Chapter 286: Use Me in Exchange for Her

Chapter 286: Use Me in Exchange for Her

After saying that, the couple gave Emily a few more reminders, telling her to rest early, before they left the villa hand in hand.

Hearing the door close, Emily finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her tense body instantly relaxed, and she slumped onto the bed, her heart still pounding.

She waited for a long time. The room was completely quiet, without any movement, and she didn't sense anyone else's presence.

Emily hesitated for a moment, then called out softly,

"Tyler? Tyler, are you still here?"

After calling out four or five times with no response, Emily scratched her forehead in confusion, full of questions: What's going on? Has he already left?

Or can he turn invisible? In just the time it took to turn around, he had disappeared.

Emily got up from the bed and searched the entire room—under the sofa, behind the curtains, in the closet, even under the bed—but she never saw any sign of Tyler.

But she didn't dare sleep, afraid of missing something, so she could only sit on the edge of the bed hugging her legs, staring at the door without blinking.

As the night deepened, drowsiness gradually crept in. Emily's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, her head nodding bit by bit. Just as she was about to collapse onto the bed, a slight noise suddenly came from outside the window.

She jolted awake, and before she could react, a dark figure flipped in through the window and landed steadily on the floor.

Under the warm yellow light, Tyler's face was clearly visible.

"Tyler! You're here!"

Emily was startled and couldn't help crying out.

Tyler quickly made a shushing gesture, pressing his index finger to his lips, his eyes full of urgency.

Before they could say another word, Emily's bedroom door was suddenly pushed open with force, the loud noise breaking the night's silence.

Kumb stood in the doorway, followed by a row of royal guards in black uniforms. They held weapons, their gazes sharp as hawks.

Kumb's eyes fell on Tyler standing behind Emily, his gaze cold, his tone carrying a hint of mockery,

"I thought you could hide for another two hours before coming out."

Tyler's body instantly tensed. He stood in front of Emily, his eyes calm, without any panic: "You discovered me earlier."

This wasn't a question, but a statement.

Kumb let out a cold laugh and slowly walked into the room, his gaze sweeping over Tyler's disheveled appearance, his tone contemptuous,

"I was just making sure you wouldn't hurt Emily. Clearly, you came to find her. What? Is James a coward, too scared to come himself?"

"Tyler, didn't I tell you that the Smith family is forbidden from entering Lumaria?"

Kumb clasped his hands behind his back, his jawline tight,

his tone as cold as the night wind on the Lumaria plateau. Those deep eyes churned with authority and fury, and the pressure around him was so heavy it was suffocating.

The Persian carpet under his feet was embroidered with gold thread patterns, but it did nothing to ease this tense atmosphere.

Tyler straightened his back. Even though he was vaguely targeted by the guards' guns, his eyes remained as firm as iron, without any retreat,

"Prince Kumb, I mean no disrespect to the Lumaria royal family. I just want to invite Emily to return to Emerald City with me. Please don't stop me."

His voice carried the hoarseness of a long journey, but it was very clear, each syllable revealing unwavering determination.

"No disrespect?"

Kumb let out a cold laugh, his laughter full of mockery,

"You illegally broke into the prince's residence and disturbed royal family members. In Lumaria, that's a serious crime punishable by twenty years in prison.

Sparing your life would already be lenient, and you still dare make demands of me?"

His tone suddenly shifted, his gaze falling on Tyler with some scrutiny and warning,

"I know your family has a hundred-year foundation in the Frank Empire, with deeply entrenched power, and you're the most outstanding heir of this generation with a bright future.

So, are you willing to give all that up and spend the rest of your life in a Lumaria prison? Seize him!"

Kumb didn't give Tyler any more chance to explain. His right hand waved sharply.

The guard captain immediately understood and led more than a dozen guards in black uniforms forward. Each held a standard weapon, gun barrels all pointed at Tyler,

forming an airtight encirclement. The air instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Seeing this, Emily's heart suddenly tightened. Without thinking, she spread her arms and stood in front of Tyler, her hair slightly disheveled from urgency, her voice tearful but unusually firm,

"Father, please don't do this! He didn't mean it!"

"Emily, you want to go back to Emerald City with him?"

Kumb looked at Emily standing in front of Tyler, his eyes full of confusion and worry, his tone softening a bit,

"That place hurt you so much. Have you forgotten how you fled back here? I will never let you go back and suffer again."

He reached out to touch Emily's shoulder, but Emily instinctively avoided it.

Emily pressed her lips together, her fingertips slightly curled, her expression full of hesitation.

On one side were Kumb and Arian who loved and protected her, the safe shelter provided by the Lumaria royal family;

on the other was James, whose life hung in the balance, and Tyler's urgent plea that "only you can wake him."

Arian took all this in, gently patted Kumb's arm, and signaled the guards and servants to leave. The huge room was left with only the four of them.

She turned around, her face carrying the innate pride of nobility, but her eyes showed some shrewdness. Looking at Tyler, she said,

"For Emily's sake, we'll give you one chance to speak and explain why you're here.

But if this reason doesn't convince us, the doors of Lumaria's prison are always open for you."

Tyler frowned and let out a cold laugh, his tone full of disdain,

"No need to trouble you both with judgment."

Before his words faded, he suddenly reached out and put his arm around Emily's shoulder, his large palm firmly gripping her collarbone,

not with much force but with absolute control, his tone carrying a hint of coercion,

"I think Emily's life is more important to you both than anything else, right? Let us go, or face the consequences."

Neither Arian nor Kumb expected Tyler to be so reckless and unpredictable. They were momentarily speechless.

Kumb was so angry that veins bulged at his temples, his fists clenched tight, but he didn't dare act rashly with Emily in the other's hands.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to waste words with you here. I must take Emily back to Emerald City."

Tyler's tone grew more urgent, the red veins in his eyes clearly visible,

"James is now critically ill, lying in the ICU on life support. The doctors say he won't last more than a few days,

and only Emily can wake him.

As long as Emily successfully boards the flight back to Emerald City, I'm willing to stay behind and accept whatever punishment you decide—kill me or spare me, it's up to you."