?Chapter 824:


    yton opened his mouth as if to argue further, but ultimately thought better of it. His silence was louder than any words could’ve been.


    Before the tension could settle, Amon appeared, sprinting toward us with a look of pure urgency.


    “Your Highness! Something’s wrong!” His breath came in quick bursts. “Alice and Evie are missing—and Evie’s grandmother, Rosaline, vanished with the child as well!”


    For a moment, I was stunned. How could they disappear so suddenly?


    “Could my father have taken them?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.


    Amon shook his head, his face grave. “Our men have been watching His Majesty closely. It doesn’t seem like he’s involved. But there’s no trace of them anywhere in the pce.”


    Hearing this, I figured Alice and the others must have found a safe ce to hide, and a wave of relief washed over me.


    I softened my tone and gave Amon’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry. They probably sensed something was off in the pce and slipped away early. With all the…”


    Tension bubbled under the surface, and staying out of sight was the safest move for them right now.


    Amon’s shoulders rxed slightly at my reassurance. “What do we do now, Your Highness?”


    “What else?” I replied, a cold smirk curling my lips. “We investigate. Every lead, every whisper—find Makenna before my father’s men do. Do you understand?”


    Dominic, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward. “We also need to send a team we can trust to protect Alice and the others. They’re vulnerable—two women, an elder, and a child without anyone to guard them. They’ll need our help to stay safe.”


    I nodded in agreement. “Good point. Make sure they’re watched over, but discreetly. We can’t afford any mistakes.”


    Amon straightened, determination etched across his face. “Understood!”


    “Wait!” I raised a hand, thoughts swirling in my head. The events of the night felt too chaotic, too deliberate. “Dig deeper into what happened tonight,” I ordered. “Figure out if it was chance or if someone’s been ying us. If this was a setup, I’ll make sure they regret it.”


    Amon’s face hardened as he nodded, then turned to carry out my orders.


    Just as Amon was leaving, yton’s voice rang out. “Hold up!” His eyes narrowed, shing with a sharp, icy gleam. “Start with Antoni. Something about all of this reeks of his handiwork.”


    Amon froze mid-step, his gaze snapping to me, silently waiting for me to make the final call.


    I gave Amon a slight nod, silently agreeing with yton’s suggestion. Without hesitation, Amon acknowledged themand and hurried off to carry out the investigation.


    Before I could even exhale from the weight of my thoughts, one of Dominic’s men came barreling toward us, his face a mask of panic.


    He skidded to a halt, barely catching his breath as he blurted out, “Your Highness! Urgent news—word just came in that His Majesty has discovered Makenna’s location! He’s already dispatched arge force to hunt her down!”


    The words struck like a bolt of lightning, my chest tightening with a mix of dread and urgency. So much for catching even a fleeting moment of reprieve.


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