?Chapter 469:


    Hayley’s face crumpled. She looked pale, her eyes wide with fear as tears welled up. “I swear, I had nothing to do with this! I didn’t do it! Please, Your Majesty, I wouldn’t dare harm the lion!”


    At that moment, Dominic stepped forward, cool andposed as ever. “ording to my investigation, Hayley, you recently obtained that very drug from your family’s stores. Care to exin what you intended to do with it?”


    His gaze was cold, slicing through Hayley like a knife, as if daring her to defy him. For a split second, she looked stunned, as though she hadn’t expected the usation toe from him. Then she shook her head fiercely. “No! That’s not true. This is a setup!”


    Her words rang hollow in the vast hall, drowned by the mountain of evidence stacked against her. Leonardo had heard enough. His face contorted with disgust as he raised his hand in final judgment.


    “For the murder of the sacred lion, your crime is unforgivable. Guards! Execute her immediately!”


    Hayley copsed to the floor in a heap, her eyes hollow and lifeless, drained of any fight she had left.


    “Take this criminal away!” Leonardo ordered, waving his hand dismissively. “I don’t want to see her face again!”


    The guards moved to carry out hismand, but before they could reach her, Hayley suddenly sprang to her feet, her face twisted with desperation. She lunged toward me, her voice shrill with rage.


    “Makenna! You framed me! You nned this!”


    Makenna’s POV:


    Hayley charged at me like a storm on legs. My mind went nk, and I froze, unable to process the suddenness of her attack. Before I could react, yton yanked me behind him, his arm forming a protective barrier. Dominic wasn’t far behind—he stepped forward with a swift kick, sending Hayley sprawling across the floor.


    “Get lost!”


    Feel the magic at gα?ησν????s?cο??


    The guards were on her in seconds, dragging her away as she struggled helplessly against their firm grips.


    As the chaos settled, Leonardo’s cold, piercing eyes fixed on us. His voice carried a stern finality. “Makenna, you bear responsibility as well. But since you’ve been wronged, Alice and Evie will face the consequence—one month of cleaning the garden.”


    What? Alice and Evie were victims too. They didn’t deserve this! I felt my blood boil. “Your Majesty, wait—” I burst out, but Dominic quickly squeezed my hand, leaning close to whisper, “Don’t. This is as good as it gets.”


    I swallowed hard, biting back my frustration. As much as I hated it, Dominic was right. Challenging the king could only make things worse. I had to let it go, even though every fiber of me wanted to protest.


    Outside the hall, Alice’s eyes were already rimmed with red, her voice heavy with guilt. “Makenna, I’m so sorry. This is all because of me.”


    Evie was still trembling, struggling to hold back her tears. “It was so terrifying…”


    I reached out and gently squeezed Alice’s shoulder. “It’s over. As long as we’re all safe, that’s what matters. Don’t dwell on it.”


    As I tried to reassure them, I caught sight of a familiar figure approaching quickly—Bryan. He rushed over, worry etched across his handsome face. “Makenna, are you alright? I came as soon as I heard Father summoned you.”


    Just behind him, Amon followed, his eyes locked on Alice, his concern impossible to miss. He was subtle, but I saw it clearly—a silent, protective worry.


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