The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 376: A Union Of Two Nations

Chapter 376: A Union Of Two Nations

"You’re all fools! He’s lying! How can you bow to your enemy? You just met him for the first time and fell for his tricks!" King Ronan exclaimed, his voice dripping with contempt as he witnessed the actions of his soldiers.

The Ardelian Commander rose to his feet, turning to the king with a stern look.

"At least he saved me from being killed by you!" he yelled back. "You not only disrespected me as the commander, but you bullied my men, forced the civilians to become soldiers to boost the numbers, and threatened to kill our families! You said it yourself that you don’t care if we die!"

A loud, unified shout of agreement rose from the crowd.

King Ronan’s anger reached its peak.

"Kill them all!" he ordered his private guards.

"Forgive us, but it is impossible for our team to face such a huge number simultaneously," the chief of the private guards refused.

He stepped forward to the king, took out a pouch of money from his possession and threw it to the ground.

"You can have back your money, and whatever you gave us before, consider it payment for the protection we have given you so far. But I will not have my men continue protecting you while following such a foolish order. Our contract ends now."

King Ronan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What??"

Suddenly, the grand duke spoke up.

"How about I hire you to be part of my battalion?" he offered the mercenaries.

All eyes turned to him in surprise.

"You want us to work with you?" asked the chief of the private guards.

"Yes. Your men have some skills, and I require that. Whatever he had paid you, I’ll triple it. I will also assure you that the Cassian Knights will protect you and your men during our mission with all our might," Kyren assured them.

"And what mission would that be?" the chief inquired.

"To protect Ardel from the Barges’ invasion," the grand duke revealed.

Buzzing sounds erupted from the crowd.

The Ardelian commander quickly asked, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"You might not know this, but because of the stupidity and greediness of this betrayer," Kyren gestured towards King Ronan, "Ardel has fallen into a trap initiated by the King of Barges. That king had lured you to the gold mine here, knowing that the Agathe islands have separate ownership, the small island under Galicia, while the big island is under us. He was aware that we would come to protect this territory and planned for this war between us."

"What? Barges wants to invade us?" asked the Ardelian Commander in surprise.

"Yes. Hadn’t you noticed? Their support for you didn’t turn up even until now, after receiving the notification from the surveillance boat?" Kyren pointed out.

The Ardelian Commander’s brows furrowed as he acknowledged Kyren’s remarks.

"It does make sense. We took a few extra days to gather more people for our armies. Considering the timeline, they should have been able to catch up with us by now. But we don’t see them in sight at all."

"Then... our families back there... they’re in danger! We must go back to protect them!" a soldier shouted in panic.

The Ardel armies were alarmed by the revelation, murmurs of concern rippling through the crowd.

Kyren stepped forward. His voice caught their attention.

"You won’t win against the Barbarians of the South on your own. They’re much superior to you in terms of combat and battles. We will come together and face them with you!" he announced.

The Ardelian Commander asked hesitantly, "You will fight for us? After what we did to your island?"

"You did that unknowingly because of the foolish traitor," Kyren said. "I am your prince consort, and even my wife, your rightful ruler, who her own people had betrayed, didn’t want to see blood spill. Her love for peace has forbidden me to march on your land and seek revenge. Ardel is her kingdom. Therefore, I will follow her vision to spread forgiveness rather than hatred, except for the person responsible for all this! None of you shall bear the consequences, and the Cassian swore to protect Ardel from Barges!"

The Ardelian Commander’s posture relaxed, a newfound respect and faith rising within him.

"Then, please guide us, Your Highness! Your demonstrated strength has convinced me that if you and your men back up the Ardel armies, we should be able to save our land!"

He turned to his armies and announced, "I know that most of you are civilians and have no experience in war. But our kingdom, our families, and our friends need us! The union of Her Highness Princess Anna and His Highness the Grand Duke of Gerhard has brought these two nations together, and the powerful Cassian armies are willing to support us. Will you all fight together?"

"Yes, Commander!" the crowd shouted, their spirits high. The Ardelian armies were determined to save their kingdom.

The chief of the private guards responded, "We will also follow you, Your Highness! You have the power to eliminate us, yet you chose to give us a chance rather than a sentence. No money or gold mine is more precious than one’s life. You amaze me. Thus, my men and I shall submit to you!"

The private guards bowed in deference to Kyren, making him smirk. Without spilling blood and only with his righteous words, he had managed to gain the trust of his supposed enemies.

Just then, one of the Ardelian soldiers shouted, "The king! He got away!"

From afar, they could see Kaizer’s figure running away towards the direction where he and his men had landed before, desperately trying to save himself.

Amidst the conversation between Kyren and the men, he took a chance to take off discreetly. The Ardelian armies were ready to go after him when the grand duke raised a hand.

"Leave him to me!" he declared. "Don’t go after him."

Turning around, Kyren summoned Adam, who had been on watch from the parapet walkway. The admiral quickly scaled down the protective wall of the camp and approached the grand duke.

"Take charge while I settle my business with the rat," Kyren ordered. "Deal with the Ardelian Commander and prepare to disembark to Ardel immediately. I won’t be long."

"I can dispatch several knights to follow you as well," the admiral suggested.

"No! No soldier is allowed to go after him!" Kyren replied firmly. "He’s mine!"

"Yes, commander!" Adam nodded in acknowledgement.

With that, Kyren took off, his boots pressing against the sand as he followed the steps of King Ronan. His hunting instinct began to rise.

Today would be the day he would make Kaizer Ronan pay the debt of betrayal for Anna.

***

Anna looked at Callis with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean I shouldn’t be wearing this flower? A person gave it to me as a present. It has no malicious meaning," she said, referring to the delicate bloom adorning her hair.

The two women stood near the small fountain at the training ground with Rafe next to Callis while the rest of the knights gathered on the other end as they took a break from the training.

"Anna, you can only wear it after your soulmate or husband adorns it in your hair. You and my brother are not yet married," the Mederian Princess explained.

Anna chuckled, amused by Callis’s statement.

"You know well that I’m not interested in your brother, and marrying him would be the last thing on my mind. I’m already married to the Grand Duke. Furthermore, Prince Kiev already has Elis," she stated firmly.

"Anna, we’re not talking about my brother’s affair now, and I’m not in the position to comment on that. However, concerning your situation, it is a fact that the Grand Duke has made you his concubine instead of a legal wife. You deserve a better status than that," the Mederian Princess rebuked. "Furthermore, the duel between them is still pending. Nobody can predict what the result would be."

"I beg to differ," Anna said confidently. "Though I appreciate your view as my friend, my heart has always been for Kyren, and I’m confident he would win me."

The princess contemplated for a moment, recalling a distant memory and then stated, "As far as I remember, Prince Kiev mentioned that the ritual of adorning the flower in the hair of the bride is a custom practised by the royal Mederians and Ro’ans on their soulmates. I may be partly Mederian, but I’m not a royalty in your clan. Instead, my royal line comes from Ardel. Therefore, I’m not bound to such traditions," she explained.

Turning to the healer, she asked for confirmation, "Isn’t that right, Rafe?"

Callis fell silent, her earlier arguments quieted by Anna’s resolute response.

The healer recalled Kiev’s explanation at Flora’s stall during the mid-autumn festival. There, he had unexpectedly performed the ritual of adorning Callis with roses—a gesture that had resulted in their marriage.

Rafe then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I remember the same. Kiev said the ritual applies only to the royal Mederians and Ro’ans."

Callis’s confidence waned. She let out a small, nervous laugh to cover her mistake of nearly blowing up the secret about the princess.

"Silly me! You’re right. I forgot about that. I was just so worked up when I saw the flower in your hair, as it reminded me of my brother’s rage. I didn’t want him to scold you, too."

"He has no right to do that to me. Prince Kiev and I are quite clear on our boundaries. I will remind him again if he has forgotten it," said Anna confidently.

Kiev, who stood a little further away, observed the exchange with a solemn expression. Though he disapproved of the princess wearing the rose, he knew it was best to remain silent to avoid arousing suspicion, especially around the perceptive Rafe.

Just then, a burly but disabled man with only one arm approached the group and bowed.