The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 97: A Courageous Ploy

Chapter 97: A Courageous Ploy

What was actually a rhyme felt like a summoning spell for the pirates. All the entourage and cog ship’s crews watched in awe as Anna chanted her words.

Her voice carried a power that filled them with wonder. By then, the knights and the healer realised it was a clever ploy orchestrated by the cunning little lady.

The wind suddenly picked up. It blew hard from the north, whipping the sail and sending shivers down the pirates’ spines.

A swarm of thick black clouds appeared from the horizon, moving swiftly towards them and shrouding the once-bright sky in darkness. Like the enchantment, the bright day had turned into a dark ’night’. The pirates looked on in terror as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Rafe was amazed by Anna’s ability to use the legend and tale she learned from the ship’s crew to outsmart the pirates. Her quick thinking left him filled with admiration and astonishment, as he had never seen anyone do something like that before.

The acting was so convincing that even the crews of the cog ship started to believe it despite being aware of the weather forecast.

The pirates were perplexed by the abrupt climate change. They were now overwhelmed with fear, realising that the fabled tale they had heard was unfolding right before their very eyes.

"Avast ye, cap’n! Be retreatin’ now!" the quartermaster urged.

"Nay, hold yer tongue! This wench be runnin’ a rig!" cried the captain with doubt. "The sailin’ master did say the weather shan’t be fine!"

’Dumm!’

A loud crack of thunder echoed across the sky when a lightning bolt struck down from the incoming black clouds. The pirates jumped in fright. Their faces contorted with trepidation and confusion.

One of the pirates began to exclaim, "I ain’t ready to go to Davy Jones’ locker today!" his voice trembling with fear.

He ran off to the railing, jumped into the rough sea and swam towards the balinger. The rest of the pirate captain’s subordinates hesitated momentarily but soon followed suit, one by one abandoning their post and fleeing in terror.

The captain was furious, shouting curses at the deserters as they scrambled to escape the storm’s wrath. He and a few of his most loyal men remained behind, still holding Kyren, the knights, and Ayden as hostages.

Rafe had escaped the blade of the pirate who ran away, and he immediately stood up to confront the captain.

With a resolute look in his eyes, he cautioned the pirate, "You should surrender now and plead for mercy while the Princess of Ro’an still permits it, or the storm will engulf you and your whole ship!"

Another ’actor’ seemed to have joined the play, adding to the moment’s intensity.

Anna’s hand began to tremble as the weather changed, and the fear of her traumatic experience began to resurface. She knew that she had to keep her composure and not let the pirates see her weakness, or all of her efforts to outsmart them would be in vain.

With a firm grip on her dirk, Anna clenched her other hand tightly, determined to channel the arrogant and powerful persona of the Ro’an Princess that Rafe had declared her to be. This was her only chance to outsmart the ruthless pirates and save everyone on board without any further casualties.

"Anna!" the commander shouted, but the healer quickly signalled for him to stop. One wrong word could ruin the entire performance, and they couldn’t afford to let that happen, as some of them were still held hostage.

The anvil-like clouds finally arrived as the ship rocked and swayed in the wind.

’Dumm!’

A bolt of sharp lightning suddenly struck the wooden mast of the cog ship. The loud crack echoed across the deck as Anna’s body was thrown to the hardened floor, her limbs splayed out in shock.

"No!" Kyren cried out in horror as he saw her falling, his face contorted with fear and agony.

Without hesitation, he deflected the swords drawn at him with his forearm, the glinting blades grazing his flesh and drawing blood that began to flow down his sleeve.

The commander ran towards his wife as fast as he could, ignoring the threats hurled at him. The force of heat from the returning lightning stroke blasted the topmast off and burned it.

The captain, who acted bravely before, bolted towards the balinger with screams of fear, followed by his men, leaving only the dead and severely wounded.

In a flash, the pirate ship took off without hesitance. Meanwhile, the crews released from captivity scrambled to take cover from the explosion.

Anna lay on the floor with a whitened face, her body trembling with anxiousness at the raging storm. Suddenly, two sturdy arms grabbed her, held her shoulders and pulled her up.

"Anna, look at me!" Kyren called out urgently to his wife.

Anna’s eyes rolled back, and for a moment, she was lost in the swirling chaos around her. But then, the image of her husband appeared before her, reflecting in her green irises.

"Kyren! Kyren!" she cried out as she realised he was there, right in front of her and alive.

With a sob of relief, she hugged him tightly, weeping uncontrollably as she thought of how close she had come to losing him to the pirates.

Kyren held her in his arms, his own heart pounding with fear and relief. The couple knew they had just narrowly escaped a terrible fate and were both filled with a sense of overwhelming gratitude for each other’s safety.

The tense atmosphere from the pirate attack had already dissipated. However, the weather took a turn for the worse when the starting storm began to hit, making the sea waves crash violently against the hull and the heavy rainfall pouring down. The cog ship was now yawing and rolling under the lousy climate.

"Man the ship!" shouted the shipmaster to his scattering crews.

There was no time for them to be astounded by the explosion or the attack’s aftermath. The ship had to be steered through the raging storm, and the crew members who understood their shipmaster’s order quickly positioned themselves at their respective stations to handle the swaying vessel.

"Everyone, get inside for shelter!" Kyren instructed his entourage, his voice ringing over the sound of the wind and waves.

Damon and Rafe quickly lifted Ayden, who had fainted and hurried to the healer’s room, where the medicine and aid supplies were stored.

Meanwhile, the commander hoisted the crying Anna in his arms, not even bothering with his own injury, and carried her to their cabin. As they reached their destination, he carefully laid her down on the bed, his heart heavy with worry.

The princess shivered in her wet clothes.

As his forehead creased with concern, Kyren asked Anna, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Then, her eyes widened as she noticed blood dripping onto the floor. She turned around only to see a long slit on Kyren’s arm and cried out, "Oh, no! You’re hurt!"

"It’s just a small cut," Kyren replied, trying to downplay his injury.

But Anna wasn’t convinced. "This is not a light injury! You need to be treated! You’re bleeding!" she insisted.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me!" Kyren grunted, but the princess looked disapprovingly.

Finally, surrendering to her demand, he tore the sleeve of his tunic and wrapped his bleeding arm, not wanting to add to Anna’s panic.

"The bleeding will stop soon. I’ll be all right," he reassured her.

"But it needs to be properly treated!" Anna said, her voice unwavering.

"I’ll get it treated. Now, listen to me. Are you hurt anywhere?" Kyren asked again in a stern voice.

Anna shook her head, but the commander wasn’t convinced.

"Don’t lie," he glared at her with his deep blue eyes.

Kyren breathed a sigh of relief when Anna confirmed that she was telling the truth. He stood up, grabbed a towel, and quickly covered her, urging her to change her wet clothes to avoid getting a fever.

"I’m fine. It’s not too wet," Anna protested.

"Just do it, please!" Kyren insisted. Then he grunted with frustration. "God, what the h*ll were you thinking, Anna?" he asked incredulously.

Wrapped in the towel, Anna’s eyes darted nervously as she tried to answer honestly.

"It was just a play, I swear," she said weakly.

"A play? You took such a huge risk with your life for a mere play?" He looked at her with a surprised expression. "You could’ve been killed! I told you to hide!" Kyren scolded her, his voice rising in anger.

"I did! But the pirate came and hauled me out. He was shocked to see my green eyes. He thought I was the Ro’an Emperor’s descendant. Then... then—" the princess’s voice trailed off.

"Then you thought you could fool them by pretending to be one?" Kyren interjected.

The commander was dumbfounded that Anna had taken a dangerous risk despite his explicit instructions to stay hidden. He couldn’t understand why she had put herself in harm’s way when they were already in the midst of a dangerous situation.

"I just wanted to save you and everyone else!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.

Kyren’s voice trembled with anger as he confronted Anna. "Do you think I’m incapable of protecting you and my men?" he shot a deadly question.

Anna recoiled at the intensity of his tone, her heart racing with regret. She knew she had made a mistake, but she acted so out of a deep sense of care for him and the men.

"No, Kyren! I didn’t mean that!" she replied, her voice shaking with emotion. "The pirates were so many, so I thought—"

"Stop explaining! Just from whom did you hear about the ridiculous legend?" Kyren interrupted, cutting her off.

Anna hesitated, unsure of how to answer. But before she could speak, the commander waved his hand in defeat.

"Forget it! I don’t want to hear anymore," he said. Then he wiped his face in dismay.

There was a moment of tense silence between them before Kyren spoke again.

"I know you are afraid of the storm, but I need to go out and assess the situation right now," he said, his tone lighter but still firm.

"Change your clothes and lie down. Don’t come out this time, and please wait for me."

Anna nodded, relieved that Kyren’s anger seemed to have dissipated. She wanted to apologise but knew that talking about the matter would only hurt him more.

After her husband left the room, Anna swiftly changed into a fresh dress and lay on the bed. Her mind was racing with a mix of fear, regret, and relief. She knew Kyren was furious with her reckless behaviour, but she was thankful they all survived the perilous encounter.

The raging storm battered the cog ship, with the sound of crashing waves and howling winds filling the air. Despite the chaos, the vessel pushed forward, navigating through the treacherous waters after a brutal pirate attack that had left the crew bloodied and shaken.