The Grand Duke's Soulmate-Chapter 593: An Unknown Sacrifice

The three ladies sat closely together on the settee, their eyes wide with anticipation as they waited for an answer.

Rachel lifted her gaze toward them, only to let out a quiet sigh. The weight in her chest was evident as she turned her face away.

"It’s... personal," she said at last. "I’m not in a position to speak about it."

She paused, shaking her head faintly.

"And it has been years. There’s no point in bringing it up now."

"Oh, come on," Emily protested, leaning forward. "You say that, but just the other day Lady Perna struck Sir Skyler on the head with a broom."

"And before that, she slapped him in the garden," Meredith added quickly.

Sylvia folded her arms, recalling the earlier incident.

"And on the day she arrived, she threw a bucket of vomit at him."

Rachel pressed her fingers to her temple.

"Must you all list it out like that..." she muttered under her breath.

Emily huffed.

"At this rate, by the time Mr Amares’s entourage returns, someone might actually get killed in this castle. How are we supposed to explain that to His Highness?"

Sylvia nodded firmly.

"She’s right. This is no longer just a personal matter. It’s becoming a disruption to the entire household."

Her tone softened slightly, but her gaze remained steady on Rachel.

"And forgive me for saying this... but your sister is becoming bolder each time. If this continues, things will only escalate."

Meredith inclined her head in agreement.

"We are not asking out of curiosity," she said calmly. "We only want to find a way to resolve this before it worsens."

Rachel exhaled slowly.

She had tried.

More than once, she had spoken to Beatrice, urging her to restrain her anger—even if only for the sake of appearances. But every attempt had ended the same way.

Her sister would listen.

And then ignore it entirely the moment Garin stood before her.

"Please, Rachel," Sylvia said softly, her expression pleading now. "For the sake of the castle’s peace... we need to know."

She hesitated before adding the final weight of her words. "Otherwise... there may be no choice left. Lady Perna and her services may have to be dismissed."

Rachel turned sharply, her eyes widening in alarm.

"Do you think it’s that simple?" she demanded. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to replace them?"

Her voice grew more urgent.

"We need a large number of workers, and we need them quickly. Beatrice’s company was the only one capable of fulfilling that demand on such short notice!"

She shook her head, frustrated.

"And they’ve proven their worth. Every one of them is skilled and efficient. This isn’t about taking her side because she’s my sister—I simply cannot terminate a contract that His Highness the Grand Duke himself approved!"

Her tone hardened.

"If we breach that agreement, the duchy will suffer severe financial consequences. His Highness wouldn’t be pleased with such mismanagement!"

Meredith exchanged a glance with the others before nodding.

"Rachel is right," she said. "From a practical standpoint, Lady Perna’s people are exceptional. They learn quickly, make few mistakes, and adapt well to our rules. To train an entirely new group would take far more time, effort, and expense."

"And the midwives..." Emily added, placing a hand protectively over her belly, "They are among the best I’ve seen. We cannot afford to lose them."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

It was clear now that they could not remove Beatrice and her company. Which meant they had to resolve this.

Sylvia leaned back slightly, crossing her arms.

"Then we have no choice," she said. "We need to fix whatever is between them."

She tilted her head.

"From what we’ve seen... it doesn’t look like Sir Skyler is fighting back at all," Emily remarked, her brows slightly drawn together. "He endures everything. And even after such humiliation... he still approaches her every single time."

Meredith nodded thoughtfully.

"They were once a couple and nearly married," she said. "To me, it seems Sir Skyler still harbours feelings for Lady Perna. Otherwise, why would he keep seeking her out and trying to reconcile?"

Sylvia glanced at her companion, her tone more measured.

"He left her at the altar, Mer. Whatever his reasons were, that alone is enough to warrant an apology."

Rachel’s eyes widened. Her gaze shifted quickly between the two women.

"You knew?" she asked, alarmed.

"We overheard them in the garden the other day," Meredith replied.

Rachel turned to Emily, who remained unusually composed.

"And you?" she asked. "Did you know as well?"

Emily gave a small shrug.

"Sylvia told me everything. And honestly... it’s not just us. The entire household has taken notice. The servants have already begun whispering about it."

Meredith and Sylvia exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement.

"They must have witnessed some of the same altercations," Meredith said. Then, a puzzled look crossed her face. "Still... something doesn’t add up."

She leaned back slightly, frowning in thought.

"I used to oversee gatherings for His Highness’s admirers. I made it a point to learn everything about the knights under his command," she continued. "Yet somehow... Sir Skyler’s broken engagement never reached my ears."

"That’s because it was never meant to be public," Rachel said quietly. "The wedding was intended to be a small affair, attended only by the families. Even their relationship was kept discreet."

All three women turned to her at once.

"They did not wish to invite unnecessary attention, given that my sister was already well past the usual marriageable age, while Sir Skyler was a widower," Rachel explained.

At last, the silence surrounding the matter began to crack.

Sylvia gave a steady gaze.

"We understand why your sister cannot forgive him," she said. "Being abandoned on such a day... no woman would easily let that go."

Her voice softened, but her eyes remained intent.

"What we don’t understand is... why."

Meredith folded her hands in her lap.

"Sir Skyler does not strike me as a man who would act so carelessly," she added. "And from what we’ve seen, he carries himself as someone who believes he is at fault... yet refuses to explain."

Emily turned her head to Meredith.

"That’s what makes it stranger," she said. "If it were simple betrayal, he wouldn’t keep returning to her like this."

Rachel remained silent.

The three women watched her closely now.

Sylvia spoke again, more gently this time.

"This is what we seek from you, Rachel," she said. "Not out of idle curiosity... but because this situation cannot continue."

Meredith nodded.

"If we are to resolve this conflict between them, we need to understand what caused it." Emily added quietly, "Otherwise... we’re only watching the same wound being reopened, again and again."

All eyes rested on Rachel. The truth was no longer something they merely wondered about. It had become something they needed.

Rachel shook her head slowly.

"The truth is... I don’t really know," she admitted. "All he ever said was that he wasn’t ready—that he couldn’t forget his late wife and child."

Her brows drew together faintly.

"But even then... it never felt like the whole truth. If he truly couldn’t move on from his past, then how did he fall for her in the first place? Especially during the time Eric and I were in courtship."

"Wait... they fell in love while Sir Navin was courting you?" Emily exclaimed, surprised.

Rachel nodded, her expression solemn.

"They were our chaperones," she explained. "While Eric and I were getting to know one another... the two of them grew close as well."

A melancholic expression crossed her face.

"It started quietly. At first, they tried to hide it. I suppose they felt guilty for letting their feelings develop during such a time... but neither of us minded."

Her gaze softened.

"In fact, we were happy for them. And... out of respect for Beatrice, who had struggled to raise me after our parents’ passing, we agreed that their wedding should take place before ours."

"Then what happened?" asked Sylvia.

"I don’t know," Rachel shook her head. "There were no arguments. No signs of conflict. Nothing at all..." Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap. "He simply didn’t show up on the wedding day."

"Oh, my goodness..." Meredith breathed. "Sir Skyler did that? I can’t believe it. He doesn’t seem like an irresponsible man."

"Shocking, isn’t it?" Rachel replied, a faint trace of bitterness slipping into her tone. "We couldn’t believe it either."

The room fell silent as the story continued.

"Beatrice waited," said Rachel, her voice growing heavier. "She kept waiting... until we couldn’t bear it any longer. So we went to his place, thinking something might have happened to him. But he wasn’t there."

Her gaze lowered.

"When we finally found him... he was drunk, in a tavern."

Emily frowned.

"And what did he say?"

Rachel let out a quiet breath.

"Only that he couldn’t go through with it," she answered. "That he still loved his late wife."

Emily’s expression hardened.

"And your sister?"

Rachel’s voice softened.

"She begged him," she said. "...pleaded with him to marry her anyway."

A pause.

"But he refused. Even after he sobered up, he didn’t change his answer," Rachel continued. "He said he wanted to devote himself to his duties as a knight... that marriage would only distract him."

"That’s absurd," Sylvia said sharply. "Since when does marriage hinder a knight’s duty? That’s unheard of."

"Exactly. It sounds like a man repeating something he convinced himself to believe," added Emily.

Rachel gave a faint, hollow smile.

"But what could we say? Even when Eric and I tried to reason with him, he wouldn’t budge. The matter was even brought before His Highness the Grand Duke... yet Sir Skyler gave the same answer. Over and over again."

She paused briefly.

"He even repaid every expense for the wedding as a form of apology."

Meredith shook her head slowly.

"No wonder Lady Perna could never forgive him," she murmured. "To be humiliated like that... and without a proper explanation..."

Rachel looked away.

"I distanced myself from Sir Skyler after that," she admitted quietly. "We were close once. I had already begun to think of him as family."

A faint sadness lingered in Rachel’s voice.

"If none of this had happened... things might have been very different."

Emily exhaled softly, her expression shifting.

"No wonder you dislike him. We’ve been wondering why you’ve always been so sceptical of Sir Skyler."

"How could I not?" Rachel replied. "After what he did to my sister..."

Her gaze lowered slightly.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to work alongside him at all. But my respect for His Highness the Grand Duke is far greater than my personal feelings."

She drew a steady breath.

"He was the one who ensured the union between Eric and me. Without his intervention, our marriage would not have been possible. So... I could not refuse when he appointed me as Chief Lady-in-Waiting of Gerhard."

Meredith gave a small nod.

"His Highness has always had a keen eye for people," she said. "He must have seen something in you that others might overlook."

"He did," Sylvia added calmly. "And none of us disagreed with his decision. In truth, there is no one more suited for the position than you, Rachel."

Rachel gave an appreciative smile.

"You’re kind to say that."

"You mentioned that His Highness knew about Sir Skyler’s actions," she said. "Did he intervene at all?" asked Meredith.

Rachel shook her head.

"No," she replied. "No one pressed him after that. Everyone knew what he had gone through before meeting Beatrice. The loss nearly broke him."

Rachel continued quietly, "It took him years to recover. By the time he met Beatrice, he had only just begun to rebuild his life."

Sylvia’s expression turned serious.

"Then it will be difficult for them to reconcile," she said. "Given how Lady Perna reacts whenever she sees him... I don’t see how that could ever be resolved."

Rachel shook her head.

"It won’t happen, Sylvia," she said, her voice firm yet heavy. "My sister has already burned that bridge. What remains in her heart for him now... is nothing but resentment and hatred."

Before anyone could respond—

’Bang!’

The door to Rachel’s office was flung open without warning.

All four women startled.

Beatrice stood at the entrance.

Her breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her hair was slightly dishevelled, and her eyes—red and glistening—made it clear she had been crying.

In her trembling hand, she clutched a piece of paper.

"Beatrice?" Rachel rose immediately, alarm flashing across her face. "What happened? Were you arguing with Sir Skyler again?"

Her eyes quickly swept over her sister. The other ladies were also watching with curiosity.

"Did he hurt you?"

Beatrice didn’t answer. Her lips trembled. Slowly, she stepped forward.

Then, with a shaking hand, she raised the letter she held. Her voice broke as she spoke.

"...Did you know?"

Rachel froze.

"Knew... what?" she asked cautiously.

Beatrice’s eyes locked onto hers, filled with disbelief and pain.

"That Garin cancelled our wedding..." her voice wavered, "...for the sake of Eric... and you?"