CHAPTER 101: BOUND BY EMOTION

She looked up at him.He heard her thought.

Wait—he heard her thoughts? But how...?

Zavren moved, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently cleaning her eyes.

"Sweetheart, I think our mind link can only stir through emotions...when you feel things deeply," he spoke calmly, his expression thoughtful. He was curious about what this meant. He couldn’t help it—that soft, melodic voice was unmistakably Ariana’s.

He had said it because, back at the camp, it was the exact same voice that had said she missed him. And now, this confirmed it.

It must have happened when she was overwhelmed by emotion...when she felt everything so deeply that their minds connected.

He caressed her cheek with his thumb, brushing it gently.

"Never, ever say such a thing about yourself," he said firmly.

"Is that clear?"

Ariana nodded calmly.

Then Zavren held her hands in his as they walked silently to the mat. Ariana didn’t know why she cried—she just felt hurt, like she was being punished by the world. She couldn’t explain it, but it felt like fate was playing cruel pranks on her.

Why did it have to be the exact moment she called herself useless that Zavren finally heard her?

They walked calmly as Zavren moved to arrange the mat. Ariana simply watched.

So he knows how to do this? she wondered, surprised.

"Sweetheart, why do you look so shocked? You have to understand that your husband is very hardworking," he said with a gentle smile.

She nodded holding herself not to roll her eyes, and then he moved to remove his shoes. Now left in black socks, he stepped onto the mat. To Ariana’s surprise, he lowered himself into a squat in front of her and began helping her remove her shoes.

"Rest your hands on my shoulders, sweetheart," he said calmly.

Ariana did as he said her heart melting at his warmth. He gently removed one shoe, then moved to the other. Once he was done, Ariana stared at her small foot, covered in a white sock with a little cute bow. She raised her head and smiled at Zavren, who was staring at her dimples again. He scratched the back of his neck nervously and shifted his gaze to the side.

Ariana couldn’t help but smile even more.

"Come here, Aria," he said softly, sitting down and spreading his legs slightly for her to sit in between them.

Ariana moved and slowly lowered herself to sit. Just before she bent fully, she leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Zavren’s lips. The moment it happened, she quickly sat down—so fast that Zavren let out a low chuckle. Her face burned with embarrassment.

"Hmm, who knew my snowflake could steal a kiss?" he said, amused, as Ariana bit her bottom lip. Zavren’s eyes drifted to her golden hair, still caught off guard by her sweet, unexpected kiss.

Ariana, on the other hand, only wanted to give him a kiss to show her appreciation. He was so kind to her. But it seemed she had forgotten just how teasing this man naturally was.

Zavren reached for the basket and pulled it closer. As he opened it, Ariana’s mouth watered. Everything had been perfectly prepared for the picnic—the neatly cut fruits packaged together, the cupcake off to the side, and the fruit drinks. Her eyes finally landed on the herbal tea.

What is this tea doing here? she asked herself, even though she already knew the maids had packed it for them. She recognized that herbal tea well—and it was bitter.

She shifted her gaze away from it. ’I’ll drink it later,’ she thought.

To her surprise, Zavren began removing the items gently. Her lips curled into a shy, amused smile. She hadn’t expected that at all from her husband. What made it even more surprising was the fact that he was doing all of this while she sat in between his legs—something she never imagined would happen so soon.

When he was done, Ariana couldn’t help but let her mouth fall open in surprise. His arrangement was neat and thoughtful. This man was truly surprising in the most unbelievable and beautiful ways...completely unexpected.

Zavren picked up a see-through, closed plate and opened it, revealing boiled eggs. Ariana’s body immediately tingled at the sight, and just as the usual smell wafted to her nose, her hands shot up to cover it. Zavren, noticing her expression, quickly closed the plate. Maybe it was her hormones due to the pregnancy—some of the usual foods she used to like were now making her feel different.

"No eggs," he said gently, and Ariana nodded, grateful. Thankfully, the wind had shifted the scent away.

He looked at her again and asked, "Should I open the fruits?"

Ariana nodded. Her heart warmed at his caring tone—he had asked first, not wanting to repeat the mistake from earlier.

"Let me feed you," he offered.

To his utmost surprise, she nodded and his lips curled.

***

SWOOSH. SWOOSH.

The ship sliced through the waves as passengers, seated comfortably, sipped from mugs filled with frothy beer.

"Oh, Captain, how many minutes more?" a bald man asked, lifting his drink for another sip.

"I can see the shore. I would say fifteen minutes more," the Captain replied. And just as those words left his lips, a cheer rose from the crowd. They had endured eight long days aboard this ship, and to finally hear such news, it was not merely good news, but splendid news indeed.

The Captain then gave his next command, his voice steady and firm.

"You may collect the coins from them now."

The man beside him gave a respectful nod before walking off, a long parchment in his hand. In the place where the passengers now stood, gazing longingly at the ocean ahead, he began to call out names.

"I call your name, you give me your bag of coins." And the people understood.

"Mister Loyyd Lawson," the man called, and in response, a gentleman stepped forward giving him the coins.

He accepted the bag of coins with a nod, then called the next name.

Meanwhile, a man stood in silence. He had barely spoken since the voyage began. The gentleman beside him, who had been quietly observing for days, finally broke the silence as he decided since he would be leaving and they would part ways he could simply say his mind.

"You’re not from around here, are you?" he asked softly, his gaze fixed on the man’s hat. Many wore hats, yes—but this one stood out. There was something distinct about it.

The man in the hat finally turned, a faint smile curling his lips.

"Very observant, I must say. You have a sharp intuition to have noticed that," he replied, shifting his gaze from the leaping fish in the sea back to the curious man now smiling at him.

"Oh please," the other said matter-of-factly, "anyone who looks closely could tell."

"And yet, you’re the only one who noticed," the man in the hat returned, his smile widening just slightly. "Don’t you find that curious?"

The gentleman nodded, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth in response to those words.

"Very true. Is this your first time coming to Apenths?" he asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

The man with the cap gave a soft laugh and shook his head. Adjusting his cap slightly, he replied, "I’ve been here lots of times before. Was planning to come earlier—but, you know how plans tend to change."

His thick brown eyes darkened for a brief moment, something unreadable flashing through them. The other man noticed but said nothing, only chuckled softly. A young woman passed by, balancing a tray of cups, and extended one to the man in the cap. He accepted it gratefully and downed it in one smooth motion.

"I hope I haven’t triggered any forgotten memories," the gentleman offered carefully.

Soft laughter broke, though its softness was just too eerie to be comforting.

"Trigger, you say?"

"You speak with such confidence, given we are strangers," the man in the cap said coolly. The observer was about to respond when a name was suddenly called.

"Mister Sleekwood, your coins, please."

The gentleman gave a small, respectful bow toward the man with the cap before walking forward. He handed the coin bag from his coat to the official.

"Thank you. Please proceed to the departure area," the collector said, receiving it with a nod. As Sleekwood walked away, the man glanced at the parchment in his hand.

All the names had been called—yet one man still remained.

"Hello, Mister. Your coins," he said, almost surprised. Such a thing had never occurred before. He was sure he had called all the names. He had even ticked each one carefully.

This could only mean one thing—this man had boarded illegally.

He approached, a frown forming on his lips. The man still stood, his hat shadowing his face. Just as the official was about to speak, the man reached into his coat and brought out three heavy bags of gold coins.

"I trust this will keep you silent," he said, his voice calm, cool, and deliberate.

The official’s eyes widened. He stared at the bags...this was no mere bribe. This was a fortune.

"You are wise for doing this," he replied with a grin, accepting the gold. "Please, head down to the departure bay."

The man in the hat gave a nod and began walking away—but paused when the official called out once more.

"Thank you, sir. Your name, please?"

A slow smile stretched across the man’s face as he turned. He removed his cap with a flourish, revealing sharp, striking features.

"Johnson. Mr. Johnson..." he said smoothly, his eyes glinting.

"But I prefer to be called Fredrick."