The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 381: A Clash Between The Ro’an Princess The Mederian Prince (I)

Chapter 381: A Clash Between The Ro’an Princess The Mederian Prince (I)

Rafe sprinted towards the mansion and entered, convinced that Kiev had just taken the same path he had followed not long ago. But to his frustration, he could not see the Mederian prince anywhere.

"D*mn it! How can he be so fast?" the healer shouted in exasperation.

As Rafe reached a T-junction in the hallway, he nearly collided with Anryr, who was passing by from the other direction.

"Oh, goodness! Mr Amares, you almost bumped into me!" the steward exclaimed in surprise.

Ignoring Anryr’s bewilderment, Rafe asked panically, "Where is Kiev? Where did he go?"

Seeing the healer’s anxious expression, Anryr pointed in the direction the Mederian Prince had taken.

"He went that way. I just crossed paths with him not too long ago. But what’s going on, Mr Amares?" the steward asked with concern.

Rafe did not answer. Instead, he rushed off, determined to catch up with the Mederian Prince. There was no time to explain the dire situation.

Soon, the healer spotted Kiev’s figure in the distance. The Mederian Prince stood tall, conversing with Elis, seated in the parlour.

"Kiev! Come with me! Callis called for you!" Rafe shouted.

The pair turned towards the panicked healer, both with a puzzled expression on their faces.

Rafe hurried to them and, upon arriving, bent down to catch his breath.

"What’s the matter? Did she do something to you again?" Kiev asked.

Raising his flushed face, Rafe wiped the sweat trickling down his temples from the sprint. It wasn’t every day that he ran as fast as he did then.

"Lady Raychard... no... Her Highness, Princess Anna... she’s possessed!" he said in a ragged breath.

Elis stood up in surprise.

"What?"

Kiev rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Please! Don’t throw such a joke at me! Why would she suddenly be possessed?" he scoffed.

Angered, Rafe bit his lower lip.

"D*mn it, Kiev! I’m not lying! She’s being possessed by black magic!" he said, recalling Callis’s last words before he had rushed to find the Mederian Prince.

Kie’s face grew stern.

"Black magic? You’ve got to be kidding me!" he countered. "It has long ceased after the last great war!"

"No, I’m not joking!" Rafe insisted. "I saw it with my own eyes! Her Highness’s eyes have turned completely black, and a dark, creepy aura surrounds her. I think she was also speaking in the Ro’an language... something about a demand to be released! You have to come with me now!"

Kiev’s eyes widened. The healer’s description matched the last Ro’an Emperor’s appearance when he had been possessed by dark magic, which ultimately took his life.

"Dear God!" Kiev exclaimed. "Where is she? Is she still at the training ground?"

"Yes, she is! The knights and Callis surrounded her when I left to find you," Rafe responded.

Kiev turned to Elis, his expression anxious as he gripped her shoulders.

"Return to your chamber and lock the door! Don’t come out until I come for you. Go, now!"

Seeing the Mederian Prince’s calm demeanour shattered by panic, Elis nodded and hurried back to her chamber.

"Tell Anryr to have everyone seek cover within the mansion! Call them all in and lock it down immediately. No one is to be outside!" Kiev ordered the healer as they moved with haste.

"Understood!" Rafe nodded fervently.

"And you are to stay inside as well and wait for my return!" The Mederian Prince added.

"What?!" Rafe blinked, alarmed. "But my wife is out there facing this! How can I hide and leave her?" he exclaimed.

"I don’t have time to argue!" Kiev snapped. "You have no idea what we’re up against. I won’t risk anyone’s life. Do as I say!"

"But Callis..." Rafe shook his head, unwilling to comply. "Please, let me come with you!" he halted the Mederian Prince and begged.

Angered, Kiev grabbed the healer’s collar and reprimanded, "This is not something you can face! A massacre will happen, so don’t get in my way!"

He pushed Rafe, causing the healer to fall to the floor. A flicker of guilt crossed the Mederian Prince’s face for his rough demeanour, but he didn’t linger. He turned away and sprinted towards the training ground, leaving Rafe behind.

***

Kiev’s heels struck the ground as he ran towards the training ground, where Anna, the knights, and his sister were. On the way, he heard a horn resounding - an alarm triggered to warn the entire mansion’s occupants.

From afar, everyone who heard the strange sound was surprised. Never before had such an alarm been sounded.

The horn blew five times in a row, indicating a grave danger and the need for everyone to take refuge immediately.

The mansion’s staff, including the servants, gatekeepers and royal guards on duty who recognised the alarm, quickly rushed inside. They were bewildered by the warning, but none disobeyed, having been trained to adhere to such emergency indications.

The servants, following orders, swiftly closed the mansion’s doors and windows once everyone had entered. All entrances were promptly barred, and the occupants gathered inside.

Everyone was anxious, but Anryr, the experienced steward, quickly took charge, telling them to remain calm and await further instructions from Rafe.

Knowing the healer had followed his orders, a slight relief washed over Kiev. But it was too soon to be composed, for he was about to face a dark, evil force.

Upon reaching the training ground, the Mederian Prince took in the scene before him. At the centre, Anna was in combat with Callis and the knights. He saw the dark aura surrounding the princess and noticed her black, soulless eyes, indicating a state of possession.

As Kiev stepped forward, his red eyes suddenly spotted broken golden cords scattered on the ground - pieces of magic that only the Mederian and Ro’an could see.

He approached one of the nearest pieces and saw its light pulsing. As he observed the force, he knew these were not part of the dark magic possessing Anna.

The Mederian Prince knelt and held out his hand. A mana line emerged from his finger and crawled towards the broken cord. His eyes widened upon making contact - the power he felt was familiar to him.

"Angel’s binding spell!" he muttered to himself.

Knowing such magic was present, his confidence grew. The spell had been intact for nineteen years, but this was the first time it had been broken due to dark magic.

As he picked up the broken piece, he saw the other fragments coming to him as if the spell was beginning to mend with the injection of his mana.

Kiev cast his magic, summoning all the broken pieces at once. Soon, the cord reconnected and encircled both of his arms.

Just then, he heard Anna’s voice, laced with a monstrous tone.

"Die, you mere existences! I will be the strongest of all!"

The possessed princess turned to Eli, the youngest knight of Gerhad, and shouted, "You will be the first, weakling!"

Lunging towards the young knight, Anna raised her sword with tremendous force, intent on striking him down.

In a flash, the Mederian Prince leapt forward, almost as if he were flying, positioning himself to block the impending danger.

His fist, empowered by his mana and the magic from the binding spell, collided with the steel of Anna’s blade, shattering it in half. The blade’s half-top fell to the ground.

The princess was bewildered. She turned to face the determined gaze of the Mederian Prince’s gorgeous red eyes.

"Anna! Kaam besi et ettar!" Kiev’s thunderous voice echoed across the training ground.

("Anna! Come back to me!")

"How dare you!" the princess growled, enraged that the Mederian Prince had destroyed her weapon.

But Kiev did not falter under her deadly stare and satanic voice. His eyes moved, scanning her figure, and he noticed the red rose in her hair, energising the dark aura.

’So, that was the source of the black magic...’ he pondered inwardly.

Sensing the formidable force radiating from Kiev, Anna stepped back and strengthened her stance, ready to face him.

"Brother!" Callis exclaimed in relief, seeing Kiev arrive.

The Mederian Princess was now on the ground, holding her injured shoulder as Anna had kicked her down during the commotion. The fight with the possessed princess had taken a toll on her still-healing body.

Glancing at Callis, Kiev said, "Step aside, Callis. I’ll handle her."

He looked at the exhausted knights surrounding Anna.

"All of you, move away," he instructed.

"But she’s too strong! The spirit is cunning, even mimicking our combat styles!" said Eric.

"Have faith in me. I will subdue it and save Princess Anna," Kiev said confidently. "Step back from the training ground and don’t even set your foot on it, as I’ll be using my magic at full force. You’ll all be affected if struck by it."

Eric hesitated initially, but seeing the confidence in Kiev’s eyes, he nodded and signalled the other knights to retreat. Callis was the last to stay.

"Let me help, brother! I still have mana left and can raise a barrier!" she pleaded.

"No! You go as well. Join the knights, as they will protect you. Leave!" Kiev ordered.

"But, brother..."

"Don’t worry... Angel’s binding spell is in my hand. It will help me subdue this dark spirit," the Mederian Prince said quietly to his sister.

Callis felt a surge of hope in her heart. She stood up and began to retreat. Seeing her in pain, Luke, who was already at the spectators’ seats, returned and escorted her.

"Are you all right, Mrs Amares?" he asked, concerned by her flushed, pained expression.

Callis nodded weakly in response.

"I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Hurry, let’s get off the training ground!" Callis said.

The knight nodded and helped her away. Soon, only Anna and Kiev were left on the training ground. The two went in a circle with wary steps, maintaining their distance within the perimeter.

"So, you’re quite powerful, my dear betrothed. That mana of yours surely would taste delicious," Anna said, smiling.

"Let her go, dark spirit! You don’t belong here on this blessed land! I will crush you in an instant!" Kiev warned.

"Crush me? That’s a daring remark from a Mederian Prince!" Anna scoffed. "Don’t you know who I am? This body now belongs to me! I will kill every single one who dares to stop me. You won’t stand a chance!"

"Try me!" Kiev challenged.

Anna smirked.

"Ettar ve’ sery shera sylvan! Ke warl nar be nac et fedat ettar!"

("I have summoned her power! You will not be able to defeat me!")

Kiev’s eyes narrowed, a concern rising within him.

How had the spirit managed to call upon Anna’s powers?

As far as he knew, it could only do what the body’s original soul was capable of, and Anna did not possess the ability to summon her powers.

Was it because the binding spell was broken?

Still, that didn’t explain her newfound capability.

However, a thought crossed Kiev’s mind - if Anna’s powers had returned to her, it could only mean one thing; Her long-lost soulmate, the unconscious boy who had come and sought Angel’s help that fateful night when the princess was born, was still alive!

He was the one who had become the keeper of Anna’s power all this while, ever since Angel transferred the princess’s powers to him.

No one knew who he was except for Angel, and he had disappeared with her mother during the commotion when Anna’s father arrived at Semeta, never to be seen again.

"You’re scared!" Anna smiled, seeing the pensive look on Kiev’s face.

"I’m not!"

"Then... let me show you what I can do!" she exclaimed.

The princess turned her head towards the smithy. The spirit possessing her had deliberately stalled the fight with the Mederian Prince while discreetly sensing a source of power nearby.

It had finally located it - Ramios, the Emperor’s sword.

"Ramios, kaam et ker masta!" she summoned.

("Ramios, come to your master!")