Agnes walked out of the patrol station with slow, unsteady steps, her eyes staring blankly ahead.
It was as though only her body had left the building while her mind remained behind, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
Suddenly, her foot misstepped. Her ankle wobbled, and her body tilted dangerously to the side.
Before she could fall, a large arm quickly swept around her waist, catching and steadying her.
Agnes turned, her eyes widening in alarm when she found Luke standing dangerously close, one arm still around her.
Behind them stood Kyren, Noah, Eric and Rafe, all witnessing the scene.
"Let go of me!" she shouted, immediately pushing the knight away.
Luke released her at once.
Agnes straightened herself, quickly fixing her posture and brushing down her clothes as though trying to regain whatever dignity she had left.
"Hey, don’t be so hostile," the knight said with a slight sneer. "I was just helping. You were about to fall."
"What right do you think you have to hold me?" Agnes’s temper flared again.
"Isn’t he your husband now?" Noah suddenly cut in. "You both signed the papers. Surely he has the right to do more than that."
"Shut up!"
Both Agnes and Luke turned towards him and shouted in unison.
Noah only smirked, clearly amused by their reaction.
"Enough, Noah," Rafe suddenly said. "You’re not helping by saying that."
The knight merely shrugged as the healer stepped forward and approached Agnes.
"Are you all right?" he asked in a softer tone.
The court lady nodded solemnly. Her eyes were still watery, and her nose had turned red. She looked utterly distraught by everything that had befallen her.
"Perhaps you should sit down for a while," Rafe urged, thinking she might need a moment to recover from the shock.
"I’m all right," Agnes insisted. "I need to sort this matter out immediately."
She then turned towards Luke.
"Let’s head to the Registry Office and have the marriage annulled."
Luke stared at her.
"Is that necessary? Aren’t we only putting on an act?" he asked. "We can just walk away and pretend this never happened."
Agnes’s expression darkened.
Her fingers tightened around the envelope containing the marriage certificate they had just signed. She pulled it out and held it up before Luke, almost shoving it into his face.
"This is an official document!" she exclaimed. "By law, I’m bound to you, and this could cause me plenty of problems in the future. I don’t want that!"
Her voice grew louder as her frustration boiled over.
"You caused this, so you should take responsibility for it! I don’t want to have anything to do with a stranger, especially someone like you!"
Luke was taken aback by her outburst. But, before he could respond, Kyren stepped in.
"Don’t start another argument here," he said firmly. "Let’s move and settle this somewhere else. We’ve already spent too much time here."
Agnes glared at the Grand Duke.
However, the moment their eyes met, a shiver ran down her spine.
There was something about those calm blue eyes that unsettled her, a quiet intimidation she couldn’t quite explain.
This captain, despite his face being hidden beneath a thick moustache and beard, carried himself differently from the other men, which made it difficult for her to challenge him.
"Perhaps we can sit down over there and discuss this properly," Eric suggested, pointing towards a vine-covered arbour further ahead. "It’s rather sunny now, so we might as well find some shade. Besides, you said you wanted to speak with our Joseph."
Agnes hesitated for a moment before glancing towards Rafe.
The mention of Joseph reminded her of her initial request. She let out a small sigh and nodded, slipping the paper and envelope in her hand back into her pocket.
"Fine. Let’s go."
The group moved towards the agreed spot.
Kyren sat down first, followed by Eric, while Agnes took a seat at the far end of the bench opposite them.
Rafe remained standing for a moment, while Luke stayed on his feet, seemingly waiting for someone to decide where to sit.
"Why aren’t you sitting?" Eric asked, glancing at him.
Luke hesitated as he looked at the small bench. If he sat down, he would be too close to Agnes, and she might not like it.
He then turned to Noah.
"You sit beside her. I’ll stand."
"Why me?" the knight immediately asked.
"Just sit down, will you?" Eric interjected. "It’s not like she’s going to bite you."
Luke huffed but obeyed.
As he sat down, his elbow accidentally brushed against Agnes’s arm. The court lady immediately cleared her throat, while the knight rolled his eyes. He shifted slightly, putting some space between them.
Eric then glanced at Rafe and Noah.
"We’ll stand. There aren’t any more seats anyway," Noah said.
The healer beside him nodded in agreement.
"Fine, then." Eric gave a light nod before turning his attention back to Agnes. "What is it that you wanted to speak to Joseph about?"
Agnes paused; her gaze fell to the healer.
"Is Rafe your first name?" she asked.
Rafe’s brows rose. So did the others.
"How did you know that?" he asked, clearly bewildered.
Agnes’s expression suddenly brightened.
"Her Highness Princess Callis said it! Then what she said is true!" she exclaimed. "You really were coming!"
The healer stared at her for a moment before his expression slowly changed, as though a thought had just crossed his mind.
"Did Callis tell you about me?" His expression turned serious.
"She didn’t. But I heard her one day talking to His Highness Prince Kiev. She said, ’Rafe is coming’, and she was crying then," Agnes explained.
Rafe’s face filled with shock, his eyes widening.
For a moment, his knees weakened beneath him.
All the emotions he had kept bottled up—the longing, the worry, and the feelings he had tried so hard to hide—came rushing back at once, almost making him lose his balance.
"You all right there?" Noah asked from beside him.
The healer’s eyes grew watery. He blinked several times, trying to hide his feelings, but the moment he spoke, his voice broke.
"She must have felt it! The soulmate magic! She knew I was coming for her!"
Seeing how overwhelmed the healer had become, Noah immediately placed both hands on his shoulders.
"I think you’d better sit down."
Luke was already preparing to rise and give his seat to Rafe, but Agnes stood first and stepped aside.
"Forgive me for disrespecting you earlier. I didn’t know that you were her soulmate. I suspected you had a relationship with Her Highness Princess Callis because of the ring you wear," she said, bowing her head in deference.
Noah gently pushed the still-overwhelmed Rafe down onto the seat beside Luke.
"He’s not just her soulmate..." the knight said.
He paused briefly.
"...He’s her husband."
Agnes immediately raised her head and looked at Rafe.
"You... you’re married to her?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I thought you might be only promising each other first. Her Highness never mentioned that she’s married!"
"Perhaps her brother forbade her from speaking about it. After all, their separation did not happen on good terms," Eric said solemnly.
Rafe lowered his gaze to his raised hand, his eyes falling on the red-ruby ring around his fourth finger. His marriage band. The one Callis had chosen when they were at Rivendelle.
He gently rubbed his thumb over the familiar stone as tears slowly began to fall.
Throughout their journey to Sabel, he had kept his emotions buried, forcing himself to remain strong despite everything that had happened.
But now, knowing that his wife had felt his presence... that she had somehow known he was coming for her...
The wound in his heart, which he had tried so hard to keep closed, opened once more.
"You’ll be even more surprised if you know who our captain really is," Luke interjected with a scoff.
The court lady turned towards him, raising a brow in confusion before looking back at Kyren.
"He is actually the Grand Duke of Gerhard, the firstborn prince of Cassian, and..." Eric glanced at the Grand Duke, who remained calm and composed, before continuing, "...the Guardian of the Khasif."
"The what?" Agnes asked, getting more confused.
"The Guardian of the Khasif," Eric repeated.
Noah then leaned forward slightly, unable to resist adding to the revelation.
"He’s also the soulmate and husband of Lady Raychard. Or, as she is most probably known in Semeta, Princess Anna Adhemar. I bet His Highness Prince Kiev would still address her by her maiden name, just as he always does."
Agnes’s lips parted, the revelation leaving her momentarily speechless.
"This is the reason I pursued you," Luke revealed. "I noticed the smell of cooking coming from the tavern behind our Healer House the other day, and I became convinced that Princess Anna, or Lady Raychard, was here. Based on what Noah and I had investigated, we assumed she had come to Sabel and was accompanied by you."
The court lady remained frozen, still trying to make sense of the revelation even after the explanation. Then her expression suddenly changed.
"Wait..." she said, looking from Luke to Kyren. "The Khasif is married?"
She shook her head in disbelief.
"But... but she’s engaged to His Highness Prince Kiev!" she exclaimed. "And the smell of cooking... how? I don’t understand!"
"It’s a long story," Eric replied. "But trust us. We have no reason to lie to you."
Agnes still looked uncertain. Her gaze moved between them, trying to determine whether she had been drawn into a deception.
"This is strange! Princess Anna never mentioned that she was married. How can you make such a claim?" she asked, clearly unconvinced.
Seeing her hesitation, Kyren calmly raised his hand, revealing the ring on his finger.
"You are a high-ranking court lady in Semeta, aren’t you?" he asked. "Perhaps this will serve as proof. Surely, you would recognise it."
Agnes’s eyes immediately fell upon the ring. The moment she recognised its distinctive design, the colour drained from her face.
She had barely noticed the ring Kyren wore at the patrol station, too consumed by her own predicament and distracted by her curiosity about Rafe.
"That... that is..." she whispered. "It can’t be!"
She took a step back, staring at the ring as though she had just witnessed something impossible.
Then, without another word, Agnes dropped to her knees.
"Your Imperial Majesty!"
She bowed deeply, her forehead nearly touching the ground.
"I beg your forgiveness! I did not know!"
The others remained silent as Kyren looked down at her.
"Rise, Lady Briar," he said. "There is no need for such formality here. After all, we’re here in disguise."
Agnes slowly raised her head and stood up, her expression still filled with shock.
"The Emperor’s Ring..." she murmured. "Only the Emperor can wear it! But you’re not the Khasif. How are you able to wear it?"
"That is another story for another time," Eric replied. "You may need further explanation to understand the whole situation anyway. For now, what we want to know is this—did Lady Raychard come to the mainland with you?"
"She did!" Agnes answered immediately. "But His Highness Prince Kiev arrived much later with Her Highness Princess Callis and took her back to Semeta!"
"Anna came... She truly was here..." Kyren murmured, almost losing his breath.
For a moment, the calmness on his face faltered. His eyes lowered, as if struck somewhere deep within him.
After everything he had endured, knowing that Anna had actually been so close—close enough to be within reach, yet still beyond him—stirred a mixture of relief, longing, and regret in his chest.
"I knew it!" Luke exclaimed, punching his fist into his open palm as his face lit up. "What did I tell you all?"
"Callis... Callis was here?" Rafe suddenly turned towards the court lady, his cheeks still wet with tears.
Agnes nodded fervently.
The healer’s expression changed.
"If she could feel me... and she was here..." he murmured, almost to himself. "Why didn’t she find me?"
At almost the same moment, Kyren’s voice followed. His anxiousness could be felt in his voice.
"Is Anna well? Has she recovered?"
Agnes turned towards him, now faced with two men whose questions carried the same longing for the women they had been separated from.
She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a word, a loud voice came from behind them.
"Captain!"
Everyone turned towards the approaching figure.
Armel was running towards them, his breathing ragged. He finally reached the group and bent slightly, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"Thank goodness... I finally found you," he panted.
Noah immediately straightened.
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
The teenager nodded while still trying to steady his breathing.
"We’ve been summoned," he replied between breaths.
"Summoned?" Eric repeated. "By whom?"
"The officers from Semeta! They have arrived!"