The Grand Duke's Soulmate-Chapter 568: Too proud, too cruel, too late

The Mederian Prince did not acknowledge the king, nor the countless eyes that lay upon him. Without a word, he strode towards the gangplank, his cloak sweeping behind him like a severed shadow.

But as he passed Armel, his steps faltered.

Something unseen struck him, sharp and sudden. He halted and then turned his head just enough.

"Armel," he said quietly. "Follow me."

The teenager stiffened at once.

"Yes, Your Highness!" he replied.

Without question, Armel followed as the Mederian Prince veered away from the crowd, the two retreating into the margins of the dock where no one could hear their exchange.

Their conversations were carried away like the wind, but when the teenager came back moments later, tears ran down his face, and his fists were clenched tightly, trying to hold his shattered spirit together.

By then, Elis had already retreated into the carriage. The door shut, sealing her from sight and from her husband.

Kiev ascended the gangplank soon after, his face swallowed by the hood drawn low. None could read what lay within his heart. None but Armel, who stood frozen at the edge of the dock, watching him go.

At a quiet command from the Mederian Prince, several chests that had already been secured aboard were abruptly lowered back onto the dock. They landed heavily before the teenager, one after another.

Drystan, unable to restrain himself, stepped forward and asked quietly, "What are these for? Why is His Highness putting these back?"

Armel swallowed hard and then answered, "His Highness Prince Kiev is leaving all of this fortune behind for Her Highness Princess Elisabeth since she has refused to go with him."

The knight exhaled slowly, then let out a hard breath. Whatever transpired between the couple went far beyond a mere disagreement. The rift was deep and possibly irreparable.

Before long, the vessel was made ready once more.

King Kyden stood in silence, his expression grave but not angered. Despite the lack of a formal farewell and the apparent discourtesy shown by the Mederian Prince, he understood the situation.

After witnessing the bitter altercation between the husband and wife, there was no place for ceremony, only consequences.

The gangplank was about to be withdrawn when sudden voices erupted from the deck.

"Release me!" The cry pierced the air, raw and frantic.

Callis stumbled into view, pale and unsteady, her silver hair loose and dishevelled, eyes wide with panic.

The Mederian Princess had awoken from her unconsciousness, and the escorts rushed to restrain her, but she shoved weakly against them.

"Your Highness, you must rest—"

"Why are we leaving?!" she shouted as she spotted Kiev. "Why are we returning so suddenly?!"

Jessy appeared, rushing out from the cabin. Moments earlier, Callis had started to regain consciousness. As her mind refocused on reality, the nanny was flooded with numerous questions about what had happened.

Jessy tried to placate the Mederian Princess, sidestepping the most troubling inquiries and offering half-answers meant to soothe rather than explain. But an ominous feeling had already taken root.

Callis was far too perceptive. The slight sway under her feet, the faint creak of the wood, and the unfamiliar scent of salt and tar indicated to her that they were on board a vessel, set to sail.

Kiev turned slowly at the queries, unwavering.

"It is time to go back," he said.

Callis asked in disbelief, "Why are you doing this? Why now?"

"This is the best way for you and Anna to be protected. You both can only be safe in Semeta."

"But Rafe—"

"He’s not coming with us."

That reply shattered her heart almost instantly. It was obvious Kiev had acted on his own, disregarding both Anna and her feelings and the bond they shared with their spouses.

"No! You can’t do this to me! I must be with Rafe! I’m married to him! He wouldn’t allow this! Where is he? Where—"

Her wild gaze, searching for the healer, shifted to the dock below and halted when she saw him among the knights.

Rafe was looking up at her, anguish plain on his face, as if he might leap across the distance to reach her, but something—or rather some reason—was holding him.

"Your husband agrees with this decision," Kiev interjected.

Callis shook her head violently. The words made no sense.

"That’s not true! Rafe would never agree!" she cried. "You must have threatened him!"

"Ask him yourself," the Mederian Prince said calmly.

Callis did not wait and bolted toward the gangplank.

The escorts tensed, their faces showing alarm, but Kiev raised a hand to stop them from pursuing.

"Let her be."

They hesitated at first, but then obeyed.

Jessy watched nervously but refrained from opposing the Mederian Prince’s orders. Instead, she inquired, "Your Highness... where is Her Highness Princess Elisabeth?"

Her voice was tinged with concern as she noticed that only he was present. The absence was impossible to miss.

"She’s not coming with us," Kiev replied solemnly.

"What?" Jessy’s gaze darted to the dock below.

Elis was nowhere among the gathered figures.

"Oh, no!" the nanny cried, panic coming through. "Your Highness, please... You must do something!"

Kiev’s jaw tightened.

"I already have," he said quietly. "This is her decision."

The words were steady, but something brittle lay beneath them—disappointment tempered by wounded resolve.

Jessy broke into tears.

Kiev did not look away. He stood in silence as his sister ran down the gangplank. Her steps faltered midway, her strength failing, and she nearly fell.

Rafe, who came running, caught her. She clutched at his chest as though it were the only thing keeping her upright, her sobs breaking free.

"Why is this happening, Rafe?" she cried. "Brother said we’re returning to Semeta... but you—you’re not coming with us. Why?"

Rafe’s arms trembled as he held her.

For a heartbeat, he nearly told her the truth; that Kiev blamed him for failing to protect her...

That he didn’t want her to go... That he would follow her if only he were allowed...

But his gaze lifted. On the deck above, the Mederian Prince observed with crimson eyes, his expression cold and detached.

Rafe’s chest tightened as Kiev’s words echoed in his mind.

’Don’t bite more than you can chew.’

He could understand him clearly now. Then, without warning, Rafe pushed Callis away.

A gasp ran through the crowd. They anticipated that he would hold her and prevent her from leaving. However, contrary to expectations, he did the opposite.

The Mederian Princess staggered back, staring at him in disbelief. "Rafe...?"

"Go!" he snapped. "You don’t belong here."

Her lips trembled. "What are you saying...?"

"I said go!" The healer’s voice rose, sharp and determined. "Go back to where you came from!"

Her eyes glazed over, tears pooling at the edges.

"But, why?" she asked, utterly confused. "You promised—we promised—we were going to be together and—"

"I lied," he cut in harshly. "The truth is, I don’t like you. You’re stubborn, difficult, and bring nothing but trouble. Due to your impulsive decision to pursue the enemy, I was severely reprimanded by your brother. This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened in my life! So leave! I don’t want to see you any more!"

Callis’s breath hitched. She wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

"You don’t mean this!"

"I mean every word!"

Callis’s tears start to fall—one drop, then another, until the floodgates open.

"I—I can change! If there’s any shortcoming, I—"

"You will never change!" Rafe barked. "Look at you... How could you ever be a good wife? You can’t even cook! That chicken you served me before..." He scoffed cruelly. "It was the worst meal I’ve ever had."

The words struck her like a bolt.

Her chest felt hollow, her heart caving inward. The world blurred; the dock, the ship, and the faces around her all faded behind her tears as the weight of the pain compressed her lungs.

"But—I—I’m still learning to cook—"

"At this age? Forget it!" Rafe shouted. "You’re a Mederian Princess, and you’re used to having things serve you rather than serving others! You will never learn or adapt! And worst of all, you stripped me of my freedom by forcing me to marry you!"

Those words cut deeper than before.

"Just what the h*ll is he doing?!"

Alex, who stood farther back with the other knights, surged forward, ready to put an end to the madness.

Raised in a noble family of high status, he was always the calm one. However, witnessing Rafe publicly humiliate Callis with cruel, baseless accusations broke his last restraint.

The Mederian Princess had sacrificed and endured too much for this to be tolerated.

Drystan, Luke, and Eli moved with him, their outrage mirroring Alex’s.

"Don’t interfere!" Eric barked, thrusting out both arms and blocking their path.

"But, Sir Navin—" Eli protested, "Mrs Amares doesn’t deserve to be treated like this!"

"You don’t know Rafael the way I do," the second-in-command said firmly, casting them a warning glance before turning back to the scene unfolding before the gangplank. "If you did, you’d understand how broken he already is."

Standing at Eric’s side before, Noah watched silently. Among the others, he understood the situation, much like the second-in-command knight.

It was painful to witness, but what lay beneath the healer’s venomous words was far more devastating than anger alone could be.

Even the king and the admiral could see this, and among those men, Ayden and Armel had already burst into tears. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Rafe... please don’t say this," Callis sobbed. "You said you loved me!"

"I don’t love you, Callis," Rafe replied coldly. "The truth is, I never did. So go home to your people. That’s where you should be."

The words struck lethal this time. Something inside the Mederian Princess shattered. Completely.

Callis collapsed to the ground, her body giving way as if she were glass crumbling into dust.

"That’s enough!"

Clara suddenly lunged forward with intense anger. She clenched her fist, grabbed Rafe by his cloak, and pulled him closer. Her arm cocked to hit, but she held herself from doing so.

If the man had been just a random person, he would likely have a broken jaw and several other injuries by now.

"How can you say that after everything she has done?" she cried.

The knightess was astonishingly fast, approaching from the opposite direction and closing the distance to the couple before Eric could stop her.

The second-in-command knight did not lunge forward; his eyes caught the tremor in her hand, and in that instant, he knew she would not harm him.

Seeing that the second-in-command knight made no move, the others held their positions, recognising the unspoken command.

Athillia and Sylvia rushed past, dropping to their knees beside Callis, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why are you blaming her so harshly, Mr Amares?" Sylvia demanded. "Callis didn’t do anything wrong!"

"Shame on you!" Athillia added, voice pissed. "I thought you were a person with great empathy. Turns out, you’re not!"

Rafe tore his gaze toward them, eyes glaring.

"This has nothing to do with you," he snapped. "I’m the one trapped in a meaningless marriage, not you!" Then his attention shifted to Clara. "And you... Kiev healed you as repayment for sending that signal in time. Now that you’ve regained your strength, have you forgotten who treated you before that? Or does your gratitude only extend to him, and not me?"

Clara’s grip loosened, her eyes wide with surprise. This was no longer the gentle ’Mr Amares’ everyone knew. She couldn’t comprehend what had transformed him into such a gloomy and unrecognisable figure.

"Enough."

Kiev’s voice cut through the chaos.

At his command, the Mederian escorts surged forward and went down the gangplanks. They carefully lifted Callis and guided her back to the ship.

The Mederian Princess did not resist. She only cried, softly and weakly now, her strength finally spent.

The gangplank was raised. Without a goodbye, the vessel pulled away from the dock, sails catching the wind as it drifted toward the open sea.

A heavy silence settled over those left behind, the ship shrinking against the grey horizon.

Then, suddenly—

A black warhorse thundered into view.

Kyren leapt from the saddle before the horse had fully stopped, stumbling hard as his bare feet hit the ground, but he did not slow.

Tunic undone and without even a cloak to ward against the winter, he drove himself forward, breath tearing from his lungs, eyes wild as he sprinted toward the dock.

But it was too late.

The ship was already gone.