?Chapter 583:


    The guards, already informed, waved her in without a hitch.


    She arrived shortly after nine.


    Josiah met her with a bright grin. “You finally made it. Do you even remember how long it’s been since youst dropped by?”


    “My bad,” Freya said, handing him the gift. “I’m here to make up for it.”


    “No need to bring gifts when you’re visiting!” Josiah scolded yfully, though his eyes twinkled. “Come on, y a few rounds of chess with me. I’m sick of those same old geezers.”


    “Sure,” Freya agreed with a soft chuckle.


    A soldier brought over the chessboard and pieces.


    Normally, Josiah hated any kind of distraction while ying. If someone talked too much, he’d bark at them without batting an eye—even his oldest friends weren’t spared. But today, he broke his own rule.


    After a few moves, his mind drifting, he nudged his knight forward and said casually, “Freya.”


    “Yes?” Freya answered, moving her rook across the board.


    “Do you have a crush on someone?” he asked, sliding a pawn and sneaking a nce at her face.


    Freya kept her focus on the board, assuming it was just the usual nosy concern from an elder. “No.”


    “How about I introduce someone to you?” Josiah offered, thinking of Ellis, who’d just arrived but left again to visit other old-timers.


    Freya paused mid-move.


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    Josiah wasn’t letting it go. “I promise he’s dependable.”


    “I was married before—and I just got divorced not long ago,” Freya said, her voice steady. “I’m not looking to get into another rtionship anytime soon.”


    Josiah’s face fell. He blinked, clearly taken aback. His brows knit together. “What? When did that happen?”


    “Why is everyone hiding this from me?” Josiah’s tone brimmed with genuine concern.


    He’d finally taken a liking to a junior—someone who truly stood out to him—only to find out that something as monumental as her marriage had beenpletely swept under the rug.


    Freya halted her move on the chessboard, trying her best to ease the old man’s surprise. “It wasn’t just you. My whole family didn’t know about my marriage either.”


    Josiah’s confusion only deepened. What kind of man would have the audacity to marry Freya and not inform her family? It was, frankly, unthinkable.


    “Who is this man?” Josiah’s indignation red. His voice sharpened with frustration. “I need to give that fellow a piece of my mind!”


    “It’s all in the past now. I’ve already cut ties with him.”


    “No, absolutely not! You have to tell me who he is.” Freya kept quiet, uncertain how to exin.


    She knew that Josiah and Kristian had crossed paths more than once, shared a certain familiarity. Bringing it up just didn’t feel right.


    “Don’t you see me as family?” Josiah’s voice softened with sincerity. He wanted nothing more than to protect her. She was a gem—how could anyone not treasure her?


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