Day 3
Violet
Kaelis…
“She’s here!”
I squeezed Kylan’s arm, and a small smile crept onto his face. Every head turned as she revealed herself in the doorway.
According to Kylan, Kaelis had been locked in the library for days. He told me she hadn’t changed her dress, looked beyond stressed, yet still carried a lot of energy and hope.
The woman standing in that doorway looked nothing like those first two descriptions. She had on a beautiful blue dress, and her hair was done perfectly. Kaelis came prepared.
In one hand, she held Kiora’s, who stood beside her, and in the other, a stack of papers pressed tightly against her chest. Behind her, two men walked in. They were older, with silver hair and strict eyes.
Who are they?
I looked at Kylan. “Did you know?”
He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I did not know she would show up with company.”
The king let out a loud sigh. “What are you doing here, Kaelis? Do you not have an embroidery class to attend or something?”
Kaelis gave a small nod to the two men, and they all started walking. Kiora stayed behind near the side of the room.
“A woman does not have to sit quietly and sew, Dad,” Kaelis spat. “She is allowed to speak, and this one has done her research.”
She stopped in front of all of us, the two men positioning themselves right behind her. “These men,” Kaelis began, “are the last living members of the original High Court. They carry the direct blood of the extinguished Royal Alpha bloodline, even more so than those inside our court.” She paused to take a breath. “It makes them powerful enough to arrest even a Lycan king, and I flew them all the way over from Elarin!” she added. “On short notice, of course.”
My eyes moved from Kylan to the two men again. Direct blood of the Royal Alpha bloodline. That would mean they were even closer to me than the distant relatives living in Lyperia.
Are they family?
The king broke into loud laughter. “Are you, a princess, trying to get me arrested?”
She took another step forward. “Yes, Dad.” There was no hesitation in her voice. “Under the Covenant of Fair Trial, an offspring of the king is allowed to challenge his judgment, as long as she brings evidence and is backed by two officials of the highest status.”
The king let out a scoff. “I do not care—”
“About our law?” Kaelis finished, her eyes blinking. “Our grandfather, your father, wrote that specific law. You got rid of many old law books over the years, but Grandma loved reading, and she saved all of them.” She held up the papers. “It’s all in here.”
The council murmured among themselves.
“The princess might be right,” someone whispered. “She has even brought royalty from Elarin.”
“Yes,” Kaelis answered loudly. “And since these documents were drafted in the Common Lands, their signatures are on them as well. These two knew my grandfather. Your late king.”
The king swallowed. “Even so, you don’t have the right to stop this!”
“Really?” Kaelis snorted. She pulled out a piece of paper that seemed to be a copy of a book and lifted it so everyone could see. “This is from a book that is over a hundred years old, but these horrible laws are still valid. Under the Law of Guest Rights,” she began, “and the ancient pack treaties signed by our ancestors, visiting wolves cannot be tried without their Alpha’s formal consent. No matter the charges, and no matter the crime.”
She looked at Fergus. “Alpha Fergus of Bloodrose. Have you given any consent for Violet, Dylan, or Trinity to stand trial in Lyperia?”
Everyone waited for his answer, and Fergus stood tall. “I have not.”
Kaelis nodded. “Then the charges against Violet Hastings, Dylan Hastings, and Trinity Richard are void.” She tilted her head. “And you weren’t allowed to charge Violet anyway, but we’ll get to that.”
Kylan’s hand squeezed mine. “I knew she could do it,” he said above a whisper. His eyes were bright and proud.
Kaelis smiled warmly at Dylan and Trinity. “You may go.”
The two didn’t wait a second and walked straight to Fergus and Sonya, who pulled them into their arms. I remained standing, not moving an inch.
Sonya’s smile was filled with so much appreciation I thought she might cry. That was two down, and something told me she had so much more to say.
“Now,” Kaelis continued, “the Law of Royal Household Protection.”
She looked at Lian and Sora. “Both of these women serve under the royal mate. She is responsible for them, and charges against household staff require the royal mate’s direct approval.” Her eyes found mine. “Has Violet Hastings approved these charges?”
I shook my head immediately. “I have not. Not at all!”
Kaelis’s smile grew. “Then charges against Lian Kai and Sora Talavera are void.” She gestured toward the side. “You may go.”
A sob tore from Sora’s throat. Lian grabbed her hand and pulled her forward as Vincent Kai met them halfway, wrapping his arms around both of them. Tears streamed down Sora’s face as she buried herself in the embrace.
Kylan exhaled beside me, then chuckled at Kaelis like he couldn’t quite believe she had done it once again.
This time, she focused on Varius. A soft smile curled onto her lips, and Varius greeted her with a warm blink. He knew this would happen.
This was why he had been so fond of her back in the mountains. He knew what she was capable of.
“I fear there’s not much I can do for the witches,” Kaelis admitted. “They have broken a law, and according to that law, the Soothsayer is responsible.” A small breath escaped her. “But according to that same law, he does not deserve the same punishment as those who acted.”
She straightened another paper, lifting it into the air. “The initial banishment the crown prince apparently suggested seems to be the right course,” she said. “The Soothsayer should take his people, leave Lyperia for good, and receive a portion of the stone. The mountain witches have the right to it…to restore their strength,” she went on. “The other witches should be transferred to Prison Island for a fair trial.”
The king made a low sound in his throat, annoyed, defeated, and so much more.
“Very well, then,” he said. “Take the Soothsayer and the witches back to the dungeons. We shall have them relocated tomorrow, and the Soothsayer, who remains here unlawfully, will take his people, part of the stone, and leave the kingdom.”
He nudged his head toward the guards. They moved immediately, leading everyone out of the room in a line.
My heart ached as I watched them go. I had hoped for another way, but unfortunately it had come to this. At least Varius would be free tomorrow.
“And I will hear no more of this,” the king spat.
Kylan took a step forward. “You will.” His voice was demanding. “That’s the Lyperian law. Remember?”
The king gritted his teeth so hard I thought they might crack. Meanwhile, Kaelis continued, not missing a beat.
“My mother and Jack.”
She looked back at them. “Under the Law of Accusation Without Evidence,” she continued, “no person of noble standing can be held for charges that lack documented proof. And since you probably haven’t gotten any because all of it is false, this ends here.”
She gestured toward Jack. “Release him at once.”
The guards exchanged uncertain looks.
“Release him!” Kylan repeated.
It was all it took. The chains finally fell from Jack’s wrists, and Kylan exhaled beside me.
“True!” Jack breathed. He walked over to her and fell into her arms as she held him, and kept apologizing, over and over.
Kaelis turned to Cecilia. “And Mom. You’re free to go too.”
Then her eyes pierced the king. “You should be embarrassed,” she stated. “For doing this to the queen. The mother of your children, and Beta Jack, who has always stood by your side. Even though you never deserved it.”
The king’s face twisted. “You should be embarrassed for treating your father this way. After all I’ve done for you.”
Kaelis frowned. “I’m embarrassed to say that an action this low is what it took for me to see who you truly are. You haven’t done anything for me. You ruined all of us.”
She looked around the room until her eyes landed on Kahlia. Lady Mona’s other children weren’t there. It was just her, standing alone, and Kayden stood a few feet away. He wasn’t exactly giving his shoulder to cry on, and still held a lot of anger in his eyes.
“You should let Lady Mona go as well,” Kaelis said. “Leaving her children without a mother. That’s just…low. Even for you, Dad.”
The king scoffed. “It was your mother who brought forward the accusations of witchcraft against her.”
Kaelis shifted her eyes to Cecilia. A huff escaped her as her gaze moved from Lady Mona to Kahlia, standing there scared and alone.
I understood then why Kaelis would help them. She wasn’t close to Kahlia. Not at all. But she had been without her mother these past days, and regardless of her feelings toward Lady Mona, she knew how it felt. So did Cecilia.
“I was emotional,” Cecilia said finally. “I don’t have any proof, and I take it back. Please release her.”
Kaelis nodded. “See? No proof. Release her.”
The guards unchained Lady Mona. She held her hand against her chest as she began walking. An unexpected small smile appeared on Kayden’s face, but she walked right past him and ran straight to Kahlia, pulling her daughter into her arms.
After that, Kayden’s eyes seemed ten times darker than they had already been.
The king smirked, bopping his head. “You are your father’s daughter. A real game master,” he said. “But what about the murderer—”
“Under the Protection of Royal Bonds Act,” Kaelis cut him off, “any person mated to direct royal blood cannot be investigated or sentenced without their bonded royal’s consent.”
The crowd stirred as she showed them the papers, trailing her fingers over the highlighted text. “Kylan never consented to Violet standing trial, and I never consented to Nate.”
She let out a small chuckle. “These laws are outdated, disgusting, but definitely Lyperian, and it is the law,” she confirmed. “The Lyperian law that you love so much, and now there’s nothing you can do about it.”
The king chortled. “Neither of you has completed the bond!”
Kaelis hummed. “Maybe. But Kylan accepted Violet in name. That’s enough.”
Kylan released a laugh. He just seemed so amazed by his sister, and honestly, I was too. She had read through all those ancient law books in just a few days and had managed to do all of this.
“And Nate?” the king rumbled. “He rejected you, Kaelis.”
Kaelis sighed softly. “I suppose he almost did,” she said. “But he never completed the rejection.”
She turned toward Nate, then walked toward him, taking her time. When she reached him, she took his chained hands in hers, and the two gazed into each other’s eyes.
Nate’s eyes…they had changed. The emptiness was gone and had been replaced with something else.
Pride, awe…
“Do you accept me as your mate?” Kaelis asked.