Chapter 1266  Rafael and Dylan followed behind the grain transport group from Tiberius‘ side as they made their way out. The men here didn’t wear veils, so when two unfamiliar faces appeared, they were suspicious, but they didn’t question it. Perhaps they were just new arrivals who had been at the rear of the group moments ago.  Compared to the well–trained people back at Stone Village, Tiberius‘ crew was utterly disorganized.  Everett and Carissa retraced their steps, distancing themselves from the others.  Rafael was aware of their presence up ahead, but he never dreamed it would be Carissa and Everett. He had assumed it was the supervising team, sent to ensure none of the workers were secretly stealing the grain. After all, these people appeared to be nothing more than hired laborers.  Carissa glanced back several times, but never saw Rafael. The crowd was thick, and the distance between them was far enough to make it hard to spot anyone. She kept turning her head because, though she had heard Dylan’s voice earlier, she hadn’t heard Rafael’s.  Violet leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t worry. During the chaos, two people infiltrated our group. Though we couldn’t see them clearly, I suspect it was His Highness and Dylan.”  She paused, glancing at Everett. “Besides, look at your martial uncle. He’s as calm as ever. If he didn’t know His Highness was somewhere in the group, he’d be more anxious than anyone else.”  Carissa thought to herself that Violet had only half the truth. Everett definitely wasn’t as anxious as she was. But since he had sharp ears, Carissa didn’t dare to say it out loud.  Still, she felt much more at ease.  The journey back seemed much shorter. Soon, they reached the hidden room where the secret passage connected to the villa, where the grain was stored.  Everett and Carissa led the way, with Kyle staying behind to guard Tiberius in the hidden room. A dagger was pressed against Tiberius‘ back, and although he felt weak, he had no choice but to stand.  Kyle waited until all the workers returned, ready to make the second trip with the grain. Then, he issued the command. “The Realm Defender has ordered no further transport today.“.  The workers looked at Tiberius, confused. His eyes darted about, desperately trying to signal them that he was being held hostage, but the pain from the dagger pressing into his back made him speak quickly.  “We won’t be moving anything else today,” he said hastily. “We’ll continue in a couple of days.  +25 BONUS  Chapter 1266  When they heard it was a direct order from the man, the workers finally scattered.  Rafael and Dylan were surprised to see that it was Kyle who had Tiberius under control. How did he know about the secret passage?  But they didn’t rush to ask. Instead, Rafael stepped forward and patted Tiberius on the shoulder.  “In terms of seniority, I should be calling you Uncle Tiberius,” he said with a grin. Tiberius‘ face went pale. Staring at the dirty man before him, he didn’t immediately recognize him. But the title of “Uncle” made it clear that at least Rafael had ties to the royal family.  “Let’s go. We can have a good talk outside.” Rafael gently urged him forward, then smiled at Kyle. “Thanks for your help. How did you and Travis find this place?”  Kyle returned the smile. “It wasn’t me. Your mentor brought the map of the passage. Oh, and Cari’s here too.”  Rafael was momentarily stunned. Then his eyes lit up with excitement. “She’s here? Where?“.  “She’s outside,” Kyle replied. “She was in the passage earlier with us. Come on.”  Kyle glanced at them, noticing their rough appearance. It was clear they had suffered quite a bit in the mountains.  As they exited, Rafael hardly spared a thought for the “uncle–nephew” reunion with Tiberius. His eyes immediately found Carissa, her eyes brimming with tears.  He handed Tiberius off to Dylan and quickly moved toward her. Just as he was about to embrace her, someone swiftly stepped forward and blocked their path.  It was none other than his mentor, Everett.  Rafael quickly greeted him. “Sage Everett.”  Everett sized him up, taking a step back while pinching his nose. “You really are a handful. Don’t you  think you should clean up first?”  When Rafael saw his mentor’s reaction, he realized how bad he must smell. He gave a sheepish laugh. “I lost track of time in the mountains. It’s been more than 20 days already.”  His gaze turned back to Carissa, the one he had longed to see for so many days. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close and kiss her. But seeing so many people around and realizing how messy he looked, he could only gaze at her deeply.  Carissa’s tears instantly welled up. One reason was seeing him in such a state, knowing how much hardship he had endured. The other was that it reminded her of the first time they met at the Southern Frontier, when he looked just as bad.