The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 456: A Grave Accusation

Chapter 456: A Grave Accusation

Eric shook his head in disbelief.

"Rafael said you have no problems..." His words were lost as the truth struck him.

The knights stood in stunned silence, grappling with the shock. None of the knights knew that the grand duke’s inability to have children was from the soulmate bond forged by the Ro’an princess between the grand duke and her daughter.

Anna’s tears spilt down her cheeks.

How could Kyren accuse her of sleeping with another man?

How could he question the legitimacy of their love and the child she carried?

His condemnation crushed her, pulling her deeper into despair. Yet, at the same time, his accusations left her feeling confused. If he couldn’t give her a child, then how had she become pregnant?

"It must be him!" Sarah’s voice suddenly rang out, finger pointing accusingly at Kiev, who sat slumped at the edge of the bed in Callis’s embrace, his strength waning from the recent desperate use of healing magic.

"No! Kiev wouldn’t have done that!" Elis shouted, darting to the Mederian Prince’s side. "He has always protected Lady Raychard!"

"That’s right! His Highness Prince Kiev has no ill intentions towards her!" Meredith interjected.

"Why are you accusing my brother?" Callis barked at Sarah, defending Kiev.

The room shifted as everyone’s gaze fell on Sarah in disbelief.

"He’s the only one who spent the night with the concubine in the forest about a month ago! Who else could have been the father if not him?" Sarah insisted, driven by her own agenda. "She left Gerhard’s mansion, and His Highness Prince Kiev went after her! They didn’t come back until the next day!"

"That’s not true! Princess Anna was already pregnant before any of that happened!" Jessy exclaimed.

"Exactly! We discovered it when we brought her back!" Callis added to bolster Anna’s defence.

"Your Highness, Jessy confessed that she concealed Lady Raychard’s pregnancy before you arrived. The lady’s symptoms had already manifested long before the incident! That’s why Mr Amares and I couldn’t determine the cause of her illness!" Ayden interjected.

Kyren turned sharply to Sarah. It seemed the chief lady-in-waiting knew something that hadn’t been revealed to him.

"Ask them! They all know about it! Your concubine requested His Majesty’s approval to return to your mansion, and His Highness Prince Kiev followed her. The incident happened a few days after that! They’ve all been concealing it from you!" Sarah sneered, her confidence undeterred.

Adding the fuel, she continued, "Think again, Your Highness. Why would his sister and the nanny keep the pregnancy a secret from the others if not because of him?"

Kyren’s dangerous gaze fell upon Kiev, intense and searching. Callis and Jessy were nearly lost for words at how Sarah had ’remarkably’ twisted the story in her favour. They fought back, only to be silenced by the grand duke.

"How did my wife suddenly leave the mansion and end up with you??" Kyren asked Kiev, but the Mederian Prince was too weak to open his eyes and reply.

He then pivoted to Eric, desperation rising in his chest.

"What’s the meaning of this? Did they truly spend time together?"

The second-in-command knight’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the chief lady-in-waiting. How in the world did the chief lady-in-waiting know about the incident? Sarah must have planted spies to gather this information!

"There’s an explanation to this, Your Highness!" Eric exclaimed.

"Did they? Did they?!" Kyren’s voice rose.

In a swift motion, he grabbed Eric’s surcoat in rage with a hand. His patience was wearing thin, the myriad of emotions inside his mind coiling tightly into a single thread of intent—whoever was responsible for this would pay dearly!

"They did... but it was not as you think about! There was an accident, and Lady Raychard was possessed by dark magic—" Eric began, but before he could finish, a hard blow landed on his face, sending him reeling to the floor.

Blood sprayed from his lips as he hit the ground.

Queen Emelda let out a shriek of terror, grabbing hold of King Kyden’s arm as the king instinctively moved to shield her from the chaos. Kyren stood over Eric, his fury bright enough to consume everything in its path.

"I entrusted my wife to you! I ordered you to protect and care for her!! But you let her commit adultery with another man!!!" Kyren yelled, the words erupting from him like molten lava from a volcano, each syllable laced with agony and disappointment.

"Kiev wouldn’t do that!" Elis shouted back. "He wouldn’t do that to Lady Raychard! I swear! It’s impossible! He loves me!"

Noah stepped forward and implored, "It’s true, Your Highness! They just got married today before all of this happened!"

"Get lost!" Kyren snapped back, his eyes ablaze with anger. "You’re taking the prince’s side now after spending time with him? Where is your loyalty to me?"

Noah’s expression fell, and he looked down with solemnity. As Kyren’s wrath spread like wildfire, hungry for destruction, none of the knights’ attempts at explanation could alleviate the pain consuming the grand duke.

The others, who had just learned about Elis and Kiev’s unexpected marriage, exchanged shocked glances. However, their attention was swiftly captured once more when King Kyden’s voice rose, directed at the knights standing at attention.

"How come you never reported this to me?!"

The knights shifted uncomfortably under the king’s wrath, bowing their heads in shame. Damon and Eli stood frozen, unable to utter a word along with the others.

Eric got up, assisted by Alex, his face marred by the assault. The second-in-command knight, bearing the weight of responsibility, made his confession.

"Your Majesty, Lady Raychard didn’t want you to punish us. She specifically asked me not to report it despite my insistence. That was why we all attended Sir and Lady Jarr’s wedding and pretended nothing happened. The truth is, Lady Raychard and His Highness Prince Kiev were heavily affected by the incident..." he attempted to justify but was quickly intercepted.

"Affected by what? Their lust? Their delight in adultery?" Kyren spat out.

The grand duke was engulfed by anger that clouded all reason, making it impossible for him to remain calm or to accept any plausible justification behind the betrayal that had seemingly unspooled his entire life.

His terrifying blue eyes darted back to Anna, the woman he once cherished above all others.

"I went to war for your kingdom! I even brought Sir Ashburne, the Ardel’s commander, here as a witness to prove your legitimate royal lineage! I wanted to make you my Grand Duchess! But you... you stabbed me in the back! You turned to your betrothed for affection while I’m gone!"

"No, Kyren! No! I’ve never betrayed you! I love you so much! I never wanted him or any other man!" Anna fought back, desperation giving her strength as tears streamed down her cheeks. "This is not true! Not true!"

"She’s right, Your Highness!" Meredith exclaimed, her voice rising above the tension in the room. "Lady Raychard loves you and has been waiting for your return! She never betrayed you!"

Her eyes were earnest, reflecting her deep conviction for her friend.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!" Kyren screamed, sending shockwaves through the crowd and rendering them silent.

He bowed his head, holding it with his shaking hands. Then, his shoulders slumped in sadness as he released his grip, letting his hands fall helplessly to his sides. The frustration pulled him down as he struggled to accept the reality.

The grand duke then balled his fists, his body trembling with raw emotions. Tears trickled from his blue eyes as he looked down at the floor, consumed by the devastation of grief and betrayal.

The burning affection he once held for Anna and the deep longing that had fueled him through the darkest times at war had all been extinguished like a flame snuffed out by rain.

What remained was a festering wound with deep pain, the agony of feeling as though his heart had been pierced over and over again by a merciless blade.

Kyren raised his head, and his gaze fell on Kiev. A terrifying expression fueled by an all-consuming rage and despair settled on his face.

"I’ll kill you!!!"

"No!"

King Kyden lunged forward and seized Kyren just in time, preventing the grand duke from advancing any further. He gripped his brother’s shoulders, his own feet pressing firmly to the ground as he summoned every ounce of his strength.

The thought of Kiev being harmed by the grand duke sent a chill through him—such an act would undoubtedly lead to a catastrophe.

In the midst of his simmering anger, King Kyden knew the stakes were dire. If anything were to happen to the Mederian Prince, it would trigger conflict between his kingdom and the Mederians, thus leading to an inevitable war.

Anna, the catalyst of the commotion, would also be affected; losing her was not an option. She was far too important to the king—a crucial element in ensuring the safety of his people.

Her blood contained the cure for the Laradie plague, a vital remedy that could save countless lives. So, he had to protect her at all costs.

"Stop him!" the king commanded the knights, struggling to subdue his furious brother.

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