Chapter 458: Between Imposing And Protecting
Blood smeared his face and splattered onto King Kyden’s fist. The knights felt a pang of guilt, but they understood that the king had resorted to this extreme measure to prevent even more disastrous consequences.
King Kyden rose to his feet, panting heavily, his hand trembling and stained with blood. The bedroom was cloaked in a heavy silence from the aftermath. The only sounds piercing the quiet were the cries of Anna, Elis, Callis, and Jessy.
Though Meredith did not cry, she appeared visibly shaken. The lady-in-waiting fought to maintain her composure, understanding that she had to be the strong pillar for those affected in this tumultuous moment.
Her heart ached for the pain and chaos surrounding her, but she knew that showing her own distress would only add to the already devastating situation.
"I didn’t want to do this, Kyren. But you left me no choice," the king said, looking down at his motionless brother with remorse. "Take him to his chamber," he commanded the Knights of Gerhard with a heavy heart.
The knights immediately obeyed. Garin and Drystan carefully lifted Kyren’s limp form and took him out of the chamber, followed by the other knights.
Seeing the condition of the grand duke, Rafe insisted on following along.
"I need to check on His Highness. I’ll get back to you, Callis. I promise! Wait for me here!" he said as he rushed to follow them.
Callis merely bowed her head, allowing her husband to go. It was true what Kiev had once said; no matter how compassionate Rafe could be, his loyalty lay with the grand duke, and there was nothing she could do to change that.
"Your Majesty, I plead with you! Please conduct a thorough investigation before reaching a conclusion! My husband is not the culprit! He has never touched me, let alone Lady Raychard! He’s is not a lustful person!" Elis fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Lady James’s accusations are baseless! Just because they were in the forest one night doesn’t mean they did those things! He sacrificed himself to save her and nearly died because of it! The Knights of Gerhard know what truly happened! Please believe me!"
"As much as you and the knights want to convince me with your version of events, you must also realise that Prince Kiev has never withdrawn his claim on Anna. Did he ever tell you that he no longer desires her? Or did he make it clear he would not pursue her any longer?" King Kyden’s voice oozed with restrained anger, his teeth gritting as he spoke.