Kaye embraced Warren and Benjamin warmly.
"I'm overjoyed that both of you are safe. How have you been?" she inquired.
William gallantly kissed her hand. "Your Majesty, it's been too long. I regret not fulfilling my promise to protect your children, but circumstances..."
Kaye smiled reassuringly. "No need for apologies. I'm sure they're in good hands."
Ryu knelt before her. "Your Majesty, even in this world, I will continue to guard and protect you."
"Me too, Your Majesty," added William, also kneeling.
Kaye chuckled. "You don't have to do that. I'm just an ordinary person now." She helped them stand. "By the way, how did you all meet?"
They shared their stories, revealing their connection to Mikhail.
"So, you're both working under Mikhail now," she observed. "But where is Mikhail?"
"I've tried reaching him, but no response," Benjamin explained.
Kaye, eager to apologize to Mikhail, felt a pang of worry.
The door swung open, revealing Raon and Rein.
Raon was astonished to see Kaye.
Kaye stood up. "C-Claude?" Tears streamed down her face.
"Kaye..." Raon softly uttered, moved by the emotional reunion.
"Claude!" She rushed to him, embracing him tightly. "I've missed you so much!"
Raon smiled, wiping her tears. "I missed you more, Kaye. I've searched everywhere for you."
"I lost my memories, and..." Raon silenced her with a gentle finger on her lips.
"No need to explain. What matters is we're together now," he assured. They shared a tender kiss.
Rein interjected with a cough. "Ahem."
They turned to him. "I missed you too, duckling," Rein said, avoiding eye contact.
Kaye hugged him as well. "I missed all of you."
After heartfelt reunions, they discussed their lives in this world.
Kaye discovered her husbands' professions, astonished that they remained rich and famous in this new world.
"The only ones missing now are Valentine, Izekiel, and Maximilian," Kaye remarked.
Tristan pondered, "Finding them without knowing their new identities will be challenging."
"I'll hire someone to look for them, and Ced can draw their portraits," Raon suggested.
"Tomorrow, I'll start drawing, and we'll send it to you," Troy added.
Kaye expressed gratitude. "Thank you, everyone."
"It's nothing; we also understand how hard it is to live in a world you are not familiar with. I'm sure they are also stressed about finding you," Raon reassured.
"Maximilian is also your husband. I'm sure he misses you so much," Kurtis added.
"You're right. I was hoping they were doing well," Kaye acknowledged.
They decided to have dinner together, relishing the almost complete family. Seeing them together brought back memories from the Serolf Empire.
Kaye glanced at the clock, uneasy about Mikhail's absence.
"Something wrong?" Kurtis asked.
"Mikhail hasn't arrived. I'm worried," she confessed.
"He's a mafia underboss, probably busy with work," Raon reassured.
Kaye nodded. As everyone engaged in conversation, she stepped outside, waiting at the gate, hopeful for Mikhail's appearance. An hour passed, but no sign of him. Is he upset with her?
Raon noticed her and was about to walk towards her, but Kurtis stopped him.
"Let her," Kurtis advised.
Raon glanced at Kaye once more, then nodded, respecting her need for solitude.
.
.
....
"F***!" Mikhail cursed, clutching his stomach wound.
Despite finishing his job, he got stabbed, though fortunately, it wasn't too severe. After treating himself, he rushed to meet the others. He read the message late; if only he had seen it earlier, he could have completed the task more quickly.
Parking his car, he stepped out, pausing when a noise caught his attention from a nearby tree.
"Nian Nian, how many times do I have to tell you to stay inside? You're not a stray cat," Kaye scolded from a tree branch.
Meow!!!
Kaye smiled, kissing her cat. Seeing it scared to descend, she had climbed up to get it.
"Now, how will I be able to go down?" she whispered.
"What the hell are you doing up there?" a man's voice interrupted.
She saw Mikhail under the tree, their eyes locking, a sense of déjà vu. Back in the Serolf Empire, Mikhail had also caught her on a tree branch.
"Mikhail," she muttered.
"It's already late, and you're still playing?" Mikhail said.
"I... My cat can't go down; that's why I climbed here," she explained.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the cat. So she really kept the cat?
"Go down now and get inside before you catch a cold," Mikhail said, about to walk away.
"W-Wait!" she stopped him.
Mikhail stopped and glanced at her again.
"Can you... help me?" she asked. "I can't go down."
Mikhail furrowed his brows. "You managed to climb up there, but you can't go down?"
"I can't jump; it's too high, and I'm holding a cat," she said.
"You jumped before from a tree in the past; you can do it again," he said.
"But I really can't. I'm scared," she admitted.
"Fine. Jump, and I will catch you," he said.
Kaye stared at him.
"I said I will catch you; don't you trust me?" he asked.
Kaye gulped and jumped. Mikhail caught her.
Her heart raced; their faces were close.
"T-Thank you," she stammered.
Mikhail put her down. "Let's head inside," he said, walking ahead.
Kaye followed, sensing his cold demeanor. Maybe he was truly mad at her.
"About what happened..." she began, but her words were interrupted when Mikhail stopped, groaning in pain. She noticed him holding his stomach.
"Are you alright?" she asked, worried.
Panic set in when she saw blood on his clothes.
"I'm fine; this is nothing," Mikhail insisted.
"No! You have a wound. You need to be treated!" she exclaimed, rushing inside to call Kurtis.
They helped Mikhail sit down on the sofa. Kurtis unbuttoned Mikhail's clothes, revealing the wound on his stomach.
"How did you get this?" Kurtis inquired.
"It's part of my job. No more questions, just treat my wound," Mikhail replied.
Worry etched across her face, Kaye bit her thumb. Tristan patted her shoulder, offering comfort.
"Drink this, Kaye," Raon offered a glass of water. She took it and drank it.
"He's from a mafia family; it's normal that he gets wounds and injuries from his job," Raon explained.
"But his job is so dangerous. Can't he just order someone to do it for him?" Kaye voiced her concern.
"We don't know how the mafia works, but I'm sure Mikhail knows what he's doing. He won't take jobs that risk his life," Raon assured.
Kaye frowned, and Tristan held her hand. "He's fine now; please don't stress yourself too much."
She nodded and glanced at Mikhail. After being treated, Mikhail went upstairs to rest.
"Kaye, everyone is getting ready to sleep. Why don't you take a rest now?" Kurtis suggested.
"I'm fine; I will wash the dishes first, then go to sleep after I finish," Kaye insisted.
"It's alright; I will do the dishes," Troy offered.
"But..."
"Let me do it. I know you're tired too, so please have some rest now," Troy insisted.
"Alright," she conceded.
"Kaye, you can sleep with me tonight!" Haru proposed.
Kaye coughed in surprise.
"She will sleep with me tonight," Raon countered, leaning on the wall.
"I'm sorry, but she will sleep with me," Kurtis declared.
With all her husbands present, they vied for her attention.
"That's unfair; you've been with Kaye longer. Isn't it time for me to spend the night with her?" Haru complained.
"As her first husband, it's my right to spend the night with her," Raon asserted.
"You two got divorced and remarried, so basically, you are the fourth husband now," Haru retorted.
Raon glared at him.
Rein sighed, muttering, "Here we go again."
Cedie, Shin and Rein went upstairs first. Kaye looked at Tristan, who observed the bickering.
"I will spend the night with Tristan," Kaye decided.
The three looked at her.
"What?" Raon exclaimed.
"That's unfair!" Haru protested.
Kurtis remained silent.
"I haven't been spending the night with anyone. Since you guys were fighting over who I married first, I will spend the night with Tristan," she asserted.
Tristan (Gawain) was her second husband.
"Fine. Then I'll be next tomorrow evening," Haru conceded.
Troy, listening to their banter, snickered. They hadn't changed; they were always like this, even in the Serolf Empire.
Tristan felt elated as Kaye chose him. They went upstairs, prepared, and settled in for the night.
.....
The next day, Kaye woke up and headed downstairs.
"Good morning, Kaye!" Troy greeted.
"Good morning," she replied.
"The others already left for work; they didn't bother to wake you up so you could have a proper sleep," Troy informed her.
"How about Mikhail?" she inquired.
"He's the first one who left very early in the morning," Troy answered.
"Mom, I'm hungry," Cedie said, yawning as he had just woken up.
"Breakfast is ready. Let's eat," Troy announced.
They sat in the dining room and began to eat. After finishing breakfast, Kurtis drove her to her workplace.
Kaye found herself staring at her computer. She hadn't had the chance to talk to Mikhail. She sighed.
"Kaye, you seem stressed. Something happened?" Tin asked.
"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm just sleepy," Kaye replied.
"Are you sure? If you're having a hard time with your work, you can always ask me to help you," Tin offered.
"It's alright, thank you," Kaye assured her.
Tin returned to her table, and Kaye resumed her tasks, trying to shake off the unease.
.
.
....
At the Dragons' Office, Kira was discussing something, but Mikhail wasn't listening. His mind was on Kaye. He wasn't mad at her; he just didn't want her to worry about him because of what happened the night before.
"Kira..." he said.
"Yes, sir?" Kira responded.
"Let's take a break," he declared and then walked out of the office, leaving Kira confused.
Mikhail strolled out of the building and wandered around the streets. He spotted a rose vendor and paused to look at the roses.
"Handsome, buy some for your girlfriend," the vendor suggested.
"I don't have a girlfriend. But I have a wife," he replied.
The vendor smiled. "Then you should buy a bouquet for her. Women love roses."
"Really?" he pondered, memories of the Serolf Empire flooding back, where the garden was adorned with roses, and Kaye used to visit.
"I'll buy all your roses," Mikhail decided.
"Thank you, mister!" the vendor exclaimed.
He called Benjamin and asked him to bring the roses to his car.
Kaye will be happy if she sees this.
.
.
....
In Italy, Ivan ceased playing his violin. Even now, he still struggled to memorize the notes.
"Ivan, if you're tired, you should take a rest. You can practice again tomorrow," his mom advised.
Ivan Ricafrente, a half-Italian musician, had grown up in Italy after his parents' divorce. He had been a solo performer in Italy, beloved by many for his captivating performances. However, due to an earthquake incident, he suffered injuries and lost his memories. Struggling to regain the ability to perform, he decided to take a break from the stage.
Unknown to all, the true Ivan was no more; within him resided Valentine Rosseau, a paladin from the Serolf Empire.
Setting his violin aside, Ivan's mom spoke, "I prepared snacks for you. If you need something, just call me," before closing the door to his practice room.
Sighing, Ivan approached the window, gazing at the sky. "Kaye... Where are you?" he whispered.
Lost in thought, he stood at the window, observing the passersby. After a few minutes, his mom knocked on the door again.
"Ivan," she opened the door, "I got a call from your grandpa in the Philippines. It's been years since you last visited them. Why don't you take a vacation there? Maybe after spending time with them, your memories about music will return. Your father mentioned before that your grandpa was a former musician; maybe he can help you."
"Alright, Mom. I'll stay there for a while," Ivan agreed.
His mom smiled and hugged him, hopeful for the journey that lay ahead.