The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 502: Time To Head Home!

Chapter 502: Time To Head Home!

However, Kyren’s last sentence troubled her.

"It’s our child, Kyren," she corrected, her tone gentle.

"Ah, yes! Of course, my dear!" the grand duke responded, placing his hand on her abdomen. "Our child."

Once more, Anna felt a sense of unease as Kyren’s hand settled just above her navel, on her upper abdomen. "The baby’s not there," she clarified.

"Not here?" Kyren raised an eyebrow. "Then where?"

"A bit lower."

"Here?" he inquired, shifting his palm to her midsection, right at the navel area.

"No. Lower."

"Here?" Kyren moved his hand a bit further down.

Growing annoyed by his repeated errors, Anna took her husband’s hand and guided it to her lower abdomen.

"Here," she pressed his hand gently.

"Ah! Sorry! My bad! I didn’t know," he admitted sheepishly.

Rafe and Ayden stifled their laughter, pressing their lips together.

"You should learn more about a woman’s body, Grand Duke. Now that your wife is pregnant, you need to pay attention to these details," Kiev advised. "It will be more challenging once the baby grows and comes to full term."

"I’ll gladly make the effort," Kyren acknowledged.

It was rare to see the Grand Duke accept the Mederian Prince’s advice without a retort—a new experience for everyone present.

"You seem to know quite a bit about women. Have you been hitting the books?" Rafe teased Kiev.

"Elis and I desire to have many children. Of course, I must prepare myself with the necessary knowledge," the Mederian Prince replied proudly.

Mentioning his wife’s name, Kiev’s heart trembled with emotion. His longing for her was unmistakable. Though he wished to return to her, duty kept him in place.

Anna was still fragile and needed care. It was too soon to leave her solely to Kyren, as the grand duke had yet to master controlling the mana.

"You must miss her, don’t you?" the princess remarked, noting the wistful look in his eyes.

Kiev responded with a half-smile. No words were necessary to convey his deep affection for his soulmate. His longing was apparent to them.

"Don’t concern yourself about me. Let’s prioritise your well-being first. I won’t rest easy until I know you and the baby are safe," the Mederian Prince assured.

Kyren didn’t retort, understanding that Kiev’s words stemmed from genuine concern and not romantic intentions. By now, he already knew of the Mederian Prince’s behaviour that wouldn’t let go until his responsibility was fulfilled.

"I’ll go and get Madam Collins now," Ayden suggested, breaking the moment.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Please do," Anna said. "Oh, and Ayden..."

"Yes, my lady?" the assistant healer, who had just turned, glanced back.

"Thank you for everything!"

Ayden smiled brightly.

"You’re most welcome."

The assistant healer left the room and soon returned with Jessy.

The nanny bowed respectfully to Anna and Kyren. She had learned about the recent events in the royal court from Eric, who explained everything.

Naturally, the details surprised Callis, Helen, and her, but the unexpected resolution put their minds at ease regarding the crisis involving Anna and Kiev.

The situation was finally resolved, and most importantly, the princess’s soulmate was identified – he had been right there with her all along.

Ayden had also conveyed Anna’s wishes to be addressed as usual, without her imperial title.

"Let me introduce you again, Grand Duke. I know it’s been a while, but I hope you still remember her. This is Jessica Collins, my sister’s nanny. She is the twin sister of Princess Anna’s nanny. We call her Jessy," Kiev introduced.

As Jessy lifted her head after the introduction, her eyes locked with Kyren’s.

A wave of sorrow washed over her as she looked at the grown-up boy before her. Compared to the portrait she had seen, the living image of the grand duke was far more captivating.

Kyren was equally surprised to see her.

"It’s you! It really is you!" he exclaimed.

Anna looked back and forth between them in wonder.

"Do you know each other?" she asked.

"She was the lady-in-waiting on the night of your birth, Anna! She’s the one who warned me of the danger and urged me to leave!" Kyren explained. "I remember you! You held my hand and told me not to cry!"

Tears began to brim in Jessy’s eyes.

"Sir Navin told us everything. I thought I would never see you again, Your Highness!" she cried.

Kyren carefully let Anna recline on the bed and rose to approach the nanny.

Jessy’s eyes sparkled with tears, and her shoulders shook as her cries of happiness filled the room. She looked up at the towering grand duke with pride.

"Look at you! All grown up and so tall! I’m sure it was fate for us to meet again like this after everything has been revealed. Oh, I sensed something special when I saw your portrait the other day! Why didn’t I think of it?" she said.

"Don’t cry. You told me to be brave, remember?" Kyren replied gently. "Thank you so much for what you did!"

"His Highness Prince Kiev didn’t tell me about the golden barrier during your duel with him. Otherwise, I would’ve known," Jessy said with sobs.

Kiev chuckled.

"Sorry... I just didn’t want you to worry more. You were already concerned about my loss of power at the time. So, I decided to keep it to myself and asked Callis not to tell you either. Furthermore, I had already regained my power shortly after that. I never thought that the golden shield and my loss of power were signs of him being Princess Anna’s soulmate," he explained.

"Princess Callis is already worked up about this. She said things would’ve resolved much earlier if we hadn’t kept so many secrets. She’s quite unhappy being left outside now," Jessy added.

"Don’t blame Prince Kiev. He did what he thought was best at the time, and if it weren’t for him, things could’ve been even worse. Also, without all these, I might not have realised that my inability to have children has been lifted," the Grand Duke said, glancing at Anna.

Jessy’s forehead creased at his remarks.

"I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly do you mean by your inability to have children?"

"The binding spell, of course. It indicated that His Highness could not have heirs with anyone other than his soulmate," Rafe interjected.

Kiev remained silent, awaiting the nanny’s explanation. When he first heard about the effect from Kyren in the royal court, he was surprised, as she had never previously mentioned these consequences.

He was curious and unsure whether the grand duke’s earlier claim was accurate, as he had not heard it before.

"What?" The nanny’s expression was bewildered. "The binding spell never causes that! It’s meant to transfer mana from Princess Anna to his Highness and bind their magic together, making him her guardian. Why would it create such a dreadful effect?"

Kyren looked back at Jessy in confusion.

"But that’s what my mother told me. Anna’s mother said I wouldn’t have feelings for anyone except her child. When my mother asked if I would ever have children, she said I wouldn’t have them with other women."

The nanny’s remarks also confused the healer, who shared the same understanding as Kyren. However, Kiev was confident because she had been present during the ritual. No one else knew better than her.

"Forgive me, but I believe your mother has misunderstood this. You found your soulmate at a very young age. So, from that encounter, the attraction between you and Princess Anna would make you yearn only for her. Of course, it wouldn’t have been the same if you had met her much later, after forming relationships with other women. The bond wouldn’t have had as great an effect since you’d already given your heart away," the nanny explained.

"So you mean, I was never infertile because of the spell?" the Grand Duke asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Definitely not! You and Princess Anna were already soulmates before the binding spell was made!" Jessy asserted.

"But how come I felt nothing for other women who attempted to seduce me?" Kyren questioned again, confused.

"I assume you must have given your heart to her when you met her. That’s what happens when one finds their soulmate while their hearts are still idle," the nanny replied.

"So, that’s what Anna’s mother meant when she said my heart would belong to her child only!" the Grand Duke said, piecing together the puzzle.

Kyren remembered the devastating feelings he experienced when he held Anna’s tiny hand at her birth, thinking she had died. He never imagined that his love for her had already started then.

"We finally have our answer!" Kiev replied with a grin.

"Oh, my! It hurts to think about all the remorse I’ve felt for not finding solutions to the binding spell over the years! I went as far as Ardel to uncover the truth and spent years in Engarth!" Rafe exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "All because of a misunderstanding! Ah, my youthful life!"

The crowd laughed at the healer, well aware it was a joke. The Grand Duke then turned to his wife, a wistful smile appearing on his lips.

"I wouldn’t regret any binding spell or magic if it’s with you, Anna! We’ve come a long and hard way to realise who we are to each other. If not for what happened, I wouldn’t have understood how much I love you and still be in denial."

The princess smiled back, content that now she knew his heart belonged to her entirely.

"You are right, Grand Duke. It was a difficult journey for you to find your soulmate again after such a long separation. But, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining," said Kiev. He then turned to Jessy and declared, "With everything now revealed, you and Callis are no longer constrained by the magical promise I made."

The nanny felt a wave of relief wash over her. The burden that had felt like a shackle was finally lifted, though memories of that night in Semeta lingered.

"I understand you’re feeling melancholic thinking of your time with the Grand Duke, but could you help us check on Princess Anna’s baby first? It was quite a scene in the royal court just now, and we want to ensure the child is fine," the Mederian Prince interjected, pulling her attention back.

"Yes, I hope you can assist us with your magic," Kyren agreed, prioritising the matter.

"Ah, sure! Of course!" Jessy replied, quickly wiping her tears.

"We’ll chat later once everything settles down," said the grand duke, patting the nanny’s shoulder.

Jessy nodded with a smile.

Following Kiev’s instruction, she approached Anna on the bed and started casting her magic. The grand duke stayed close to the princess, attentively caring for her.

"The baby is fine," the nanny announced after completing her task. "However, it’s you I’m worried about, princess."

"Me?" Anna asked, referring to herself. "But I feel fine."

"From what I understand, you recently gained your powers and demonstrated them quite abruptly in the hall, right?" Jessy inquired.

"Yes, I did," the princess admitted.

The nanny’s expression crumpled as her concern deepened.

"What’s the matter, Jessy? Is there any impact from that?" Kyren asked, concerned.

"Her mana line was severed right before her birth. It must have just been rebuilt from the power of the emperor’s ring. Someone who has their mana line well established and temporarily lost their powers would need time to let it flow properly in the mana line again. What more for a person who hasn’t had it for years? Abrupt usage of power during recovery is dangerous. Her mana line is as fragile as thin ice. If it breaks, it will be hard to restore. She should not use magic now and needs a long rest," she explained.

"Then, I won’t allow it. For you and the child’s sake, let me hold the powers first, Anna," Kyren said, holding his wife’s hand.

"I don’t even want it, Kyren! It turned me into someone scary!" the princess replied.

"Let’s discuss that later. Right now, the most important thing is that you need plenty of rest," the grand duke said, gently patting his wife’s hand.

"I’ll show you how to feed the baby with your mana later," Kiev told Kyren.

"Feeding the baby with mana? What for?" the grand duke asked, puzzled.

"This is something that most Ro’an and Mederian fathers do for their unborn children. It is during pregnancy that their offspring begin developing their own mana line. Your bond as a pair requires you to be connected to the child. If not, it could impact her greatly, just as you saw last time in this chamber when you arrived. This is very important, grand duke," the Mederian Prince explained.

"His Highness Prince Kiev is right. The baby is now fine since it was fed a few days ago. However, moving forward will require mana from the father. The last time His Highness Prince Kiev did, the resistance was quite high because he’s not the father," Jessy added.

"I see... Then, please do show me. It’s my responsibility after all. I’ll do everything to ensure they are well cared for," Kyren said earnestly.

The grand duke then requested his healer to examine Anna’s condition.

Once completed, the healer concluded, "I also feel my lady requires further rest. Her pulse is racing due to the exertion of energy in the hall."

"Right," the grand duke nodded.

"Kyren..." Anna looked up at her husband.

"Yes?"

"Can we go back to the mansion? I don’t want to stay here any longer," she requested softly, her eyes pleading.

Kyren turned to Rafe, seeking his advice.

"A short-distance journey is fine, but I wouldn’t recommend a long one," the healer replied.

Kyren turned back to Anna, a smile etched on his lips as he decided not to delay the request.

"All right, dear. Let’s go now. Time to head home!"