?Chapter 871:


    My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I feared they might hear it. In that moment, I wished the floor would split open and swallow me whole.


    Sensing the electric tension in the air, Alden bowed once more to the royal trio. “Your Highnesses, I must apologize. The hour growste, and everyone in our household requires rest. If you visit now, we couldn’t host you with the honor you deserve. Pleasee tomorrow, and we shall ensure you receive a wee befitting your status.” The princes epted this with gracious nods before turning to depart from the banquet hall.


    I watched their retreating figures with lingering unease coiled in my stomach.


    Still, judging from our brief encounter, the three princes hadn’t seemed to recognize anything unusual about me. A whisper of relief washed over me, though it did little to fully calm my nerves.


    Once safely inside the car, Alden’s prating gaze pinned Jett and me to our seats. “What’s going on with you two? Ever since the princes appeared, you’ve been acting strangely. Do you know them?”


    “How could we know them?” I quickly shook my head, my voice tinged with barely concealed panic. “This is my first time seeing these princes, so naturally I’m a bit nervous. They have such an imposing presence, and I’m just an ordinary person. How could I not be anxious?”


    “Exactly,” Jett chimed in smoothly. “Don’t overthink it. We were simply overwhelmed by the princes’ aura, nothing more.”


    Alden’s skeptical gaze swept over us, unconvinced by our flimsy exnation.


    Sensing danger, Jett swiftly redirected, saying, “We owe everything to those princes today. Thanks to them, we secured the Dream Herb. Once the antidote is prepared, Mr. Pierce should recover soon.”


    Alden’s attention shifted instantly, his face brightening with vindication.


    “Indeed,” he dered, “once the mayor wakes up, let’s see how that bastard Cody dares to act so arrogantly!”


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    yton’s POV:


    I had barely walked a few paces when the image of the maid beside Alden shed through my mind like lightning on a dark night. Almost as if guided by an unseen hand of fate, I halted mid-step and turned to study the woman’s silhouette next to Alden.


    A strange, indescribable feeling surged within me—something primal and urgent—leaving me momentarily entranced by her distant figure.


    Bryan patted my shoulder, his curiosity piqued. “What are you staring at so intently?”


    I lifted my chin toward the woman beside Alden, a slight furrow creasing my brow. “Look at the woman next to Alden. Doesn’t her back look strangely familiar to you?”


    Bryan followed my gaze, squinting his eyes as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… it does feel somewhat familiar, like…”


    “Like Makenna,” Dominic interjected, his voice cutting through Bryan’s hesitation.


    “Exactly!” Bryan pped his hands together, nodding with sudden certainty. “I thought so too. That was why I was considering using the pretext of visiting Dayton to check out his estate. Maybe we could uncover something hidden beneath the surface.”


    At the mention of Makenna, a shadow fell upon our faces like storm clouds rolling over a summer sky.


    Her disappearance was more than just a mystery—it was a festering wound for us all, one that brought piercing pain and a leaden heaviness every time the memory was stirred.


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