The Husband With many Identities

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 seemed unaware of them. Tears were already running down her face.

"My daughter!"

She threw her arms around Lyra.

Lyra froze.

A well-dressed man followed and placed both hands on Lyra's shoulders.

"You're alive," he said, his voice shaking. "We finally found you."

Lyra stared at them.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

The woman shook her head.

"No. We know who you are."

She touched Lyra's face with trembling fingers.

"We have searched for you for twenty years."

The people around them grew louder.

Akeel heard fragments from the crowd.

"She's the missing child."

"They found her in Havenrock."

"She was sold when she was little."

"The Dain family raised her."

"Her real parents came for her."

Akeel stopped.

His attention sharpened.

The wealthy couple belonged to the Valcrest family.

That much was obvious from the people surrounding them and the insignia displayed on several vehicles.

But there was another question.

How had they proven Lyra was their daughter?

The answer came when the woman took Lyra's hand.

A faint light appeared beneath the woman's skin.

Lyra's eyes widened.

The light moved from the woman's palm to Lyra's hand.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a thin mark appeared on Lyra's skin.

It was the same family mark that had appeared on the woman's hand.

The crowd went silent.

The woman's husband covered his mouth.

Their daughter had the bloodline connection.

Akeel understood.

The Valcrests had not identified Lyra by her power level.

They had identified her through an old bloodline pact.

The pact was a magical bond carried by their family blood. When a missing member was found, the pact could respond when that person's blood came into direct contact with another recognized member of the family.

It did not measure strength.

It did not reveal the person's abilities.

It only confirmed blood.

That explained everything.

Lyra could have weak energy and still belong to the Valcrest bloodline.

Her lack of training had left her with little control over her natural energy.

But her blood remained her blood.

Lyra stared at the mark on her hand.

"I don't understand."

Her mother pulled her into another embrace.

"You were taken from us when you were a child."

Lyra looked overwhelmed.

Akeel took a step forward.

"Lyra."

She turned toward him.

Before Akeel could reach her, the villagers surged forward.

Everyone wanted to see the missing daughter.

Phones rose into the air.

Crystal-link communicators flashed as people transmitted the reunion.

Akeel was pushed backward.

He lost sight of Lyra.

"Move," he said firmly.

No one heard him.

Someone shouted that the missing Valcrest heir had finally been found.

Another person was already recording Lyra's reunion with her biological parents.

Akeel stood outside the gate.

Then he heard a familiar name.

"That's her fiancé."

A villager pointed at him.

"That's the man who was going to marry her."

Another person laughed.

"He's lucky he found out before the wedding."

A woman nearby shook her head.

"Do you think the Valcrests will accept a poor village man?"

Someone else replied, "Why would they? She's rich now."

Akeel said nothing.

He looked toward the house.

He could no longer see Lyra.

He did not care about the Valcrest family's wealth.

He did not care about their status.

He cared about Lyra.

He had known her before any of this.

He had helped her when she had nothing.

He had promised to marry her before he knew she carried Valcrest blood.

That promise had not changed.

Akeel turned away.

He walked toward the village.