"He's missing now." The captain of the guards knelt on one knee, too afraid to even lift his head. "We tried restoring the surveillance feed, but whoever did this came prepared. The system's been completely corrupted—there's no way to recover it." Lucien's expression turned ice-cold. "Send in two more security teams. I want everyone in the banquet hall protected. And keep searching for the Merfolk king's whereabouts. I want him found." Someone had actually dared to stir up trouble during the queen's birthday celebration. Once the orders were given, Lucien turned back to Emma, gently taking her hand. His tone softened. "Emma, I'm sorry. I can't stay with you right now. I'll take you to Marcus first, then handle this. I'll come back as soon as it's over, alright?" A wave of guilt pressed on him. He had brought Emma home to attend his mother's birthday banquet, yet he couldn't even stay by her side. He felt that he didn't deserve to be her first mate. Emma didn't blame him. "I understand. Go. I'll stay with Marcus—he'll keep me safe." The Merfolk king going missing in Aurelia wasn't something they could ignore. The eldest princess was away, Amara was hosting the banquet, and Aria never handled political affairs. Which meant everything now rested on Lucien's shoulders. "Thank you, Emma." Lucien pulled her into a brief, firm embrace, then led her over to Marcus. Until the kidnapper was caught, even Aurelia wasn't safe anymore. Before leaving, Lucien leaned close and said to Marcus in a low voice, "Stay with her. Don't leave her side, not even for a moment." Marcus rested his head on Emma's shoulder and nodded solemnly. "Got it." Only then did Lucien let himself leave. Marcus might look half-dead most of the time, but he was a solid Rank 11—and with that envy-inducing ability of his, no one could take him down. Emma would be safe with him. Lucien also took Corvin along to help clean up the corrupted surveillance network. As soon as Aria saw Emma return without Lucien, she rushed over. "Emma! I just looked everywhere again and still couldn't find Kieran—but I did spot someone new. He's gorgeous. Want to go take a look?" Emma shook her head. "Forget it. I'll pass." After what happened with Alaric earlier, she'd had more than enough embarrassment for one night. "Really? You're sure?" Aria sighed regretfully. "He's from the Enchanter Clan. Those guys could charm the stars out of the sky." The mention of the Enchanter Clan made Emma think of the last unvisited match—the one still scavenging in the outer battlefield. Of her nine matches, three had already been dismissed, five remained by her side, and this one she'd never even met. "No, I'll stay put," Emma said again, shaking her head. The Merfolk king's abductor was still on the loose—who knew where he was hiding? She and Aria were better off staying quiet and not giving Lucien more trouble. The banquet hall itself stayed calm. Edric and Marcus stood guard at Emma's side, not leaving her for even a second. By the time the banquet ended, Corvin, who had been dragged away by Lucien, finally returned. Emma went straight to him. "How did it go? Were you able to fix the system?" Corvin looked dejected. "That guy really went all out. The system's almost completely fried. I only managed to recover a few fragments. I saw the Merfolk king escaping, but not the person who attacked him." The captain of the guards had said there was no way to restore anything. The fact that Corvin had managed even a partial recovery was remarkable. Emma smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Corvin, that's incredible. Everyone said it was hopeless, and you still managed to get something back. You did great." Across the Empire, there wasn't another therian who could compare to him."You just did Lucien a huge favor," she added. Knowing the Merfolk king was alive meant finding him was only a matter of time. Corvin's eyes lit up immediately under the praise. "Ms. Tibarn, do you really think I'm that good?" Emma nodded sincerely. "Absolutely." Grinning, Corvin took her hand, his soft, furred ears flicking up as he tilted his head toward her. "Then… Can I call you Emma?" He shouldn't have said that. The moment the name left his lips, Emma remembered all too well how he and the others had been spying on her conversation with Alaric earlier. She grabbed one of those fluffy ears and tugged. "We still haven't settled accounts for you sneaking after me, have we?" Marcus and Edric froze instantly, standing stiff as boards. They had thought Emma had let that go. Trust Corvin to bring it up again at the worst possible time. Once the banquet was over, Emma released him and went to say goodbye to Amara.Amara had just heard about the Merfolk king's abduction and was busy questioning her advisors. When she saw Emma approach with her matches, she took her aside for a few quiet words. "Emma, I'm entrusting Lucien to you," Amara said, her tone firm yet kind. "Take good care of him. Aurelia will always be your home—and no matter what happens, we will stand with you both, without hesitation."