Chapter 132

Elena’s POV I almost called out again to Lady Valentina. The words were already on my tongue but she turned away before I could take a single step. Her maids fell into formation immediately, flanked by armed escorts and a female soldier named Evelyn who moved with quiet authority. In seconds, Valentina was gone, swallowed by the corridor. Only then did something click. The guards around her weren’t acting like shields. They weren’t relaxed. They weren’t protective. They were alert in a different way; measured and observant. As if their real job wasn’t to defend her… but to make sure she didn’t stray. That uneasy thought stayed with me as I walked back to my mother. Security had already recovered the dress from her handbag. The shimmering fabric lay folded in the guard’s hands like undeniable evidence. Yet my mother…Maurene…stood tall, chin lifted, defiance etched into every line of her face. “I don’t know how that thing got there,” she said coolly. “Someone must have slipped it in to s