"Your Highness!" Eric exclaid, rising in alarm. The knights and the healer behind him were also thrown into a panic. "Please reconsider your decision! You will lose everything!"
"It’s all right, Eric. I have made up my mind. You and the rest of the knighthood may stay and serve His Majesty. I don’t want any of you to co with ," Kyren decided.
He understood his n’s situations. So had just begun their married lives and were starting families. It would be too selfish to have them abandon what they had and follow him.
Lord Jas, Sarah, and the other nobles were left utterly shocked and speechless. They had never anticipated that the Grand Duke would make such a drastic decision.
"Are you out of your mind, Kyren?! You’re letting go of everything for her sake?" the king asked incredulously.
"Yes! If this is what I must do to be with the woman I love, then so be it!" the Grand Duke answered firmly.
He then turned to his wife with a dimness in his eyes.
"I will be a man with nothing, Anna. No title, no wealth, no connection to the king anymore. The mont His Majesty withdraws all these, I will leave this kingdom so the royal family won’t be affected by my decision and their honour is preserved as desired. Would you co with ?"
Anna’s tears fell freely. In that mont, she realised the depth of his love and how much he was willing to sacrifice for her.
"I will! I will follow you wherever you want to. I don’t need anything else! Only you matter!" Anna declared, hugging him.
Kyren felt a surge of satisfaction at her response; he knew his wife would agree with his decision.
"Go ahead, Your Majesty. Strip of my surna and title and take back everything you have bestowed upon ," Kyren said, facing the king again.
King Kyden’s hands trembled.
"Are you aware of what you are requesting? You are asking to disown you! You are abandoning your family and everything you have!"
"I’m fulfilling your wishes and those of the nobles! However, I must stay true to myself! I desire a family, and only Anna can evoke those feelings in ! The baby is part of her, so I will cherish and love the child as well! It doesn’t matter to who the father is!" the Grand Duke replied determinedly.
"Kyren!" Tears glistened in the king’s eyes. "You are my only brother! How could you ask to do this?"
"With utmost respect, Your Majesty... You have the Queen as your devoted wife, two lovely daughters, and abundant riches across the kingdom. The people revere you as their benevolent king. You have everything! However, my Anna has been brutally assaulted and now bears the burden of consequences she never asked for. She has always supported and demonstrated her willingness to sacrifice everything for in tis of need. Shouldn’t I do the sa for her? I don’t think I can live as a dignified man if I don’t. That’s what honour ans to ! Therefore, I humbly implore you to grant this request. It is my only wish!"
Just as the royal court was reeling from Kyren’s plea, the main door burst open again.
The most unexpected person burst into the room, holding a parchnt high above his head.
"Stop! Lady Raychard is innocent! I have irrefutable evidence!" Ayden shouted, his voice ringing through the hall.
The stunned crowd, already in shock, gasped at his sudden interruption. Ayden hurried down the aisle toward the front, where King Kyden stood with Kiev, Anna, and Kyren. Behind him, Matthew, the Marquess of Roland, followed closely.
As Ayden made his way forward, he noticed the intense stares fixed upon him, filling him with unease. The more steps he took, the sharper their gazes beca. Was this the right course of action?
Doubt began to cloud his mind as he felt the scrutiny of their looks. A part of him sensed it shouldn’t be this way.
His pace faltered, as if he were questioning his bold move. When he glanced back, he encountered Matthew’s steely glare.
"Why are you looking back at ? Go!" the Marquess barked.
"Ah, yes!" Ayden replied, turning back to face the front.
Nervousness prickled on his skin, yet the lord’s daunting voice compelled him to keep moving forward.
This was the first ti Ayden had barged into the royal court. As an assistant healer, he had never needed to address the king directly; that responsibility usually fell to Rafe or the grand duke to whom he reported.
"Who do you think you are, barging in without permission?"
An officer suddenly stood up, anger flashing in his eyes as he confronted Ayden just as he was about to pass.
The assistant healer froze, completely intimidated by the surrounding nobles, most of whom held high ranks.
While he had seen so of them at various functions, he had never mingled with them, making it hard for him to connect or recognise their faces.
Ayden was accustod only to his own circle—mainly the officers of the mansion and duchy, the knights of Gerhard, and his lord. They treated him well, despite his lower status.
While there was occasional banter and disagreents, they were never overly harsh... mostly. However, he felt like a lamb surrounded by wolves. But here, in this grand hall, he felt like a lamb among wolves. This was an entirely new experience for him.
Beads of sweat began to form on Ayden’s temple as nervousness coursed through him. The doorkeeper and guards outside the royal court had repeatedly denied him entry, warning of possible punishnt for attempting to interrupt an ongoing trial.
Yet he was determined at that ti, clutching the most crucial piece of evidence that would disprove the accusations against Anna and Kiev.
His stubborn insistence nearly led to his arrest, but just as the guards moved to apprehend him, a figure erged from the shadows.
The man didn’t introduce himself, but Ayden recognised him as a high-ranking noble by his attire. The doorkeeper and guards bowed respectfully, clearly intimidated by this figure, indicating he held significant influence.
When asked, Ayden introduced himself as the assistant healer of Gerhard, explaining that he had vital evidence for Anna and Kiev’s trial.
The nobleman nodded without further inquiry, and at his command, the door swung open despite the guards’ hesitation.
"Get out of here!" the officer reprimanded Ayden once more.
"I let him in!" Matthew, the Marquess of Roland, stepped forward to support him.
"My lord!" The officer bowed to the Marquess.
"Co with !" Matthew urged Ayden to follow, ignoring the now intimidated officer.
"Yes, my lord!" Ayden replied, feeling a wave of relief.
This nobleman clearly possessed great power. He could silence the officer with brief sentences, leaving the assistant healer wondering who he was.
The two moved to the front, with the Marquess now leading the way. Officers and lesser nobles bowed in acknowledgent of his presence.
Matthew halted before the king and Kyren, who held Anna in his arms.
"Greetings to the Sun of Cassian and His Highness the Grand Duke of Gerhard," he said.
Ayden quickly followed suit.
As the Marquess straightened his posture, he caught sight of the solemn expressions on the faces of the king, his brother, and the princess. He swore he saw tears in King Kyden’s eyes just monts ago, but the king quickly masked his emotions.
"Pardon my interruption, Your Majesty. This man claims to be the assistant healer of Gerhard and possesses significant proof for the trial. Given the gravity of the situation, I ordered the doorkeeper to open the hall door imdiately without proper permission," Matthew explained.
King Kyden turned his gaze to Ayden. Despite the turmoil he had just felt due to Kyren’s request, he needed to regain his composure as all eyes were now on him.
"This better be good, Marquess of Roland," he warned. "Otherwise, I’ll punish both of you!"
"I assure you, Your Majesty, it will be worth your ti to see and hear it for yourself," Matthew replied, bowing respectfully.
Ayden was taken aback. The person who had co to his aid was none other than Lord Matthew Aram Silas, the Marquess of Roland and head of one of the most renowned Pillar Families in Cassian.
He had only heard stories about him—Matthew was the son of Lord Aram Silas, a northern warrior known for his magical abilities, who had perished in the Great War. It was rumoured that these powers stemd from his ancestors, who belonged to the Ro’an clans but were not of royal blood.
During the commotion at the hall’s main door, the assistant healer’s persistent pleas piqued the Marquess’s interest. Spotting the Griffin insignia on Ayden’s attire, Matthew recognised him as one of the grand duke’s n.
Matthew had been waiting in the hallway upon arriving at the royal court. Though he had agreed to show solidarity to Anna with Lord Grey and the other heads of the Pillar Families, he was reluctant to join the trial.
Anna’s ancestor, Lord Adhemar, had been involved in the massacre that claid thousands of lives during the Great War, and the Marquess’s father, Aram, was one of the victims. The lingering resentnt made him hesitant to participate.
Among the heads of the Pillar Families, he was the hardest to convince. However, he eventually relented due to his trust in his long-ti relationship with Aaron and the Marquess of Sylvere’s family.
Matthew had noticed Kyren rushing to the trial with urgency in his stride. The grand duke had ignored him, passing by as if he were fleeing from a fire.
At that mont, the Marquess sensed the situation had beco critical, even though he had heard nothing from the closed hall. Then ca Ayden, making a scene that he could no longer ignore.
Eric and the knights, along with Rafe, were surprised by the assistant healer’s sudden appearance.
Given the tense atmosphere, they had not anticipated Ayden appearing just before the king could strip Kyren of his title. They felt grateful for the interruption and hoped for a significant change that the promised irrefutable evidence might bring.
"What proof do you bring, Ayden?" Kyren asked, looking at the assistant healer.
"This, Your Highness!" Ayden exclaid, raising the rolled parchnt in his hand. "This is the blood test result of Lady Raychard, which I obtained the night after her training, the sa day His Majesty duelled with His Highness Prince Kiev."
"My blood test?" Anna inquired, confusion flickering across her face.
"Yes. Rember that night when we agreed to have your blood tested thoroughly to find the cause of your long-standing illness?" Ayden reminded her.
Anna then recalled summoning the assistant healer that night rather than Rafe simply because she didn’t want the healer to nag her and stop her training. She nodded softly, acknowledging that she rembered.
"You’re saying His Majesty the King had a duel with Prince Kiev? Is this the duel for Elis?" Kyren asked, recalling what Eric had told him.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"My wife was sick, but still underwent training. What sort of training was it?" the grand duke pressed.
Ayden hesitated.
"Well... umm... that... aaa..."
Nervousness crept into his tone. He wasn’t sure if it was wise to reveal the details about the training, especially knowing the contents of the parchnt. Kyren would surely be furious!
"May I explain, Your Highness and Your Majesty?" Eric pleaded, seeking permission, unaware of the consequences that lay ahead.
Ayden shook his head in panic, trying to warn the second-in-command knight, but the king swiftly permitted him to continue.
"Go on."
"Lady Raychard requested to be trained like a knight. However, the training was halted on the third day due to the dark-magic possession incident," Eric explained.
"A knight training??" Kyren scowled at his subordinate.
Ayden sighed, bracing himself for the fallout. Wait until the grand duke learned the whole story; he would surely make the knights’ lives a living hell!
"We didn’t go all out, Your Highness. We just did so field exercises," Eric added quickly.
The grand duke grunted. Instead of scolding his trusted aide, he held out his hand to pick up the parchnt, finding it more intriguing than the already finished event.
Though he was certainly upset to discover his wife had received such training while unwell, he knew it wasn’t the mont to dwell on past grievances.
Yet, Ayden instinctively retracted the report before he could take it.
"What kind of behaviour is this? Are you making fun of ?" Kyren demanded.
"No, Your Highness! The truth is, I promised Lady Raychard she would be the first to see the results before anyone else!" Ayden explained eagerly.
"Don’t waste our ti! Give it to !" King Kyden snapped, grabbing the parchnt as his patience wore thin.
Ayden had no choice but to surrender the scroll to the king.
As it was opened, King Kyden’s eyes scanned the contents. At one point, he stopped, shock etched on his face.
"Is this true?" he asked Ayden, seeking affirmation, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the assistant healer acknowledged. "This report is valid. The testing took longer than expected because Lady Raychard’s blood is special. When I submitted the sample to the laboratory, I specifically requested it be treated as a normal sample, which prolonged the processing ti. Upon trying to collect the results, the royal healers refused to let leave until they identified the blood’s origin. Furthermore, they perford additional examination because of its uniqueness. I only managed to get the full report afterwards."
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Lord Jas interrupted. "What speciality does her blood have?"
"Lady Raychard’s blood contains the pure serum, the ultimate redy for the Laradie plague. It is the only one of its kind on this continent," Ayden revealed.
"Are you kidding ?" the minister scoffed.
"That is a fact, Lord Jas!" King Kyden interjected. "For your information, the grand duke reported a Laradie plague outbreak at Dartrey Forest several months ago while on duty. It was swiftly controlled and cured using Lady Raychard’s blood. I kept this from you all to avoid panic."
"Laradie?? Is the plague going to spread again?" a minister asked in fear.
"I can’t guarantee that. It happened then. Therefore, it could happen again," said King Kyden.
The king dismissed the details about the recent outbreak caused by a catalyst placed in a cave near the borders of Cassian and Dracor by the Bargesians.
He believed it was more important to prepare than to explain. If the ministers learned it was the work of the barbarians of the south, their first thought would be war, which he wanted to prevent.
Under a promise made with the last Empress of Ro’an, they were forbidden from waging war unless attacked first.
Cassian had already responded with stringent force in the battles of Agathe Islands and Ardel. He could not use the sa justification to initiate another conflict, especially since the Bargesians had already suffered losses in both battles. His army also required ti to recover from the warfare.
The crowd began to murmur. If such a dreadful disease were to reerge, it could ruin not just their kingdom but the entire continent.
"How did she manage to have the pure serum in her blood?" another minister questioned.
"Lady Raychard is an Adhemar. Her grandfather is a professor at the University of Engarth who developed it," Ayden explained.
The ministers continued to discuss among themselves. So who were aware of the creation of the pure serum, a significant achievent in the dical field, affird the news.
It was common knowledge that Ardel was the first kingdom to produce the cure and later enhanced it with the developnt. The king, Kyren, Rafe, and the knights were unfazed by this, since they already knew about it.
"Fine! The Laradie plague is a concern for us. But what does that have to do with this trial?" Lord Jas pressed again.
Ayden glanced at the king, who seed ready to announce the report’s findings.
"This report indicates that Lady Raychard’s pregnancy is about four months along, which ans she has conceived before Prince Kiev arrived in Gantz."
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