"That’s enough! I’m going to kick his *ss for this!" the derian Princess exclaid in frustration.
Clenching her fists, she rose from the bed while Helen covered Anna with the blanket again. Worried that Callis might cause a commotion, Anna held her arm.
"No, please don’t do that! He didn’t an it!"
"Anna! Stop covering for him! He doesn’t deserve your care!" Callis yelled back.
Anna knew the derian Princess would be unstoppable once she set her mind to it. Turning to Rafe, her tear-filled eyes begged for the healer’s intervention.
The healer quickly understood her intention. Another outburst of commotion wouldn’t help and would only add tension to the already strained atmosphere. He stepped forward and confronted his wife.
"My lady is right, Callis. Those marks could be from His Highness’s excessive holding of her. Her skin is delicate and can easily bruise during intimacy. This is not sothing new, and it happened before. If he had truly assaulted her, she would have serious injuries such as broken bones or worse. He’s a large man, and our lady is petite. The physical difference alone would allow him to inflict significant harm if he truly wanted to. Besides, the knights told he promised His Majesty he wouldn’t harm her," he explained.
"But... but..." Callis’s face flushed, struggling to reconcile this information.
She looked down, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the situation. Rafe discreetly motioned to Helen and Jessy, silently urging them to align with him.
The ladies exchanged worried glances, but sensing Anna’s profound need for their solidarity, they acquiesced with hesitant nods.
"Still... this doesn’t make any sense! Intimacy? At this ti? With him accusing her of carrying another man’s child? Which man would do that?" Callis questioned angrily.
"He wants ! He said it himself that his body craves for , even if it was just a fleeting mont!" Anna replied.
"That’s absurd!" the derian Princess countered.
"Callis..." Anna’s voice faltered, tears streaming down her face. "I love him! I know he’s angry... but he still feels the sa way for ! Please! Don’t hurt the person I love!"
Callis felt her heart sink at Anna’s words. The way she spoke made it seem as if Kyren was her soulmate. The request was an unspoken command from a Ro’an Princess, sothing the derian Princess could never disregard.
"Fine! I will not!" Callis decided with a heavy sigh, bringing relief to all present.
"If I may suggest, why don’t we check the baby’s condition? You’ve been through so much, and we don’t want your child to be distressed," Rafe proposed, shifting the focus of the conversation.
"Right!" the derian Princess exclaid, bumping her fist into her palm. "That’s very important! How could I have forgotten?"
"I rushed in without my tools, and my lady here doesn’t want to attend to her. Perhaps Jessy could help check on the baby?" Rafe continued, turning to the nanny. "I’ve heard you can use your magic to detect life. Can you do that?"
"Yes, definitely! I’d be glad to help!" Jessy replied eagerly. "Lie down, Princess Anna, and allow to assist," she told the princess.
Anna agreed, and with Helen’s help, she settled onto the bed. The governess tucked the blanket around her and then slipped her hand beneath it, resting her palm gently on the princess’s lower belly. It didn’t take long for her to deliver the outco.
"The baby is fine and healthy. The heartbeat is strong," she reported with a subtle smile.
"See? I told you. Jessy would have sensed sothing wrong if our lady had been hard, since that would have affected the child too," Rafe said quietly to Callis.
The derian Princess pouted, seemingly unconvinced, but she didn’t argue, crossing her arms over her chest instead.
"My lady, you’ve been wandering in the forest today. Perhaps it would be best to take a warm bath and change into fresh clothes before you eat and rest for the day," Helen suggested. Turning to Rafe, she asked hopefully, "His Highness would allow us to accompany her tonight, wouldn’t he, Mr Amares?"
Rafe contemplated for a mont.
"I might need to ask his permission for that. But for now, I agree with Miss Reed’s suggestion," he said.
"Then, let Miss Reed and handle that," Jessy offered.
"Afterwards, I will cast the healing magic on her. She can’t be seen with bruises. Otherwise, people would know and question what had happened,’ said Callis.
Rafe nodded in agreent, and the two ladies, Jessy and Helen, helped Anna up and guided her to the bathroom.
Once they were alone, the derian Princess approached her husband. She had been contemplating Kiev’s decision to keep Anna’s identity and pregnancy a secret, and she was determined that it was wrong.
She wanted to correct the situation and clear the princess’s and her brother’s nas.
Callis firmly believed that Anna, being the Ro’an Princess, might hold the key to curing Kyren’s impotence, though she wasn’t sure of the cause. The princess might appear helpless without her power, but her bloodline was still special, carrying the legacy of the true emperor.
"I need to speak up and tell everyone the truth!" Callis declared resolutely.
"I thought you said you couldn’t break the promise with your brother since it’s imbued with magic that threatens his life?" Rafe asked.
"Yes, but we can undo this! Please take to him so he can dissolve the spell. He’s the only one who can. Once he does, I will testify in the trial, which will save them both!" she insisted.
The healer shook his head.
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. Since Lady Raychard’s escape, the palace’s security has been tightened. We can’t even et him as we did before," he said. "Furthermore, if your brother wanted to, he would have revealed the truth to during my last visit. He would rather admit to assaulting her than disclose everything."
Frustrated, Callis slapped her forehead.
"Why is he so stubborn?" she sighed. "How are we going to resolve this?"
"Even if we forced ourselves to think, we’d just go in circles. Let’s take it one step at a ti. Focus on Lady Raychard for now. I’ll seek permission for you and the ladies to stay with her tonight," Rafe suggested.
"I doubt he will! I wouldn’t even call him a man for treating his wife like that! He’s a pervert!" Callis hissed.
"Compose yourself and don’t say that in front of Lady Raychard. It would only hurt her more, so please, mind your words," he advised.
"All right! I’ll behave!" she replied, knowing well the depth of Anna’s affection for Kyren. "But are you sure you can convince him?"
Rafe paused montarily.
"Perhaps I’ll ask Sir Navin for help. He knows how to phrase words better than I do."
Callis nodded. Regardless of her feelings, obtaining permission from the grand duke was crucial, especially since it was already known to all that Anna was in his possession for the night.
"Stay here and attend to her while I’m gone, dear. I appreciate your presence and assistance," Rafe said.
Callis smiled sheepishly at Rafe’s endearing words.
As the healer left, she muttered to herself, watching his figure disappear through the door, "My Rafe is a smooth-talker, too! Who says he’s not good at phrasing his words?"
***
The knights and admiral turned their attention to the main door as it swung open, revealing Rafe standing at the threshold. Swiftly, they approached him.
"What happened? Is Lady Raychard all right?" Damon asked anxiously.
"She’s not hard, is she?" Adam added, concern etched on his face.
Rafe raised both hands, gesturing for them to calm down.
"She’s fine. I need to speak with Sir Navin in private," he said.
"All right," Eric said, stepping forward.
"What? Aren’t you going to tell us the details? We’ve been waiting out here like forever!" Luke voiced his dissatisfaction.
"I’ve already said she’s fine! Now step aside and let have a word with Sir Navin first!" Rafe demanded.
Garin stepped up and pulled Luke back.
"Give them so space. I’m sure Mr Amares has a good reason for this," he said firmly.
Eric approached Rafe, who pulled him into the chamber and closed the door behind them. It was clear he didn’t want the others to hear their conversation. This behaviour heightened the knights’ and admiral’s concern, but none interrupted.
The door opened again, and Eric and Rafe erged, both wearing serious expressions.
"Well? Aren’t you going to say sothing?" Luke pressed again.
Eric slowly opened his mouth, but just as he was about to speak, a voice called out to him.
"Sir Navin!" Drystan rushed in, his face darkened with worry.
"What’s the matter?" the second-in-command knight asked, sensing impending danger. "Has His Highness gone berserk again?"
"No!" the knight replied. "It’s even worse! You need to co with ! Sir Brooks said only you can help!"
Eric’s eyes filled with concern as he looked at the n, sharing the sa anxiousness.
"Everyone, stay here and wait until I co back!"
With that, he hurried off with Drystan, who led him to the other side of the palace—the crown prince’s quarters, where Kyren used to reside. They approached Noah, who stood watch in silence from afar, his face solemn.
"What’s the matter?" Eric asked anxiously.
"There... please help, Sir Navin," Noah urged, nudging his chin towards a nearby tree.
Not far from them, under the Elm tree, sat a once-powerful prince, crying helplessly in devastation.
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