LOGINDay 1VioletTrue’s eyes darted from side to side, looking anywhere but Jack. Her chest rose and fell as she started moving forward, her teeth almost chattering.Anyone could see she didn’t want to be here. So why was she here?Her steps were slow.“I have spared the rest of your family,” he said calmly. “They have been placed under house arrest until further notice.”Jack’s body stiffened, his eyes fixed only on True as she passed. “True…” he said softly. “What are you doing?”He tried to move toward her, but the guards held him back instantly, their grip tightening as he fought against it. True didn’t stop, didn’t turn, but kept walking.Cecilia tried to calm him, attempting to place her hand on his shoulder, but before she could reach him, Jack had already shrugged her off.“True!”The worst part of it all was the satisfaction on the king’s face. No one knew exactly what he was doing, but that didn’t stop him. True reached the stand and sat down, her hands resting in her lap.“Welc
Day 1VioletWitch?The entire atmosphere shifted the moment that word left his mouth. While it was clear the crowd had first come here for entertainment and curiosity, the energy turned into something else.It couldn’t be true.Jack had turned his head toward Cecilia, his brows drawn, though he didn’t look shocked. He seemed more interested in where this was going, what she was about to do, and whether she had a plan. Or perhaps about the alleged adultery.Who knew.I leaned closer to Kylan.“This has to be fake,” I whispered. “He’s just saying anything without concrete proof.”Kylan released a small puff, his gaze still fixed ahead. “The adultery surprised me more,” he muttered.That wasn’t what I expected him to say.“What do you mean?”He glanced at me briefly. “Nothing. You’re right,” he said. “He doesn’t have any proof and is just building up as much drama as he can until the last day of trial. He won’t touch her.”“How do you plead?”“Not guilty!” Cecilia called out, her voice
VioletThere were guards in every corner. They stood between the rows, near the entrances, behind the council seats, and there were way too many of them for this to be anything close to normal.I was seated at the side of the room, under strict surveillance. Many council members had already entered, but it wasn’t just them.There were nobles, elders. The mistresses had come as well, laughing and joking around like this was some sort of feast rather than what it actually was.My fingers curled against the fabric of my dress as I searched the room again. I was starting to get anxious now, and Kylan still hadn’t returned.And the longer he stayed gone, the more that feeling doubled.Even the Bloodrose had come. Fergus, Sonya, all of them. They were supposed to leave today and shouldn’t have been here at all, and yet they stood among the others, pulled into this mess.As if it couldn’t get any worse, I had already seen Fergus nearly lose his patience with one of the guards when they tried
KylanWhat am I doing here?“No,” I corrected. “What are you doing here?”Kaelis scrunched her nose, caught off guard.“I—”Her words got stuck, her expression flustered, like she hadn’t expected to be questioned. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her. Her head snapped toward Nate.She squeezed his hand, as if checking something, then exhaled deeply. “He’s finally sleeping,” she said, her lips curling into a soft smile.Sleep or asleep?I glanced at Nate again.No wonder he was so still.He was pretending, for her sake. I was sure we had the same thoughts. He also didn’t want her here.“You shouldn’t be here.”Kaelis looked back at me, an offended pout forming on her lips. “I’m his mate,” she declared, her voice firm despite how tired she looked. “He needs me. I’m staying here with him.”She didn’t waver. Same as when we visited the flower garden, there was something in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before. A determination.“I know Nate didn’t kill Chrystal,” she continued.
KylanVarius’s eyes bore into mine. “There is no clear timeframe,” he said. “It could be months…years…decades, but it will happen.”None of that helped at the moment.“That is why you must do it,” he added. “And you must promise me.” His eyes held mine. “For the world, for her.”I thought of Aelius. Back in the caves, he had once told me to worry about my own fate. Was this what he had been talking about?Because he must have seen this too. I let out an exhausted huff and just accepted whatever he was saying. “Sure. I promise,” I nodded. “And I also promise to get you out of here. All of you.”Varius’s lips curled into a small smile. “Do you think they do not deserve the fate that meets them?” he asked.I squinted. “No,” I said immediately. “Of course not.”What was he even asking me?If I thought they were innocent in all of this?His gaze stayed on me. “And what about the girl?” he asked. “Do you believe she deserves the fate you have chosen for her?”My brows pulled together as I t
KylanAll it took was a single look for me to feel sorry. Varius wasn’t supposed to be here, in a place like this, behind bars.And seeing him like that only made me think of the others, but I had to check up on him first. Violet cared about this man, and that was enough. She cared, so I cared.“Thorne seems to be doing well,” Varius said, nodding slightly at the raven on my shoulder. His voice was collected, basically untouched by everything around him.I glanced at Thorne before answering.“I try to do my best and take care of him.”He closed his eyes for a moment and took a slow breath, showing in his own way that that small piece of information mattered to him. Not too odd, considering he had been taking care of Thorne for a long time.Varius did not look at Kayden and didn’t acknowledge him. He seemed to hold some kind of grudge against him, and I honestly couldn’t blame the man.My thoughts drifted to the box he had given to us. The one we had lost. A quiet guilt settled in as I
VioletKill her?Kill me?I stared at Aelius, searching his face for something. Anger, sadness, or maybe even regret, but there was nothing.The worst thing was that he had said it as he had already come to terms with it. Like he had known this would always be the price. I suppose it was a good thi
VioletMinutes passed, and still no words were exchanged.We all sat around the same wooden table of my childhood home, where we had sat with Dad the first time we came here. Except now, dad wasn’t the one sitting on the opposite side of me, but mom, and Little Violet had been sent upstairs.Mom ju
VioletI took a slow breath, letting the thought settle inside me. Dylan had a point. Mom and Dad…they wouldn’t even have wasted their time shifting unless there were other people there to protect me. People like…“Those who protected you must’ve been those they trusted,” Kylan read my mind. “Peopl
VioletEsther…I had never seen her like this before. Not through Adelaide’s eyes, and not even through my own. She looked so powerful in a way I could’ve never imagined.Her hair was tied up in her usual bun, but it was no longer gray. It was dark brown, the exact shade I had seen through Adelaide







