As the ship pulled into the dock, Casey sat near the edge of the deck and looked down. Her eyes went wide when she spotted Theo among the small group waiting for her. She immediately raised her hand and turned toward Esme and Noah.
"Esme... Noah... it's Theo! It's Theo!" Casey cried out, pointing toward the pier.
Esme and Noah rushed to the railing and looked down, spotting Theo standing between Gwen and Lulu. A wave of pure relief washed over them; Esme even started to cry, though she never stopped smiling.
"Theo!"
Hearing Casey's shout, Theo looked around frantically from the dock. For a second, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Theo, look up!" Casey yelled.
Theo looked up at the warship as it docked right in front of him. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Casey in her wheelchair, waving down at him. When he saw Esme and Noah standing there with her, he froze. He rubbed his eyes and blinked repeatedly, trying to shake off what he was sure was an illusion. But Casey was still there. Tears began to stream down his face, and his smile widened as he started waving back at her with everything he had.
Without a second thought, Theo sprinted toward the ramp. As soon as the crew lowered the gangplank, Theo charged up onto the ship. Lucia, watching Theo's sudden dash, turned to Gwen.
"Ah... right, that's Theo's sister who was separated from him, Lucia," Gwen explained.
"Oh, I see. Let's go after him," Lucia replied, smiling as she watched the ship.
"Got it," Gwen said.
On deck, Theo rushed straight to Casey and knelt before her. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and Casey hugged him back just as hard. Both of them broke down in heavy sobs. Watching them, Noah and Esme were moved to tears. Theo then stood up and pulled Noah and Esme into a group hug, weeping with relief as they held onto him.
Leon, Livia, Cyrill, and Dustin approached the group. Seeing Leon, Casey turned her wheelchair around and rolled over to his side.
"Who is he, Casey?" Leon asked.
"This is Theobald Rochele... my big brother, and Valen's younger brother," Casey answered while wiping away her tears.
"Ah... your older brother, then," Leon said, watching Theo as he finally let go of Noah and Esme.
"So there are three of you, Casey?" Livia asked.
"That's right... Livia," Casey replied.
Theo let go and turned around, jumping slightly when he saw the imposing Leon holding hands with Casey. Then his gaze drifted to Livia, who stood with her arms crossed, followed by Cyrill in his all-black attire, and finally Dustin—a massive, bald man with white eyes who looked absolutely terrifying. Before Theo could even ask a question, Casey quickly explained who Leon and Livia were. Theo's eyes nearly bulged out. He hastily wiped his tears and stepped forward, dropping to one knee.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the King and Your Majesty the Queen," Theo said, bowing his head.
"Rise," Leon and Livia said in unison.
"Leon! Livia!"
The two of them turned to see Lucia boarding the ship. Immediately, Leon summoned his trident, Livia called forth her twin axes, and Lucia summoned her greatsword.
"Clang!"
The three of them locked their weapons together in the center, broad smiles on their faces. The display left everyone on deck stunned—Cyrill, Dustin, Casey, Theo, Gwen, Lulu, Patrick, Calvin, Noah, and Esme all watched in awe. Mariana and Isabel boarded last. The moment Cyrill saw Isabel, he began to tremble.
"Wait... Sis?" Cyrill asked.
Isabel, seeing Cyrill standing next to Dustin, gasped in shock. She looked like she couldn't believe her eyes. Cyrill stepped forward, as did Isabel.
"Why are you here?" Isabel asked.
"I should be asking you that! Why did you disappear?" Cyrill shot back.
The two of them fell into an embrace. Isabel, who usually seemed so untouchable and strong, began to cry, while Mariana watched them both with a warm smile. Leon and Livia noticed many new faces, but their gaze landed directly on Calvin, who was standing next to Lucia.
"And who is he?" Livia asked, pointing toward Calvin.
"This is Calvin, Emperor Barrington's illegitimate son... and my boyfriend," Lucia declared.
"Hoo... I see. Interesting. You're Barrington's son?" Leon asked Calvin.
"T-that's right, Your Majesty," Calvin stammered.
"I look forward to working with you... and just call me Leon," Leon said with a smile.
"A-alright, Leon," Calvin replied.
"So, Leon, why are you holding Theo's sister's hand?" Lucia asked.
"Oh... she's my girlfriend," Leon answered casually.
Theo felt like he had just been struck by lightning. He stood there, stunned, his face turning pale in an instant. His mind went blank for a moment until his brain forced itself to reboot.
"W-wait a second... w-what does that mean?" Theo stammered.
"It's exactly what Leon said. I'm his girlfriend," Casey replied, her tone completely casual.
"Hey, Theo," Gwen said from beside him, sounding worried that he might do something reckless.
Seeing that Theo was visibly shaken, Leon suddenly turned to face him, causing Theo to flinch.
"Ah, that's right. It looks like I need to ask for my brother-in-law's blessing, too," Leon said, bowing his head before Theo.
"Huh... Your Majesty... p-please, lift your head... I-I give you my blessing... I'm just in shock," Theo stammered, turning even paler.
"Thank you, brother Theo!" Casey said cheerfully.
"I'll explain it all later, Theo," Dustin said, suddenly chiming in.
"Wait... you... you're the one from my dream?" Gwen asked, pointing at Dustin.
"Precisely, elf," Dustin replied.
"My name is Gwendoline. Just call me Gwen," she shot back.
"Alright, Gwen and Theo. It's a pleasure to meet you both," Dustin replied.
"N-nice to meet you. Man... I'm getting really confused here," Theo muttered.
"Just calm down, Theo. I'll comfort you in the room later," Gwen teased.
"Haha... Classic Gwen. Can I join?" Lulu asked.
"Absolutely not," Gwen snapped.
"Nice to meet you, barbarian girl," Dustin said to Lulu.
"Right back at you, bald hermit," Lulu replied, grinning at Dustin.
Livia walked over to Cyrill and Isabel, who were still hugging with Mariana between them. Suddenly, Livia grabbed Cyrill's hand, causing Cyrill and Isabel to break their hug in confusion. Livia looked at Isabel and smiled.
"I'm asking for your blessing, Isabel. Since last night, Cyrill has belonged to me, and I belong to him," Livia stated.
"Thud."
Isabel suddenly fainted and hit the deck. "Isabel!" Mariana screamed. "Sis!" Cyrill cried out. Both of them immediately knelt on either side of her.
"You really don't know how to break things gently, do you? You haven't changed a bit," Lucia said, resting her elbow on Livia's shoulder.
"Huh... I'm right, though. I'm just saying what's in my heart," Livia replied, folding her arms.
Leon took in the scene unfolding before him: Isabel had passed out cold, Cyrill was frantically trying to wake her, and Mariana looked like she was about to panic. Meanwhile, Theo, Gwen, and Lulu were caught up in a serious conversation with Noah and Esme, with Casey chiming in to help. He also noticed Patrick, who looked completely out of place, like he wanted to bolt from the deck and never look back. Leon turned to Dustin, who was standing right beside him.
"It looks like you have a lot of explaining to do, Dustin," Leon said.
"Indeed, Your Majesty," Dustin replied, his gaze fixed forward.