The Grand Duke's Soulmate-Chapter 569: A fragile resolve

The majestic ship surged through the vast, frigid sea, its dark hull rising and falling in a steady rhythm as waves crashed against its sides.

That morning, the weather seemed milder than on most days of the voyage, with calmer winds and a less oppressive sky.

More often than not, however, the journey had been anything but merciful.

Some days were ravaged by violent storms; some nights, relentless rain turned to sleet, stinging skin and deck alike.

Other times, a thick fog would suddenly roll in, engulfing the mast and bow, obscuring the horizon until only damp wood and the creak of strained ropes remained.

Ice clung to the rigging and railings, footsteps rang sharply against the frozen deck, and time itself seemed to lose meaning beneath the unbroken grey sky.

It had not been an easy passage—just as Eric had warned. Yet for all its hardships, Kiev’s magic had become the vessel’s unseen backbone. His power did not merely protect the ship; it sustained it.

When darkness swallowed the sea, he cast spells of light to pierce the void and restore their sight. When icebergs loomed in their path, his fire melted a way through. When the cold grew cruel and unbearable, warmth spread through the hull at his command.

No one suffered under his watch. No one complained. And despite all these challenges and obstacles they faced, not once did Kiev’s resolve waver.

The captain’s early uncertainty for the perilous voyage hardened into confidence, and the crew’s trust in the Mederian Prince deepened as days passed.

"Please eat something, my princess. You’ve barely had anything," Jessy pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time already.

Callis did not answer.

She sat on the bed, her knees raised and her head turned towards the narrow cabin window, as she leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the bleak expanse of sea beyond the glass. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The waters lay dull and colourless beneath the winter sky, as though nature itself mirrored the emptiness in her heart.

"I don’t feel like eating, Jessy," she said quietly at last.

Since their departure, the Mederian Princess had scarcely touched her meals.

At most, she would take a few sips of broth or swallow a mouthful of water—just enough to keep her body from failing, and even then only after Kiev’s stern insistence.

More often, she refused outright and lay motionless in bed, her spirit drained, as though the passing days no longer held meaning.

The toll on her body had become impossible to go unnoticed.

What had once been a full, radiant figure had withered into something frail. Her skin had lost its warmth, turning pallid beneath the cabin light; her limbs looked thinner, almost delicate, as though they no longer belonged to the woman she once was.

The rosy glow that had once coloured her cheeks, enough to turn heads without effort, had faded into hollow shadows. Even her ruby-red eyes, once alight with warmth and life, now appeared dim, stripped of hope.

At this point, she was not living.

She was merely surviving.

"His Highness Prince Kiev won’t be pleased if he finds out you refused again," Jessy tried gently, though the weariness in her voice betrayed her concern.

Callis’s lips curved into a faint, bitter smile, her eyes never leaving the window.

"It doesn’t matter," she murmured. "He can scold me again if he wishes. It won’t change anything."

Jessy lowered her gaze to the untouched porridge in her hands. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a quiet sigh, and before she could stop herself, tears slipped down and stained her kirtle. She hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand, drawing in a steadying breath.

No. She couldn’t break now.

No matter how painful the outcome had been, no matter how heavy the grief that followed them onto this ship, Jessy refused to believe this was the end.

Kiev had fought tooth and nail to save both Anna and Callis. That fact alone offered her a small hope that things would be better one day.

Therefore, she could not allow herself to drown in the same despair that was slowly consuming the young Mederian Princess.

"I know you’re hurting," Jessy said softly as she stepped closer. "Perhaps angry at everything... but things don’t happen without reason—"

Callis let out a hollow chuckle. The words almost made her laugh. Almost.

"Angry?" she murmured. "I don’t even have the strength to be angry, Jessy. My soulmate abandoned me... He pushed me away and told me he hated me... that he never loved me." Her voice wavered, then steadied into something painfully calm. "Tell me, how am I supposed to live as I once did after that?"

Her tears had long since dried. Days of crying had drained them completely. What remained was not anguish, but a deep, lingering sorrow that clung to her chest like lead.

Jessy quietly set the porridge aside and took Callis’s arm, gripping it with her warm hands.

"My princess," she said gently, "your pain is real. No one is asking you to pretend otherwise."

She paused, choosing her words with care. "But Her Highness Princess Anna is suffering in a way far crueller than heartbreak. She lost her baby, and she couldn’t be with her husband."

Callis’s fingers twitched. The mention of Anna stirred something deep within her chest.

"She needs you," Jessy continued softly, "as a friend who will stand beside her when she wakes."

"Anna hasn’t awakened?" The Mederian Princess turned quickly, her hollow gaze sharpening with sudden urgency. She straightened her upper body and no longer leaned.

Jessy shook her head.

"The excessive use of magic has damaged her body severely. Her strength is spent, and her lifeline has been stretched too thin," she explained in a low voice. "Only Semeta can save her now. Had she remained anywhere on the continent, she would not have survived."

Callis swallowed hard.

"So... that is why brother brought her back so urgently," she murmured.

Understanding dawned painfully slow. All this time, Kiev had acted without explanation, not out of cruelty, but necessity. Yet he had never spoken of it.

Perhaps he couldn’t, or perhaps her own fragile state had made him hesitate.

"Still... Brother could have brought His Highness the Grand Duke with us," the Mederian Princess said solemnly. "That way, they wouldn’t be separated like this."

"It isn’t possible," Jessy replied quietly. "The oath would not allow it."

"Oath?" Callis turned at once. "What do you mean?"

"His Highness the Grand Duke made an oath in exchange for His Highness Prince Kiev’s," the nanny explained. "Do you remember the oath your brother once swore to Her Imperial Highness, Princess Angela’s tomb?"

Callis pondered for a moment. As the memory surfaced, her eyes fell shut, and she released a weary sigh.

"It was the only way for His Highness Prince Kiev to withdraw his oath," Jessy continued, "and to surrender Princess Anna without suffering its consequences."

"What is the new oath?" Callis pressed. "Tell me."

Jessy bit her lower lip, her brow creasing as if the words themselves felt heavy. At last, she spoke.

"His Highness the Grand Duke swore that he must never fail in protecting Princess Anna... And should it happen, he would lose all rights to her. At that point, His Highness Prince Kiev is bound to reclaim Princess Anna and take her back to where she belongs without question."

"My goodness..." Callis gasped.

"There is more," Jessy added, "and this is the most troubling part."

Callis stiffened. "What is it?"

"In his own words, spoken freely, without coercion, he declared ’The one who shields her in her moment of fall shall not walk beside her beyond the threshold.’"

"What does that mean?"

Jessy swallowed.

"It means that if he fails her even once... he can no longer stand by her side. That is why he cannot come with us."

The explanation left Callis utterly bewildered.

"Dear Lord," she whispered. "How could he make such an oath?"

"Perhaps he trusted too greatly in his own strength," Jessy said, "and never imagined a circumstance that could prevent him from fulfilling it."

Callis shook her head slowly, releasing another heavy sigh. Her own heart was already fractured, yet, as Jessy had said, Anna’s suffering was far worse than hers.

Then suddenly, she reached out and clasped the nanny’s hand.

"Can it be undone?" she asked, hope in her eyes. "Brother exchanged his oath with the new one to withdraw his. Surely there must be a way."

Jessy lowered her gaze.

"I’m afraid not. His Highness the Grand Duke sealed it with his power, which is equal to the Khasif’s. No one can undo it. Not even the Ro’an elders in Semeta."

Callis’s shoulders slumped. Her face fell, hollowed by disappointment and grief.

Anna should never have had to endure such a hardship.

She had been nothing but kind, welcoming the Mederian Princess without prejudice or jealousy, drawing her gently into a circle of companionship with Meredith, Sylvia, Emily, Athillia and Clara.

To others, it may have seemed trivial. To Callis, it meant everything.

Friendship was hard to come by in Semeta. Her beauty had always stood between her and others—women viewed her with envy, while men viewed her with shallow desire.

There had been no sincerity in their smiles, and no warmth without expectation. Growing up, she had only ever managed to call one person a true friend.

And now... Anna.

The thought tightened painfully around Callis’s chest. To leave the princess facing such a predicament alone, after having formed a precious bond, felt unbearably cruel.

The Mederian Princess’s thoughts slowly gathered, settling into a firm resolve.

She had lost Rafe, yet her heart refused to accept it.

The contradiction of a man who once vowed to protect her, yet later pushed her away with harsh words, tore her apart.

If he had never truly loved her, why did his touch feel so genuine? Why did her chest still ache when she remembered his voice?

She did not hate him. She could never.

What hurt the most was the longing — the helpless wish that he would come for her, call her name, and that everything spoken at the dock had been a mistake born of desperation rather than truth.

Her heart remained with him, even as it broke. But even so... she could not afford to lose Anna too.

"Hand me the bowl, Jessy," the Mederian Princess said.

Jessy paused for a moment before relief washed over her features.

Somehow, the mention of Anna had reached Callis in a way nothing else could. The emptiness in her eyes softened, giving way to a new determination.

The nanny handed the porridge without hesitation.

"Eat well, Princess," Jessy encouraged gently. "You’ll need your strength for Princess Anna."

Callis nodded.

She lifted the spoon and ate slowly. The warmth of the broth spread through her, her cheeks flushing as she savoured the vegetables and tender meat in the broth.

Each swallow was hard, but she persisted, embracing her choice to live again, one breath at a time.

For the first time since they had set sail, a small smile appeared on Jessy’s face. Change, though fragile, had finally begun.