?Chapter 425:


    The unexpected neer was Lise.


    She quickly made her way to Elora, observing her distressed condition, and instantly directed her usations at Katelyn.


    “Katelyn, how could you torment the princess? Do you not fear the wrath of Yata’s citizens?” Lise charged, her anger palpable.


    Elora had departed too hastily for Lise to follow immediately, causing her to miss the earlier exchange with Katelyn.


    Though unaware of the specifics, Elora’s troubled face suggested to Lise that Katelyn hade out on top. Lise was determined to exaggerate the event, painting Katelyn as disrespectful to the princess in order to rally more opposition against her.


    Katelyn met Lise’s fury with a frosty stare and a derisive snort.


    “From which vantage did you see me torment her?” Her challenge was deliberate.


    Had Elora paid closer attention, she might have detected the sincerity in Katelyn’s tone.


    If only Elora could free herself from this destructive affection, she might transform from a woman tormented by love to one empowered beyond it.<fnf4bd> Read full story at FιndＮovel</fnf4bd>


    Katelyn, having endured simr trials, was determined to prevent others from suffering the same fate.


    Vincent’s expression grew stern, annoyed by the disruption to their meal.


    He was baffled by Lise’s relentless hostility, especially since she had already taken everything from Katelyn—her lover, her family—everything once dear to Katelyn had been taken by Lise.


    Yet, Lise’s appetite for destruction seemed satisfied.


    g?lnσν????s, the heart of storytelling


    Beside them, Jaxen rubbed his chin, eyeing Lise thoughtfully. The more he observed her, the more he sensed a familiarity, as though she were the centerpiece of a scandal he once knew. He quietly asked Vincent, “Isn’t she the heiress of the Bailey family?”


    Vincent confirmed with a nod.


    “Yes, she is.”


    Jaxen’s memory stirred, a vague recollection lingering.


    “I seem to recall seeing her somewhere, or hearing a tale about her. Where exactly, though?” he murmured.


    The details eluded him.


    Vincent brushed off the curiosity with a casual exnation.


    “Just months ago, the Bailey family’s saga was the talk of Granville. You likely heard about it then.”


    Jaxen, however, shook his head dismissively. The vague snippet he recalled didn’t seem to match the scandals surrounding the Bailey family.


    Meanwhile, Lise’s tone was charged with excitement and sharp with usation.


    “Katelyn, don’t even think that your demure, sorrowful fa?ade can mask your evil intentions. You failed in your homnd, so now you’re here to snatch Bartley from Elora? And we haven’t forgotten your stunt of dousing her with wine!”


    As Lise aggressively stoked the fires of conflict, she nced at Elora, whose face was nk. She was defending her, so why didn’t Elora support her ims?


    Elora seemed utterly detached.


    She was deaf to the usations flying around her, overwhelmed by a cacophony in her own head. shes of memory yed before her eyes—once, she and Bartley had been blissful, him promising a fairy-tale wedding as he embraced her, and then the stark image of him calling off their engagement and reiming her shares, his face cold and spiteful. The stark disparity between his once angelic affection and his now devilish scorn was too much for Elora to bear.


    Unable to withstand the emotional onught, Elora covered her face with her hands and screamed heartbreakingly before bolting away.


    Katelyn’s heart plummeted.


    It was painfully clear that Elora was on the verge of copse.


    She worried that Elora might not withstand the brutal upheavals in her life and could descend into insanity.


    “This is bad. Elora’s condition is critical. We need to get her to a hospital for professional help now.” Katelyn understood that everyone had their psychological breaking point, much like a bag that could only take so much weight. Filled beyond its capacity with despair, it was bound to burst.


    Tragically, the world had witnessed too many such breakdowns, with numerous individuals annually sumbing to madness or worse, driven by overwhelming emotional strains.


    Elora’s predicament was an urgent medical case, one that required immediate intervention long ago.


    Just as Katelyn was about to hurry after Elora, she was halted by Jaxen’s sudden outburst.


    “That’s it! I know who you are!”


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