?Chapter 614:


    Her kindness should have soothed me, but instead, it grated against the raw edges of my emotions. I pressed my lips together, avoiding her gaze. “Why are you here, Miss Nixon?”


    Her voice was as gentle as ever. “You seemed unwell, and I couldn’t stop worrying. After the ss was over, I came looking for you. But you look fine now, don’t you?”


    “I’m fine.” I lowered my head, my emotions too tangled to deal with her sympathy. “Thank you for your concern, but I have something to do. I should go.”


    I rose quickly, eager to escape again, but Evelyn’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm.


    “Makenna,” she began cautiously, as if she were truly worried about me, “is this about Prince Bryan carrying me away yesterday? Are you upset about that? I can exin.”


    A bitter smile crept onto my lips as I wrenched my arm free. My voice was t, devoid of emotion. “I’m just a sex ve, Miss Nixon. I don’t have the right to care about Prince Bryan’s affairs.”


    “I don’t think that’s true,” she insisted, reaching to grab my arm again. “You’re upset because of him, aren’t you? But I can exin. It’s not what you think—it’s all a misunderstanding.”


    Her words ignited something in me, a spark of anger that red up after lying dormant for too long. I pulled my arm back and turned to storm off.


    “Ah!” Evelyn gasped, a surprised cry.


    Surely I didn’t use that much force, did I?


    My head whipped around instinctively, just in time to see her fall—straight into someone’s arms.


    A tall figure steadied her effortlessly, and my breath caught when I saw who it was. “Prince Dominic? What are you doing here?”


    I saw Evelyn’s face flush red as she pulled away from Dominic and stepped back a few steps.


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    “I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” she stammered, bowing repeatedly. “I didn’t mean to—please don’t be angry!”


    Dominic raised a hand, cutting off her frantic apologies. His tone was calm, almost indifferent, as he studied her from head to toe. “It’s fine. Are you hurt?”


    Evelyn shook her head quickly, her voice soft and shy. “No, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”


    Dominic nodded, then turned his gaze to me.


    His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. There was something there—a flicker of disappointment that stung more than I cared to admit. I bit my lip, the words I wanted to say dying in my throat.


    Makenna’s POV:


    Dominic nced at me before waving dismissively at Evelyn. “You can go now. This doesn’t concern you.”


    Evelyn hesitated, her eyes darting to mine with a trace of worry. After a small, deferential bow to Dominic, she turned and retreated with her head bowed.


    The moment she was gone, Dominic’s focus snapped back to me, his voice like frost. “What exactly happened here?”


    I avoided his gaze, my head dipping low as I replied tly, “Nothing happened. You saw it yourself—I almost pushed Evelyn over. That’s all.”


    Inside, I was filled with irritation, yet I tried hard to put on a nonchnt front. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.


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