Return of the Crowned Heiress

Felion watched the chaotic scene unfold, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over her as though she had seen this exact moment before. Before she could fully process the thought

In a flash, she lunged forward and ranked Mantice back in the nick of time

The knife, aimed with deadly precision, missed its mark and instead grazed Maurice’s left arm, cutting through his impeccably tailored wit and leaving only a shallow wound

No one had expected Felicia to intervene, let alone help Maurice

Even Stephan’s typically calm and nonchalant demeanor cracked with a rare expression of shock.

Amid the cham, a horrifying squelch broke the stunned silence. It was the sound of a blade cutting into flesh

Maurice had seized the life in mid–air, gripping it rightly. Without hesitation, he drove it into Imogen’s chest

Time seemed to stop.

The world fell into an eerie, suffocating stillness. It was as if they were left in a vacuum, leaving everyone watching the scene in stunned silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.

that had happened in the brief moment

blade, which narrowly missed Maurice’s arm, was caught by him. Using the commotion caused by Stephan’s men rushing to stop him, Maurice pushed Felicia aside and in a

on Imogen’s trail, pale figure collapsing

wind brushed past Felicia’s ear as Stephan lunged forward, catching Imogen just before

several

so intense it felt like it could reduce her to

second

that same moment, Stephan’s men subdued Maurice, pinning him to

wind swept through the clearing, chilling everyone to

two small bottles from her pocket. Without hesitation, she poured out a pill from one

as she reached forward, Stephan’s hand clamped down around her wrist, stopping her

I trust

unprecedented coldness, disappointment, and

earlier move to protect Maurice had shattered Stephan’s trust in her. From any angle, it looked like she had chosen Maurice’s sides. And, in

voice, when she finally found it was steady but bitter. “You have no other choice but to trust