Alyssa''s jaw dropped. "Someone from the royal family?"
The first person who came to mind was Yuliana. Had she been cast out by the royal family? With nowhere else to go, had shee here seeking refuge, and perhaps to see Liam?
"You know what? I''ll just tell her!" Impatient as ever, Colene blurted out, "It''s the king of Kontina. Wait... Do they call him His Majesty? Whatever. It''s Kontina''s king, and he''s here at our house!"
Alyssa gasped. "What?"
L''s eyes were filled with concern. "He''s in your father''s study right now, meeting with him. Your brothers are all waiting outside, but Winston isn''t letting anyone in. We''re worried, but there''s nothing we can do."
Alyssa felt a sudden sense of foreboding, as if something momentous was about to unfold. Without another word, she turned and hurried out. "I''m going to take a look!"
...
The atmosphere in the study was tense-heavy enough to suffocate.
Winston sat across from the king of Kontina, Anthony Stewart. Though neither spoke, theirmanding presence shed silently, each vying for dominance.
Neil stood beside Winston with his head lowered, letting out a quiet, helpless sigh. He had always known this day woulde, except he never imagined it would arrive like this.
And at a time like this, no less, when Winston, given his fragile condition, needed his children by his side the most.
The cruelty of it was unbearable. It wasn''t just a slight or a setback-this was absolute, unmitigated cruelty toward Winston.
Anthony had kept this trip strictly confidential. Not even the queen-his own wife— knew he hade all the way to Sna City. She believed he was still grieving in seclusion at the ind pce, unwilling to see anyone.
After all, he had lost not only his son but the rightful heir to the throne. His grief was more than justified.
But as a king, he couldn''t afford to remain consumed by sorrow. He had topose himself quickly and find a solution to stabilize the royal family and quell the growing political unrest. Otherwise, the monarchy itself might be stripped of power or even abolished entirely.
Tonight, Anthony wore no royal
regalia. He was dressed in a finely tailored ck suit. His features were still striking, but the gray at his temples spoke of how deeply recent events had worn him down.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his eyes as he spoke first.
"Mr. Taylor, although this is our first meeting, I can''t shake the feeling that we''ve met
before. There''s something familiar about you... Would you say the feeling is mutual?"
Winston stared at him, his brows furrowing.
He felt it too-that strange familiarity More than that,
something about Anthony reminded him of his own sons Especialty Jonah and Ss-their eyes, the contours of their faces...
But that made no sense. They were his sons, weren''t they?
Winston, his memories fractured and iplete, felt a sharp pain seize his chest.
His breathing quickened, and a cold sheen of sweat formed on his forehead.
"I''m sorry, Mr. Stewart." Noticing his
distress, Neil stepped forward at once. Maintaining a respectful tone he exined, "Mr. Taylor was recently gravely ill. Though he Kas
recovered, he is sto
l.ne
memory toss afraid he no longer remembers you."
"How dare you address His Majesty so casually?" the royal family''s chief secretary, Ivan Langley, snapped. "You should refer to him as ''Your Majesty''!"
"We are not in Kontina, and he isn''t one of our citizens. He is under no obligation to follow our customs," Anthony said coolly, casting the man a brief, icy nce.
Ivan lowered his head at once and stepped back.
Anthony then fixed Winston with a prating gaze. "Mr. Taylor, have you truly forgotten me? Is there not even a flicker of recognition?"
Winston shook his head honestly. "I''m afraid not."
A brief silence followed.
Then Anthony''s eyes sharpened, his voice steady and deliberate as he asked, "What about Felicity Whitaker? Do you remember her?"