The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 386: Saving The New Life Form

Chapter 386: Saving The New Life Form

Time ticked by with no sign of Kiev and Anna’s return, and the knights guarding the mansion grew increasingly uneasy. Noah approached Eric with a worried expression.

"Sir Navin, how much longer must we wait? Shouldn’t we go after them now?" he asked, concerned.

After a moment’s pause, Eric responded, "We must trust in His Highness Prince Kiev’s promise to bring her back safely. Pursuing them now could expose us to unnecessary danger."

Garin then spoke up, "But what about the people concealed within the mansion? Do they still need to remain in hiding?"

Eric contemplated the question, his brow furrowing.

"Mrs Amares, too, doesn’t seem well," Luke noted, glancing with worry towards where Callis sat, Sylvia dabbing at her brow with a handkerchief.

"I’m fine," Callis insisted, her voice wavering. "Don’t worry about me."

The strain of expending so much magic in her healing state had now taken a significant toll. The Mederian Princess required a period of total bed rest to allow her body to replenish the depleted mana reserves.

However, the tense situation in the mansion prevented her from getting the restorative rest she so desperately needed.

"You’re not fine, Mrs Amares," Damon said. "You need your husband."

Drystan nodded in agreement.

"Sir Navin, I believe we should signal that it is safe for the people to come out and operate as usual. That way, Mrs Amares could get the necessary attention she required. They too must be frantic by now, cooped up for so long without understanding what happened," he said.

Eric sighed, weighing the options.

"But if we allow them to be released, what do we tell the royal guards? They will surely report this incident to the king," Garin interjected, voicing his concern.

Suddenly, Noah spoke up, a determined look on his face.

"I think we shouldn’t expose this to His Majesty."

"Are you crazy?" Luke exclaimed, aghast.

Noah stood firm.

"I’m not! Think about it! If His Majesty learned of this, as Lady Raychard’s guardian, he would immediately take her into his custody, and we would all be held accountable. I don’t mind if he wants to punish me, but think of Mrs Amares and the whole mansion’s workers! We cannot let that happen!"

The knights exchanged troubled glances at Noah’s remarks.

As Rafe’s wife, Callis would definitely not be spared the consequences despite her Mederian royal lineage. Her involvement in the incident would also implicate her, regardless of her privileged background.

"Sir Brooks is right! The servants, royal guards, even His Highness Prince Kiev... none of us would be spared!" Garin exclaimed, a look of dread falling over the group.

Eli creased his forehead and added, "And Sir Jarr’s wedding is just around the corner. He, too, would be affected since he’s part of the knighthood. It would be devastating if he were arrested before his marriage."

Silence fell over the group as they considered the gravity of the situation. What Noah had suggested made sense.

The implications once the news of the incident reached King Kyden would be bizarre since Anna’s safety as the Royal Concubine was of the utmost importance.

It fell under the knighthood’s responsibility as they had guaranteed her safety upon returning to the mansion. After all, she was part of Cassian’s royal family.

A palpable sense of pity filled them as their gaze darted to the weakened Callis. The Mederian Princess and her brother had been fighting tooth and nail to confront this unprecedented event, the strain of which now visibly affected her.

It was a difficult decision, but Eric didn’t take long to declare, "Signal the release to the mansion and tell them it was a drill."

"Seriously, Sir Navin?" Luke asked, seeking confirmation. "Would they truly believe us?"

The second-in-command knight’s expression hardened.

"We have no choice but to convince them. Once everything is cleared and Sir Jarr’s wedding has passed, then we will inform His Majesty. For now, we shall delay reporting this to him. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir Navin!" the knights responded in unison.

Eric then turned to Sylvia and Callis, saying, "I know this goes against a knight’s code of conduct, but I hope you two will keep this matter to yourselves for now."

Sylvia nodded solemnly.

"I understand, Sir Navin. I’m no stranger to keeping sensitive matters secret since my uncles, too, serve in the military. You can count on my discretion."

Callis looked up at the second-in-command knight, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Thank you, Sir Navin, for looking out for me and my brother. I know you’re doing this not only for Anna’s sake but for all of us."

"Don’t thank me yet," Eric replied. "We still have to wait for His Highness to return safely with Lady Raychard."

Just then, Drystan called out, "Sir Navin, look! Dark clouds are gathering in the distance. It’s going to rain heavily."

Damon’s eyes widened with alarm as he looked up.

"Oh, no! If we don’t trace Lady Raychard and His Highness Prince Kiev now, the trail will be washed away!" he exclaimed.

Eric’s brow creased with worry, but he remained steadfast in his resolve.

"We will wait as per His Highness Prince Kiev’s promise. If they have not returned by tomorrow morning, we will go after them," he said decisively.

***

A torrential downpour consumed the dark night. The ground transformed into a sea of muddy soil. The earthy scent of petrichor filled the air, punctuated by the percussive drumming of raindrops upon the land.

Amidst the tempest, a faint glimmer of light emerged from the stained windows of an abandoned cottage nestled deep within the forest. Two figures had taken shelter from the heavy deluge.

Anna’s unconscious body lay on the floor, covered in an old peasant dress and a thick blanket. Her soiled attire, including the discarded armour, was piled near the crackling fireplace.

Kiev’s appearance was in disarray, starkly contrasting his usual immaculate presentation. His long, silken hair hung damp and unkempt, while his pants were sullied with mud and blood, smudges marring his skin. Yet, even in this messy state, his inherent attractiveness remained undeniable.

Undeterred by his disarranged state, the Mederian Prince focused solely on Anna. His palm rested continuously on her lower belly, channelling his magic. Beads of sweat formed on his temples as the long hours of exerting his mana clearly impacted him.

"Please... please hang on, little one," Kiev whispered, his voice tinged with exhaustion and worry.

The Mederian Prince appeared tired and restless, pale from the strain. Yet, he refused to give up. Anna’s bleeding had stopped, but another crisis now threatened her - the delicate life within her womb.

The tremendous events of the day; the possession by the dark spirit, the battle with the knights and the Mederian royals, together with the self-inflicted blows, had taken a grave toll on Anna. The newly formed baby inside her now struggled to survive.

Kiev had been relentlessly applying his healing magic to stem the princess’s bleeding after subduing the dark spirit.

Once he stabilised her condition, his thoughts turned to getting her back to the mansion. But as he prepared to depart, the sky went dark and unleashed a heavy downpour.

With no other choice, the Mederian Prince gathered Anna’s limp form into his arms and set out to find shelter from the driving rain.

Luck smiled upon them as Kiev stumbled upon an abandoned cottage tucked away in the forest’s depths. Though a humble refuge, the place would suffice for them to shelter from the bad weather.

Carrying Anna inside, the Mederian Prince immediately reassessed her state. The princess, drenched by the rain and her blood, lay unresponsive and alarmingly pale. At first, he assumed she had succumbed to sheer exhaustion, but to his dismay, the bleeding resumed.

Kiev’s brow furrowed with growing concern as he recognised that the injuries sustained by her were far more severe than he had initially anticipated.

Despite his efforts to stop the blood flow, the bleeding persisted, a clear indication that the damage ran deeper internally.

Panic gripped the Mederian Prince as he surveyed Anna’s motionless form. Summoning his resolve, he set to work and reapplied his healing magic in a desperate bid to save her. The battle for their survival had only just begun.

With one hand exerting his mana on Anna’s womb, he used his other hand to light the fireplace quickly, warming the dusty but serviceable cottage to accommodate their stay.

As the light illuminated the small space, Kiev saw Anna’s drenched form and knew he had to change her attire to prevent her from falling ill.

After halting the bleeding, he rummaged through the cupboards and drawers, finding a set of old but clean clothes and a well-worn blanket. With a few quick flicks to remove the dust, the makeshift garments and cover were ready.

Closing his eyes, Kiev gently removed Anna’s sodden outfit and replaced it with the dry dress, then quickly covered her with the blanket in an effort to warm her chilled body. As he scanned her once more, a wave of alarm washed over him - the baby’s heartbeat was growing faint.

Without hesitation, the Mederian Prince clasped his palm onto Anna’s lower belly, channelling his energy to support the fragile new life.

His face was etched with anxiety - how could he have missed the signs?

Rafe’s rant about Anna’s irregular health condition and restricted diet should have alerted him. But her petite frame had concealed the pregnancy, and in the chaos, no one had anticipated this complication.

Guilt gnawed at Kiev, realising he had disregarded the dark spirit’s ominous warning. If only he had known, he could have taken precautions to safeguard the princess and her child more.

A horrifying thought then occurred to him – was Anna even aware of her pregnancy?

But then, Kiev was quickly able to put two and two together. If Anna had known she was pregnant, she would never have willingly subjected herself to the rigours of the knight’s training. The regimen was unsuitable for an expectant mother.

The princess might be stubborn, but her love for Kyren was undeniably strong. Kiev knew, without a doubt, that Anna would never knowingly jeopardise the life of their child.

The Mederian Prince sighed in relief as the baby’s heartbeat steadied, bolstered by his mana. However, a growing concern disrupted him as he knew this could not continue indefinitely.

His mana reserves were not at total capacity, having been used by recent events - healing Elis, mending Angel’s binding spell, and the battle against the possessed Anna, not to mention the barrier he put up during the fight.

Each application of his magic brought him closer to a dangerous mana depletion that could cost him his own life.

"Please, little one! Absorb my mana!" he pleaded in desperation as he fought to sustain the baby’s life within Anna’s womb.

Had the child been able to accept and retain his healing power, he would have stood a chance of survival. But as Kiev poured his magic into Anna’s body, he saw no sign of improvement.

As a direct descendant of the Ro’an Emperor’s bloodline, Anna’s baby should have no problem absorbing his mana.

However, the child was still in its earliest stage of development, too fragile and diminutive to properly harness the Mederian Prince’s potent energy. It was as if he were pouring water into a bottomless jar.

Kiev’s heart sank as he realised his options were dwindling.

"I can’t let you die!" he pleaded to the baby again. "I promised Angel I would protect Princess Anna, and you are her child, my obligation as well."

Tears began to flow down the Mederian Prince’s cheeks as he continued his desperate plea. "So please, dear baby, hold fast to my power!"

The weight of this situation threatened to crush Kiev. If they were to lose the child, he would forever torment himself with guilt and regret.

After all they had endured, the thought of failing to save this innocent life was almost more than he could bear.

Kiev redoubled his efforts, pouring every last ounce of his waning strength into powering the baby’s heartbeat. The child’s survival had become his singular, unwavering focus.

He would not and could not give up... not when the future of both Anna and her unborn baby hung in his hands.