This man carried an undeniable presence. His bearing radiated authority, and his physique was unmistakably that of a seasoned military officer.
The Taylors exchanged uneasy glances.
Jonah, however, remained calm, his gaze steady as the man approached. Without hesitation, the stranger lowered his head in reverence before the crowd. Then, dropping to one knee, he declared, "I am Dexter McGrath, head of security for the royal family. It is an honor to meet you, Prince Jonah."
Everyone was floored. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie-grand, surreal, and unforgettable.
Even Julien, standing by, looked on in sheer bewilderment. He knew customs varied across nations, but to witness such absolute submission left him shaken.
Kontina was no ordinary constitutional monarchy. Its royal family wielded genuine military power, unlike the largely symbolic monarchies elsewhere.
In other words, as the prince of Kontina, the love of Julien's life would eventually share equal power over the country with the nation's president. For now, it could be said that Jonah was above everyone else, second only to King Anthony.
It was staggering.
"It must have been a long journey. Thank you for coming," Jonah said warmly, helping Dexter rise with effortless grace.
Some people carried nobility in their very bones. Though Jonah had never lived among the royals nor received noble training, his elegance was innate.
"Not at all. It is my absolute honor to be of service to you," Dexter replied in an extremely respectful and sincere tone.
His best friend, Jasper, had once shared that Jonah was not just a brother-in-arms, but family. Dexter was not about to let his best friend down. Once they returned to the palace, he would do his very best to protect the future king.
"It's getting late, Prince Jonah. We should depart," he urged.
"I know, but please give me a moment. I need to contact my younger sister. I want my whole family to be together on a day like this, and I'd like to say a proper goodbye to her."
Respectfully, Dexter replied, "Of course. Please, go ahead."
For some reason, Jonah felt extremely uneasy. It had been this way since childhood-whenever Alyssa tripped and hurt herself, got bullied by her classmates at school- or got into a fight, his heart would twinge painfully out of nowhere.
That same feeling was back today, haunting him with a nagging sense of dread.
But on second thought, Sean had been by Alyssa's side for the past few days. If anything had actually happened, Sean would have contacted Jonah and Jasper immediately.
Yet, both Sean and Alyssa had remained completely silent.
Jonah picked his phone up, took a deep breath, and dialed Alyssa's number.
A second later, an image of the stunning Alyssa holding an adorable white puppy in her arms popped up on his screen.
Dexter caught a glimpse of Jonah's
screen and his eyes widened
instantly. His mind raced, flashing back to that year on the battlefield in Luminara, when he was caughtin the crossfire with danger turking on alls sides.
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The phone continued to ring, but no one picked up. Jonah's heart jumped into his throat.
Nevertheless, mindful of his family's presence, he didn't dare show a shred of emotion. All he could do was conceal his unease behind his deep, dark eyes.
"Prince Jonah, if I may ask..." Dexter gulped, hesitating to speak. "About this younger sister of yours... Did she work with Doctors Without Borders on the battlefield in Luminar@ a few years ago?"
Slightly taken aback, Jonah answered, "She did. How did you know?"
"That's right..... That's it... It was her!"