“Where is Emily?” Noed, his voice firm and full of .

  The question made the princess, who had been watg him ily, frown for a moment.

  She had always thought of Emily as just a lover or passing fancy for Non, nothing too serious. But seeing the insistend tension on Non’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 w for her.

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

  Now, seeing Non’s worry, she felt a pang of guilt for her ht.

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

  Non’s eyes fshed with an iy that made the princess quickly ge her approach.

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

  But Non, jaw ched and his mind elsewhere, gently stepped away from her.

  “No,” he said firmly, ign any attempt at persuasion. “I o see Emily… now.”

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

  The priried 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 exged uain gnces, still wary, but seeing the determination in Non’s eyes and the apparent ess of the princess, they lowered their ons.

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

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

  Non said nothing for a few seds, but his expression said everything.

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

  “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 priched him walk away.

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

  Onon 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 posed, suddenly blushed and snapped back at him.

  “That’s none of your business!”

  Her response was quicker and more intehan she had intended.

  She crossed her arms, gring at the prih a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

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

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

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

  ◇◆◇

  Non 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 reized him, but he…

  “Sorry, I’m busy.”

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

  With eater, he quied his pace, trying not to waste any more time.

  His mi repying 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 sed the room, searg for Emily.

  After a couple of minutes, he saw her.

  She was standing by a window, quietly ing the gss with focused tration.

  o her, Hestia was sitting, calmly expining something to her.

  However, wheia notion’s presence, her eyes widened in surprise.

  “Non…” 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.”

  Non g her briefly, nodding without really paying attention.

  He wasn’t there for expnations or formalities.

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

  Emily, sensing someone behind her, stopped.

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

  She hadn’t expected him to e so soon.

  However, before she could even process what was happening, Non 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 mi into total fusion.

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

  Emily stammered, uo form a coherent question:

  “hat… happened?” she mao say, her voice shaky and full of nerves.

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

  The image of that lonely, broken Emily from the dream he had witnessed fshed 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 untrolble o protect her, to make sure she never had to gh 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 fused.

  Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts:

  Why was Non doing this?

  Had something happeo him?

  Was he okay?

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

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

  She khat Non and Emily had some sort of retionship, but she never would have expected su intimate gesture from Non, especially in front of others.

  From what little was known about Non, 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.