Chapter 283: Late-Night Visitor

Chapter 283: Late-Night Visitor

In the banquet hall, melodious music filled the air as guests gathered.

Emily was pulled into the center of the crowd by Kumb. Arian stood beside her, wearing a gentle smile, introducing her identity to the nobles one by one.

Emily forced a smile on her face, but inside she was full of anxiety.

Her eyes kept darting toward the entrance, hoping to receive a call back from Layla, and even more hoping to hear news about James.

What she didn't know was that Tyler was hiding in the shadows outside the banquet hall,

his gaze locked tightly on her, waiting for the right moment

to step forward and tell her the truth.

The moment Arian announced his plan to make Emily the crown princess, the previously harmonious atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly froze,

and immediately several royal family members voiced their opposition.

A white-bearded elder among the crown prince advisors struck his staff heavily against the floor, his cloudy eyes full of disapproval.

"Princess Arian, this absolutely cannot be done! Although Emily is Prince Kumb's daughter, she shares no blood relation with our Lumaria royal family. To parachute her in as crown princess would be hard for people to accept!"

Several other elders chimed in, talking over each other. Some said the royal bloodline couldn't be mixed up, others said Emily hadn't yet integrated into the royal family and lacked experience.

Previously, Zulu had privately discussed with Arian that there was no rush to establish a crown princess.

After all, he was still on the throne, and Arian was only in her thirties, in her prime.

It wouldn't be too late to make Emily crown princess in another ten years.

By then, Emily would have a firm foothold in the royal family, and the elders wouldn't have so many objections.

But clearly, both Arian and Kumb were too impatient.

They were too eager to give Emily a stable future, forgetting about royal protocol and people's prejudices.

Emily stood in the center of the crowd, wearing an elegant white gown, but feeling uncomfortable all over.

She looked at these stern-faced elders, listening to them deny her worth sentence by sentence, and felt a sourness rising in her heart.

She had never had the slightest interest in the position of crown princess. Now, being pushed into the spotlight, she only felt exhausted.

Seeing that these people seemed ready to hold a special meeting to thoroughly discuss her "qualifications,"

Emily wanted to retreat back to her own comfortable little space, where there were no royal disputes, no shackles of identity, only her own peace and quiet.

Kumb took in Emily's dejection completely, his heart aching.

He couldn't bear to let Emily suffer between these old-fashioned people. He immediately frowned and waved his hand, instructing the nanny and guards behind him,

"Take Emily back to the villa to rest. I'll handle things here."

The nanny quickly stepped forward to support Emily, while the guards protected her on both sides. The group quietly left the noisy banquet hall.

Back at her small villa, Emily breathed a sigh of relief, tiredly kicked off her high heels, and walked straight to the entrance to turn on the light.

The warm yellow light had just come on...

Suddenly!

A pair of warm and strong hands suddenly reached from behind!

Tightly covering her mouth while pressing Emily firmly against the cold door.

The sudden turn of events made Emily's whole body tremble, fear instantly overwhelming her.

She wanted to scream, but could only make muffled sounds. Her hands empty, she could only instinctively wave her small fists,

using all her strength to strike at the person behind her.

Her fists landed on the person's abdomen. Through the thin fabric, she could feel the hardness of that person's body.

The person behind her let out a muffled grunt, but it didn't sound like pain...

The voice was low, carrying a hint of restrained... comfort?

Could this be some kind of pervert?

Emily's fists paused.

Somehow, she caught a familiar scent...

It was the smell of grapevine and cedar intertwined, crisp with a hint of warmth, somewhat similar to the scent of sage and sea salt mixed with cedar on James.

This discovery made her tense nerves relax slightly.

More importantly, the person covering her mouth hadn't made any further moves from the beginning,

only firmly controlling her, but without any intention of hurting her.

"It's me, Emily."

Tyler's deep voice sounded close to her ear, carrying a bit of hoarseness, yet strangely reassuring.

Emily's whole body stiffened, and she instantly stopped struggling.

Only then did Tyler slowly release his hand, his fingertips brushing across her cheek, carrying a trace of coolness.

Emily turned around. The warm yellow light illuminated the other person's face.

She immediately saw the scrapes on Tyler's arm, the wounds still seeping blood,

his clothes wrinkled and covered in dust, his hair disheveled,

clearly having gone through a difficult journey.

"You... how did you get here, Tyler?"

Emily's eyes widened, her tone full of surprise, with a hint of barely noticeable panic.

Tyler didn't answer, only urgently grabbed her wrist, his gaze burning as he stared at her,

"Time is short, Emily. Have they announced you as a member of the Lumaria royal family yet?"

Emily winced at his grip, but still instinctively shook her head,

"Not yet. The elders are all opposing it. Father said he'll handle it."

"That's good, that's great. Thank goodness I made it in time."

Hearing this, Tyler's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, as if all his strength had been instantly drained. His legs gave way and he slumped directly onto the cold floor.

He gasped for air, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his face frighteningly pale.

Emily looked at his disheveled appearance, feeling a twinge of sympathy. She gestured with her eyes at the lit lamp and asked softly,

"Can I turn on the light?"

She meant the main light in the living room. The entrance light was too dim right now.

Tyler nodded, his voice hoarse,

"Yes, they won't think I've already made it to your room."

"Who are 'they'?"

Emily pressed, while walking to the living room and flipping the main light switch. Bright light flooded the entire room, also illuminating Tyler's disheveled state.

"The royal guards from the prince's residence, of course."

Tyler leaned against the wall with a bitter smile,

"They've been watching me, chasing me from the airport to the mountain road. I almost thought I wouldn't make it in."

"You're really bold."

Emily couldn't help saying, her tone complex,

"Ever since I came back here, Father has increased security by more than three times.

There are patrolling guards everywhere. For Mr. Tyler to break through all those barriers and get into my room is really impressive."

The words sounded like praise, but carried a hint of distance.

Tyler couldn't tell if Emily's words were genuine praise or veiled sarcasm. He didn't respond, only braced himself against the wall, bent his knees, and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall.

His lips were so dry they were peeling, clearly he hadn't had water in a long time.

Emily looked at his cracked lips, was silent for a moment, then lifted her gown's hem and walked to the small bar to pour a glass of warm water.

She carried the glass to Tyler and held it out,

"Have some water, Tyler."