The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 52: Getting Them Back Together

Chapter 52: Getting Them Back Together

The red flame of the bonfire flared up within the ring of stones around it. As it gnawed the piling dried wood and branches, it made a crackling sound and burst the heat into the surroundings. The sparks of the ember flew into the air.

The end-of-summer wind slapped her face with its chill. Luckily, the warmth from the blazing fire defeated it.

Crouching alone before the bonfire, her drooping shoulders shook, and a brittle sobbing escaped her mouth. She could not count how many times she had shed her tears, enduring the ordeal of her altercation with him.

In just a day, Kyren had successfully tormented her heart deeply. His fierce face and loud shouts were still reflected in her eyes and rang in her ears.

The commander had turned out to be someone she did not know. It was as if he were neither the gentle husband who embraced her in his sleep nor the one who took her hand to the marigold field and kissed her passionately under the Elm tree.

Beneath the blanket of stars stretched high in the night sky, she could only weep over herself. Her escorts were hurt at the end of the argument, and she was thrown out of the tent for not submitting to her husband’s demand.

Things were getting out of hand as Kyren’s anger was not appeased. At this point, there could be a chance that he would abandon her. She wished she could undo everything. However, it was too late. She could not withdraw her objection or make a sincere apology for it.

The thought of having a reclusive life again anguished Anna. For years, since she was born, she had been kept away from the knowledge of most Ardelians as if she had never existed. Her own family treated her like an outcast—all except the sweet Crown Prince Ryan.

Anna endured those years of isolation in despair. She was not allowed to have friends and roam freely at will. The depression worsened her frail body, and she was bedridden many times.

Her only consolation was the library, the only place she could go and her younger brother’s affection. The books were like her good companions, allowing her to escape her dreary life.

Little Ryan would stealthily approach to spend time with her, as they were not permitted to be close to each other openly.

The maids and healers came and went, and only Nessy stayed with her from the beginning. Though the nanny was around, she was strict and never showed deep affection.

At the age of sixteen, her first female escort, Dame Clara Verns, arrived. It was also the first time she learned about friendship.

The course of her fate suddenly changed when the journey to an island consumed the royal family’s lives a year later. Left as the last heir of the Ardel dynasty, she became the centre of attention in the blink of an eye.

The princess was not blind to the fact that some of those people were trying to use her for their own sake. However, even with the military force on hand, she had no absolute power to stand on her own and discard all of them. The political faction of the kingdom was beyond her capability to control.

The betrayal of Kaizer Ronan once again twisted her fate. Anna, who had lost everything and everyone, hit rock bottom upon being caught by the slave traders.

On the fateful night, she met Kyren, who brought a new ray of hope into her. The man who became her husband had given her a new, meaningful purpose, a place, and people to whom she felt she belonged.

Thus, despite seeming greedy, she could not let go of this new life she was content with. She refused to return to her old, lonely, isolated life.

The darkness of the night witnessed her stream of tears flowing fast down her puffy cheeks as her chest tightened from the short intake of breath in between.

The princess was now at her wits’ end. If only she could make Kyren understand...

***

Anna had fled from the scene as she could no longer hold the heartbreak due to Kyren’s shout. Her loud sobbing faded as her figure disappeared in the engulfing night.

"No one is allowed to attend to her!" the commander ordered the men around him in a fit of heaving anger.

"Dare to defy me again, and the whole camp will bear the consequences!" His command rippled through them.

Kyren’s sharp blue eyes glared around, warning them sternly. Then, with a burning heart, he stomped his feet and left the place for his tent.

The men glanced at each other and turned to Eric as if asking what to do next after the commander had left.

The second-in-command knight quickly announced," Rafael and Sir Mills, take Sir McQuinn and Sir Henderson to the infirmary. I’ll be coming with you. Sir Jarr and Ayden, go and look after the lady. Just watch nearby and make sure she’s safe. The rest of you, dispersed immediately!"

Ayden and Alex nodded and quickly headed to the path led by Anna while the other men made their way. Rafe patted Eli’s shoulder to follow him while Drystan supported Damon by putting the knight’s hand over his shoulders.

"I’m fine, Mr Amares." Eli shook his head in refusal.

Although his face stung from the hard slap, he still managed to walk and suffered no other injury.

"Hey! Just move along, kid! You’ve caused a big problem for the lady! You two have some explaining to do!" Eric reprimanded him and Damon.

The young knight bowed upon hearing the knight’s order.

When they reached the infirmary, Rafe quickly attended to Damon. The bleeding from his busted nose and lips ceased upon receiving the treatment, while a red mark appeared on Eli’s cheek that would soon swell and bruise him.

"Now, both of you, explain!" Crossing his arms over his chest, Eric scolded the two escorts.

Eli responded and told him what had happened. The knight shook his head in annoyance upon hearing the explanation.

"Why did you make such a rash decision? Why didn’t you come to me before following his stupid instruction?!"

Eric hit the back of Eli’s head grumpily. The young knight yelped in pain and rubbed the side of his head that had been slapped several times. He gave a side look to Damon and bit his lower lip.

"Forgive me, Sir Navin. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who insisted on bringing her there. The truth is, I want her to smile again. She was so happy to be out," said Damon guiltily.

"Even so, you should at least request the commander’s permission! You know that she’s his wife! He almost flipped the whole camp when she was gone!" Eric huffed.

"Had anything worse happened on the way, do you think you would still have your heads attached to your necks?" the knight added with a heavy sigh.

"Now look what happened to the lady. Who’s going to be responsible for this?" he kept ranting.

"That boy shouldn’t have appeared in the first place and caused this trouble," complained Rafe in a grumpy voice.

Drystan stood on the side. He could only watch the two escorts with pity and shook his head slowly.

"We are ready to receive our punishment, Sir Navin. We sincerely apologise. Also, we will plead with the commander to forgive the lady. She did nothing wrong," said Eli.

"Stay still and don’t do anything for now. That would be the best!" ordered Eric.

By this time, the knight had already learned the new behaviour of the grand duke. It seemed that only his wife could calm his anger.

However, as she was the source of it, no one knew how the commander could be appeased or how the quarrel could be resolved.

***

The two men followed Eric’s order and watched the crying princess from under the tree. When the faint sobbing subsided and no other sound was heard, they approached and found her lying unconscious on the ground while crouching in a fetal position.

"Is she all right?" asked Alex when he saw her eyes closed and her body unmoved.

Ayden knelt and gazed carefully at Anna. She looked pitiful, with traces of tears on her cheeks.

"She’s asleep. She must be exhausted," said the assistant healer.

"Poor our lady! She can’t be sleeping out here like this! She’s only wearing a simple robe. It will get colder later on," Alex responded with concern.

"We can’t do anything. You heard what the commander said."

It was unfitting for the commander’s wife to lie openly in the middle of the camp full of men. However, although Ayden sympathised with her, he had to follow the commander’s order. No one could anticipate what would happen if the prince got angry again.

The two men accompanied the sleeping princess in silence.

As time passed, the stillness of the night crept in. The crisp, sharp wind with a faint scent of dried leaves rustled in, making the hard ground colder. In the distance, the hoot of the owls and wild dogs’ barks broke the peace of the surroundings.

A slow moan escaped Anna’s lips. Her forehead creased as if in pain, and her little hands began to tremble.

"Mr Norman, I think the lady is not well," Alex, who noticed the changes on Anna’s face and shaking hands, told the assistant healer sitting a little further away.

Quickly, Ayden approached the princess. He put his palm on her forehead to examine her temperature.

"Oh, no! Her fever is back!" Consumed by his worries, the assistant healer furrowed his brows with an anxious expression.

"We need to take her to the infirmary!" said Alex.

Turning to the knight, the assistant healer shook his head.

"We can’t! We’ll be defying the commander’s order! He disallowed anyone to attend to her."

"But, she’s sick! We can’t just let her lie down here! Can’t you do something?" urged the knight.

Ayden hummed as his thoughts worked into his brain. Then, his eyes suddenly sparked as an idea fell into his head.

"I can’t, but Mr Amares can!" he replied earnestly.

"Mr Amares?" The assistant healer nodded.

"Yes! He was the royal healer when the commander was the Crown Prince, remember? A royal healer is bestowed with the authority to act upon his patients by His Majesty. Although he’s no longer one after the commander stepped down from the accession, his rights have never been revoked! Even the commander cannot go against him!"

The knight’s eyes brightened with the explanation.

"I’ll go get him now!" Without waiting for a reply, Alex dashed to the infirmary.

Not long after, the knight returned together with Rafe and Eric.

"How is she?" the healer rushed and quickly examined the commander’s wife.

"Her temperature is rising! We need to treat her quickly!" said Ayden.

The healer agreed with his assistant and turned to Alex.

"Carry her to the infirmary now!" ordered Rafe.

The second-in-command knight, assessing the situation, asked, "Is she in a fatal condition?"

"No. But the fever could get worse over time," replied Ayden.

The brooding face of the knight suddenly sparked.

"Then, please wait! Don’t take any action yet!" he exclaimed.

All the men’s eyes darted at him.

"Why not, Sir Navin? Can’t you see this is a serious situation? The lady needs to be treated!" the healer scolded the knight.

"I know. I’m not against that. But let’s take this opportunity to make the commander reconcile with his wife," said Eric.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is not the time to think about that!" Rafe disagreed.

"Listen first! The commander cares about her more than anything! Let’s go to him and tell him of her condition. I bet he’ll come running to her," the knight suggested.

"You must be out of your mind! Who shouted at her to stay out all night and ordered everyone not to attend to her? Him, right?" the healer scoffed.

"The commander was angry and anxious. His wife left without his knowledge. You know he never had a woman before. He doesn’t know how to manage his emotions. That’s why he resorted to such foolish acts today," Eric reasoned with him.

"I don’t know about this. What if he didn’t care? What if he won’t bother coming to get her? He didn’t even appear until now!" retorted the healer.

"Oh, yes, he will! I’m absolutely certain about it. Trust me! People don’t call me the ’Love Coach’ for nothing!" the knight confidently replied.

Rafe sighed. His eyes darted around for a moment before turning back to Eric. In the end, he gave in.

"Fine! What are you waiting for? Let’s go!"