?Chapter 374:


    The child could very well be her undoing. Trying to convince her to give up on it now seemed an impossible task.


    Dominic didn’t press the matter, just silently refilled his ss, the two of us drowning in alcohol and unspoken thoughts as the night wore on.


    By the time I could barely stand, drunk and muddled, I summoned thest shred of rity I had left and waved for a servant to help me home.


    When I reached for support, the hand I grabbed wasn’t the calloused, familiar touch of a servant but something softer, more delicate.


    My eyes snapped open in confusion, and through the fog of intoxication, I recognized the woman standing beside me. It wasn’t a servant. It was Molly, Kristina’s former follower.


    Displeasure surged through me, and I quickly shook her off. Without hesitation, I gestured for a servant who passed by. “You, take me home.”


    The servant obeyed, supporting me as I staggered back, each step feeling like I might copse. When we finally reached my bed, I sank into it, my body heavy with exhaustion, my mind swirling in a chaotic haze of alcohol and heartbreak.


    In my dreams, Makenna’s figure flickered, her smile bothforting and agonizing, her gaze cutting through me like a de. I called her name in my sleep, my voice thick with sorrow. “Makenna… Makenna… you are mine…”


    Even in the refuge of sleep, the pain and regret clung to me, refusing to let go.


    The door to my room creaked open, unnoticed in my drunken haze.


    “Your Highness…”


    A soft, feminine voice broke the stillness as a warm body nestled against mine.


    I tried to focus, to make out who it was, but my eyelids were too heavy, and the alcohol kept me from seeing clearly. But then, I caught the familiar scent that clung to the woman beside me.


    My heart skipped a beat.


    Read thetest updates at gα?ησν???s


    Makenna’s fragrance.


    Could it be her?


    I struggled to open my eyes, but in the dim light, I couldn’t make out her face.


    Instinct took over, and I pulled her closer, clinging to her like a lifeline, my voice hoarse and pleading. “Makenna… I miss you… please, don’t leave…”


    I held her tight, the desperation in my words a reflection of the longing that had gnawed at me.


    She gently stroked my back, her touch soothing and familiar. “Your Highness,” she whispered, her voice like a balm to my frayed nerves, “I will never leave you.”


    Makenna’s POV:


    The grand banquet hall, filled withughter and conversations, felt suffocating as I stood surrounded by high society, trying to y my part. Bryan chatted with dignitaries, smiling and holding a ss, but my attention wandered, and exhaustion gnawed at me.


    When would this charade end? I nced at a certain corner of the hall, only to find yton gone and Dominic in his ce.


    Our eyes met briefly across the room, and he raised his ss to me, a mysterious, almost knowing smile ying on his lips. I was surprised and about to look away when Bryan, who was alongside me, spotted it.


    Bryan’s slender fingers grasped my chin, turning my face toward his. The pressure wasn’t harsh, but it sent a sharp sting to my jaw.


    “Are you deliberately trying to get yourself into trouble by flirting with another man while standing right next to me?”


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