Sir Strong bent down, revealing three figures ahead of him.

Sam was kneeling at the entrance, breathing heavily, and beside him, Sir Morning Star lay unconscious, covered in blood, with all of his limbs severed.

Sir Strong's shaking hand slowly touched Sir Morning Star's chest.

After a second's pause, Sir Strong immediately picked up Sir Morning Star and bolted inside the city.

There were many questions in my mind that I wanted to ask: Who could have injured Sir Morning Star to this degree? Will he be fine? Are you uninjured, Sam?

Yet the only words that left my mouth were…

"Sam, wh-where is my husband?" I asked.

"La-Lady Sarena," he stammered, his eyes dropping low.

"Why aren't you answering, Sam?"

He slowly stepped aside, revealing a body covered in white cloth behind him, and murmured, "Forgive me, Lady Sarena."

"What does this mean, Sam?" I asked, confused.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, removing the cloth from the body.

"Ed-Edrick!" Silvia and Aris gasped simultaneously.

I removed their hands from my arms and walked towards Edrick.

My knees subconsciously bent as I sat beside my beloved.

"Dear husband, why are you sleeping here?" I asked, my voice low. "Come inside the house, honey."

I nudged his shoulders, continuing, "You came at the right time. My baby shower has only just started. Let's celebrate it together."

My hand brushed against his arm and gently carried his hand, placing it on my belly. "Do you feel it? The little one is very active today. Why aren't you saying anything, dear? Are you angry at me?"

I turned to Silvia and asked, "Silvia, why won't he speak to me?"

Silvia wrapped her arms around me, her voice cracking as she murmured, "Sa-Sarena, h-he is… sniff-sniff… already gone."

"What nonsense are you spitting?" I shouted, shoving her back. "He promised me that he will return safely. He never made a fake promise to me. He is just teasing me."

I grabbed Edrick by the shoulder and pleaded, shaking him, "Edrick… w-wake up… it's not funny anymore."

Tears began pouring from my eyes as my pleas turned into desperate cries.

I carried his hand to my chest, continuing, "Don't scare me… sweetheart. See, my heart… sob-sob… is beating so loud because of you. So why… why is there a hole in your chest?"

My breath began faltering. A sharp pain twisted through my stomach, and warmth trickled down my legs.

"Aghhh—!" I whimpered, falling to the ground.

"La-Lady Sarena!" Aris and Silvia rushed forward, grabbing me in their arms.

"Bl-blood!" Silvia gasped, realizing my clothes were turning red.

"Th-these are the symptoms of miscarriage," Aris murmured. "We need to take her to the doctor this instant."

They tried to push me to my feet, which only intensified my pain.

"It hurts!!" I screamed in agony as the blood between my legs gushed.

"N-no, if this continues any further, the baby will be in danger," Silvia murmured before touching my cheeks. "Pull yourself together, Sarena. You can't put your child's life at risk."

"Ed-Edrick…" I cried. "Pl-please come back. It hurts so much without you!!!"

The pain in my stomach intensified severalfold. I felt like every bone in my body was being torn apart. My eyes rolled back from the agony, and the ground turned into a pool of blood.

Uncle Daniel, along with a few other men, rushed to my side and lifted me off the ground to carry me to the hospital.

"It's-it's too late," Aris sobbed, seeing the amount of blood I had already lost.

My condition was about to become irreversible, but then Sir Night and Sir Strong suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Sir Strong touched my belly, releasing a warm crimson energy from the contact.

The bleeding stopped, the pain vanished, and my senses dimmed until nothing remained.

---

"Huff… huff… I finally made the breakthrough."

The third tail unfurled behind me after the continuous meditation of two months.

The whole tunnel, which had countless Mid-Tier Soul Stone crystals, dried as I absorbed all the Soulforce within them.

"It took more time than I expected," I murmured. "I should reward him for giving me such an opportunity."

With the swing of my hand, I opened the gate and left the closed-door meditation.

"I wonder if he missed me," I chuckled, my ears twitching in excitement at just the thought of meeting him.

Pulling a mirror from my space ring, I examined my reflection to ensure I appeared presentable.

"Tch, my hair turned messy again," I sulked, but then my face immediately glowed as I murmured, "Hehe~ I shall make him comb my hair again."

Taking quick steps, I climbed the stairs of the basement and reached the castle, where Vyaghra and Jambavan welcomed me the moment I reached the hall.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Your Majesty!" the two said at the same time, kneeling before me.

"Hmm, you two have also reached the Mid-Tier Realm," I said, scanning them. "We shall celebrate this joyous occasion with a feast. On that note," I added, my brows furrowing in confusion, "where is he? I can't sense his Soulforce anywhere."

Jambavan and Vyaghra's visages suddenly changed the moment they heard my question.

"Y-Your Majesty, please forgive us," they said, their voices laced with guilt.

"What do you mean?"

"It was my mistake, Your Majesty," Vyaghra said. "I shouldn't have let him leave the city. I failed to protect him."

"Vyaghra, speak clearly!" I commanded.

"Please follow us, Your Majesty," they said, rising to their feet.

Following them, I reached the large door of the room that carried bittersweet memories of the day when he first embraced my lips.

Neither of them uttered a word. The guilt was all over their faces. They had spent countless years serving me, yet I had never seen them carrying such expressions before.

"H-he is inside," Jambavan said, opening the door.

A strange, eerie feeling filled my heart as I stepped inside.

"Why am I feeling so nervous?" I wondered as I moved towards the bed, which was covered by curtains from all sides.

Slowly raising my hand, I pulled the curtains aside and found him lying lifeless on the bed, covered in a blanket.

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