Chapter 68: Homecoming

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Sophie feigned anger, lightly punching Sir Ray's chest. She was mortified—she'd stayed at his estate for so long without even knowing his full name! And the king was no help, only mentioning "Andrew." Now she'd made a fool of herself!

"You never asked!" Sir Ray looked even more aggrieved.

"Then why didn't the king tell me your name was Sir Ray? Why just 'Andrew'?" Sophie eyed him suspiciously. "Do you not use 'Sir Ray' often?" She'd grown used to calling him that; switching to "Andrew" now would be awkward. Besides, she *liked* the name Sir Ray.

"Probably because 'Sir Ray' is too well-known in Lamipor. My father likely didn't want you to know I was *that* Sir Ray—or maybe he wanted you to meet me first as just 'Andrew.'" From the moment he heard Sophie had received his father's letter and been directed to "Prince Andrew," Sir Ray had understood the king's intentions. Deep down, he was grateful for his father's meddling. Though they'd missed each other at first, fate had brought them together in the end.

"Why?" Did the name "Sir Ray" carry some other meaning?

"Because years ago, the entire kingdom of Kirisya was searching for a missing prince named Sir Ray—especially in Lamipor. Every citizen knew the crown prince had disappeared." Sir Ray spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else's past.

Sophie realized that must have been when Sir Ray was found drunk in the Black Bat Tavern and taken home by Bertram.

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and whispered, "You'll never get lost again. I've marked you as mine. Even if you go to the ends of the earth, I'll follow your scent to find you."

Sir Ray kissed her back, his eyes full of tenderness. "And you're marked as mine too. So you're stuck with me." They shared a smile. (*Cue censored scene.*)

---

"I'm hooome!" Sophie sang as she strode into Seaview Manor without a care.

*Poof!* A cloud of smoke erupted—and Charles vanished the moment she appeared.

"Charles!" It was like déjà vu, except this time it was her son disappearing. Sophie's heart stopped.

"Mom!" Agatha gasped in delight at her mother's sudden return, but before she could reach her, Sophie rushed past her toward—

"YOU OLD COOT! WHERE DID YOU SEND CHARLES?!" Sophie yanked Master Marifao up by his collar, teeth bared. Last time, she'd been randomly teleported to the desert. Thankfully, she'd met Sir Ray and survived. Now Charles was gone!

"Cough—cough! Let go—can't breathe!" Marifao's face turned red from Sophie's iron grip.

"Mom!" A familiar voice made Sophie whirl around. "Charles?!"

Dropping Marifao like a rag, she sprinted toward Charles, who had just emerged from a side door.

Clutching her miraculously returned son, Sophie burst into tears. "I thought you'd been teleported away too!"

"Mom, don't cry. I'm fine." Charles patted her back like the mature little adult he was.

"See? Even your son is tougher than you." Sir Ray scooped up a few stray ice-tear gems before joining them.

"Who says I'm not tough? These are *happy* tears!" Sophie wiped her face, laughing.

"Mom! That's so unfair!" Agatha pouted nearby.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry! I just panicked when Charles disappeared. Come here, let Mommy kiss you!" She smothered Agatha's face in kisses until the girl giggled and squirmed. "Mercy, Mommy!"

*Ahem.* Sir Ray cleared his throat pointedly.

"Oh!" Sophie finally noticed him standing awkwardly to the side. She pulled the children close. "Kids, let me properly introduce the most talented, dashing, handsome, brilliant, unparalleled, heroic, wise, and—"

Before she could finish, Sir Ray cut in, cheeks burning. "Hi, I'm Sir Ray. Your mom's fiancé."

"Fiancé? So... our dad?" Charles scrutinized the unremarkable-looking man, baffled by what his mom saw in him.

"If you're okay with that, yes." Sir Ray smiled warmly. He already adored Sophie's kids.

"Daddy!" Agatha launched herself into his arms, nuzzling like a kitten. She'd secretly wanted a dad for ages!

"Wait!" Charles pried Agatha free and lifted his chin. "If you want to be our dad, you've got to meet our conditions."

Sir Ray and Sophie exchanged glances. "Name them," Sir Ray said confidently. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that nothing was beyond his reach.

Sophie, meanwhile, was mentally squealing. *Is he going to demand Sir Ray treat me well? Promise to never hurt me?*

"Our condition is..." Charles thrust out his palm. "Where's our gift?"

"Gift?" Both adults blinked.

"Seriously? No gift, and you think you can just take our mom? She might not be *that* valuable, but at least cough up something! Though, judging by your shabby clothes, you probably can't afford much. Fine—just treat us to a meal. But it'd better cost at least one gold coin!" Charles declared magnanimously.

*Thwack!* A lump instantly formed on Charles' head. "You brat! You'd sell your own mom before you've even grown all your teeth? 'Not valuable'? Look at this dress—three gold coins! And my Phoenix Bag is full of treasures! How dare you!" Sophie twisted his ear mercilessly.

The onlookers sweatdropped. *Typical Sophie...*

"Sophie *is* valuable! Extremely valuable!" Sir Ray wrapped his arms around her, freeing Charles, who shot him a grateful look before dragging Agatha to safety.

"*I'm* valuable? *You're* the valuable one!" Sophie huffed. (*She wisely avoided saying, "I'm not a thing!"*)

"Uh..." Sir Ray was at a loss. What was the right answer here?

"Sir Ray!" Albert came sprinting into the courtyard, having heard the news. He skidded to a halt at the sight of the embracing couple—and Master Marifao coughing pointedly nearby.

*Did something happen while I was gone?* Albert wondered.

"Albert! Perfect timing. Inform my father—I'm getting married. He should start preparing." Sir Ray grinned, hugging Sophie tighter.

"Wow, moving fast! When did you two meet?" Clearly, a lot had happened after Sophie's teleportation mishap. But this outcome was exactly what everyone had hoped for.

"That's a long story." Seeing the eager faces of Albert, Charles, Agatha, and even the stifling-coughs Marifao, Sir Ray knew there was no escape. Settling onto a stone bench (with Sophie still in his lap—a very comfortable armrest, if he did say so himself), he began.

"It all started when..." By the time he finished recounting their journey from strangers to lovers (omitting certain *private* details), dusk had fallen.

"Wow..." Everyone sighed in unison. *Fate really works in mysterious ways.* A botched teleport had brought two people from opposite ends of the kingdom together. Albert no longer had to worry about Lieber trying to steal Sophie away. Without lifting a finger, he'd achieved the king's desired outcome—and perhaps the entire kingdom's. After all, Kirisya was long overdue for a grand celebration!

**Will the wedding go smoothly—or will chaos ensue?**