Therius finally turned to Xion and looked at him intently. His voice was gentle when he answered his friend's question.

"Xion, I have never and will never lie to you. But there are questions that I cannot answer. You must find out the answer for yourself. If I tell you my secret ... I would have to kill you." He shook his head once. "I don't want to be your enemy."

Xion was used to hearing Therius' words spoken in this solemn manner when he was earnest about something. Xion believed him when Therius said that he would never lie to him.

But what really happened back there? Xion felt like he would go crazy if he didn't know the answer. He was not stupid and had an excellent memory. He knew Therius had been wearing a leather strap with a titanium ring hung from it since they first met at the academy ten years ago.

He did not know how long Therius had had it and where he had gotten it. His best friend never told him the story.

Xion actually used to think the ring belonged to Therius's biological mother, who passed away when he was a child. However, later Xion learned that the royal family color was green. It couldn't possibly belong to anyone from Therius' family.

Now suddenly, he saw the exact same ring on Emma's finger. His sharp eyes could immediately recognize the distinctive shape of the ring and its decoration. There was no mistaking it ... it was indeed the same ring.

He did not imagine things.

Could it be...?

Only one possibility occurred to him.

Somehow the ring went back in time and fell into the hands of young Therius. Probably when he was a child or teenager. Xion didn't know the exact time.

But who brought it there?

Is there another Time Master besides him?

He turned his head to the side and observed his best friend's side profile. The prince appeared to be engrossed in his own thoughts, standing tall and staring far into the sky.

If only Therius told him what happened ... maybe Xion would be able to go back in time and find out who gave the ring to him.

Without this information, he couldn't pinpoint the exact time and place.

IS THERE ANOTHER TIME MASTER IN MY LIFETIME?

What does Therius know that I don't?

Gosh... Xion really wished he was a telemancer.

***

The prom resumed with various music performances, band appearances, DJs, modern dances, and some giveaways. Finally, the prom king and queen candidates were announced, followed by the announcement of the winners.

As many people suspected, Haoran and Emma were the strongest candidates, and they won the most votes to get the title of prom king and queen of St. Catherine high school that year.

Their popularity skyrocketed after the incident with Bianca and Allan, who were trying to embarrass Emma and Haoran. However, they were the ones who were shamed instead.

Haoran's identity as the son of the Lee family that owned Lee Industries being exposed also added to the excitement that night. It increased the support for Haoran to become the Prom King.

Haoran and Emma were finally crowned as the Prom King and Queen and received the robe and sash from Mr. Albert Young, the principal. After the mandatory pictures and wefies were taken they were showered with confetti from the ceiling.

The principal and some of the teachers present congratulated the two before officially closed the event.?The students' hearts were filled with joy after they were given the opportunity to have fun with their friends before they had to focus their minds on the university entrance exam.

Since his identity was already exposed, Haoran felt there was no use to hide anything else from his school mates. He called his driver from home and asked him to come and pick them up. He no longer needed to ride on Eric's car like before.

The arrival of a luxury car with a special license plate marked with LX immediately attracted people's attention when they came out of the hall to go home.

"Gosh ... Haoran really is the son of a wealthy family. Finally, we could see him getting picked up by his chauffeur .." The girls were gawking at him from afar with a look of admiration.

Before they learned that Haoran was rich, he was already quite popular in school, and many girls liked him. But now, after his identity as Haoran Lee from Lee Industries was exposed... more and more were hoping to become his girlfriend.

Unfortunately... they all had to swallow their disappointment because Haoran already had a girlfriend.

This girl was also not just a regular girl. She was the top student and was famous for being beautiful at the same time.

They knew that they would not be able to win against Emma Stardust. Especially when they saw how Haoran always looked at the girl lovingly.

Ahhh ... what a lucky girl...

***

"What are you thinking?" Haoran asked gently when he saw Emma's brows furrowed. The girl turned her head, looking dumbfounded.

"What? Oh ... I'm not thinking about anything. I'm just feeling a little tired," she said.

"Hmm ... is that so?" Haoran nodded in understanding. He then pulled the girl's head to lean on his shoulder. "Just rest then. We will be home very soon. I will wake you up once we have arrived."

From the prom, Emma would go and stay with Haoran as usual because it was the weekend.

When he saw Emma was leaning her head on Haoran's shoulder and closed her eyes, their driver understandingly slowed down the car a little bit to give her a peaceful sleep. They arrived in Lotus Garden twenty minutes later.

"We're here," Haoran touched Emma's arm gently and woke her up.

"Hmm..." Emma opened her eyes and nodded. They got out of the car and went up to Haoran's room while holding hands.

Emma and Haoran immediately washed up and changed into comfortable clothes for sleep. Haoran changed his tuxedo into a boxer and a simple shirt then climbed into bed. Emma took longer since she had to remove her light makeup.

Haoran, sat on the bed, leaning his back on the headboard and watched Emma remove her makeup on the dressing table and then changed into her nightgown. He almost didn't blink, as if he didn't want to miss even one second of seeing her.

Emma's body was gorgeous, and Haoran had explored every single inch of her curves since ten days ago. After they made love for the first time in Shanghai, the two had had sex almost every day, sometimes even a few times a day. When they spent time together on weekends, they'd prefer to be cooped up indoors and enjoy each other's presence.

The day after the wedding was actually spent by making love from daybreak to sundown until they were exhausted. They only had some rest and food in between sessions.

For two young adults who just tasted the worldly pleasure of sex, there was nothing more fun to do than to make out and make love, all the time, every time.

But tonight, when Haoran saw Emma changing into her nightgown, he did not feel aroused sexually at all. All he had in mind was a feeling of admiration and affection that did not involve lust. He did not understand what exactly he was feeling.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Emma, ??after she was ready and climbed into bed.

"I am not thinking about anything. I'm just admiring you. I don't know how I could be so lucky to have a wife like you," Haoran said with a smile.

He then opened the blanket and moved to give way so that Emma could find a nice space for her. After Emma lay comfortably beside him, Haoran covered the blanket over their bodies and hugged Emma tightly.

Emma wrapped her arms around Haoran's chest and sighed. She pondered for a long time before finally, she turned to Haoran.

"I didn't expect them to come so quickly," she said softly.

"Me too," said Haoran. "If AWA's calculations are correct, the messenger ship that you sent should still be on the way. I am thinking that they were actually planning to come here to pick you up before we contacted them."

Emma frowned in surprise. "You think so?"

"There is no other explanation. The distance is too far. I think they were actually looking for you. When you sent that ship with your info, they used it to find you. They come to pick you up at the same time when you are planning to go home," Haoran said again. "It is such a coincidence."

"I've decided not to trust them," Emma said firmly. "I must know for sure that my parents are still alive. If they have died, then my going to Akkadia will be in vain."

When Xion said that marriages outside Akkadia were not recognized by their laws and that they didn't want to take Haoran with her, ??Emma had decided that she would not want to return to Akkadia if Therius and Xion could not provide proof that her parents were really back in Akkadia... and that they were still alive.

"I agree," Haoran nodded. "The fact that they came all the way here looking for you shows that you are important to them. You must have bargaining power. We just need to know what is it that they need or want from you."