It was a daily routine for the King of Cassian. After waking up early in the morning, he held his prayer and was given the details of the breviary by his chaplain.
As usual, he attended the temple within the courtyard and met the public after the mass. Being a benevolent king, he would listen to the public's petitions, complaints or supplications and respond reasonably.
After attending the royal council, King Kyden had a late-morning breakfast with his wife, Queen Emelda. Then, he joined the throne hall, where many people, including foreign ambassadors, noblemen, and knights, gathered to discuss various matters. He received news from all over the place, signed some letters, attended to their requests, sometimes arguments, and so on for about two hours.
It was the time for King Kyden to withdraw and retire to rest when the chamberlain entered the hall holding a scroll of a report. The chamberlain waited for all attendees to disperse before having an audience with him.
"Your Majesty, this is the monthly report from the campaign to secure the frontier near the City of Tarnova." The chamberlain presented the report to the king sitting on his chair.
King Kyden received the scroll and held it in his hand. A faint smile emerged on his lips. He was sure that everything was smooth as per previous months' reports.
Since his brother went for the campaign for two consecutive seasons, the number of cases had dropped significantly. When it came to battle or defence, the Knights of Gerhard had always been the best in the kingdom.
"I anticipate that everything is going well as usual. I wouldn't have questioned it since the grand duke leads the order of the knights himself," he said proudly.
"Yes. They had been stationed there for several months now. It's about time you announce the rest interval," replied the chamberlain.
"You're right. We should call them back now. It's approaching late summer already. At this time, the slave market won't be as busy as before," King Kyden agreed.
The king opened the scroll and went through the report calmly. The writing denoted the usual outcome as expected.
But then, his eyes stopped at the last part of the report. He frowned his forehead as he read the sentences in the paragraph.
"Charles, is this report correct? Or is somebody making a prank?" he asked seriously as he turned to his chamberlain before him.
The chamberlain named Charles curved his eyebrows as his gaze slid over the king. The question raised by King Kyden made him wonder. Why would anyone throw a joke over a national security matter?
Charles did not read the report's content as it was strictly sensitive information only to be known by the king. He would only know it if the king told him or allowed him to read it afterwards.
However, when he received the scroll from the carrier who delivered the report, an unbelievable gossip was whispered to him. It was a rumour about the Grand Duke of Gerhard.
The news was so shocking that he could not believe it himself. To avoid the gossip from spreading, Charles warned the carrier not to tell anyone and kept his mouth shut.
The carrier, who was also a loyal servant to Cassian's king and royal family like the chamberlain, adhered to him to keep the gossip a secret from anyone else.
Charles was anxious to share the news with the king. Nevertheless, prioritising the task, he needed to wait until King Kyden finished reviewing the report.
"It is correct. I've verified it myself with the carrier," the chamberlain replied.
The report was handed straight from the hand of the carrier to the king through him. Even without disclosing the content, the chamberlain could verify the report's authenticity by identifying the seal stamped on the leather cover.
King Kyden looked at the report again. It bore the Grand Duke of Gerhard's official seal. There was no doubt that it was valid.
As the Knight Commander, the grand duke was in charge of reporting the outcome of the executed campaign, the details in the knights' camp, and other related matters.
The report's content was always the same, except for this one, which also included the news about Kyren and Anna's marriage.
"My goodness! My brother is married!"
Surprised, King Kyden rose from his chair immediately. The chamberlain swallowed his saliva.
So, the gossip was indeed true!
"This is shocking news! How did this happen?" the king shouted in excitement. He looked at his chamberlain in astonishment.
"I'm not sure, Your Majesty. However, I did hear some gossip from the carrier," Charles began to break the news.
"A gossip? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" King Kyden squinted his eyes at his chamberlain.
"It wouldn't be proper to report it without solid evidence. After all, it's a gossip about His Royal Highness, the Grand Duke of Gerhard. I wouldn't dare," Charles answered nervously and looked down, averting his gaze from colliding with the king.
Though King Kyden was known to be much more tolerant than Kyren, who was much stricter and fiercer, he would not take it lightly when anyone talked badly about his brother.
The two siblings had a close relationship, although the grand duke rarely visited the palace after his brother's wedding.
No one would doubt their closeness since they were fraternal twins. Furthermore, Kyren's influence in the government was still significant as he was the previous Crown Prince of Cassian.
As such, the chamberlain tried hard not to offend either of them at any time.
"Come here," the king beckoned the chamberlain with his index finger to come close. The tone of his voice was low and demanding.
Obeying the king, Charles approached him quickly. As the two stood quite close, King Kyden sternly ordered, "Spat it out! Now!"
Without further procrastinating, the chamberlain quickly answered, "It was said that His Highness brought an unknown woman to the camp one night. They got married immediately and consummated that very night. The lady is still in the camp with him," Charles whispered to the king's ear.
"Heavens, Lord! He legalised his marriage!" King Kyden exclaimed.
According to the Kingdom of Cassian's law, a marriage was considered valid and legal when it was consummated between a husband and wife. A legal union of a royal family member could not be annulled, and the couple could only divorce with the king's consent.
A legitimate wife could also carry the official title of nobility when marrying a nobleman upon declaration by the king. In any case of divorce, she had the right to claim half of her husband's property and get full custody of children below one year from the marriage.
"Yes, Your Majesty. That's what the gossip says. But, I found it hard to believe," Charles responded.
"I know. That man has been avoiding women like the plague all his life." King Kyden smiled mischievously.
"Yes, I was surprised too when I heard the news. Since the grand duke stated so in the report, that means he really did get married," said Charles with a thrill.
King Kyden was still bewildered by the news. He was so excited that his blue eyes dazzled brightly, and his face radiated unspoken happiness.
The report on the marriage was simple and elaborated in a short paragraph. It only stated that the Grand Duke of Gerhard had married a woman now known as Lady Anna Raychard. No other details were given about the king's new sister-in-law.
However, the brief news brought joy to King Kyden's heart. All the years, he had tried hard to persuade his brother to withdraw his proclamation to be celibate but failed.
Although he had repeatedly introduced Kyren to many beautiful noblewomen, none had captivated his brother. Even the grand duke's diehard fan club, which consisted of young maidens from around the kingdom, did not cause Kyren's heart to stir.
"Don't you find it weird that my brother suddenly marries a woman while on duty?" King Kyden held his chin with a brooding look, thinking about the gossip told to him.
Knowing his brother, Kyren was not a man who would make a rash decision without adequately considering the consequences. Furthermore, marrying a woman was a considerable commitment, and the marriage was legalised.
"I do. There must be a reason why His Highness decided so. After all, he is a wise person like you," said Charles.
"I really want to know what happened. But he didn't state anything about it in the report. I need to see which maiden had won his stone-cold heart and changed his mind. She must be one of a kind!"
"If Your Majesty wishes to meet her, then I would like to give a suggestion," Charles proposed.
King Kyden turned to him and asked with interest, "What's your suggestion?"
"A royal family member's wedding was supposed to be held in the palace. But since they married at the frontier, you could demand them to come for an audience. Your Majesty can issue the order for the rest of the interval and summon them together. Besides, you've yet to bestow the official title to the lady," advised Charles.
King Kyden nodded lightly, agreeing to the suggestion.
"That's a good proposal! Prepare the letter now. I'll sign it right away!" said King Kyden excitedly.
He could hardly wait to see his mysterious sister-in-law, the woman who had done the impossible in just one night!