The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 425: A Victory And A Hatred

Chapter 425: A Victory And A Hatred

The night was growing darker, and the winter wind blew coldly. Amidst the bleak surroundings, patches of fire illuminated the hillside, burning the remnants of the feud that had persisted for several weeks.

The air was heavy with the acrid scent of smoke and blood, mingling with the metallic tang of spent gunpowder. Broken weapons and shattered armour littered the ground, silent witnesses to the fierce struggle that had taken place.

The earth, torn and churned by the relentless march of soldiers and artillery, lay bare and still. The silence was punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and the footsteps of the victorious party, ensuring that no survivors remained.

The Bargesian flag, tattered and trampled, no longer stood with pride; it was soiled with dirt and dust from the battle. The brutality of the conflict had brought them low in a merciless war fueled by their own arrogance and greed.

After several weeks of fighting, the Bargesian army lay devastated, defeated by the brave Cassians and their allies.

"My Lord, our scouts have thoroughly checked the battleground. All enemies have been eliminated," Adam reported to Kyren.

The grand duke, standing tall and scanning the area with hawk-like eyes, nodded.

"Good. Let’s return to our base," he said.

The Cassian army gathered along with its allies, the pirates and mercenaries, followed his command and marched back to the fort.

Upon their arrival, Athillia, who had been anxiously waiting, welcomed the battalion.

"Are you all right?" she asked with concern.

"There are a few casualties, and the injured ones have been taken to the infirmary for treatment. As for me... I just have a few scratches and small wounds. Our Lord Kyren, on the other hand, suffered none, looking as great as ever," Adam said with a proud smirk.

"Go get yourself treated too!" Athillia urged. "Wounds can get infected and become worse."

"Nah! I’m not a child! I’ll be fine after I clean myself," Adam replied, then sniffed his body, catching a whiff of the pungent blood, sweat, and metallic smell emanating from his armour. It had been several weeks since his last bath.

"Ugh! I stink!" he complained.

"Come on. The last war I fought, I didn’t bathe for a month. It’s only been a few weeks for you, and you don’t smell that bad," Kyren said. "Anyway, Athillia is right. Go get your wounds treated properly. We have another battle to handle. Tomorrow morning, we will march to the west of Narthen to confront the second battalion of the Bargesian Army."

"Tomorrow? Isn’t that too soon? Can’t we have a longer interval? Half a day, at least. Our armies and allies have been battling non-stop for quite some time. They deserve a break," the admiral said.

Kyren pondered momentarily.

"Fine. I’ll give them a day to rest. Then we’ll continue. We need to arrive there within three days since the Bargesian Army will be on the route within a week," he relented.

Adam let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, My Lord. I know you’re eager to return home quickly, but please bear with us. We aren’t as talented and skilful as you. You don’t suffer any cuts even after battling ferocious enemies and still seem so energetic. How can we ever compare to you?"

"Practice more, Admiral. Strength doesn’t come easily, and I have trained hard for it. Nevertheless, there’s no guarantee I’ll remain steadfast in my abilities. We know what happened to me on the island before. While I still can, I’ll use my strength to secure our victory," the grand duke replied.

"I will, My Lord. Once I’m better, perhaps we can have a training duel. What do you say?" Adam suggested.

"Sure. I’m looking forward to that," Kyren replied.

"Since you mentioned the movement of the troops to the west of Narthen, what will be your next plan after defeating them? I bet we won’t take long to bring them down since according to the invasion plan, the second Bargesian battalion is much smaller than the first. We should be able to wipe them out in just days," the admiral asked.

Kyren’s eyes darted to the camp, scanning his large army and allies roaming inside. The first battle hadn’t affected them much; they were already at an advantage with the invasion plan and map in hand. Most of them remained unscathed and in good spirits, motivated by their initial victory. There was no doubt that overall triumph would be on their side.

"Once we settle the second Bargesian battalion, their kingdom will be vulnerable as they won’t have enough resources to protect their land. It’s the best time to attack and conquer them for good," he said.

Adam was delighted by the decision, but a gloomy expression clouded Athillia’s face. Her demeanour turned solemn, and her eyes fell to the ground.

"I can’t wait for that to happen! I’ll let the knights know about this! They will be thrilled!" exclaimed the admiral.

"Wait!" Athillia suddenly burst out.

The two men looked at her, who had been silent for a moment.

"What’s the matter?" Adam asked, raising a brow.

Athillia swallowed hard. A thought had been running through her mind. She knew Kyren would have considered this conquest from the beginning, and it was difficult for her to voice it, but she felt she had to.

"Can I make a request?" she asked.

"State it," the grand duke replied.

"The Kingdom of Barges... please spare it!" she pleaded earnestly.

***

The man in his fifties looked around the hall from his seat at the guest table reserved for high nobles. His gaze was sharp as if he were searching for someone amid the evening banquet of the wedding reception.

"Matthew, stop it. She’s not here. Just go on and enjoy yourself," said Benjamin, Alex’s father.

Matthew, the Marquess of Roland, scoffed.

"You said the Count of Medhir invited her. If I see her again like I did at your son’s wedding, I’ll leave," he declared.

"Don’t be like that. His Majesty would be offended again. Just tolerate it. She’s a royal family member, and it would be disrespectful to leave just because of how you feel about her. After all, it’s been quite a while since we spent time together," said Daniel, the second son of the Marquess of Sylvere.

"If you leave early again, I will take it to heart this time," said the Duke of Sanad. "Even if you have no respect for me, please show some for the Marquess of Sylvere. He is a northern warrior from the great empire era, and this is the wedding of a couple solely matched by him. You and he are like family."

"Fine! I’m sorry for what I did last time. I didn’t mean to offend you, Benjamin, but I was overwhelmed with anger when I found out that His Highness the Grand Duke chose a partner from a traitor’s bloodline! Thank goodness she is just a concubine and not the Grand Duchess! Otherwise, I would’ve petitioned His Majesty the King to withdraw the title," Matthew admitted.

"Lady Raychard might not come from an approved bloodline since she is an Adhemar, but she’s not a bad person. I’ve met her myself, and she wisely guided my father during a health crisis at the mid-autumn festival. From the way His Highness the Grand Duke embraced her, it was clear he cared for her very much, and the Knights of Gerhard hold her in high regard, too," said Aaron, the eldest son of the Marquess of Sylvere.

"Yes, you shouldn’t look down on her just because of her bloodline. Instead, see her as a person. His Majesty the King shared with me that her wisdom enabled the pirates to withdraw when His Highness the Grand Duke’s entourage was attacked at sea on the way here," Chris, Aaron’s younger brother, interjected.

"I’ve heard about that! You don’t need to keep bringing up the same tale to persuade me! If her grandfather had shown mercy to my father and spared him, I wouldn’t hate the Adhemars so much," said the Marquess of Roland.

"It wasn’t Lord Adhemar who killed your father. It was Lord Emir, the first king of Barges," Aaron corrected.

"He held my father’s limbs for that evil lord to sever! Your father told me about it! How could I ever forget that I lost my father in such a cruel way?" Matthew sneered, bringing silence to the table.

"Even so, blaming Lady Raychard isn’t right. She didn’t do it, and she isn’t directly related to that Lord Adhemar. Her paternal grandfather was a professor at the Medical University of Engarth, the brother of the lord. He helped our kingdom during the plague, so you can’t assume all the Adhemars are the same," Benjamin interjected.

Matthew pulled a long face.

"Say whatever you want, but I stand firm in my belief. She is not suitable for His Highness, the Grand Duke, and shouldn’t be by his side. He should have chosen a much more fitting wife. I thought Lady James was going to be the one since they were once betrothed," he said.

"His Highness broke off the betrothal, Matthew. Don’t you remember?" Chris replied. "He just couldn’t get along with her."

"I wouldn’t agree to their union either," said Aaron. "If it had happened, Lord James would have been even more arrogant than before. He was disrespectful to my father during a luncheon with His Majesty the King. Thank goodness Mrs Amares taught him a good lesson."

"By Mrs Amares, you mean the newly-wedded Mederian Princess to Mr. Rafe Amares, the healer of Gerhard, right?" asked the Marquess of Roland. "The beautiful lady with silver hair and crimson eyes."

He had caught a glimpse of Callis at Alex and Meredith’s wedding banquet and was mesmerised by her beauty. When he inquired further, he learned of her marriage to Rafe, which had been proclaimed directly by the King of Cassian.

The gossip regarding her brother, Kiev, who had come to claim Anna from Kyren, hadn’t escaped his notice either. Almost everyone at the ceremony had talked about the Mederian Prince’s duel, alongside his handsomeness, perfect figure, and the ’mistress’ he brought with him.

"Yes, she’s the one. I heard they were smitten with each other and asked His Majesty directly for a union, but strangely, there was no banquet or celebration held," said Daniel.

"They had it at Mr Amares’s hometown, Rivendelle. Besides, Mrs. Amares is a Mederian Princess, so they have different customs and traditions than ours," Aaron explained, having heard the details from Drystan.

"Ah, I must’ve missed the details since I went back to the march," said Daniel.

"She would’ve been the perfect candidate for Grand Duchess had she not married the healer. She’s good-looking and a princess from a high-status clan. If she were my daughter, I would be proud of her," Matthew said, admiring Callis’s beauty.

"You’re only saying that because you don’t have any daughters or nieces. Wait until you do; then you’ll know how stubborn they can be," Aaron said, recalling how headstrong Sylvia had been when it came to marriage.

"I don’t see that happening in my family anytime soon. I’m getting old, and among my sons, only one is married, while the others are still single. I don’t have any grandchildren yet. The pillar families of the Cassians surely are lacking in females. Thankfully, you have a sister who bore a daughter in the end," Matthew replied.

"At least the Duke of Greene has three daughters. They would make good candidates for your unmarried sons. Why not arrange it? That would bring the families closer," Benjamin suggested.

"Kids these days aren’t interested in arranged marriages. They have their own preferences and want to choose for themselves," the Marquess of Roland said, shaking his head.

"Not really. Take Sylvia, for example. Although she refused at first, in the end, she agreed to marry Drystan, who my father chose," Aaron countered.

"That’s because she’s a woman. She would eventually agree to what the family decides. I would be thrilled to have a daughter of my own. My father wanted one too, but it didn’t happen since my mother passed away at a young age, and he went to war afterwards," Matthew said, his expression turning solemn as memories of his childhood surfaced.

He had lost his parents when he was a boy, and the Marquess of Sylvere’s family were the ones who took care of him, forging a closer bond between them rather than the dukes.

"Just give it a try. Who knows, it might happen," Aaron encouraged. He then turned around, looking for someone. "Speaking of His Grace, the Duke of Greene, where is he?"

"He’s with His Majesty the King and the Marquess of Sylvere in the withdrawing chamber," answered the Duke of Sanad.

"Then why don’t we join them?" Aaron suggested, rising from his seat.

"Wait, seriously? My sons would throw a fit if I discussed their marriages without them knowing," Matthew protested.

"Ah! How stubborn can they be? I managed to convince my niece regarding her marriage, so how hard can it be to convince yours?" Aaron said, patting his chest confidently.

The others stood as well, agreeing with the proposal. Soon, the Marquess of Roland found himself being led by the men to the withdrawing room.

They passed by the table filled with the Knights of Gerhard, who were laughing and bantering, carrying the merriment of the celebration.

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