Chapter 794 Zilia has traveled all the way

“Don’t say sorry. You weren’t at fault,” Dominick said, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur as he cupped her face. “I didn’t handle things well.”

He stepped back slightly, realizing they were standing on the small balcony of her room.

“Something happened at the botanical garden today. The security forced us to leave so suddenly,” Jeniva said, her brow furrowed. “I even called the local sentinel station afterward. I wonder what the situation is now. Something big must have been happening, right? For them to evacuate the entire place and call it an emergency…”

She looked up at him, her gaze clouded with confusion and lingering traces of the day’s stress.

Dominick felt a tightening in his chest. He looked into her eyes, seeing the innocence he was so desperate to protect. If he told her the truth, that a killer had been inches away from taking her life, she would be even more worried.

“Maybe some security precaution,” Dominick lied smoothly, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones.

“Sis, who are you talking to?” Elina’s voice drifted from the room. She stepped toward the balcony door, stopping short when she found Dominick standing there.

“Prince…” she paused, her eyes widening. “Your Highness!” She bowed her head immediately.

Jeniva took a careful step away from Dominick, her gaze shifting to her sister.

“You need not bow to me,” Dominick told her. Elina lifted her head, her eyes moving between the Prince and her sister.

“I am heading out to meet my friend,” Elina told Jeniva, gesturing toward her bag.

“Don’t go now,” Dominick intervened. The sisters exchanged a confused look.

“Why?” Jeniva inquired. She was starting to piece things together—the way he had rushed to her house instead of letting her come to the palace, and the urgency in his eyes. He didn’t want her to leave the safety of these walls.

“But I haven’t seen him for months,” Elina whispered, looking disappointed.

“Umm…” Dominick hesitated, feeling stuck between his desire to protect her and his promise to be honest. “It is risky to go out. Your sister was being targeted by a hunter earlier,” he asserted. He had thought hiding the truth would be easier, but the danger was too immediate to keep them in the dark.

“What?” both Elina and Jeniva exclaimed in shock.

“Elina, we would like to have some privacy,” Dominick urged, his tone brooking no argument.

The younger sister nodded quickly and retreated into the house, leaving the two of them alone.

“So, in the garden, it was a hunter? You were there, then why didn’t you tell me?” Jeniva asked, her gaze clouded with confusion and a trace of hurt.

“Everything happened so fast,” Dominick reasoned, his hands tightening slightly at his sides. “And I didn’t know I’d be coming here afterward. I knew I had upset you earlier, and I thought I could handle the situation without making you worry.”

Jeniva looked toward the door where her sister had disappeared. “Don’t tell my sister that I work as a spy,” she stated firmly in a low whisper.

“I won’t,” he affirmed. “But telling her about the attack alongside you was important. She needs to understand why she has to stay inside.”

“So, who attacked me?” Jeniva asked. “And why?”

“The hunter received your picture and a payment through an agency. The specific motive for the hit is still unknown, but we are looking into it,” Dominick stated. He stepped closer, his presence a shield against the darkness. “I have already planted security around your house. No one will get through that perimeter.”

Jeniva leaned back against the balcony railing. “Maybe someone has grown enmity toward me because of my missions. But I made sure that my identity would never be revealed. I am now worried about Elina,” she murmured.

“Hey, I won’t let anything happen to you or your sister. Trust me. Also, Evan will be around you all the time. And I may also come here to keep you both safe, if you find that right. That way, I will be less worried,” he stated.

“Don’t tire yourself out,” Jeniva told him, straightening up. “Sorry for troubling you.”

“You haven’t,” he muttered.

~~~~

Juniper smiled as she stared at the notification on her phone; her first salary had finally been credited to her account. It was a genuine happiness she hadn’t felt in months, showing a small piece of her independence restored.

“I should give Denzel a treat,” she murmured to herself, her thumb hovering over his contact name.

However, as she checked the time on the clock, she hesitated. He might be busy with his own work or wrapped up in his duties at the palace.

“Maybe when he contacts me, I’ll offer then,” Juniper mumbled, deciding not to disturb him. She stepped toward the curb, signaled for a passing taxi, and hailed it to head home.

As the car merged into the evening traffic, Juniper leaned her head against the glass of the window. Finally, an hour later, Juniper arrived outside her building. As she stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her apartment, she froze.

Zilia and Amelie stood in the hallway. Amelie was holding two heavy-looking bags, while Zilia offered a small smile.

“June!” Zilia said, her voice softening as she saw her.

Juniper walked toward them, her gaze lingering on Amelie.

“Zilia has traveled all the way here just to see you,” Amelie stated, shifting the weight of the bags in her hands.

“Let’s go inside,” Zilia added, gesturing toward the door.

“How did you two find out that I live here?” Juniper inquired, her brow furrowing. After everything that had happened, she had valued the anonymity of her new home.

“Denzel dropped us here earlier,” Amelie answered. “I know we should have informed you first, but we really wanted to surprise you.”

Juniper felt a flicker of surprise at Denzel’s involvement, but she kept her expression neutral. She moved to the door, punched in the password, and stepped aside.

“Come in,” she said, ushering them into the small space of her apartment.