The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 347: Curiosity About Him

Chapter 347: Curiosity About Him

The rising sun heralded a new day, but its light struggled to pierce the gloomy clouds that blanketed the sky. As winter’s chill crept closer, the air grew colder.

Kyren and his men had finished diverting the primary water sources flowing from the peaks, rerouting them to a distant part of the island, far from the enemies’ main camp.

"They will soon grow anxious and begin searching for water once they realise their supplies are dwindling. Have our men secure control over the area where the water now flows," Kyren commanded.

"Shall we set traps to subdue them?" Adam suggested.

"That could work, but be cautious. They may deploy the villagers to conduct the search. Arrest and subdue the soldiers only and avoid harming the civilians," Kyren replied. He then turned to Athillia, inquiring, "Do they have any mercenaries or pirates disguised as villagers?"

"No, that does not seem to be the case. While their uniforms are imperfect, the soldiers always wear armbands bearing the Ardel insignia on the islands. The Knights from Barges are easily recognisable in their distinctive armour and regalia," she explained.

Kyren nodded, satisfied with the information.

"Excellent! That will make our task easier. Ensure the villagers who venture out searching for water do not return to the camp. We shall provide relief for them in the meantime, if necessary."

A Knight of Neblim, recently dispatched to the other peaks, returned and submitted his report.

"My Lord and Admiral, we have completed the placement of our siege weapons and established strongholds on all the selected peaks. Our scouts have observed, and the locations are perfect, just as Lady Athillia described. We now have full visual coverage of the islands and can target the enemy’s base camp directly."

Adam smiled, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

"Now we can blast them with ease!"

"Patience," Kyren cautioned. "There are hostages in the camp, and an ill-timed attack could jeopardise their lives. We must extract them and ensure their safety before we make our move."

"Lord Kyren is correct. The villagers need our help, and I promised them they would make it out alive before I escaped," Athillia added.

Adam raised a sceptical brow.

"You made a promise to them, and they trusted you, a total stranger?"

"I gained their trust. One of the mercenaries attempted to assault a girl among the hostages. I crushed his head with a stone and saved her. In return, she provided me with information about the secret paths to the peaks," she replied.

"It is indeed surprising that no villagers revealed the secret paths to the enemy," Adam mused.

"I told them not to. Even without me telling them, the villagers are smart enough to understand that the enemies are using them for their gain. Disclosing the paths wouldn’t have given them an advantage," replied Athillia.

"Didn’t the enemies force the villagers to show the way?" asked Kyren.

"They did. But the villagers purposely led them through treacherous and difficult terrain. Eventually, the enemies gave up on conquering the peaks since they couldn’t transport their artillery along those paths."

"Indeed, we had foreseen this possibility. Initially, our plan involved conquering the peaks, and Lord Kyren had suggested that there could be locals familiar with alternative paths to the top. Your revelation has certainly eased our mission," acknowledged the Admiral.

"As you mentioned, you’ve been here for a month, keeping a low profile and pretending to be one of the soldiers. How did they manage to catch you?" Kyren suddenly inquired.

"The guards discovered that I had killed the mercenary who tried to assault the girl. They brought me to the Knights of Barges, where my true identity was revealed. I managed to flee from the camp in my attempt to escape from them. I was nearly caught when I ended up meeting you at the beach," Athillia revealed.

"It was a bold move on your part. You could have put yourself in grave danger. By killing him, you had eventually exposed yourself," commented Adam.

"I couldn’t bear to let her become a victim. She’s the same age as me," Athillia replied, her gaze filled with sadness.

"Did your father try to do the same..." the Admiral’s voice trailed off as he swallowed, realising the sensitivity of the question. "Forgive me. I shouldn’t have asked," he quickly apologised, his gaze shifting away as he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, regretting his impulsive words.

Athillia lowered her eyes solemnly.

"It’s all right. Yes, he did try once, but my mother intervened. In response, he threw her into the dungeon after subjecting her to abuse. He planned to do it again, but Derek advised him to wait until the ceremony, as they required virgins for their ritual."

"Are they planning to kill you? I thought you said daughters were seen as symbols of prosperity in Barges," Adam interjected, his confusion evident.

A wistful smile appeared on Athillia’s face.

"Maidens have always been used to harness dark magic power through a ritual conducted under the full moon. After being assaulted by the participating men, the maidens are killed, and the mage collects their blood. I don’t know how long my father intends to keep me alive after the wedding, but I’m certain my fate won’t differ much from theirs."

"That’s despicable! They are beyond insane!" the Admiral exclaimed, his disbelief evident.

"I told you my father is a lun*tic," Athillia replied, her voice filled with resignation.

"We will ensure that you never have to face him again," Kyren promised her.

Athillia nodded gratefully.

"While we lure the enemies out of the camp to secure the water resources, we can seize the opportunity to rescue the hostages. I know of an opening," she said, retrieving a parchment from within her tunic and handing it to Kyren. "I’ve kept this with me for a while."

The grand duke retrieved the rolled parchment and carefully opened it, capturing Adam’s attention. The Admiral joined in with interest.

"This is the layout of the camp!" Adam exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. "You’re a genius, Athillia!"

The Bargesian Princess smiled proudly.

"I copied it before I left the palace. I knew it would come in handy someday. My father and his advisors devised the invasion plan, and they only shared the portions relevant to the Agathe Islands with the King of Ardel. Therefore, everything about the camp’s development, army positions, route, and layout is detailed in this document."

"Anyone possessing this would undoubtedly have the upper hand in conquering the camp," remarked Adam.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I didn’t possess the power to do so alone. With just myself, it held little value. However, it should no longer be a problem with Cassian’s armies," said Athillia.

"So, that’s what you meant by ’waiting for us’ when we first met. You knew that once the news of the breach in the Agathe Islands reached us, we would come. You need our forces to defeat the enemies," Kyren deduced.

"Exactly. Cassian is a kingdom renowned for its dedication to protecting its people. That’s what my father took into account when devising the plan. Therefore, I knew you would come. However, I didn’t anticipate you arriving so soon. I had predicted it would take several months," Athillia admitted.

"Hmm... There’s an interesting story behind that. A pirate ship attacked Lord Kyren and his knights while sailing back to Port Braska. He was en route to present his newly-wedded wife to His Majesty the King of Cassian. Nevertheless, they managed to fend off the pirates. Lord Kyren reported the fleeing pirates’ balinger to me, and when I pursued it, I discovered the dire situation on the Agathe Islands," Adam recounted.

"I see..." Athillia furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "You mentioned the balinger. Among the hired pirates, only one of them owns that type of vessel. It belongs to the Calico Pirates of the East. Their captain has been appointed as the pirates’ and mercenaries’ leader and possesses several other ships."

"Ha! So, that cowardly captain is leading the charge! How amusing!" Kyren chuckled lightly.

"Do you know him?" Adam inquired.

"We had fought before. While he might possess some combat skills and agility, he couldn’t match me. If it weren’t for my wife, I would have easily severed his head," Kyren boasted confidently.

Curiosity piqued, Athillia asked, "What did your wife do?"

The corner of the grand duke’s lips rose into a proud smirk.

"My brilliant wife devised a clever ploy that not only scared our enemies away without shedding a drop of blood but also saved the entire ship, unlike my method. No one else could have accomplished what she did."

Adam’s eyebrows shot up in bewildered surprise.

"She deceived them?" he asked.

Kyren nodded, a glimmer of admiration in his eyes.

"That little wife of yours did that? I can’t believe you never mentioned this before! But how did she manage to convince them with her lies?" the admiral inquired again.

"She has a little secret up her sleeve. Let’s just say she was smart enough to exploit their superstitions," said the grand duke.

Adam marvelled at the revelation.

"How cunning of her! I remember seeing her once during the night prayer of the mid-autumn festival. I never expected her to possess such audacity beneath her gentle appearance. She seems quite polite and... somewhat fragile perhaps."

Kyren’s smile widened as he reminisced about his wife’s hidden talent. The image of Anna’s gentle smile effortlessly filled his mind.

Snapping back to the present, he demanded their attention, "Now, let’s shift our focus to the plan of infiltrating the camp and rescuing the villagers."

"Oh, I have a suggestion!"

A sudden spark of anticipation lit up Athillia’s eyes as she eagerly raised her hand. The grand duke nodded, gesturing for her to share her suggestion.

With confident fingers, the princess traced a route on the map, pinpointing a specific area.

"There’s a concealed passage that leads to the outhouse. It’s relatively less guarded but frequented due to the presence of numerous soldiers at the camp. However, it’s closed for half an hour during the midnight shift change. At that time, the guards’ attention is concentrated on the exchange at the main entrance and the sides, leaving the back passage unattended. Only about twenty guards are stationed there at one time, as most despise duty in that area."

Kyren’s expression turned thoughtful as he processed the information.

"So, we have half an hour to make our move in. Admiral, can we accomplish this task within that timeframe?"

Adam’s confidence shone through as he replied, "Absolutely, My Lord! I’m convinced by our ability to act swiftly and silently. We’ll do quiet takedowns to incapacitate the guards so we can lead the villagers out safely."

"Excellent!" Kyren acknowledged with a nod. "Once the hostages are safely escorted out, put the explosive near the weapon storage areas and prevent the enemies from getting their supplies. Simultaneously, we’ll ignite fireworks to alert the artillery team. We will aim to neutralise their watchtowers and paralyse their defences."

"What if they fight back? Should we eliminate them all?" asked the Admiral.

"Fire warning shots near the charging troops without causing harm. I want them alive. However, should they resist, aim directly at the storage area and blast them. Wait for my signal as I finish with my other task for the next attack."

Eager to know, Adam inquired, "What is your plan, My Lord?"

With determination, Kyren declared, "I personally will confront the pirate captain of the Calico Pirates to negotiate with him. I’ll only select a few knights to accompany me, ensuring a focused and diplomatic approach. I’m confident that they don’t know about the Ardel’s reinforcement coming since the surveillance boat had turned back to the other side."

Concerned, Athillia voiced her worries, "But, still, that’s a risky move, Lord Kyren. How do you plan to convince the pirate captain? Considering your past encounters with him, wouldn’t he hold a grudge against you?"

Adam chimed in, echoing the Bargesian Princess’ concerns, "She’s right. The pirates might pose a threat to you. They’re known for their recklessness."

Kyren’s confident smirk remained unwavering as he reassured them, "They wouldn’t dare harm me. Trust me, they’ll remember me and understand the dire consequences of crossing my path."

Athillia persisted, still unconvinced, "But they can be unpredictable! They might take drastic actions against you."

"Not if I know what scares the pirates the most. I’m confident with my trump card. It’s time to put on a show." Kyren smirked confidently. "All right, Admiral, gather our men and place them accordingly. Let’s monitor for today and raid them tomorrow night."

"Yes, My Lord!"

With a nod of understanding, the grand duke moved away to join the rest of the team. As Adam busily issued instructions to his messenger, the Bargesian Princess couldn’t help but approach him.

"Admiral James, if I may ask, who is Lord Kyren exactly?"

Athillia’s curiosity got the better of her.

"Why are you asking? Are you interested in him? Just so you know, he’s happily married. So, it’s best to forget about any romantic ideas." Adam chuckled.

The Bargesian Princess blushed in embarrassment and quickly clarified, "No, of course not!"

"So, you’re saying he’s not attractive?" the Admiral teased.

"I won’t deny he’s handsome and charming, but he’s far too mature for me. I’m just curious..."

"About what?"

"Pardon me for saying this. He introduced you as the commander of your battalions. But why do I get this vibe that he’s leading you?"

"Ah... That’s because he’s my advisor. Truthfully, he has far more extensive experience in both land and sea battles than I do. His insights and wisdom are invaluable, and since we’re facing a greater war than we have anticipated, he’s contributing as much as he can to assist. I’m so glad he’s with us."

Athillia couldn’t help but nod as she expressed her admiration.

"He’s not only wise but also possesses strong leadership qualities. He must have held a significant position in your kingdom," she said.

Adam smiled, acknowledging her observation.

"You’re right. He is important in Cassian. However, I can’t disclose all the details. If he wishes, he will reveal his true identity to you."

The Bargesian Princess accepted his response.

"I understand. It’s all right if he doesn’t want to share. We’ve only recently met, so it’s natural for everyone around me to be cautious, a Bargesian of all. I hope he knows of my maternal family in Cassian and can help me connect with them."

"I’m sure he is. Once things settle down, talk to him about it. He’ll guide you in the right direction," said the Admiral.

Athillia nodded, a newfound hope kindling in her heart and a grateful feeling for the prospect of a better future in Cassian.