with a hint of satisfaction.

Callis shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Kiev’s decision. Recognising the tension in the air, Rafe wisely chose not to prolong the matter or further provoke Kiev’s anger. He closed his mouth, opting to maintain peace and avoid potential conflicts that could further strain his relationship with his brother-in-law.

A moment of brief silence hung in the air before Jessy, the nanny, stepped forward and spoke up.

"Your Highness, may I speak with Princess Callis in private? Please," she requested.

"Fine, go ahead," Kiev permitted the two women to converse.

The nanny pulled the Mederian Princess aside, away from the group. Callis looked at her nanny, awaiting her words.

Jessy took hold of Callis’s hands and looked at her worriedly.

"Please take care of yourself and behave, Princess. This is your first time meeting your parents-in-law. Oh, I can’t believe my baby princess is now married!"

A glimmer of tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"Don’t worry. Rafe is a good man. He promised that he’d look after me," Callis reassured Jessy with a gentle smile.

"I know he is. I can see that," the nanny replied, tears began to stream down her face.

"Oh, Jessy. Don’t cry! It’s not like I’m leaving you forever! It’ll only be for a week," the Mederian Princess reassured her.

"But you’ll be following your husband after this. You won’t be coming back to Semeta with us," the nanny’s cries intensified. "How do I tell Their Majesties about this?!"

"Father and mother might be slightly upset, but they’ll understand my choice. They, too, married out of love and are soulmates," Callis explained. "Also, Rafe did mention that he wanted to meet them personally, so I will be returning to the island with him."

"But it won’t be the same. You’ll only be visiting and then returning here to live with your husband," Jessy lamented.

"It’s bound to happen, Jessy. You know I must follow my husband once I get married, right?" Callis reminded her.

"I know... I just... I never thought it would happen this fast," Jessy admitted between her sobs. She then wiped her tears. "Oh, my face must be ugly now! How absurd of me to cry like this."

Callis chuckled softly.

"No, you’re not. You’re always the cutest. I love you so much!"

The nanny took a deep breath, composing herself. Seeing how genuinely happy the Mederian Princess was with her choice, she decided to cast away her worries. She was now convinced that her little princess was in the right hands.

She squeezed Callis’s hands and said, "You remember your lessons, right?"

Callis responded bluntly, "Which one?"

"About... the consummation," Jessy whispered.

"Jessy! You know we haven’t done it!" the Mederian Princess blushed.

"I know. But you’ll be staying overnight at your parents-in-law’s house. Surely you’ll be sleeping in the same bedroom. A newly married couple on the same bed, what else could happen?" Jessy pointed out.

"It didn’t happen the first night!" Callis responded shyly.

"That’s because he was unconscious! But even in that state, he hugged you, remember?" the nanny reminded Callis of her own story when she had shared her first-night experience with the nanny.

"Brother is with us! He won’t allow it to happen!" Callis insisted, still blushing. "Besides, Rafe said we should wait until we have brother’s consent since we’re not officially married according to Mederian customs."

"Ah, shush! Your marriage is official already! Your brother is just making excuses for not letting you go! He won’t have any say if Mr Amares wants you now. You’re married to him before His Majesty, the King of Cassian!" Jessy argued.

"I... I don’t know... I’m not sure if he wants to," Callis admitted, looking down and biting her lower lip with a shy smile.

"I just want to remind you... the first time... well... it’s usually a bit painful... So, please don’t fight back and resist your husband. It’ll be fine after that. Since Mr Amares is a healer, I believe he knows how to alleviate the pain. Just don’t kick him out of bed. Let him have his way. A wife should submit to her husband’s demands," advised the nanny.

"Jessy!" the Mederian Princess’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. "I should be going now. They are waiting for me."

"I trust you know what to do. Take care, my baby princess!" Jessy said, giving Callis a reassuring smile.

"You too! Have a good rest! By the way, remember what my brother said, don’t go near Princess Anna for now. I know you want to meet her, but let’s do it together at the right moment."

"I understand," Callis nodded, her face still flushed.

Kiev was concerned about Anna’s well-being, especially considering the resemblance between Jessy and Nessy, who were identical twins. The princess’s nanny had been tragically murdered before her eyes.

Having heard the story from the grand duke during the Bargesians’ pursuit, the Mederian Prince knew that seeing Jessy could potentially shock Anna if she was unprepared. Therefore, he advised the nanny to remain low-key until they could meet and introduce her properly.

Callis hugged her nanny for the last time before turning around and walking up to Rafe and Kiev who were waiting for her. Armel stood by the carriage door, readily opening it.

"What’s the matter? Are you running a fever?" Rafe asked when he saw Callis’s flushed face.

Instinctively, he placed his palm on her forehead to check her temperature. The Mederian Princess’s face turned even redder at his sudden touch, recalling Jessy’s advice from earlier.

"Ehem!" Kiev cleared his throat loudly, his red, ruby irises glaring at the healer.

"I was just checking her!" Rafe rolled his eyes, fully aware of why the Mederian Prince made such a sound.

"Are you not feeling well, Callis?" Kiev asked, genuinely concerned. His tone softened.

"I’m fine. Right, Rafe?" she replied, seeking confirmation from her husband.

"Her temperature is normal," the healer confirmed with a nod.

"Very well, we should be going now. Let’s move!" the Mederian Prince ordered, signalling for them to get into the carriage.

They boarded, and as the carriage set off, Jessy waved goodbye while the escorts mounted their horses and followed along.

And so, the journey to Rivendelle began.