Chapter 98: A Ticking Bomb in Akiya

"Joanna?" 

Joanna stood in front of the duke, her lover whom she had been separated from due to an unreasonable agreement between the two countries.

Duke Henry quickly ushered her into the room. "How did you come here?" he asked, but Joanna ignored his protests and kissed the man she loved on his cheek.

Tears of longing streamed down Joanna's face as she buried it in Henry's chest. Henry held her tightly, feeling her warmth and breathing in her familiar scent. It had been far too long since they last met, and the distance had only intensified their longing.

They stood there, in the enclosed room shielded from the outside world, holding each other tightly, as if trying to reunite their souls. Weariness and the burdens of the world faded away as they found solace in each other's embrace.