“Where is Emily?” Nolan repeated, his voice firm and full of concern.

The question made the princess, who had been watching him intently, frown for a moment.

She had always thought of Emily as just a lover or passing fancy for Nolan, nothing too serious. But seeing the insistence and tension on Nolan’s face, she started to realize that the girl meant much more to him than she had ever imagined.

She immediately remembered that she had left Emily at the church with Hestia, one of the healers working for her.

She hadn’t given much thought to finding her better accommodations or ensuring extra security since, in her mind, Emily wasn’t important enough to warrant such attention.

Now, seeing Nolan’s worry, she felt a pang of guilt for her oversight.

“Emily… she’s at the church with Hestia,” the princess replied, her voice shaky as she tried to maintain composure. “She wanted to help there while you rested. I thought she’d be fine… but…”

Nolan’s eyes flashed with an intensity that made the princess quickly change her approach.

“Before you go, let me check on you,” she tried to ease the tension, stepping closer with concern in her eyes. “You’re not fully recovered yet, and I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard.”

But Nolan, jaw clenched and his mind elsewhere, gently stepped away from her.

“No,” he said firmly, ignoring any attempt at persuasion. “I need to see Emily… now.”

The tension in his voice made it clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The princess tried to insist, but before she could say anything more, the guards rushed in, alerted by the chaos they had heard.

They took their positions, ready to act, but the princess quickly raised her hand to calm them.

“Everything is fine,” she said with authority. “There’s no more danger. It’s all been handled.”

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, still wary, but seeing the determination in Nolan’s eyes and the apparent calmness of the princess, they lowered their weapons.

Meanwhile, the princess, nervous that Nolan might get angry with her for not paying more attention to Emily, finally confessed, carefully choosing her words to avoid direct blame.

“Emily… she’s at the church with Hestia,” she repeated, trying not to sound too worried. “She wanted to stay there to help out while you rested. I didn’t think it was necessary to find her a safer place…”

Nolan said nothing for a few seconds, but his expression said everything.

Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath, clearly struggling to keep calm.

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“Take care of all this,” he ordered, gesturing at the chaos around him. “I’m going to see her.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and made to leave as quickly as possible.

The princess and the prince watched him walk away.

The guards nodded, accepting Nolan’s orders and starting to clean up the mess around them.

Once Nolan was out of sight, the prince, clearly impressed by the tenacity and skill he had just witnessed, couldn’t help but grin a little.

“That Emily of his… Is she his girlfriend or something?” he asked, half-joking, but with a hint of real curiosity.

The princess, who had been trying to stay composed, suddenly blushed and snapped back at him.

“That’s none of your business!”

Her response was quicker and more intense than she had intended.

She crossed her arms, glaring at the prince with a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

The prince raised his hands in surrender, unable to hide his amused smile.

“Alright, alright. I won’t say anything more.”

The princess huffed, trying to focus again, but the awkwardness lingered.

◇◆◇

Nolan was moving quickly down the cobbled streets, his mind a whirlwind of emotions.

Each step brought him closer to the church, where he hoped to find Emily.

As he walked, a few people recognized him, but he…

“Sorry, I’m busy.”

“I don’t have time, we’ll talk later.”

With each encounter, he quickened his pace, trying not to waste any more time.

His mind kept replaying the story he had seen earlier, and even though everything he had witnessed felt like a dream…

Finally, after wandering for a bit, he reached the church.

As he pushed open the front door, his eyes scanned the room, searching for Emily.

After a couple of minutes, he saw her.

She was standing by a window, quietly cleaning the glass with focused concentration.

Next to her, Hestia was sitting, calmly explaining something to her.

However, when Hestia noticed Nolan’s presence, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Nolan…” she murmured, standing up and greeting him with respect. “I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I thought it would take longer for you to recover.”

Nolan glanced at her briefly, nodding without really paying attention.

He wasn’t there for explanations or formalities.

Hestia noticed something was bothering him, but before she could ask, Nolan turned his gaze to Emily.

Emily, sensing someone behind her, stopped.

Her hands still holding the cloth she was using to clean, but her eyes locked on him, surprised to see him there.

She hadn’t expected him to come so soon.

However, before she could even process what was happening, Nolan walked quickly toward her and, to her total surprise, pulled her into a tight embrace.

Emily froze, her face turning a deep shade of red.

‘What…?’ was all she could think.

Her mind went into total confusion.

She never imagined that Nolan, of all people, would hug her like that, and especially in public.

Emily stammered, unable to form a coherent question:

“W-W-What… happened?” she managed to say, her voice shaky and full of nerves.

Nolan, his eyes closed, tightened his embrace even more.

The image of that lonely, broken Emily from the dream he had witnessed flashed through his mind again.

He didn’t know why those visions had affected him so deeply, but at that moment, the only thing he felt was an uncontrollable need to protect her, to make sure she never had to go through anything like that.

“It’s nothing,” he answered softly, not letting her go. “I’m just… here.”

Those simple words, spoken in a low but deeply heartfelt tone, only made Emily feel more confused.

Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts:

Why was Nolan doing this?

Had something happened to him?

Was he okay?

Blushing even more, she tried to think of an explanation, but her head couldn’t make sense of it.

Meanwhile, Hestia watched everything unfold from a few steps away, utterly speechless.

She knew that Nolan and Emily had some sort of relationship, but she never would have expected such an intimate gesture from Nolan, especially in front of others.

From what little was known about Nolan, he had always been reserved and straightforward, never showing more emotion than necessary.

Seeing him hug Emily so warmly left her at a loss for words.