The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 337: A Secret Prophecy

Chapter 337: A Secret Prophecy

The girl sat on the log, her hands tightly bound with rope. Her revelation of her true identity had left the group of men utterly shocked.

They had retreated from the coastline, seeking refuge under the protective canopy of the dense forest.

The lifeless remains of the three men who had pursued the Bargesian Princess were buried by the Knights of Neblim, ensuring their final resting place remained concealed.

Every trace of the fierce confrontation was meticulously erased, leaving no evidence behind to alert the enemy forces to the incident that had transpired.

Initially, Kyren and Adam doubted Athillia’s words, but as they continued questioning her, the details spilt from her mouth were undeniably convincing and accurate.

She not only knew the intricacies of the Agathe Islands invasion plan but also possessed knowledge of the invading armies and the expectation of Cassian’s armies to reclaim control over their breached territory.

Seated at a distance, Adam leaned closer to Kyren and spoke in a hushed voice, "I can’t believe the pennon of the royal Barges we found during the investigation belongs to her! What have we stumbled upon?" He sighed.

"Everything she has revealed aligns with the actual occurrences and our assumptions regarding the invasion. It’s difficult to fabricate such intricate details unless one has meticulously planned from the very beginning or is the mastermind behind the entire operation," Kyren remarked cautiously.

"But can we trust her?" Adam questioned, his scepticism evident.

"We must interrogate her. I’ll take charge of it," the grand duke offered.

"Are you certain about this?" the admiral inquired.

Kyren nodded.

"Come with me," he responded in a resolute tone, beckoning Adam to follow him.

The admiral and the grand duke stood up, their expressions solemn as they approached their captive. Athillia looked up at both men, her eyes devoid of fear, replaced by a glimmer of hope.

"You must be thirsty. Here, drink this," the grand duke said, offering his waterskin to her.

Athillia raised her bound hands and accepted the waterskin to relieve her parched throat. She drank from it eagerly, quenching her thirst with the water provided.

"Are you not concerned that the water might be poisoned?" Adam interjected.

The Bargesian Princess finished her drink and wiped her mouth with her arm as her hands remained tied.

"If you intended to kill me, you could have done so when I revealed my identity. It would have been far easier and more convenient to finish me with a blade than to go through the trouble of poisoning the water," she replied confidently.

The admiral chuckled, acknowledging her astuteness.

"You are quite clever for a young girl. However, if it is true that you fled from Dago to here, why would you carry the royal pennon of Barges with you? Wouldn’t that make tracking you down easier for your pursuers?" Adam questioned, seeking further clarification.

"I had no choice. It was a necessary risk. Taking the royal pennon was the fastest way for me to traverse Barges’ territories before my pursuers could intercept me. I needed to infiltrate the ranks of the soldiers sent in the first wave to Agathe Islands, disguising myself among them," Athillia explained.

"Is that so? You have restrictions within your own territories?" Kyren inquired, his curiosity piqued.

The Bargesian Princess took a deep breath, her expression turning sombre as she continued, her voice conveying sorrow.

"Ever since the land began to deteriorate, people started migrating to areas that could sustain their lives. My father, the king, implemented strict regulations on population density, allowing only a limited number of occupants in each territory. The armies were dispersed along the vicinity’s borders to maintain control. He feared a concentrated population would lead to unrest and rebellion against his rule."

Trying to grasp the situation, Adam asked, "His people do not support him?"

"Who would support a king who only thinks of himself and does nothing to alleviate the suffering of his people? He imposes heavy taxes and conscripts all able-bodied men into the military, leaving behind only women and children. He never sought solutions for the decaying land or showed any concern for the sick and hungry. His sole focus is on expanding his power and controlling everyone," Athillia responded, her voice laced with bitterness.

"You have a strong sentiment for your people as their princess," Kyren acknowledged.

"I never want to be the Princess of Barges! I often wish I had never been born or had died during childbirth. That would have been a better fate for me," the Bargesian Princess admitted, her words laced with regret.

"You cannot change the past or your identity. However, running away like this out of resentment will not serve you well. You are currently at the mercy of your enemies and putting yourself at great risk," Kyren cautioned.

"You must think I’m his precious daughter," Athillia derided, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips.

"Aren’t you? Your mother, the queen, would’ve been worried for you," said Adam.

"I am not! My mother is only one of my father’s concubines, forced to serve him out of her willingness. She is not the queen!"

The admiral apologised for his earlier assumption, "Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t know."

"Even so, he is still your parent. You are young and a maiden. Your father must be searching for you right now. He must be worried," Kyren said, offering his perspective from a family head’s point of view.

The Bargesian Princess suddenly burst into laughter.

"Worried?" she scoffed. "The heavens would sooner collide with the earth if he ever did! He has never shown a shred of fatherly care. A man like him does not deserve to be called a father!" Resentment flickered in her eyes.

Attempting to understand her deep-seated hatred, Adam asked, "Why do you hate him so much? He may not be kind to his people, but he is still your family."

"I am not his family! He has never treated me as one!" Athillia exclaimed with raw emotion. "The first memory I have of him is his whip lashing across my back because my mother refused to entertain him when I had my fever! I was only four years old at the time! Four years old! Even an animal treats its young better than he treated me!"

Kyren and Adam were shocked by her furious remarks. Both took a moment to digest her words.

"Why? Don’t believe me?" she asked when both men remained silent. "Then go ahead, tear my clothes apart, and you’ll see the hideous scars he left on my body. He never embraced me as a daughter, not even once! The abuse only stopped when I turned fifteen. My mother thought he had changed and started to care. But she was wrong. He was only waiting..." Athillia’s voice trailed off.

"Waiting for what?" Kyren inquired with curiosity.

The Bargesian Princess swallowed her saliva, her mouth dry with bitterness.

"Waiting for me to come of age... so that he could marry me," she confessed, her defeated tone conveying the weight of her suffering.

"What? That’s insane! You’re his child! It would be incest!" Adam exclaimed, unable to comprehend the depths of her father’s depravity.

"’Insane doesn’t even begin to describe him! He’s a lunatic, a barbarian, and a devil in human form! There is not an ounce of humanity within him!" Athillia declared with frustration.

Struggling to grasp the motive behind such a heinous plot, the admiral asked, "Why would your father want to marry you?"

"In Barges, the birth of a daughter is seen as a symbol of prosperity. My father believes that marrying me is a way to overcome the curse of the land’s barrenness since I am the first daughter born from the royal lineage after the Great War. He doesn’t want the curse to spread to the newly conquered territories. It was all Derek Hayes’s st*pid and cr*zy idea!" Athillia added with anger.

"Derek Hayes..." Kyren repeated the name, a flicker of recognition crossing his face.

He suddenly remembered Brone mentioning the name ’Derek’ during their pursuit and battle against the Bargesians on the cliff in the deep forest.

"He’s the mage, isn’t he?" Kyren asked, affirming his suspicion.

"How do you know?" Athillia inquired, surprised. "Did you meet him?"

"Yes. He was one of the Bargesians who came to Cassian as part of the Ardel ambassador’s delegation," replied the grand duke.

"My father ordered him to join Brone and his men on an expedition to your land. It was to capture those proficient scholars in the Ro’an language."

"For what purpose?" asked Adam, intrigued by this new revelation.

"They want to reproduce the pure serum. The new King of Ardel apparently possesses the formula, but it’s written in the ancient language and hasn’t been properly translated. Their attempts to recreate it have been failures," Athillia explained.

The admiral’s eyes widened.

"Reproducing the pure serum? I’ve heard about this cure before! It’s a renowned achievement by Ardel’s professor and a subject of fascination in the medical field. Even our royal healers knew about it. But reproducing the serum... I don’t understand," he admitted, puzzled.

Kyren’s eyes narrowed as he connected the dots.

"He’s planning to spread the Laradie plague to conquer the entire continent!" he declared, his voice filled with alarm.

"You catch on quickly! Derek claimed that he managed to replicate the curse of the Laradie plague from the last Ro’an Emperor, and he has already placed the catalyst in the cave at the border between your land and Dracor for testing. However, since there was no news about the plague spreading, I assumed it was a failure," she continued.

"Oh, my God! He’s going to end the lives of countless people!" Adam exclaimed, horrified by the implications.

The grand duke clenched his teeth. It now made sense why the Laradie plague had suddenly erupted near the border, affecting Armel, his brother, and neighbour during their last campaign. Thankfully, Anna’s blood had cured them and prevented the disease from spreading.

"Even without the pure serum, he would still proceed with his plan to gain control of the entire continent. He had Brone and his men steal the distributed drug formula and kidnap the professors from Engarth’s medical university to develop the cure. The King of Ardel thought they were all killed, and the formula was destroyed when Brone helped him seize power in the coup. Right now, the drug is being mass-produced in Barges," Athillia said, her voice filled with urgency.

"My lord, this is a grave situation! We must stop this!" the admiral urged Kyren.

The grand duke took a moment to gather his thoughts, his expression serious.

"So, your father planted the gold on Agathe Island to provoke Ardel’s invasion first?" he asked, drawing on the initial cause of the territory breach revealed by Athillia.

"That’s correct. He knew that Ardel would send their armies here for reinforcement. While you would be busy subduing the mercenaries and pirates hired by King Ronan, he would have an easy victory in conquering Ardel. The gold he put on this island wouldn’t be of much value to the newly conquered territory. So, his gain is more, and there’s nothing to lose for him except for a few unwanted knights with various issues," she explained.

"He has a great tactical plan indeed. The only thing that deviates from it is you escaping and turning to us," Kyren remarked.

"True. Unleashing the plague in full blast is his trump card. However, knowing his nature, he won’t use it just yet, as it would indirectly affect his men. The production of the distributed drugs is still not sufficient for his soldiers. So, we need to defeat him before that happens," Athillia affirmed.

"We should send a messenger to Cassian, reveal this to His Majesty, and prepare for a full-scale war with Barges! We must take action now and eliminate their king, my lord!" Adam suggested.

"It won’t be that easy," the Bargesian Princess cautioned.

"Why? Do you have a change of heart because we want to kill your father?" Adam asked sceptically.

"No! More than anyone else, I want him to die! He has been nothing but misery to me, my mother, and the people I care for! But he possesses dark magic, harnessed from the ritual Derek performed. You can’t simply kill him with your weapons. The only person who can is the direct descendant of the Ro’an Emperor," said Athillia determinedly.

"But they left the continent long ago after the Great War! How can we find them?" the admiral questioned, his hope fading.

Kyren’s heart dropped. Among them, he was the only one who knew that the person Athillia mentioned no longer existed.

"There’s someone who can bring them to us," the Bargesian Princess continued.

Kyren remained silent, his face turning sombre.

"Who?" Adam asked, unaware of the grand duke’s expression.

"A northern warrior!" Athillia declared.

"This is absurd! You’re speaking nonsense!" Kyren suddenly shouted, his frustration and disbelief bursting forth. The other knights nearby turned to look at him, startled by his outburst.

"I am not! My grandfather wouldn’t lie to my mother! Those were his last words before he passed away!" the Bargesian Princess countered, her voice determined.

"Who is your grandfather? And why would he speak of such a prophecy?" the admiral inquired, pressing her.

"She’s lying! There is no such thing!" Kyren protested.

"There is! I’ll prove it to you! Take out the locket from my necklace!" Athillia demanded.

Adam turned to the grand duke, contemplating the situation.

"I don’t believe you," Kyren stated firmly as he gazed at her like an eagle.

"Then, kill me! I have nothing to lose! But before you do and regret your actions, please... take a look at it!" Athillia pleaded.

Kyren’s resolve was shaken when he saw the young princess’s desperation in her eyes. He had always had good judgment over people, and her determination to prove herself was apparent.

"Retrieve it, Admiral!" the grand duke commanded, relenting to her request.

"But she’s a girl... I would have to put my hand in her... Umm... maybe I should untie her hands first..." the admiral hesitated.

"Just pull it out now! My life is at stake here!" Athillia shouted, her urgency pushing past etiquette.

"Fine!"

Adam knelt to the ground before the Bargesian Princess.

"Please excuse me, princess..." he said, reaching into her dark blue tunic and carefully retrieving her necklace.

A timeworn locket was revealed, catching Kyren’s sharp eyes. His blue irises dilated upon recognising the locket. He rushed to Athillia’s side and knelt before her, his hand gripping the locket with such force that the necklace broke.

"My lord!" Adam exclaimed, alarmed by Kyren’s actions.

"Where did you get this?" the grand duke asked, his voice filled with anxiety.

"You recognise it? He said his comrades would identify it right away. But... you are way younger... you can’t be one of them!" Athillia replied, her confusion evident.

"What is this? I don’t understand, my lord," Adam chimed in, seeking clarification.

"This... this is the insignia badge of a northern warrior! Tell me, where did you get this from?!" Kyren urged in an intense tone.

"This locket... it belonged to my grandfather, Aram."

Kyren sank back and flopped to the ground, his hand still tightly gripping the locket.

"Who is Aram?" the admiral asked, his confusion deepening.

The grand duke turned to Adam, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"He was a northern warrior. The only one among the others who possessed magical abilities. He was also the teacher of my teacher, Lord Winston, the last magic practitioner in Cassian. He sacrificed himself during the escape of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Regina. He is... the father of Marquess of Roland," Kyren explained, his voice filled with emotion.

"Oh, my goodness! So... Aram is your grandfather?" Adam exclaimed as he looked at the Bargesian Princess, his hand pointing to Athillia in bewilderment.

"Yes. He’s the father of my mother. His team might think he was dead after Lord Emir, the first King of Barges, severed his limbs. He was left to die on the battlefield, but my grandmother saved and hid him!" she told them, her voice trembling.

"It can’t be!" Kyren whispered, his mind reeling from the revelation.

"It’s true! He told my mother about the prophecy! It states that ’he, one of the most honourable men, would bring forth the great direct descendant of the Ro’an Empire, thus uniting the entire continent’," she declared earnestly.

"The most honourable men..." Kyren swallowed hard; the weight of Athillia’s words fell on his shoulders.

He knew exactly who she meant. It was none other than the Raychards.

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