Catherine tried to focus on the conversation as Maximilian and Alexander questioned Charlotte, but the words drifted in and out of her ears as if carried away by the wind. The sunlight felt strangely harsh against her eyes.
Her head swam.
She didn’t know if it was the heat or the weight of everything she had just heard, but the dizziness returned, stronger this ti. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she took a step back, trying to steady herself against the rising wave of nausea.
Their voices blurred together. She could vaguely hear them threatening Charlotte, demanding answers.
"It was my father!" Charlotte finally shouted, her voice cracking. "When Maximilian gave his seal, my father made a duplicate. He’s been using that seal ever since. I only found out after Katerina’s son died!"
"Who else are you going to bla?" Catherine asked faintly, though her voice carried a cold disbelief.
"I’m not lying!" Charlotte cried. "My father ruined my life. I finally had Crawley with ... and he took him away too. He forced Crawley to do it...for !"
Her voice trembled violently.
"My Crawley believed that if you hated Maximilian enough, he would be too distracted by you while we escaped. We were going to run away... we were going to start over sowhere far away." Her eyes burned with grief. "But you killed him!"
Catherine let out a hollow scoff.
"Your father killed him," she said quietly. "Just like he killed my son."
The words tore sothing open inside her. The grief she had been holding back all this ti finally broke loose, rising violently in her chest.
Her breath hitched.
The sob that had been trapped in her throat escaped, and suddenly the air felt too thin. Catherine tried to inhale, but her lungs refused to cooperate.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her heart began racing so fast it felt as if it might burst through her ribs. The world around her spun, sounds fading into a distant roar as her vision blurred at the edges.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull in enough air.
Her fingers curled helplessly as panic clawed through her body. Every breath ca shallow and sharp, her chest trembling as if she were drowning on dry land.
"Catherine!"
Maximilian caught her before her knees could give way. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms and hurried toward the car, his voice tight with alarm.
"Breathe," he said urgently. "Catherine, look at . Just breathe."
But she couldn’t.
The panic wrapped around her like invisible chains, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her thoughts raced uncontrollably, each one more painful than the last.
So this was the truth.
Maximilian had trusted his unfaithful wife enough to leave his royal seal in her hands. Charlotte’s father had used that trust, working with Dorian’s father-in-law, forging orders that ultimately led to her son’s death.
And Maximilian...
He had believed he was protecting her all along. While the very people he ruled had hunted her child down and butchered him.
A bitter thought rose through the chaos in her mind.
Maybe this was the truth she had been refusing to see.
Maybe fate itself had never wanted them together.
Another thought echoed faintly in Catherine’s mind.
Maximilian himself had once told her that people from her past life were gathering around her again, as if so invisible circle was closing, factions forming, sides waiting to be chosen.
Last ti... she had stood beside Dorian.
And that choice had destroyed her life.
This ti... Was she standing on the wrong side again?
Catherine couldn’t even think clearly anymore.
Yet even while her body trembled and her chest still ached from the panic, one thing remained constant. Maximilian’s voice.
It surrounded her like a soft cloud, gentle and steady, shielding her from the harsh sunlight and the cold wind at the sa ti.
"Slow breaths," he murmured. "That’s it... you’re doing fine."
When her breathing started racing again, he quietly began humming a tune.
A lullaby.
Catherine’s eyes widened faintly.
It was the lullaby her mother used to sing to her... in another life.
How does he even rember that?
But the lody worked its quiet magic. The frantic pounding of her heart slowly eased. Her breaths, once sharp and shallow, gradually steadied.
By the ti the song faded, the storm inside her chest had finally cald.
Alexander returned then, striding toward them with tense shoulders. He knelt in front of her imdiately, worry etched across his face.
"Are you okay now, Cathy Bean?" he asked softly, reaching out to hold her hand.
Catherine’s fingers moved before her mind could catch up. She pulled her hand away.
For a mont, she stared at her own movent in shock.
This was Alexander.
The brother who had practically raised her. The boy who had refused to let her walk until she was three because he insisted on carrying her everywhere. The person who had always been her best friend... the one she trusted without question.
And yet... Her body had recoiled.
Alexander didn’t seem to notice the small flinch. But Maximilian did.
"I’m fine," Catherine said quickly, forcing a small smile. She reached out and took Alexander’s hand this ti, squeezing it gently.
No.
She wouldn’t let the past poison her present. She repeated it again and again in her mind, as if the thought itself were a shield.
Alexander was family. He would never betray her.
"Take her ho and let her rest," Alexander said, looking at Maximilian.
And once again, that quiet voice whispered inside her mind.
He’s pushing you toward Maximilian. Can’t you see it? Maximilian moves among politicians. Your brother wants a place among them. Are you really blind to what’s happening?
Catherine shook the thought away sharply.
This wasn’t the past.
She was safe now. Even Maximilian couldn’t harm her here.
"You’re not coming ho?" Catherine asked suddenly, looking at Alexander. "Can’t you co with ?"
Without realizing it, her hand tightened around his.
Alexander gave her a reassuring smile. "I’m heading to Capitol Hill," he said gently. "There’s a gala tonight."
He took a slow breath before adding, almost casually, "Maximilian will be with you."
Catherine swallowed. Her grip on his hand loosened little by little. "...Okay," she murmured, nodding half-heartedly.
Alexander patted her head affectionately before standing. He looked like he wanted to say sothing else... but he didn’t. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Not far from them, Charlotte watched the entire scene unfold. Her hands slowly curled into fists. But then... her lips curved into a thin smile.
She wasn’t finished yet.
After Maximilian had threatened Crawley, she had made a promise to herself. She would not wait again.
Pulling out her phone, Charlotte quickly typed an email and sent it.
[This is Charlotte, Maximilian’s queen from another life. I have sothing to discuss with you. When can we et?]
The ssage went to one person. Dorian Blackwood.
Charlotte lifted her gaze toward Catherine, who now stood between two towering n.
Her smile sharpened.
I’ll end you first this ti, Katerina.
You won’t touch what I love again.
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