2026-08-10 18:18:36For several seconds, nobody moved.
Rowan looked at Akeel, then slowly turned his eyes toward Danaya.
Cael lowered his gaze.
Daren suddenly found the floor very interesting.
Akeel noticed none of it. His attention remained fixed on the dissolution document.
Danaya's voice was quieter when she finally spoke.
“Your future wife?” she asked.
“Yes,” Akeel replied. “I was supposed to return to Havenrock tomorrow. We were planning to marry after I got back.”
Danaya's fingers rested against the table.
“You had already made plans?”
Akeel nodded.
“The arrangements were made before your people brought me here. I only need to return home.”
Danaya stared at him.
Akeel did not understand why the subject seemed to bother her. Their marriage had been forced. She had never wanted him, and he had never wanted her.
Ending it should have been simple.
He picked up the pen again.
Danaya stopped him.
“Wait.”
Akeel looked at her.
“My grandmother still believes you are my husband,” Danaya said. “She may wake tomorrow. If she learns that the marriage has already ended, the shock could affect her condition.”
“That is why you wanted me to stay,” Akeel said.
“Yes,” Danaya replied.
Akeel slowly lowered the pen.
“I understand why you asked. But I already told you my answer.”
Danaya said nothing.
She walked toward the window.
Outside, the rain had stopped. The crystal lamps along the estate walls reflected against the wet stone.
She looked toward the distant city.
House Valcrest controlled enough energy to power entire districts. Her family had spent generations building that fortune.
She had just offered half of her future earnings to a man who possessed almost nothing.
He had rejected it.
That was the part she could not understand.
Her wealth had solved problems for her entire life.
People wanted positions.
People wanted protection.
People wanted access to Valcrest Energy Banks.
People wanted her family's name.
Akeel wanted none of it.
Danaya turned back toward him.
“You truly intend to leave tomorrow,” she said.
“I have already been away from my workshop long enough,” Akeel replied. “My customers are waiting for me. My business cannot remain closed because of a marriage neither of us wanted.”
Danaya walked back toward the table.
“You saved my grandmother.”
“I did.”
“You could demand anything from this family after what you did.”
Akeel shook his head.
“I didn't save her for a reward.”
“You could still claim a fortune.”
“I don't want one.”
“You could remain here and receive half of my earnings while the marriage continues.”
Akeel met her eyes.
“I don't want your money, Danaya.”
Danaya fell silent.
The answer was final.
She had expected him to be difficult. She had expected negotiation. She had even expected him to demand more.
She had not expected him to be completely uninterested in her wealth.
For the first time, Danaya wondered whether she had misunderstood him from the beginning.
The man standing before her had the face of her missing fiancé.
He carried the same name.
He possessed none of the same memories.
He had no connection to House Valcrest.
He had walked into her estate as a stranger.
Then he had saved Seraphine when the kingdom's finest healer could not.
Now he was refusing a fortune that could change his entire life.
Danaya looked down at the dissolution document.
“You want it signed by noon tomorrow,” she said.
“Yes,” Akeel replied. “I need to catch the noon train to Havenrock.”
Danaya's gaze remained on him.
Akeel's expression did not change.
“Once I return, I will marry the woman who has been waiting for me.”
Danaya went still.
Akeel noticed the change in her expression.
He lowered the pen.
“What is it?” he asked.
Danaya did not answer immediately.
She looked at him for several seconds.
Then she slowly pulled the dissolution agreement away from him.
Akeel's eyes followed the document.
“You said you wanted to divorce me,” he said.
“I still do,” Danaya replied.
“Then why are you taking the document?”
Danaya looked at him.
“Because I have changed my mind about tomorrow.”
Akeel's expression became serious.
“Why?”
Danaya did not answer.
She only looked at the man who had entered her life by mistake.
The man who carried the same face as the fiancé who had abandoned her.
The man who had saved her grandmother.
The man who had just rejected half of her fortune.
For the first time, Danaya understood that the marriage would not be as easy to end as she had expected.
Akeel had entered her life believing he could leave whenever he wanted.
Danaya was no longer certain she would let him.
The room fell silent.
The game had changed.
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Ch 20 - The Familiar Aura
The village had almost emptied.Nearly everyone had gone to Lyra's house.The narrow streets were quiet again, with only a few villagers lingering near their homes. Their phones, crystal-link communicators, and small video recorders were still capturing the commotion from a distance.Akeel walked toward his family's house.His thoughts were heavy.Two days ago, his only concern had been returning to Havenrock and marrying Lyra.Then he had been forced into a marriage with Danaya.The Energy Court had delayed the dissolution for thirty days.And now Lyra had been revealed as the missing heir of the Valcrest family.Too much had happened in too little time.Akeel turned onto another narrow street.Then he stopped.His expression changed.Someone was nearby.He could feel an aura.A familiar one.Akeel slowly turned his head.The energy was faint at first.Then it became clearer.He knew that aura.His mind immediately returned to the Valcrest estate.Danaya.Akeel frowned.That was impo
Ch 19 - The Missing Daughter
The train arrived in Havenrock in the evening.Akeel walked beside Lyra as they left the station.Her family home stood near the entrance of the village.Akeel expected the streets to be quiet.Instead, the road ahead was crowded.Luxury vehicles lined both sides of the street.Villagers stood outside the gates of Lyra's home.Some held phones above their heads.Others were recording with small video devices.Several people were speaking into crystal-link communicators, sending live images to relatives and friends who could not be there.There were no professional reporters.The villagers had become the reporters.Lyra stopped walking.Her face became pale."What is happening?" she whispered.Akeel looked toward the house."I don't know."Lyra suddenly pushed through the crowd."Excuse me."People moved aside just enough for her to pass.Akeel followed.The moment Lyra entered the yard, a middle-aged woman rushed toward her.She looked wealthy. Her clothes were expensive, but she seem
Ch 18 - I Will Marry You
Outside the train station, Akeel found Lyra standing near the entrance.She looked pale.One hand rested against the stone railing beside her.Akeel's expression changed at once.He crossed the short distance between them."Lyra, what happened?" he asked.Lyra looked at him, relief appearing in her tired eyes."I thought you weren't coming," she said. "I called you so many times."Akeel took out his phone. The screen was filled with missed calls and unread messages.His phone had been silent while he dealt with the Court and the Valcrest estate."I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't see them."Lyra studied his face."Are you still going to marry me?"Akeel answered without hesitation."Yes."The tension left her shoulders."But you disappeared," Lyra said quietly. "I thought maybe you changed your mind.""I didn't."Akeel reached for her wrist.Her skin felt cold.He closed his fingers around her hand and quietly focused his energy.A small amount of healing energy flowed from his core into
Ch 17 - Something Is Wrong
The Court was already busy when Akeel and Danaya arrived.People filled the main hall. Some waited to register marriages. Others stood before the dissolution counters with documents in hand. Energy-powered screens displayed court schedules above the long registration desks.Akeel barely noticed any of it.He only wanted this finished.He and Danaya approached the registration desk and submitted their marriage record. The clerk entered their information into the court's central system.A moment later, their marriage appeared on the screen.The clerk looked at the record, then at them."You were married yesterday?""Yes," Danaya replied."And you're filing for dissolution today?""Yes," Akeel said.The clerk stared at them for a few seconds before sighing."Young people move quickly."Akeel ignored the comment."Can you process it?"The clerk shook her head."Not today."Akeel's expression hardened."Why?"She turned the registry screen toward them."Every newly registered marriage has
Ch 16 - Grandma's Fine
By dawn, the storm had finally passed.Akeel came downstairs dressed for the Council's Court.He expected the estate to be quiet.Instead, he heard an older woman's voice coming from the main hall."Put the flowers there. No, not beside the window. Move them closer to the entrance."Akeel stopped.Seraphine was awake.Servants hurried around the hall carrying flowers and arranging the room.Seraphine stood in the center of it all.She looked far healthier than she had the previous night.Her energy core was still weak, but her face had regained its color.Then she saw Akeel.Her entire expression brightened."My grandson-in-law!"Akeel froze.Seraphine walked toward him with a delighted smile."You're still here."Akeel did not know how to respond.Seraphine reached for his hand."I knew you wouldn't leave me again."Her smile suddenly faded.She stared at him."Wait."The warmth disappeared from her face."You left me before."Akeel stiffened.Seraphine's fingers tightened around his
Ch 15 - To Leave
The matter was not finished.Danaya glanced toward the staircase.“There is one problem.”Akeel followed her gaze.“My grandmother.”His expression hardened.Seraphine Valcrest had survived the energy collapse only hours earlier. Her energy core had been badly weakened. A normal person's core could recover after a severe loss of energy, but Seraphine was already old. Another major emotional shock could force her core into another dangerous fluctuation.“She believes you are still her grandson-in-law,” Danaya said. “If you leave tonight, she may wake up and discover that you are gone.”Akeel said nothing.“She could become distressed,” Danaya continued. “If her core becomes unstable again, I don't know if she will survive another collapse.”Akeel's eyes narrowed.He hated the situation.He hated the marriage.He hated being dragged into the Valcrest family's problems.But he had also been the one who stabilized Seraphine's damaged core.He knew exactly how fragile she was.Akeel finall
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