The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 42: The Raging Commander

Chapter 42: The Raging Commander

"Stop him!"

At Eric’s order, all the knights at the scene jumped and grabbed Kyren from advancing.

The sudden, outrageous demeanour flustered Rafe and Ayden. Anna, who was utterly shocked, was petrified at the bed.

Eric and Luke seized Kyren from the sides. Damon captured his waist from the back while Eli held one of his legs. The four knights struggled to keep the raging commander.

Undoubtedly, the grand duke had immense strength and was a challenging opponent to be subdued.

"Let go!"

Kyren roared like a beast being chained. Anna’s hands trembled as she looked at her husband, who acted irrationally as if he had lost his mind. Her tears trickled down from her round eyes.

"I’ll kill them all!" Kyren’s abrasive bark resounded.

"Commander, get a hold of yourself! Why are you acting like this?" Eric shouted at him.

"They are the reason my wife got hurt! And you...."

The commander’s scornful eyes turned to Ayden, glaring at him with a murderous expression.

"You dare to withdraw my wife’s blood! You even let her do your job, you useless, selfish imbecile! I’ll cut off your hands!" he shouted.

Fearing the commander, Ayden ran and hid behind Rafe. The two men felt the blood drain from their faces as the sharp blue eyes stared at them eerily. A cold shudder ran up and down their spines as they heard his threat.

Kyren’s wrath was not something to be taken lightly. He was known to be strict and decisive and did not tolerate things he despised.

Looking at the intense situation, Anna could not hold back and did nothing. With trembling feet, she came down from the bed and approached her husband.

"My lady! Please get back! He’s dangerous now!" Eric, who saw her coming, warned her.

However, the princess ignored his request. Instead, with her shaking legs, she moved forward and reached the commander, calling his name.

"Kyren... don’t do this! Please!" she pleaded to him with tears in her eyes.

The commander did not answer as he was still drowned in his enormous anger.

"Kyren..."

Anna lifted her hand and touched his face. At that moment, the flaming light of his blue eyes, burnt with anger, began to dim, and he looked at her with clamped lips. The fury from his struggle to break free from the knights halted immediately.

The long sword gripped by Kyren’s hand clattered to the floor. A sudden silence enveloped the atmosphere afterwards.

The men were speechless. They never saw anyone who instantly overcame the commander, who was in a fit of rage. They glanced at each other, wondering what to do next.

"Let him go, please!"

Anna’s soft voice was like a whispering meadow, melting the rising tension.

The three knights turned to Eric as if asking his permission to proceed with the lady’s request.

"Release the commander," Eric said as he quickly freed Kyren’s arm and picked up the sword.

The knights let the commander go and stepped aside. Hastily, Anna embraced her husband, oblivious to the men’s stare.

"No one harmed me, Kyren. No one did! Please don’t hurt anyone because of me," she implored him.

The commander’s gaze softened as her face filled his sight.

"You said you’re not hurt. But look at you. You’re as pale as a ghost," he retorted.

"That’s because I missed you! I could barely sleep thinking about you all the time."

It was not a lie. She had been enduring her longing for him all this while. Her thoughts about him had filled her mind every day since the commander left.

"You missed me?" Kyren’s eyes shook as he cupped her cheek.

Anna nodded fervently and replied, "I missed you like crazy!"

At Anna’s soft-spoken words, the commander bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

A tingling impulse bounced in Kyren’s brain and stirred his feelings like a shock. The overprotective instinct that caused his towering anger died down from the kiss.

The men’s eyes widened as they saw the couple indulging in the romantic scene.

"Ehem... ehem..."

After a fleeting moment, the sound of Eric clearing his throat brought the pair back to reality. The commander bit his lower lip while Anna blushed red in embarrassment.

"We should go back to our tent," said Kyren to her.

The princess did not argue and remained docile when the commander hoisted her body and carried her in his arms to leave the infirmary.

Noticing this, Ayden moved forward and held out his hand to stop them. He was about to open his mouth to tell the commander to leave his wife under his care when Rafe slapped his shoulder and glared at him menacingly.

When the couple slipped out of the tent flap, Ayden turned to the healer and asked disgruntledly, "Why did you hit me?"

"Do you want to lose your limbs?" Rafe shouted at him in annoyance.

"Of course not! But the lady is not well. She needs our care!" the assistant healer rebuked.

"Just let him be for now. We’re lucky that the lady can calm him down. Otherwise, we would’ve been washed in a bloodbath," said Eric, feeling relieved when what he was worried about did not happen.

"I know we’re all exhausted, but let’s be alert tonight. Ayden’s right. The lady is still frail and requires medical attention," Rafe advised them.

Everyone nodded and agreed to his suggestion.

Suddenly, Eli raised his hand and asked, "If the lady’s condition worsens, what do we do? Do we need to call the other knights to hold the commander down?"

Everyone sighed at his question.

Luke, who stood by his side, patted his shoulder and answered, "Pray hard it won’t happen, Sir Henderson."

The young knight turned to Eric as he was unsatisfied with Luke’s reply. The second-in-command knight shook his head slowly.

"Kid, you might not know this, but no one, I say, no one has been able to do what the lady did just now. So, the only thing to ensure everyone’s safety is to secure her well-being."

Eric’s explanation made Eli understand.

"I will be on standby in front of the commander’s tent. Just in case anything happens," Damon informed them.

"Then, I’ll join you! I’m the lady’s escort, too," Eli enthusiastically responded.

The young knight was always eager to be involved in any task. At this time, he felt that his appointment as the commander’s wife’s escort was a privilege, knowing how significant Anna was to Kyren and all of them.

"That’s a good idea, Sir McQuinn. Sir Parker and I will join you as well," said Eric, agreeing with him.

"Both of you, too?" asked Eli in surprise.

"Do you think Sir MacQuinn’s and your strength are sufficient to hold the commander if he went into a rage again?" Luke responded sarcastically to the young knight.

Eli pouted his lips, hearing him.

"The commander has just returned from duty and hasn’t fully regained his energy. If he is in his best condition, it will take four high-ranking knights to bring him down," Eric scoffed.

"Ayden, you take care of the patients. I’ll be on standby with them," Rafe ordered his assistant.

"Yes, Mr Amares." Ayden nodded lightly.

Leaving the assistant healer behind, the men left the infirmary and made their way to the commander’s tent.

***

Kyren laid Anna on the bed carefully when they arrived at the tent.

"Go to sleep first. You need plenty of rest," Kyren stroked her head gently as he told her.

"Are you going somewhere?" Anna’s eyes shook as she worried the commander would act atrociously again.

"No. I’m just going to take off my armour and take a bath. I’m all sweaty and dirty. I’ll be joining you in a short while," he replied softly.

Relieved, the princess nodded to him.

The squires came and provided warm water for his bath.

Kyren removed his armour, hung it on the stand, and immersed himself in the bathtub. The intense weariness built from the nearly two weeks of duty emerged on his shoulders as he rested his head on the bathtub ledge.

The grand duke did not expect to receive such shocking news about a plague occurrence upon his return. When he reasoned again, he knew that Luke’s decision was correct.

He would have taken the same steps if he were onsite facing the incident. There was no way they could prevent the disease from spreading without his wife’s help.

Anna’s blood...

Ironically, a petite, fragile woman who could not fend for herself from danger became the saviour of his men and the rest of the people.

If anyone knew the rarity of her blood, they would definitely want to have her. The thought of that made Kyren open his eyes wide. He quickly washed himself and put on clean clothes.

Kyren came to bed only to find Anna lying helplessly with her eyes closed. Looking at his frail wife, the commander swore to keep her by his side no matter what.

It was not because of the unique blood she had. It was more than that. He could not think of her getting hurt, let alone having her taken away from him.

Anna’s oval face flushed red. A little moan escaped her lips as she frowned. It was as if she were in pain. The grand duke quickly put his hand on her forehead and felt the high temperature of her body.

Anxious about her condition, Kyren raced out of the tent and was about to run to the infirmary when he saw the five men sitting before a campfire in front of his tent.

Rafe quickly stood up when he saw the commander rushing to him.

"What is it, Commander?"

"Anna is burning up!" he replied nervously.

Rafe sprinted to the tent without further asking, followed by the commander. The four knights stood up and glanced at each other worriedly. They could only hope nothing worse would happen to the lady.

"It’s a fever. She seems to have been exposed to the cold for too long. I’ll prepare the medicine for her now."

Kyren nodded at the healer’s reply. Rafe quickly left for the infirmary.

Just then, Anna’s voice came out of her lips.

"Kyren... Kyren..." She was calling him in her sleep.

"I’m right here, Anna!" The commander responded restlessly as he stroked her head lightly.

"Commander! I brought water and a clean cloth!" Eric shouted from outside the tent.

Upon hearing him, Kyren came out through the tent flap and saw Eric and Eli standing side by side. The young knight carried a water basin while Eric held a clean cloth.

"Let us put this inside for you," the second-in-command knight offered.

"No! I’ll do it myself. Give them to me," Kyren refused.

At this moment, more than anything, the commander wanted to take care of Anna on his own. He was scared that she would be hurt again.