Vincent held her close, savoring the warmth of her presence. “Then there are only two possibilities,” he said softly. “Either he’s hiding something extremely well, or he really is just as he appears to be.” There was no middle ground.

Katelyn couldn’t help but agree with Vincent’s assessment. In her heart, she desperately hoped Bernie was nothing more than an ordinary man. At least then, Alfy would be spared any suffering. If their hopes proved unfounded, Alfy would likely bear the brunt of the pain.

Tightening her arms around Vincent’s waist, she burrowed further into his comforting presence, a contemplative silence settling over them. Vincent dipped his head, brushing a tender kiss across her forehead. “I also dispatched someone to look into the woman secluded in the palace grove,” he confided in a hushed whisper. “It appears she is under exceptionally heavy surveillance.”

Katelyn tilted her face up to regard him, her brow furrowed in bewilderment. “Surveillance?”

Just who was this mysterious woman, and what had she done to necessitate such stringent security measures?

Try as she might, Katelyn couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

Vincent inclined his head in affirmation. “Indeed, and it extends far beyond mere surface-level precautions. The sentinels are positioned in concentric rings, with additional operatives lurking unseen in the shadows.”

Katelyn’s perplexity only intensified at this revelation. If this woman were truly a criminal, wouldn’t she have been consigned to the bleak confines of a maximum-security penitentiary?

But now… Not only had she been sequestered within the palace walls, but a group of guards had been tasked with ensuring they remained under constant watch. Such measures could only mean this enigmatic woman was someone of profound importance.

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But what manner of woman could command this degree of surveillance? Katelyn couldn’t figure it out.

Vincent tightened his protective embrace around her, his voice low and pensive. “This person might be entangled in something far more profound, perhaps even a royal secret lurking in the shadows.” That was the only explanation that made sense.

Katelyn nodded, her gaze locking with Vincent’s in silent agreement. “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. If it’s indeed tied to royal secrets, could it be someone from the ill-fated Ruiz family?”

The thought had materialized in Katelyn’s mind unbidden, a sudden flash of insight that refused to be ignored. After all, the tragic downfall of the once-proud Ruiz family had been orchestrated, at least in part, by the King’s own machinations.

Vincent paused slightly. While it was a daring supposition, the absence of hard facts meant it couldn’t be entirely ruled out.

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