The Husband With many Identities

Ch 5 - Fiancé

The hover car descended nearly an hour later.

Akeel heard iron gates open. A powerful barrier vibrated around the vehicle as it entered the estate.

The guards carried him inside and placed him on a couch. Once the door closed behind them, the room fell silent.

Akeel opened his eyes.

He sat up and studied his surroundings. Energy-powered lamps floated beneath the ceiling. Silver lines ran through the walls, carrying power to the estate’s protection spell.

House Valcrest had spent a fortune on the place. Even the cooling runes drew power from pure Energy Vials instead of common crystals.

Akeel examined the metal cuffs around his wrists.

The guards had used an expensive restraint designed to suppress an energy core. It had detected the weak Level One energy he allowed the public to see.

It would never have held his real power.

The lock had already been released, so Akeel removed the cuffs and placed them on the table.

His black coat rested over a nearby chair. The guards had taken it with them when they seized him.

Akeel checked its inner pocket.

His leather needle case remained hidden inside the concealed space in the lining. The guards had searched his coat but failed to find it.

Careless.

An engagement ring and several documents rested on the table. One carried the seal of House Valcrest. Another contained a formal announcement.

LADY DANAYA

AND

AKEEL

Akeel read the name twice.

A crystal photograph had been attached to the announcement. Danaya stood beside a man wearing ceremonial clothes.

The man had Akeel’s face.

His dark hair, his eyes, and even the small mark beneath his jaw were identical.

Akeel touched the crystal.

The image changed and showed the man from another angle. The resemblance remained exact.

This was not an old picture of Akeel. He had never worn those clothes, entered this estate, or stood beside Danaya.

The door opened before he could examine it further.

A tall woman entered with the captain who had taken him from the workshop.

Akeel recognized her from the photograph.

Danaya Valcrest wore a fitted black coat over a pale battle uniform. Ten silver marks had been stitched near her heart.

She was a Level Ten.

Danaya stopped when she saw him standing beside the table. Shock crossed her face before she hid it.

She looked at the captain.

“Wait outside,” Danaya ordered. “No one enters unless I call.”

“Yes, Lady Danaya,” the captain replied.

He stepped into the hall and closed the door.

Danaya faced Akeel again.

“You disappeared six months ago, three days before our wedding,” she said. “You left your engagement ring and took nothing from the residence. My people searched every district in Asterra. We found no record of your departure and no demand for payment.”

Akeel glanced at the ring.

Danaya continued before he could answer.

“This morning, my guards found a man with your name, your face, and the same mark beneath your jaw. Now that man is standing inside my estate and claiming to be a stranger.”

“I am not claiming anything,” Akeel said. “I am telling you what happened. Your men attacked me and brought me here without explaining who they were searching for. I had never seen you before today.”

Danaya placed the engagement ring beside the photograph.

“My fiancé also knew how to lie,” she said. “He disappeared without warning. If you created another life to avoid the marriage, denying your identity would be the first thing you prepared.”

“You are judging me for what another man did,” Akeel replied. “A face and a first name do not prove that I am your fiance. Investigate me properly. Until then, you have no right to keep me here.”

Danaya studied him without speaking.

His voice sounded different from what she remembered. His posture was also unfamiliar. The Akeel she had known avoided confrontation with her. This man looked directly into her eyes despite knowing she was a Level Ten.

Still, no two unrelated people should have looked this similar.

Danaya picked up the crystal photograph and held it beside Akeel’s face.

“The man in this picture is Akeel,” she said. “He lived under the protection of House Valcrest. My grandmother arranged our engagement, and he accepted it. He knew our family, our customs, and this estate.”

Akeel looked at the man in the photograph.

“I know none of those things,” he said. “I cannot explain why he has my face. You are the one who knew him, not me.”

That answer stopped Danaya for a moment.

Akeel did not pretend to understand the resemblance. He did not invent a story about the missing man. He only denied being him.