The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 422: A Secret Pact

Chapter 422: A Secret Pact

"If this is about my rough behaviour towards Miss Canton, I apologise," Noah began.

"Let’s forget about that. I understand now why you acted the way you did. Anyone in your position would have reacted similarly. Besides, that’s not the reason for my visit tonight," Kiev replied.

"If that’s not the case, then what is it?" Noah asked.

Kiev smiled casually, taking his time before revealing his true intention.

"I was wondering why you’ve become so silent. I heard from Rafe that you argued with him, and when he raised his concerns about Elis’s dignity and its effect on me, you just... withdrew. Were you perhaps waiting for the right moment to snap again? Knowing your temper, you wouldn’t simply let this go, would you?"

Noah sighed, his steps halting, prompting the Mederian Prince to stop as well.

"I was angry and wanted to reclaim what I believed was mine. But if Miss Canton is going to suffer a lifetime of humiliation because of my desires, I can’t do that! She’s already lost her sister in such a cruel way and suffered greatly. How could I put her in such a situation for my sake?"

"Is that the only reason?" Kiev asked again.

"Sir Navin mentioned it was all part of your plan for the duel... to give me a chance to be with my wife. It might not mean much to you, but I’m truly grateful for that. Trust isn’t easily obtained, yet you were willing to give it to me. So consider this my way of repaying that."

"Why didn’t you go after the men who framed you for the crime?" the Mederian Prince probed further.

"I want to... so much that I’d like to burn those people to the ground. But I have a family now. I can’t put Emily in danger by acting rashly. If I follow my heart without considering others, she won’t be happy, and I don’t want that. If I have to let everything go for her, so be it."

Noah’s words brought a smile to Kiev’s face. "You’re speaking like a mature man now. You truly don’t disappoint me. I’ve always admired your skills, but now I’m mesmerised by your chivalry."

"I don’t understand. Are you testing me or something?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really. I wanted to know what makes a stubborn man like you come to such a drastic decision. It turns out it’s because of a woman. Love indeed changes us, doesn’t it?" Kiev replied.

"What are you implying, Your Highness?"

"I just want you to know that I’m delighted with your wise decision, one that won’t harm my Elis. Truthfully, I don’t care much about myself. It’s her well-being that concerns me. I had planned to see you much earlier, but she was in a fragile state, and I couldn’t leave her."

"How’s she faring?" Noah asked, concerned. He hadn’t seen Elis since she fainted the other day.

"She’s much better today compared to before. I asked Jessy to stay with her so I could come here," replied Kiev.

"State your reason for coming, Your Highness. I know you have something in mind," Noah requested.

Kiev smiled and took a few steps, savouring the crisp air.

"As much as Emily is important to you, Elis is no less to me. She hardly asks for anything, but that day, she made a request, and I took it very seriously."

"What is it?" Noah asked.

"She wants them dead. All of them," Kiev replied. "And I know you share the same wish."

"So you agree?" Noah asked, surprised.

The Mederian Prince nodded.

"Her words are my command. But... if I simply kill them all, it wouldn’t be fair to you. You need to clear your name. Therefore, we will bring those men to justice and make them confess what they did. Let them die at the hands of the law," he laid out his plan.

"Yo—you want to do that for me?" the knight asked, wide-eyed.

"Not specifically for you, but more for the Knights of Gerhard. They rescued and freed my Elis, and I must repay that by restoring the knighthood’s tarnished reputation. It feels fair to me."

"How do you plan to do that? Would it affect Miss Canton if they were brought to judgment? I’m sure Mr. Amares already highlighted the consequences if she became a witness," Noah said.

"You don’t need to worry about that. I have my ways. She’ll be shielded from the gossip, and she will not become a witness or a victim of humiliation. I’ll ensure her dignity is upheld."

"Fair enough. You have the power to protect her and bring the perpetrators to justice. Your strength is commendable, and you possess abilities we don’t. So why come to tell me this?" Noah asked.

Kiev smiled again. It appeared that Drystan had kept his promise to conceal the secret of his mana depletion from the other knights. Yet, beneath the smile, a fierce determination surfaced as he balled his fist.

"Because I’m taking revenge not only on those men but on everyone involved in my Elis’s suffering... her hometown that shunned her, the slave market where she and her sister were sold, and the count’s mansion where she lived in torment. I want you to guide me there!"

"Are you planning a massacre?!" Noah asked, alarmed.

Kiev’s eerie smile curved up.

"Elis has opened up to me and told me the names of those who hurt her." He pointed to his head and tapped his temple slowly. "It’s all in here. I will make sure they pay for what they did, but I won’t harm those who were not involved."

Noah felt a bit relieved. If Kiev had decided to go on a wild rampage, it would have been a disaster. However, his following words brought horror back to him.

"Even so, since those places only brought her pain, I’m going to burn them!"

Just as the Mederian Prince finished, a rustling sound caught his attention. He turned sharply to see a figure hiding behind a bush. In a swift movement, he leapt and grabbed the figure by the shoulder, yanking him from the bush with force.

To his surprise, another three heads bobbed out from the bush. They were Damon, Luke and Garin, while the one caught by him was Eli.

"How dare you sneak up on me!" he shouted.

"It was his idea!" Damon pointed at Eli, and the other two knights nodded in agreement.

Kiev glared at the youngest knight.

"So, you were snooping on me! Are you going to report this to your second-in-command and stop me, huh?" he asked, tugging at Eli’s collar.

"H*ll no! I’m not against you! I was excited when you said you wanted to destroy the slave market. I’ve always wanted to do that since I joined the campaign!" Eli replied.

"Lies!" Kiev yelled back.

"He’s not! He’s telling the truth!" Damon insisted.

"We’re sorry for eavesdropping, but we couldn’t help ourselves. You meeting Sir Brooks out of the blue piqued our curiosity. We thought you were going to confront him about being rough with Elis," Garin added.

"Why would I do that?" Kiev scoffed. "We were discussing something else!"

"We heard everything, Your Highness. Your desire for revenge for Miss Canton is commendable, but we’re even more interested in the plan to destroy the slave market," Damon said.

"Why so?" Kiev asked.

"We’ve always wanted to go to the City of Tarnova and do what you said. It’s the source of the problem affecting the southern border of Cassian," Luke explained.

"City of Tarnova?" Kiev raised an eyebrow.

"That’s where the slave market is. It’s in Dracor, the neighbouring kingdom close to ours, at the southern border. His Majesty King Kyden has launched campaigns every season to protect the borders from trespassers and illegal activities. The last campaign was when His Highness the Grand Duke met with Lady Raychard," Garin elaborated.

"And when does this season start?" Kiev asked, intrigued.

"It starts early to mid-summer before the planting season begins. A large number of slaves are required for plantations in Dracor," Damon said.

"I see... Then it’s off-season now." Kiev smirked. "With winter approaching, wouldn’t it be ’nice’ to give some ’warmth’ to the place?"

"Count me in!" Eli exclaimed in excitement.

"Us too!" Luke added, nodding in agreement with Damon. They had long suppressed their desire to wipe out the slave market.

"Your Highness..." Garin interjected, then paused, concern flickering in his brown eyes.

"What? Are you going to say you disagree with me?" Kiev shot him a glare.

"Not entirely. Honestly, I don’t care much about the slave market or the count’s mansion, as I know both are involved in shady dealings. Moreover, Elis is my sister, and I want revenge for her too. But destroying Glandon, her hometown... wouldn’t that be too much? There are innocent people there."

"I’m not that ruthless. For that place, I’ll burn down the buildings belonging to those who harmed her and spare the others."

"That’s fair enough, Sir Skyler. Miss Canton has endured too much suffering and trauma. If you truly care about her, you should at least ensure she gets her justice," Noah interjected as he joined the group.

"I know more about this than you, Sir Brooks. You don’t need to remind me. If His Highness means what he says, then I agree."

Turning to the Mederian Prince, the third-in-command knight added, "Let me join you. You’ll need as many of us as possible for this task."

Kiev turned to Noah.

"I’m fine with them joining me. The more, the merrier. But this matter concerns you as well. So, what do you say?"

"Please let us come with you. We owe you this. Let us redeem ourselves by doing the right thing this time," Damon pleaded.

Noah took a moment to think, his gaze shifting between the knights.

"All right. As His Highness said, he will prove my innocence and restore the honour of our knighthood. If you truly mean it, then I’ll accept. But this must remain a secret. I don’t want the others to stop us, especially Sir Navin," he said.

"Does this mean you’ll forgive us?" Eli asked, his eyes sparkling with hope.

Noah pressed his lips together, his expression still cold, but his words kindled a flicker of hope in the knights.

"We’ll see..."

Though Noah didn’t express himself directly, his response indicated a positive outcome. The other knights smirked knowingly. However, Eli’s following remarks raised concerns.

"How do we keep this from Sir Navin? He would surely disagree if he knew. Going to those places will take a while, and completing the tasks and returning would take more than a month! He’ll definitely notice," Eli said.

"Not to mention, Sir Mills’s wedding is at the end of this month. That’s just a few weeks away!" Damon added.

"Relax. We’re not going there now. After all, Sir Brooks needs time to recover," Kiev assured them. "This matter has to be planned thoroughly. We’ll do it in stages, and my first target will be Ivar and his men."

"Don’t worry about me. I’m ready to begin at any time. You just need to say when," Noah said determinedly. "Those people aren’t at the skill level of the Knights of Gerhard. I can handle them even in my current state."

"I like your attitude. But revenge should be satisfying, without regrets that you didn’t do your best. So, wait until you’re fully recovered," the Mederian Prince replied.

"If I may suggest..." Garin interjected, gaining their attention. "The Count of Abinair’s knights are still at the plaza, in charge of his business’s safety. They’re close to us, and we can deal with them quickly. The best time would be on Sir Mills’s wedding day, after the celebration. Everyone’s attention will be on the occasion, allowing us to sneak out from the crowd unnoticed."

"That’s a good suggestion," Kiev agreed. "We can pretend to have a good time elsewhere. No one would be suspicious."

"Brilliant, Sir Skyler!" Damon praised. "Now we can finally get our hands on those filthy b*stards who conspired against us!"

"We’ll capture them and take them somewhere. You can torture them as much as you want, but make sure they remain alive so we can hand them over to the authorities afterwards," Kiev instructed.

"Very well, Your Highness! We’ll follow your lead," Noah replied.

He wanted to kill Ivar and his men more than anything. However, Kiev had the upper hand, possessing more prowess than them all and was the one who initiated the plan.

Noah understood that the Mederian Prince shared the same desire as him but held back for Elis and the knighthood’s sake. It was best to follow a wise decision for everyone’s benefit.

Kiev’s lips curved up as his mind swirled, beginning to form a thorough plan—one that could deliver satisfying revenge for Elis.