The news spread like wildfire as it often did in the cultivation world. Some forces tried to contain it, wanting to keep it away from lone cultivators or other lower parties, but there was just no hiding it.

After all, anyone could head to the Mercenary Guild’s branch and see the truth for themselves. It was a known location and public service that countless cultivators and forces made use of.

The building was in ruins, stinking of death, the grass around it having wilted and died. Its surfaces had also turned black, and there were rumors of poison involved.

Someone had actually dared to attack the Mercenary Guild and destroy its branch, and, if the rumor had to be believed, that someone was a single rooting expert, the one Lady Jessica allegedly had a grudge against.

Naturally, the border’s politics went through a storm, both benefiting and suffering from that unique location. Some denied the event to side with the Guild and preserve its face. Others saw it as an opportunity to assault righteous forces and much more.

And throughout all that, Grace was left to hear whatever her few connections managed to learn, alone inside the underground hall, having no idea of where Liam was. She could send him a message, but held herself back, worried that it might disturb him during a critical time.

Of course, Grace also heard her own name in those rumors, which made her quite conflicted about the matter.

That lasted for almost two weeks until a tremor rang in Grace’s mind, and she hurriedly jumped to her feet and opened the underground hall, closing it as soon as a cloaked figure entered it.

Liam barely had the time to store his cloak and remain shirtless before the scolding began.

"What have you done?!" Grace cried, reaching Liam in no time. "Why did you have to pick a fight with the Mercenary Guild?! Why did you have to face such dangers?!"

Truth be told, Grace had sort of understood what Liam had set out to do. The two had even agreed upon that scolding, but she hadn’t expected him to put up such a flashy performance, making her anger more genuine.

The fan had followed Grace toward Liam and hovered around them, but neither could mind it for now.

Liam inspected Grace from head to toe. She was still in her casual robe, but her condition seemed to have improved greatly in the three weeks he had been away, removing his biggest worry.

"I had to send a message," Liam declared. "That’s how Master dealt with problems."

"And do you think they’ll leave us be now?" Grace scoffed. "They’ll just hunt us down even harder."

"So what?" Liam responded, annoyed. "You died in my arms! Was I just supposed to forgive and forget?"

Grace didn’t have a reply for that. She had only heard a summary from Liam, but she couldn’t imagine what he had gone through while she was out of commission, both physically and emotionally.

Liam turned away, grabbing the fan, rubbing its flat side with the back of his finger.

"Good job," Liam praised, storing the weapon before taking out what he had stolen from the Guild’s branch.

The loot was significant, not nearly as big as the bulk purchase in Mairis, but far more than what the Axe Brigade had provided. There were no spirit stones, and a big part of the Guild’s belongings had to be somewhere else, but the gain wasn’t small.

"I got this from the branch," Liam explained, only to hear words he didn’t believe could come out of Grace’s mouth.

"I don’t care about money," Grace exclaimed, not even glancing at the pile of containers, stopping right in front of Liam, "Not when you are involved."

Liam was speechless. Grace was looking up at him, her face more serious than ever, but brittle, as if on the verge of shattering.

"What are you saying?" Liam asked, still shocked about the money issue.

"I’m saying that I love you!" Grace shouted. "Do you have any idea what would be of me if you were not to return?"

Those words hit like a hammer, opening a crack from which Liam’s emotions poured out.

"And I love you, too!" Liam also raised his voice. "It shouldn’t have happened, but here I am, so I’ll take care of you and kill whoever tries to hurt you."

"It would kill me if something happened to you!" Grace cried, lowering her voice, clinging to Liam’s abdomen. "You are all I ever had."

Grace leaned forward to place her forehead on Liam’s chest, and he could only hold her shoulders, also lowering his voice.

"It’s my role to protect you," Liam tried his best to reassure, but didn’t falter on that point. "If I have to kill half the Kingdom to teach the other half not to touch you, so be it."

"Would you really kill so much for me?" Grace asked, gulping. "Do you value me more than half the Kingdom?"

For someone who had been considered worthless since birth, that idea sounded unbelievable.

"Even the entire world," Liam promised. He understood what Grace had meant, but his answer had been the genuine truth.

Grace placed another hand on Liam’s torso, slowly lifting her face to him, showing the single tear that had fallen from her right eye.

"Liam," Grace called, begging. "Kiss me."

There was no power in the world that could have given Liam the strength to refuse. He leaned down, kissing Grace, his arms going around her back as she wrapped hers around his neck.

It was unclear how it happened. Grace just clung harder to Liam, and he responded in kind, ending up on the floor on top of her.

Liam pulled his head back at that point, a streak of sanity returning to his mind, warning him about what was happening. Yet, Grace slid a hand down his face, caressing it, wearing a small, beautiful smile that seemed to come directly from her heart.

"Handle me with care," Grace timidly requested, a tinge of anxiety in her voice.

Liam had been in an identical situation once, in a branch of the Mercenary Guild of all places. His cluelessness had made him ruin that moment, but not now. He also experienced a tinge of anxiety as he leaned down for another kiss.