Chapter 721

Heather hurriedly threw on her clothes and stumbled out of the villa, only to freeze at the sight before her.
Leif VI sat in his wheelchair outside, his back straight and cold as stone. At his feet, the young man she had been with lay sprawled on the ground, bloodied and trembling. Magnus and several guards stood nearby, the atmosphere grim and suffocating. The metallic scent of blood filled the air.
A chill ran up Heather’s spine, draining the color from her face.
“Your Majesty…” she stammered, her voice shaking.
Leif VI turned his head slightly, his expression ice–cold. His voice came out flat, deadly calm. “Cut off his hands.”
“Ah–Your Majesty, please! Mercy, please!” the young man screamed in terror, but the king did not even glance his way. This text is hosted at (.)net
Two guards stepped forward. The sound of a blade slicing through flesh was followed by a horrifying scream that echoed across the courtyard.
Heather’s legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed, staring in shock as blood splattered across the white marble.
Leif VT’s voice came again, low but filled with authority. “Take her back to the palace.”
Shane pushed the king’s wheelchair toward the car. Magnus cast one last cold look at his mother, then turned and left without a word.
“Magnus! Magnus, wait!” Heather cried, but he was gone.
In desperation, she turned to the guards. “By order of the queen, contact Maxwell at once! Do you hear me? Call Maxwell now!”
No one moved. No one dared speak. Two guards seized her by the arms, shoved her into a car, and drove her away.
Inside the royal palace, Leif VI sat facing the grand hall, Magnus and Shane standing beside him.
The guards dragged Heather in, her wrists bound tightly with rope, and threw her to the floor.
Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled. “Your Majesty, why are you doing this? What have I done wrong?” she cried.
“You don’t know?” the king asked coldly.
Heather’s tears streamed down her cheeks. “Your Majesty, when we married, we made an agreement—you signed it yourself—that we would not interfere in each other’s private lives. Why are you breaking that now?”
“Because you’ve broken the law.”
Leif VI’s gaze was sharp and unfeeling. His tone was quiet, but every word carried an icy weight that made the
air vibrate.
“I didn’t… I didn’t…” Heather shook her head desperately.
“Shane,” the king said, “show her the evidence.”
At the signal, Shane stepped forward with a file. Inside were photos, documents, and proof of Heather’s repeated affairs.
Heather stared at them, speechless. Her body trembled as tears streaked her face. “Your Majesty, please… I was lonely… I’m a woman, after all. If you had loved me even a little, I would never have done this.”
“Love you?” Leif VI’s voice rose, trembling with fury. “Did I ever force you to marry me? You knew I had ended our engagement–that I did not love you. But you and your family wanted power, and to have it, you arranged the accident that destroyed my life! You crippled me!”
He slammed his hand on the armrest of his wheelchair. The sound echoed like thunder through the hall.
When he had learned the truth behind the car crash that had confined him to this chair, it had felt like knives piercing his heart. Heather had destroyed not only his body but his future.
Magnus was stunned. “Father, what did you say? You mean she’s the one who caused your accident? She’s the reason you’re paralyzed?”
Leif VI nodded gravely.
Magnus turned to his mother, his face pale with rage. “You… You did this to him? You ruined his life! You made him live in pain for decades. How could you be so cruel?”
Heather couldn’t defend herself anymore. She wept uncontrollably. “Your Majesty, I was wrong… I know I was wrong… I did it because I loved you…”
Leif VI sneered. “Don’t twist love into an excuse. What you loved was the crown, the title, the power. But that throne was never yours to begin with.”
He turned to Shane. “Hear my command. Because Queen Heather has disgraced herself and violated the law, I hereby strip her of her royal title. From this moment on, she is no longer the queen of this nation, nor my wife. Our marriage is null and void. Have her sign the divorce decree.”
Shane handed over the prepared royal divorce papers.
Heather’s
eyes
widened as she shook her head wildly. “No! I won’t sign it! I won’t!”
Her voice cracked as she turned to Magnus. “Magnus, please! You have to help me! I raised you, I did everything for you. Don’t let them do this to me!”
Leif VI’s tone turned razor–sharp. “He won’t help you. You killed his
parents.”
Heather froze.
Magnus’s face drained of color. “What did you say? My parents? What are you talking about?”
“Your real parents came looking for you,” Leif VI said bitterly. “But a certain woman–twisted and cruel- stopped them. She made sure they never reached you.”
He looked straight at Heather. Her lips trembled, her breath shallow. “No… That’s not true… He’s lying!”
Shane produced another file and handed it to Magnus. “Your Highness, this is the case record from the time of your parents‘ deaths. They were ruled to have died in an accident. But His Majesty’s investigation uncovered new evidence–proof that Heather ordered the attack that killed them. There’s also an audio recording. You’ll hear the truth yourself.”
Magnus took the file with trembling hands. Inside were photographs of the wreck, written testimonies, and the cold evidence of murder. He pressed the button on the recorder.
Heather’s voice came out, calm and cold. She was giving orders. “Make it clean. No survivors.”
She had planned everything–to make sure Magnus grew up alone, dependent on her, molded to her will.
Magnus’s eyes reddened with fury as he threw the folder at her feet. Then he lunged forward, grabbed her collar, and shouted, “How could you? How could you kill them? My real parents! Why?”
Heather sobbed, her voice breaking. “I didn’t want them to take you away from me… You’re my son… mine…”
“Shut up!” Magnus roared. “I’m not your son, and you’re no mother to me. You’re a murderer!”
He shoved her to the floor, trembling with rage. “Make her sign it,” he ordered coldly. “If she refuses, beat her until she does.”
The guards hesitated only a moment before obeying.
The first strike landed. Heather screamed in pain. “Ah–please! Stop! I’ll sign! I’ll sign!”
Blood ran down her wrists as she scrawled her name on the divorce document. The moment her pen lifted, her reign as queen ended.
Leif VI took the signed decree, his expression unreadable. She was no longer his wife, no longer part of the royal family–just a disgraced criminal awaiting trial.
But the king wasn’t finished.
“Heather,” he said coldly, “if you want to live, tell me where Kelly is. Otherwise, you already know what awaits you.”
At the mention of Kelly’s name, Heather finally understood.
Leif VI had never been blind, never indifferent. All these years, he had simply been waiting–gathering evidence, pretending to be powerless.
Every move had led to this moment.
He had been biding his time for one reason only:
to destroy the Maxwells
and to find Kelly.