The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 486: A Man Adrift In His Emotion

Chapter 486: A Man Adrift In His Emotion

[WARNING: This Chapter contains the scene of a s*xual assault attempt. Please read with discretion.]

"There, there now. No more crying," Rafe soothed Callis as they sat on the settee.

Her head rested against his chest while she sobbed out her remaining tears. Hours had passed since the Mederian princess had cried, consumed with worry for her brother and Anna.

"I’m sorry! I tried not to, but I couldn’t help myself!" Callis exclaimed, lifting her tear-streaked face to look at her husband. "What if brother and Anna really get sentenced? What if that happens?"

Rafe’s heart echoed her worry, but he couldn’t let it show. His wife would be even more devastated if she sensed his uncertainty about their fate.

The healer gently wiped her wet cheeks with his fingers and said softly, "Everything is going to be all right. Have faith in God. There must be a reason for all of this."

Callis nodded slowly. She understood that Rafe shared her fears, yet his words were a comforting balm.

The healer had never spoken ill of Kiev after meeting the Mederian prince, only mentioning that Eric believed Kiev hadn’t assaulted Anna as initially thought, and he trusted his best friend’s intuition.

"Look at you, all gaunt and with dark circles under your eyes from not eating or resting well! Don’t let your emotions control you! You’ll make yourself sick, which would worry me more!" Rafe chided, diverting from the main topic.

"I’m all right!" Callis insisted.

Due to her condition, Rafe had stayed by her side since yesterday, and she appreciated his support. However, she realised he had duties to fulfil and the knights needed his assistance.

"Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself," Callis replied, her cries quieting. "You should go."

"No, that wouldn’t be right. We should wait until Jessy arrives," he said firmly.

"Jessy?" she asked, surprised. "Did you summon her here?"

"Yes. I asked one of the palace servants to get her to come this morning. I can’t rest easy knowing you’re like this if I leave you alone," Rafe explained. "It would be better for you to have her company. She should be here any moment now."

"Oh, Rafe! You are so kind!"

The Mederian princess hugged her husband tightly. His attentiveness had always drawn her to him. Even now, amid the turmoil surrounding Kyren and Kiev due to the allegations, Rafe remained steadfast and supportive.

"I know you need someone with you. I’m sorry I can’t be by your side continuously. For now, let Jessy attend to you while I’m away. I need you to stay calm and wait for me. Can you do that?" Rafe gently asked, rubbing her back.

Callis nodded, her heart heavy with worry for Anna and Kiev, but she knew there was nothing she could do now.

Rafe had been patient with her antics and had agreed to let her stay, provided she remained composed and didn’t act impulsively. Their previous discord had been resolved through mutual understanding and agreement.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ah... That must be Jessy," Rafe said.

Callis released her husband, allowing him to reach the door.

As Rafe approached, the knocking grew more urgent and loud, raising his curiosity. Jessy wouldn’t be so rude as to bang on the door, which made him wonder if it was truly her.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by the anxious faces of Damon and Luke.

"Sir McQuinn and Sir Parker! Is something wrong?" Rafe asked, sensing their tension.

"We need you to come to Lady Raychard’s chamber now!" Luke demanded.

"What happened?" Rafe pressed.

"We’ll brief you outside. Please, just come with us!" Damon urged.

Realising something urgent had arisen, Rafe turned to Callis. But before he could speak, she said, "Go! Don’t worry about me! I’ll wait for Jessy here!"

Rafe nodded, grateful for her understanding. Quickly, the trio left for Anna’s chamber, which was directly opposite his. The healer was surprised to find that a group consisting of the Knights of Gerhard, the admiral, and the governess had already gathered outside the princess’s chamber.

"What is going on here?" he asked, perplexed.

"We need you to go in and check on Lady Raychard. She’s inside with His Highness," Eric explained.

"What?? His Highness went inside? Is he allowed to do that?" Rafe questioned, alarmed.

"The situation is complicated, Rafael..." the second-in-command knight began to explain the whole occurrence.

Rafe was truly shocked, his mouth and eyes wide as he processed the information.

He turned to Adam and asked, "You were involved in the escape, too?"

"It’s inevitable given the situation we’re in. But now, here we are. Thankfully, His Highness’s intervention has saved Lady Raychard from punishment for escaping, but we’re unsure what’s happening inside. That’s why we need you to go in," the admiral explained.

"If she chose to escape, she shouldn’t have returned. Things will only get worse from here on," he added. "His Majesty surely has his reasons for keeping her hidden away."

"Let’s not dwell on that for now. Lady Raychard needs us, and you’re the only one who can enter, Rafael. Use your authority as the former royal healer to reach out to her," Eric urged.

Rafe shook his head, his expression serious.

"It doesn’t work that way. She doesn’t show any symptoms of illness, so I can’t use my authority to go to her."

"But she’s pregnant!" Helen exclaimed.

"Pregnancy is a natural condition, not an illness. Besides, it falls under women’s health, which isn’t my speciality. Misusing my authority could cost me to lose it for good in the future," the healer explained.

"Come on! We can’t just stand by and do nothing!" Noah insisted. "His Highness could be forcing himself on her, and that’s dangerous!"

"What??!!" Rafe cried, alarmed.

"Rough intimacy during early pregnancy can cause bleeding, Mr Amares! Lady Raychard could be harmed!" the governess added urgently.

"What on earth is wrong with him?" Rafe shouted alarmingly, his anger rising as he stormed toward the door.

Fortunately, it wasn’t locked, and he pushed it open without hesitation and entered. Drystan then quickly closed the door, ensuring that whatever unfolded inside remained shielded from prying eyes. Observing from that vantage point wouldn’t have been deemed appropriate.

Meanwhile, Eric turned to Noah and commented, "You said you weren’t sure if they were being intimate!"

"I said what I needed to get Mr Amares moving. Thank me later!" Noah replied, crossing his arms defiantly.

Eric sighed, hoping for the best while also worrying about Rafe’s safety.

***

[Moments before...]

As the door slammed shut behind them, Kyren walked into the bedroom, carrying Anna in his arms. The shattered bowl was no longer in sight; the chamber had been cleaned and rearranged neatly.

Entering the room, Kyren approached the bed. Anna braced herself, expecting him to throw her roughly onto it. However, to her surprise, he gently sat her at the edge.

She opened her eyes and watched the grand duke kneel on the floor. There was no smile on his lips, only a solemn expression.

Yet, he carefully untied the rope binding her wrists. After loosening the restraints and tossing the rope aside, he stood up and turned to leave.

Hurriedly, Anna called out to him.

"Kyren, wait!!"

The grand duke halted his steps but didn’t turn to face her. He remained frozen in place.

"Don’t go!" she pleaded.

"What do you want from me, Anna?" he asked, his voice trembling with suppressed emotional pain.

"I’ve never betrayed you, Kyren! Please believe me!"

"Believe you? Huh!" Kyren scoffed, finally turning and glaring at her, his eyes sharp like a hawk. "You expect me to trust you when you’re already carrying his child?"

Anna instinctively covered her flat stomach, as if to protect her baby. The grand duke’s disappointment was evident in his darkened gaze as he watched her protective gesture.

"This baby is not Prince Kiev’s! It’s ours!" she insisted. "I can’t explain it, but my heart tells me so!"

Silence enveloped the bedroom for a moment before Kyren suddenly burst into laughter, causing Anna to frown in confusion. The eerie quiet returned as his laughter faded.

"You have the nerve to fool me and everyone else, Anna! I never thought someone as naïve as you could be so manipulative! If I had known, I would have given you to him when he demanded you! No! I shouldn’t have brought you back to the camp and saved you in the first place!" His voice cracked with anger.

"No, wait!" Anna shot up from the bed and rushed to him, grasping his arm desperately.

"I swear I never betrayed you!" Tears streamed down her face. "I don’t know what happened! Please believe me!"

"Liar!"

He shoved her back until she hit the edge of the bed and fell backwards, her body bouncing off the mattress. Before she could react, he came, bent down and pinned her wrists, holding her tightly.

"How many more lies will you spread, huh?" he exclaimed furiously. "I dreamed of our future together, but you’ve ruined everything! Is having a child so important that you’d throw yourself into another man’s embrace? Am I not enough for you?!"

Anna winced at the pain from his grip, her tears flowing more heavily.

"It hurts, Kyren! Please! Let me go!"

"Stop being pathetic, Anna! I’ve had enough!"

His grip tightened as she screamed, thrashing to break free. Their bodies entwined, and amidst the struggle, they suddenly realised how close they were. Their breaths mingled, their eyes locked, and the world around them faded into stillness.

A profound sense of longing enveloped them in that moment. They had endured so much to be together, yet here they were, facing an unimaginable rift.

Tears continued to flow freely from Anna’s emerald eyes. She missed Kyren more than words could express, and God knew the depth of her love for him.

Yet, the hatred reflected in his eyes shattered her spirit, plunging her into a despair beyond description. Despite her desperate attempts to explain, there seemed to be no space in his heart for her words.

Kyren’s blue eyes studied Anna’s delicate features. Her reddened eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, along with the rapid rise and fall of her chest, captured his attention. He could feel the frantic beating of her heart pressed against him.

This seemingly fragile woman had inflicted upon him an emotional cut so deep that it was more painful than being stabbed repeatedly by a sword. In all his life, he had never experienced such anguish.

He wanted her to experience the same torment he felt. He could strangle her, beat her, or even worse, kill her. Yet, he found himself unable to act on those impulses. Even the slightest urge to harm her filled him with self-loathing that he could not comprehend.

Additionally, the looming threats from others on her weighed on him. He couldn’t bear the idea of her facing punishment for her wrongdoings, yet accepting her betrayal stabbed him to the core.

Even now, after everything that had transpired, he felt an overwhelming urge to possess her, to dominate her and to have her wholly.

A deep, dormant lust awakened within him as they lay there together, as if destined to become one.

He desired her. Despite his feelings of contempt, his body craved her touch.

"Kyren..."

Her plea was like a siren’s call, casting an enchanting spell upon his senses. He could no longer contain the desire that had been trapped inside him.

In a swift motion, he captured her lips with his, his embrace tightening as if he were afraid to lose her.

The heat of their mouths ignited a whirlwind of emotions. Hatred and disappointment faded away, yielding to a powerful longing—a desperate need to reconnect, to fill the voids in their souls.

The primal instinct within Kyren surged. He craved more than just fleeting kisses; his body demanded a profound unity. His touch grew rougher, and the intensity of the kiss escalated.

Anna felt as if she might lose her breath in that charged moment. She tried to push him away, but Kyren held on, his lips pressing insistently against hers, consumed by a fiery desire.

As his urgency escalated, the princess continued to resist, pushing him back and turning her head away to break free from the kiss.

Breathing heavily, she pleaded for him to stop, but Kyren’s actions turned forceful and possessive. Ignoring her protests, he kissed her over and over again roughly, devoid of the tenderness she once knew. His desire had transformed him into a beast, consumed by his own needs.

"Kyren, no!" Anna’s voice trembled with fear, but her plea was ignored as Kyren’s dominance overpowered her will.

He breached the trust, leaving her feeling trapped and helpless in the face of his aggression.

He tore her clothes at the shoulder part, revealing her pale chest, part of her bosom showing. Driven by his beastly desire, he bent down and nipped her neck, sucking it hard as he held her firm.

"Aaa!" Anna screamed when Kyren started to bite her skin. "It hurts! It hurts! Please stop! Let me go, Kyren!"

The grand duke raised his head, his gaze falling upon her tear-stained face.

"Why? Now that you have tasted his d*ck, you don’t want mine? Was he better than me?" he asked her mockingly.

Anna sobbed, her cries echoing through the bedroom.

Kyren persisted, disregarding her cries. His hands began to lift her skirt, revealing her inner garment.

’Srapp!’

He ripped the clothing underneath with a single pull, intensifying Anna’s cries. This brutal display was unlike anything he had ever done before. Consumed by rage, the grand duke seemed unrecognisable, and she was powerless to halt him.

With one hand groping the princess and the other pinning her hands, Kyren continued his malicious actions, capturing Anna’s lips in a forceful kiss again, stifling her cry. Then, his kisses went down her neck and further to her exposed chest.

Though Anna resisted internally, a conflicting desire stirred within her, making her yearn for his touch. Moans escaped her lips as his demeanour turned dangerously seductive.

His hand, trailing her body, had reached her thighs and forcefully parted them. She knew what was coming. She wanted his physical touch, too, but not like this. Not when he was full in rage at her and only desiring her body to fulfil his lust.

"Kyren, please!" she cried. "I’m with a child!"

The grand duke snapped, his touch betraying him with unintended aggression and pent-up emotion. This was not the man he aspired to be.

A wave of regret washed over him as he witnessed her distress beneath his grip.

Yes, he viewed her as sinful, but did that justify becoming a devil himself and committing unspeakable acts against her?

The realisation of his own actions pierced through the haze of his emotions. With sudden clarity, he halted, his hands freezing in place as he recoiled from what he had nearly done.

Remorse etched across his features, his eyes reflecting the guilt and sorrow as he slowly relinquished his hold, withdrawing from her with an unspoken apology.

Anna sat upright, pulling down her lifted skirt and shielding her exposed chest with her hands. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks. The marks of his assault were visible on her neck, chest and hands.

Kyren turned away, his demeanour clouded by regret and shame.

How had he descended into such ruthlessness?

He despised himself more than anything in that moment; a man devoid of dignity, having forced himself upon a defenceless woman.

Yet, in an attempt to mask his arrogance-fueled transgression, he asserted, "How ironic! Despite everything you’ve done to me, my body still craves you."

"Kyren..."

"Let’s forget about what just happened! It was just a moment of lust, nothing more!"

His words landed heavily upon Anna’s heart.

Just as Kyren was poised to leave, the chamber’s main door was violently flung open.