A knock at the door shattered the tranquil atmosphere of the chamber. Callis, who had just tucked the sleeping Anna into bed, turned to Jessy, silently prompting the nanny to answer the door.
As the nanny opened it, she was surprised to find Kiev standing outside.
"Your Highness! I thought it was one of the servants or the knights! Have you recovered?" she asked, taken aback.
"I’m fine now. May I co in?" he requested.
"Of course."
Jessy opened the door wider, stepping aside to allow the derian Prince to enter. She then escorted him to where Callis was tending to Anna, who was slumbering on the bed.
Kiev’s crimson eyes fell upon the princess, lying comfortably with her eyes closed.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She is much better but has just fallen asleep. She had awoken yesterday and was able to eat and drink properly. However, she started vomiting this morning, which Jessy believes is due to the pregnancy. From our estimates, she may be more than a month along," Callis explained.
Kiev’s gaze shifted to Anna’s covered abdon. Concern etched on his features.
"And the baby? How is the little one faring?"
"Jessy cast a life magic spell to check on it today. The heartbeat is strong, and the child is thriving," the derian Princess reassured him.
Kiev nodded, visibly relieved. "Thank goodness they are both safe now."
Callis glanced at her brother, scanning his pale complexion. Despite his efforts to conceal it, she could sense his weakened state.
"Are you experiencing mana depletion, brother?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Kiev offered a slight smile. "I was hoping you wouldn’t notice."
Callis’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in dismay.
"Oh, my God! Are you alright?" She rose from the bed and grasped his arm. "This is the first ti this has ever happened to you!"
"I’m fine, Callis. Don’t be alard. You can see that I can walk and talk, can’t you?" he said, trying to reassure her with a teasing tone as he patted her shoulder.
"I know that! But how could this have happened to you? You are so strong and have such a vast mana reserve! This is so unlikely!" she countered, her worry evident.
Kiev considered withholding the truth, but he knew it would be unwise, as it was directly related to Anna’s condition.
"Princess Anna was bleeding after I defeated the dark magic that possessed her. So I had to use my magic and mana reserve to stop it and maintain her pregnancy. It consud a great deal of my power to sustain the baby, as it was still too small to respond to my magic on its own imdiately," he explained.
"Oh, dear! Your Highness, that must have been an imnse task!" Jessy exclaid.
"I had to do it. Otherwise, it would have had a devastating effect on Princess Anna," Kiev stated.
"I understand. You did what you could. Rafe wanted to co over and check on her today, but I told him not to. Although you said the effects of the dark magic would linger for only a day, I still feel Jessy and I should continue caring for her as a precaution. Also, there are no female servants here besides Rosalie," Callis said.
"You made a wise decision, sister. It’s also best that he and the others don’t co around her to avoid noticing her pregnancy symptoms," Kiev agreed.
"But why do you want to keep this a secret? Is it because of the duel?" Callis asked.
"Part of it. If the Grand Duke found out she was carrying his child, he wouldn’t let her go. It would complicate matters further to bring her back to Seta, especially if the baby is a boy," Kiev explained.
"Why is that?" Jessy inquired.
"The throne of Cassian has yet to have an heir, and according to their customs, a male in the royal family can inherit the position of Crown Prince. The Grand Duke was the previous Crown Prince of this kingdom, so his son would be eligible for the title," the derian Prince clarified.
"This is crucial. Anna could be in even greater danger if you don’t get her back ho," Callis said, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"More than that, she needs her soulmate for the ti being," Kiev stated firmly.
"Her soulmate? Jessy and I were discussing this yesterday on our way back from the forest," Callis said. "Jessy, tell my brother what you know!"
Jessy recounted the old story about the binding spell cast by Angel and its connection to Anna’s soulmate.
"I’m not surprised," Kiev said calmly. "When she suddenly regained her powers, I knew her soulmate was still around, and as I said, she needs him more than anything right now."
"Why do you say that, brother?" Callis asked.
"Rember when I told you that Angel got sick after returning to Seta?" Kiev said, glancing at his sister and then at the nanny. "Don’t you recall, Jessy?"
Jessy’s brow furrowed montarily, but then realisation dawned on her face.
"Oh, no! Princess Anna would be in poor health or even worse!" she exclaid.
"Why? What happened?" Callis asked, confused.
"During pregnancy, her condition would be affected, and she would weaken, as the developing baby would draw on her mana or her soulmate’s mana to develop its own mana line. That’s how the Ro’ans are," Jessy explained.
"Not just the Ro’ans. The derian royal bloodlines married to their soulmates would have the sa effect, as the bond would require the pair to be attached to the child," Kiev added.
"But Anna is not married to her soulmate," Callis pointed out.
"She is a Ro’an descendant, and so is her child. The baby requires mana to grow properly, which she doesn’t have now. She has already endured a near-miscarriage and requires at least the mana stored in her soulmate. That’s why I need the Grand Duke to return as soon as possible to finish the duel and take Princess Anna to her soulmate. We’ll bring him to Seta as well, if necessary," Kiev decided.
"What if he’s already married and has a family of his own? He may not want Anna, even though she’s his soulmate!" Callis countered.
"It doesn’t matter to . What’s important is to restore her mana for the child’s survival. He can leave after the transfer is complete," said the derian Prince.
"But how do we find him? We have no leads, only the assumption that he’s alive and might have t Anna sowhere on this continent," Callis said.
Suddenly, Jessy spoke up. "Can’t we use His Imperial Majesty the Emperor’s ring? You have it in your possession, don’t you, Your Highness?"
Kiev shook his head.
"The senses on the ring have been lost. I tried it on our way from Ardel, and it only pointed to Cassian, where Princess Anna is. I guess it no longer works and can only lead to her since she’s the ring’s master."
"Then, how are you going to take her to him?" Callis asked.
"Once my mana is fully restored, I’ll try to break the binding spell and use a piece of it to cast a search magic," Kiev replied.
"But that’s impossible!" Jessy exclaid.
"It’s possible. The spell was broken once during the possession, so I thought I could imitate that thod," Kiev explained.
"Wouldn’t that affect her?" Callis asked. "Couldn’t you just use your mana to help the baby instead?"
"I don’t know if it would affect her, but it won’t kill her. Using my mana alone won’t be enough, as I am not bonded to her. I know you might disagree, but for the baby and her survival, we have to try it. However, since my mana reserve is severely depleted and I’m not in good condition, I’ll need a month or two to recover first. Then, we can attempt it," Kiev stated.
"The Grand Duke will likely return around that ti as well," Callis noted.
"How do you know? Have you received news from him?" Kiev asked.
"Sir Navin told ," the derian Princess replied, informing her brother about the letter’s arrival and the knights’ discussion with the Sunik tribesn.
"I see... Then, it would be the perfect ti to reunite Princess Anna with her soulmate," Kiev said.
"I guess so, since we don’t have much choice. But won’t she start showing by then?" Callis asked.
"She would be around three months pregnant by then. Princess Anna has a small stature, so it may not be showing yet. However, my concern is that Mr Amares, being a healer, might notice," Jessy said.
"Can’t we at least tell Rafe who she is now? He’s my husband, after all," Callis implored.
"No, Callis. Not until Princess Anna is safely returned to Seta. I cannot take any risk with her safety. And even though Rafe is your husband and trustworthy, he is still the Grand Duke’s man," Kiev advised.
Callis sighed, feeling slightly disappointed, but she understood Kiev’s point.
"What about Anna herself? Wouldn’t she notice the changes in her own body?" Callis raised.
Kiev contemplated, then turned to Jessy. "Your life magic... Can it be used to seal the symptoms?"
"I can alter her pulse and blood work to conceal any signs of pregnancy, but I can’t control the effects like lack of appetite, vomiting, and exhaustion, nor can I hide the changes to her belly," Jessy explained.
"I have an idea," Callis said. "Right now, everyone believes the dark magic’s effects are lingering. So, why don’t we just attribute any symptoms to that?"
"That’s a great idea, Callis!" Kiev agreed.
"Then, I will take care of her and attend to her closely. That way, I can monitor her progress and be vigilant of any suspicions," Jessy offered.
"Yes, let’s go with this plan. Thank you, Jessy!" Kiev said.
"Oh, by the way, brother..." Callis suddenly interjected.
"Yes?"
"Anna has decided that we should all attend Sir Jarr and r’s wedding. It’s going to be in several days," Callis revealed.
"Attending a wedding? For real?" Kiev asked, his face laced with disapproval.
Callis then explained the situation to her brother. After pondering, Kiev responded, "She’s right. We can’t risk His Majesty interfering."
"Yes. That’s why Anna ordered Sir Navin to withdraw Sir McQuinn from the task of tracing the Bargesians. He was supposed to go as per the original plan," Callis said.
Kiev nodded understandingly. "Attending the wedding is crucial. We will all go, and I’ll also bring Elis with ."
"As you wish, brother," Callis conceded.
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