The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 59: A Pregnancy?

Chapter 59: A Pregnancy?

As soon as he walked into the tent, Kyren put his wife on the floor, which was covered with thick blankets and lined with the tent’s footprints beneath.

Anna shuddered as she settled her body onto the soft covers and rested her head on a makeshift cloth headrest.

"Wait for a moment. I’ll be quick," he said as he hastily removed his clothes, leaving only his braise on.

Then, he came to her and lifted her into a sitting position. His hand loosened her straps as he began to remove her clothes.

"Kyren... the knights are out there," said Anna, embarrassed by his action.

"Your body is still cold, and you’re exhausted. The fastest way to warm you as you rest is by embracing skin-to-skin and wrapping you with the duvet simultaneously," he added, "My body temperature will heat you in no time. Don’t think of anything else. Just focus on me, all right?"

Anna was unable to protest the commander’s orders. She nodded as she let him untie her clothes. Her navy blue dress was quickly discarded, causing the lit lantern to flicker as it was disturbed by the gust of wind from the toss. The princess was now only in her chemise.

"Just leave this on, please. I’m not comfortable being totally n*ked," she requested.

Kyren sighed.

"All right. Lie down now," he tolerated as he wrapped her with his exposed, sturdy, chiselled body.

He pulled the duvet over their entangled bodies. As she rested her head on his shoulder, the warmth from his skin began to permeate her.

The princess’s little hands encircled his waist when he pulled her close to his chest. His hand slipped into her chemise, and he started rubbing her skin.

"Feeling better?" Kyren asked after they lay down for a while.

"Much better." She smiled in relief.

As the shivering slowly subsided, Anna’s body began to feel warm again, but the soreness and aches remained. Despite the discomfort, she resolved to endure the pain, not wanting to trouble the commander or anyone else.

With each passing moment, Anna focused on the hope that the discomfort would dissipate and that she would soon regain her strength.

"I hope you’ll get better in time. It’s a long journey, and I don’t want you to get sick again. If it weren’t for the royal decree, I wouldn’t want to put you in this kind of trouble," said Kyren, a glint of remorse filling his voice.

"It’s fine, Kyren. We can’t defy His Majesty’s order. Besides, I would’ve faced the same consequences if we were returning to Gerhard," she calmed him.

"At least, the journey to the duchy won’t be this far," he retorted.

Curious, she asked, "How far is Gerhard from here?"

"About a week’s journey," he replied shortly.

"Will we be passing the duchy on the way?" she inquired.

"No, Gerhard is a little further north. It’s closer to Gantz, only a four-day journey from the capital," he explained.

"Oh, how come the duchy is closer to Gantz?" She raised her eyebrows.

"There’s another route from the capital to Gerhard. The fastest way to reach Gantz from here is through the mountainous area. You saw it when we were riding the horse, didn’t you?" he asked her.

She nodded, remembering the striking bluish hue of the distant mountains beyond the vast field.

"Yes, I did."

"Well, we’ll pass through them soon," the commander assured her.

Kyren’s hand moved down, rubbing Anna’s thigh to warm her lower body.

"You’re still a bit cold here," he said as he touched her inner part and rubbed her skin.

As Anna moved to ease her position, a stabbing pain erupted from a sudden cramp above her nether region, making her grunt.

"Urghh..." Her forehead creased as the muscles in her uterus tightened.

"What is it? Are you vomiting again?" Kyren raised his head as soon as he noticed her groan.

"No... It’s just an ache. I... arghh!" Another cry slipped from her mouth when she couldn’t endure the throbbing pain.

Her body jolted and broke from the embrace.

"Anna, are you all right?" he asked as he raised his upper body and sat.

Anna grimaced in pain, unable to respond as she crouched, clutching her stomach. Concerned, Kyren quickly flipped open the duvet to check on her, his heart racing with worry.

The commander’s eyes were drawn to the darkened liquid that had stained Anna’s chemise in the nether area. A pungent, fishy smell filled the air when he exposed her lower body.

A sense of alarm washed over him, and he knew something was seriously wrong. He took the lantern on the side to illuminate the view in haste. At that moment, his eyes widened in shock. The darkened liquid he noticed just now was none other than blood.

"Why are you bleeding?"

"What?" Confused, the princess looked at her bewildered husband.

"Blood’s coming out of you!" Kyren was startled.

Anna’s mind raced as she tried to process her husband’s words, filled with anxiousness.

Then, a realisation dawned on her.

Her pain wasn’t solely due to the gruelling horse riding, but ’Aunt Flo’s visit’ had also arrived. It had been a while since she had last experienced it, and it had slipped her mind until now. She had been so tired that she didn’t notice the flow had started.

"Kyren, it’s nothing serious. It’s just my menses."

Ignoring her reply, Kyren cried out in panic.

"Rafe, Ayden! Come quick!" He quickly covered his wife’s exposed body with the duvet and stood up to put his pants on.

"No, no, Kyren! Don’t call them!" she tried to explain to him, but was abruptly interrupted.

"Stay still. You’re injured!" he told her.

"I’m not! I’m fine!"

"You’re not fine!" Kyren shouted.

He was so anxious that not even Anna’s words could calm him down. The man called Rafe and Ayden again and rushed out after putting on his pants.

"What is it?" The healer who came running asked anxiously.

"She’s bleeding!" said the commander.

"Bleeding? Oh, my God! What happened?" Ayden’s voice shook.

"I don’t know. She suddenly bleeds."

"I’m all right! There’s nothing wrong with me!" Anna shouted from inside the tent. "Please don’t come in!"

"Did you just do ’it’ with her?" guessed Rafe.

He recalled the incident in the camp when the lady experienced the same effect due to the commander’s roughness in their s*xual intercourse.

"No, I don’t!"

"Fine. I’ll go in and check her first. Please stay outside for a moment," the healer told him. He went inside while the assistant healer and the commander waited.

"Commander, is everything all right?" Eric came over and asked.

The other knights had risen to their feet, their faces etched with confusion and concern. It was rare for them to hear the commander panicking. The last time they had seen him in such a state was when Anna had left for Mistdale, and her absence had left him deeply unsettled.

"Everything’s under control. We’ll handle it from here," Ayden quickly answered.

"All right. If you need help, we’ll be right here," Eric replied.

"Just get the food ready for the lady. She needs to take her medicine soon," said the assistant healer.

The second-in-command knight nodded and retreated. The men returned to their task on his signal.

When Anna saw Rafe entering, she quickly said, "I’m fine, Rafe. I’m fine!"

"Take a deep breath and speak slowly. Can you tell me what happened? Are you injured?" He sat beside Anna, sitting upright with her legs stretched out under the covers.

"It’s just my menses. I told Kyren already, but he won’t listen," she explained.

"I see... So that’s why he said you’re bleeding."

Anna was about to say she was fine when the cramp suddenly flexed again, tensioning the muscle and twisting the nerves inside her. She doubled over, clutching her stomach and letting out a grunt.

The healer waited until the wave of pain subsided and asked, "Is it always painful like this?"

"Not really. It’s been a while since the last one," the princess answered.

"When was your last menses?"

Anna paused to reflect. When she ran through her thoughts, she realised she hadn’t had her menstrual cycle since her wedding.

"It was when I was in Ardel," she replied.

"And when exactly is that? Like, how many weeks or months previously from now?" Rafe asked specifically.

"Umm... I think about four months ago."

Rafe looked at her wonderingly.

"Has it always come this late and irregular?"

"Yes. It always has. That’s why I almost forgot about it," she said.

Due to the princess’s chronic frailty, any signs of pregnancy might have gone unnoticed. Nonetheless, Rafe remained unconcerned as he knew it wasn’t.

"Seems like your menses cramps are quite bad. I’ll prepare some medicine to soothe the pain. You only need to rest more. Do you have anything for the rag?" he asked her.

"Oh... that. Umm... Unfortunately not," she replied, feeling slightly embarrassed by her ignorance.

"That’s fine. I’ll ask Ayden to prepare it for you. We have linen and cotton," the healer concluded.

"Thank you, but isn’t cotton a bit expensive? You can only get it from Dracor. Thus, it would be a waste. You can just give me some used clothes," she replied shyly.

It was unusual for her to discuss her monthly cycle with a man, but because Rafe was a healer and she needed his assistance, she found herself compelled to ask.

"Judging by the cramp that you’re having, you’ll get a heavy flow soon. So, it’s best to use linen inserted with cotton. It absorbs better than a normal cloth and will be much more comforting throughout the journey, too," Rafe explained.

"Then, please give me the materials. I’ll do it myself. I don’t feel comfortable having others prepare it for me," she said earnestly.

Rafe nodded, agreeing to her request.

Upon completing his examination of his patient, the healer emerged. Kyren and Ayden hurried to him, eager to learn about Anna’s condition.

"She’s fine. She’s just on the rag," he told them.

The commander knitted his brows, not understanding the meaning of the healer’s words, while Ayden breathed a sigh of relief.

"What rag?" the commander asked back.

"Her monthly cycle."

"I don’t understand." He looked at the healer with a confused expression.

"The lady is on her menstrual period. Women will have their menstruation every month when they reach puberty. During this time, they will discharge blood from their private part, which usually lasts between two and seven days, sometimes longer," Rafe explained.

"What? Why?" Kyren asked in surprise.

"That’s how women’s bodies work. It’s part of preparing the body for pregnancy. Once a woman is pregnant, her menstruation will stop. It will start again after the woman has delivered the baby," the healer continued.

Knowing that the commander escaped his s*xual education before, he had to elaborate on the explanation.

"Does this mean she’ll be having this pain regularly? I’ve never seen her like that," said the commander worriedly.

"She’s having menstrual cramps. It happens to certain women during this time. The pain varies from mild to severe. As for the lady, the cramp is quite bad this time. But, it’ll go away soon."

"I didn’t know she had this kind of condition. I didn’t notice it when I attended to her," Ayden intervened.

"She hasn’t had her menstrual cycle since the wedding. I guess her body is changing and adapting to the environment. That’s why she’s having the cramps now."

"Wait... she didn’t have her menses since then? But it’s been a few months!" Ayden suddenly exclaimed.

"She has irregular cycles," replied Rafe.

"What if she’s pregnant?" the assistant healer doubted.

"What are you saying?" the commander suddenly asked, confused.

"Pregnant women don’t have menses. However, there are some cases where those with a frail womb bleed during early pregnancy. It’s a sign of miscarriage. That is dangerous," Ayden stated.

"She’s not pregnant," the healer spoke up.

"Are you sure, Mr. Amares? We haven’t done a proper test to confirm it," the assistant healer said.

"There’s no need for testing. I’ve already confirmed it!" Rafe was getting irritated by Ayden’s question.

"Really? By what? Pulse reading? It might not be accurate to tell," countered the assistant healer.

"How many times do I need to tell you? She’s not pregnant! Didn’t you listen to me?" the healer raised his voice in annoyance.

Ayden was surprised by his sudden fit of anger.

"Forgive me... I was just being cautious. You’re the one who taught me to properly examine and conduct tests for patients before confirming any diagnosis," the assistant healer answered, a sulky tone laced his voice.

"Don’t bother about it. Now go and help me with something."

Rafe then told Ayden to prepare the materials for the makeshift pad and the required medicine.

"All right. I’ll prepare the needful and come back."

The assistant healer turned around to make a move. However, he halted after taking two steps and rolled back.

"Are you sure we don’t need to perform the test?" he asked again.

"She’s not pregnant!" Rafe and Kyren yelled in unison this time.

Ayden raised his hands, surrendering to the men’s adamant shouts and left.

From afar, Eric, who heard the yelling with his sensitive ears, could only sigh.

"Boy, I was already excited... How I wish it could happen sooner!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.