The Grand Hall of Council feels colder than ever, though no wind stirs the velvet-draped windows. It's not the temperature. It's the weight of what's about to unfold.
Cassian sits upright beside me on the dais, his royal bearing sharp and unreadable. The Queen, pale but composed, is flanked by her guards. Ten council members sit facing the floor where the accused will stand. At their center, Lord Edric, his voice like gravel, eyes sharp as bone.
The arched double doors swing open.
"Bring him forward," Lord Edric commands, his voice echoing.
Lord Johnson shuffles in, flanked by two guards. His robe is less polished than usual. His eyes dart wildly, caught between fight and flight.
He bows stiffly. "Your Majesty, Crown Prince, Princess... noble lords of the council."
"State your grievance again, Lord Johnson," Edric says.
Johnson clears his throat, gripping his belt tightly. "My guard, Bako, has turned against me. He spreads false accusations; dangerous ones. Accusing me of treason. Of conspiring against the Crown. I dismissed him immediately. I seek protection."
"Protection from your own guard?" Cassian's voice cuts like steel.
Lord Johnson flinches. "He was embedded to betray me. I was targeted. I fear for my life."
A pause. Cassian nods toward the side entrance.
"Bring him in."
The doors open again. Bako enters, steady and measured, flanked by two of Cassian's guards. No longer bearing Johnson's crest, he bows deeply to the Queen, then to us. His face is unreadable, but his eyes glint with quiet defiance.
"Bako," Lord Edric intones. "You stand accused by your former master. Do you deny the allegations?"
"I do," Bako says calmly, voice firm. "I was placed in Lord Johnson's service by the Crown Prince's directive after the incident involving the Crown Princess."
Cassian does not blink.
Bako continues. "Within days, I began recording his secret meetings, smuggled messages; orders unsanctioned by the Crown. The worst was the order to tamper with the brakes of a royal vehicle."
A collective breath hitches through the hall.
My fingers clench my gown. I say nothing yet.
Lord Johnson's face twists. "Lies! Fabrications! He was sent to spy on me. Never loyal. I dismissed him when I found out."
"You mean," I say quietly, rising, "you dismissed him when he refused your orders to kill me?"
His gaze snaps to me, eyes wild. "I…I never…"
Bako steps forward. "He bribed me twice. When I refused, he threatened to accuse me of treason to save himself."
"Proof?" Lord Edric demands, calm but stern.
Bako pulls a sealed parchment from inside his jacket. "Transcripts and recordings from the Crown Prince's intelligence. Originals in royal archives."
Lord Johnson trembles, shaking his head. "You set me up! This…this was all…" His eyes search the Queen's pale face. "Your Majesty, you cannot believe this."
Cassian's voice cuts through the tension like tempered steel.
"Lord Johnson, your attempt to turn the blade against your own guard has failed. You were being watched long before you knew it."
But Lord Johnson isn't done. His voice rises; desperate, erratic, a frayed thread unraveling fast.
"He's lying! This Bako, he's always been unstable. I caught him stealing from the royal armory once. Now he's working with the Prince to destroy me..,"
"Enough!" Lord Edric barks, "You have made your case. Wildly. And poorly."
The chamber falls silent.
Then, the doors creak open once more.
Nancy steps in.
She looks nothing like the poised seductress I remember. Her gown is modest, her hair tied back. Her wrists are loosely bound. But it's the flicker of shame in her eyes the moment they meet mine that stabs deepest.
The hall freezes.
Lord Johnson spins toward her, breath hitching. "Nan…?"
His voice cracks with a fragile hope.
"Nancy, where have you been all this while? I've been worried…" He moves toward her, arms outstretched, searching for reassurance.
But she doesn't run to him.
Instead, she drops to her knees, sobbing loud enough to fill the room. "I'm sorry, Father. I failed you."
The Queen shifts in her throne, her frailty vanishing under the weight of the moment.
Whispers ripple through the council members. Few knew Lord Johnson had a daughter, let alone one daring enough to appear here.
Johnson kneels beside Nancy, trying to hush her. "Nan, don't…don't cry here. You've done nothing wrong. Stand up. We'll go home after this…"
"No!" she gasps, wrenching free. "No more lies. I won't live in the shadow of your schemes anymore."
His grip tightens, anger flashing in his eyes. "Be quiet. Not here. Not now."
I step forward, voice clear and steady for all to hear. "Remember our agreement, Nancy. Confess everything to the court, and I will protect you."
Her swollen eyes lock on mine, a silent plea.
Nancy stands there, shaking. Her chin quivers, eyes glassy as she faces the Queen, the Royal Council, and the sea of stunned nobles gathered in the Grand Hall.
Then she speaks, her voice barely louder than a whisper but it slices through the silence like a blade.
"My name is Nancy…" she swallows, her eyes flickering toward her father, "daughter of Lord Johnson. I was sent into the palace under his command. His plan… was to make me Crown Princess."
The council members shift in their seats. Even the Queen leans forward slightly on her mobile throne, though her expression remains unreadable.
Nancy draws a trembling breath, her hands knotted tightly at her waist.
"He knows the Crown Prince is not in love with me. But there was a time when Prince Cassian tolerated my presence. My father believes if I could win him over, trap him with a child, if necessary…I could replace whoever they bring as his bride. The Crown is his true aim. I am just the pawn he moves to get close to it."
A fresh gasp ripples across the gallery.
"He was furious when Princess Celeste arrived. Their second marriage ruined everything. The prince changed. He stopped letting me near him. And so… Father changed tactics."
Cassian stands like a statue beside me. I don't dare look at him. My heart pounds against my ribs.
Nancy's voice falters, but she pushes on. "Father told me to go to the prince and lie. To say I am pregnant. I was to trap him, force him into a scandal or secret union. The night I went to his private villa with that lie…" she pauses, her voice breaking, "was the same night Princess Celeste's car was tampered with."
The air thins. Every soul in the hall seems to freeze.
I can't breathe. Can't move.
But Nancy is not done.