Everything that happened after was in a blur. I could recall glimpses of Isaiah helping me up and him turning back into a wolf to carry me on his back. I could remember more familiar scents and voices calling out to me but other than that, nothing. It was either hunger or the effects of the drug that caused me to lose consciousness but even then, Isaiah’s warmth remained lingering on my body and mind.

　　When I woke up, the sounds of chirping birds greeted me as well as the soft morning rays seeping through the slightly parted curtains. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes before slowly pushing myself up into a seated position. I was in a room I was not familiar with, on a bed I knew did not belong to me.

　　The door to the room was then pushed open as a young lady walked in, not paying attention while she carried a stack of clean towels.

　　“Anne?” I called out, my voice was painfully raspy.

　　Anne froze as she slowly turned to look at me. She gasped, letting the neatly folded towels fall to the ground. Her mouth hung open, as though she wanted to say something, but I watched her run towards the bed.

　　“Princess!” she sobbed as she placed her head onto my covered lap and started to cry.

　　“A-Anne!” I panicked.

　　“I was so worried about you, princess! And when Lord Isaiah brought you back…in such a state! Oh princess, I thought you were going to d-die!! You were asleep for three days!”

　　“Please calm yourself, Anne! I’m here right now, I’m fine!” I reassured her, patting her back and stroking her hair to comfort her.

　　“I’m so glad you are safe…!” she sniffled as I tried to get her to raise her head.

　　I smiled as I wiped her tears with my thumb before caressing her cheek fondly. “I am safe.” I told her.? “But could you tell me where I am right now?”

　　“Ah! Yes!” she perked up instantly. “We are at Lord Gideon’s private residence, not too far from the castle!”

　　“What are we doing here?” I asked but the seriousness of the conversation took a turn when my stomach started to grumble. I looked away from Anne to hide my shame, but she immediately straightened her posture.

　　?“I shall get you food, princess!” she said and before I could stop her, she ran out of the room.

　　When Anne returned with a large tray of food. I want to say that this was enough to feed three hungry mouths, but I did not complain as I gobbled down.? Anne stayed by my side to keep an eye on me as well as to answer any of my questions such as how long I was gone. She said I was gone for nearly a week and that nobody truly believes in the fake letter Lady Marie planted.

　　“Although, there was a fight among Duke Cassian and Prince Augustus during your absence.”

　　“A fight?”

　　“Y-Yes! Prince Augustus wanted to focus on looking for your whereabouts the moment we found out that you had disappeared, but the duke was arguing about how they had to prioritise getting Lord Isaiah out instead. At that time, I did not understand why the duke was more focused on the trial instead of looking for you but with the help of Lord Gideon, they worked together to clear Lord Isaiah’s name. The moment the trial ended, everyone turned their focus to look for you.” She explained.

　　“I see…”

　　“P-please don’t be sad princess! I’m sure the duke only wanted to get Lord Isaiah out so that he had more people to help look for you!”

　　I smiled at her as I decided to leave the true reason to myself. I felt happy knowing that Cassian listened to my request and thanks to him Isaiah was a free man. “You never told me what we are doing here, Anne. Why are we not at the palace?”

　　“Ah…well, Lord Gideon thought that it would be best for you to recover away from the palace since Lady Marie and the others still resided there. He didn’t tell me any more details but I do believe you are here for your own safety.”

　　“Where are they? Lord Gideon, my husbands, mother and Aiden? Are they at the palace?”

　　Anne shook her head. “They are all here, princess. They have been waiting for you—! AH!” she suddenly yelled, causing me to jerk. “I was so focused on getting you food that I did not stop to tell them that you are awake!” she cried.

　　I let out a laugh at her reaction. “That’s fine, let us surprise them, shall we? Would you help me get dressed, Anne?”

　　“Of course!” she smiled, teary-eyed.

　　I noticed that I still did not have much strength in my body but having eaten good food, I could at least stand and walk on my own. Anne dressed me in a simple white blouse, leather underbust corset that was just for decorative purposes and dark trousers. She combed my hair and allowed it to flow over my shoulders naturally. I looked at myself in the reflection, my complexion was not the greatest and cheeks sunken due to not having a proper meal for nearly a week.

　　Anne then draped over a warm cloak around my shoulders, the furred collar tickled my cheeks, but I felt safe, warm with it around me. She said that since the weather was getting colder, I should stay warm. She then guided me to his study where she knew Gideon spent most of his time there.

　　When we reached Gideon’s study, Anne knocked on the door, and we could hear Gideon’s voice as he gave permission to enter. Anne pulled the door open, and I instantly spotted Gideon at his desk, head hung low as he was so focused on something he was reading.

　　“Could you gather everyone else for me, Anne?” I asked her in a soft voice. She nodded and quietly walked away. I approached Gideon and, ready to call out to him but noticed something was not right and looked up from the paper.

　　His eyes widened when he saw me, dropping the pen that was in his hands and standing up from his seat. “Cordelia.” He called out, unable to believe that I was right in front of him. “You’re awake.” He stated the obvious.

　　I was about to say something witty in response, but the door was pushed open all of a sudden, causing me to turn around only to find Cassian staring at me in such awe and concern as Gideon was. He rushed towards me only to stop in his tracks, as though he was restraining himself from doing what he truly wanted to do.

　　He reached out towards me, clearly hesitant. “What’s wrong, Cassian? Cat got your tongue?” I teased since this truly was my first time seeing him absolutely speechless.

　　He let out a shaky chuckle at my silly remark before finally allowing himself to close the gap between our bodies and pulling me into an embrace. I stood there frozen, surprised by this sudden display of affection. I felt slightly embarrassed since Gideon was right there watching us but when Cassian’s trembling fingers intertwined into my hair, I could not help but to feel guilty that I had made him worry about me to this point.

　　“My Cordelia… you said that no matter what happened to you, that I should focus on helping Isaiah.” He muttered against my ear. “I did as you said, I did and yet… you suffered…” his voice cracked and to stop himself from showing any more emotion than he already had, he held his tongue and just held me there in a tight and comforting embrace.

　　Isaiah must have told them what had happened, or perhaps they were there to see me dirty, weak and dress ripped when Isaiah brought me back. Either way, I never intended to keep it a secret from them.

　　I raised my hands and wrapped them around his back. “Thank you for listening to me, Cassian. You did such an amazing job, I am proud of you.” I praised him and felt him tense in our embrace. He slowly pulled away to look down at me, his always neatly combed back auburn hair was messy and there were dark circles under his eyes.

　　“What did you just say…?” he asked.

　　I giggled. “Thank you? Or could it be that you want to hear me say how proud I am of you?” I repeated with a smile.

　　Before Cassian could reply, another figure appeared by the door. I looked over at Augustus, who just like the two men before, wore the same expression on his beautiful face. I wanted to pull him into an embrace as well—if that would mean I would not be able to see such sadness and sympathy in their eyes.