Chapter 37

The grand doors of the throne room loomed before me, imposing and cold. It took every ounce of strength to still the trembling in my fingers, to keep my head held high as they swung open, and I was brought to stand before the king. The torches along the walls burnt low, casting eerie shadows that stretched across the stone floors and touched the edge of the dais where the king sat, his face unreadable, his expression as severe as the carved marble pillars framing him. Lady Elana, the Royal Concubine, stood beside him, her eyes glinting with malice.

The accusation, however, didn't come from her lips.

The king gestured, and from the shadowed corner of the room stepped someone I hadn't expected to see again in my lifetime: Lady Isabelle Carstairs. I still could not believe she was alive. How she was alive, I couldn't fathom it. It made no sense at all.

Her face twisted into something unrecognizable—a cruel satisfaction that made her almost unearthly.

"I have come," she announced, her voice smooth as silk, "to reveal the truth about this... impostor." She pointed at me with a long, bony finger, a sinister gleam in her eyes.

"Proceed," the king said, his tone sharp but curious. He leaned forward, assessing her with an air of suspicion yet allowing her to speak.

Lady Isabelle's voice carried with it a rehearsed clarity, words falling from her lips with too much ease. "This girl," she said, "was once a slave in our house. She was sent with me as my handmaiden when I was given to Prince Rowan in marriage. We stopped by at an inn to rest, and in the night, she attacked me, left me for dead, and then seized my identity, all so that she could worm her way into Prince Rowan's affections and manipulate her way into the royal family. She thought I was dead; she left me for dead, believing she could take away everything that belonged to me."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Each accusation struck me like a physical blow. Attacked her?! She was the one who tried to kill herself! She was the one who drank poison! I met her in her room and saw her lying cold on the bed; I thought she was dead! Her guards told me to take her place to save our lives. Her claims were pure lies—an elaborate story spun from her bitterness and hatred. Yet she wove it with such confidence that I could feel doubt prickling in the room.

The king's gaze grew colder, but not towards me. He looked at the Royal Concubine with a mixture of disdain and annoyance.

"You brought a Carstairs to my court?!"

"And why," he asked, his voice edged with irritation, "would I believe the words of an exile? You, whose family were banished from my court for deceit and treachery, are now to be taken as a beacon of truth?!"

Lady Isabelle's face twitched, but she quickly covered it with a semblance of calm. "Your Majesty, I speak out of loyalty to the crown. I only wish to prevent this liar from further deception."

"Enough," he snapped. He turned towards Lady Elana, a dark brow arched in incredulity. "This was your idea, was it not? You thought to bring back an exiled liar to support your accusations against this girl?"

Lady Elana's smile faltered, but her eyes remained sharp. "My king, I simply wished to serve you to prevent the contamination of our court."

"Contamination?" His voice boomed across the hall, the echo hanging heavy in the air. "The only contamination here is your plot."

Lady Elana flinched, but she wasn't done. She turned, her lip curling as she yanked my hair. "Your Majesty, this... this abomination has the mark of the Otsayak on her forehead. Look—proof of her evil blood."

My heart pounded as she held my hair and pulled up my face, displaying the intricate, dark mark, the unmistakable sign of the Otsayak. A shudder passed through the hall as whispers erupted from the courtiers, their eyes widening in horror.

The king's gaze turned cold and furious. "An Otsayak," he murmured as if the word itself left a foul taste in his mouth. He released a breath, harsh and unforgiving, his disgust clear. "You dared to come here, an Otsayak? An abomination, hiding in plain sight?"

"Is the Crown Prince aware of this?!"

I met his gaze steadily, despite the tremor running through me. "Your Majesty," I began, my voice steady but soft, "Prince Rowan does not know of my mark. I hid it from him."

It was a lie I told without hesitation, my only shield against further harm coming to him. Lady Elana's mouth dropped open, the outrage flaring hotly on her face.

"That's impossible," she hissed. "Rowan must have known. He's been protecting her, shielding her with his lies, telling us the Carstairs family had another daughter who was alive just to allow her to step into a life she does not deserve!"

"He faked the whole thing about the Carstairs daughter Cressida, who had died years ago, and had this abomination pretend like she was her. He faked a letter from Isabelle Carstairs and a seal from the Carstairs family. He should be punished!!!"

But the king held up a hand, his face stony and final. "Enough, Lady Elana. You waste my time with fantasies and lies. The prince's actions are not your concern."

Lady Elana opened her mouth as if to argue, but the king's expression silenced her. He turned his gaze back to me, and in that cold stare, I knew any chance of mercy had vanished. The judgement was already written on his face.

"You will die for this," he said. "For your lies, your deceit, your tainted blood. An Otsayak has no place in this court, nor my kingdom."

The words rang out, a death sentence pronounced in an instant. I held my head high, refusing to let fear show as the guards moved forward, their hands reaching for me. I could only hope that this one lie, this single sacrifice, would be enough to keep my Rowan safe.

................

The walls of the dungeon were cold and damp, with only a sliver of light seeping through a narrow window high above me. I had tried to focus on the sound of distant footsteps and the faint echoes in the corridor. But now, as I waited for what felt like the inevitable, I found myself drowning in silence, in the dark, pressing weight of finality. Here I was once again, trapped like a common criminal, awaiting the executioner's blow.

I didn't hear her approach until she was mere feet away.

"Lady Cressida." The whisper shattered the silence, making my heart leap as I recognised the voice. It was Maria—my handmaiden, the one person I thought I could trust. She stood just outside the cell, gripping the iron bars with white-knuckled hands.

"What are you doing here?" I managed my voice barely a whisper. It was a mixture of shock and suspicion, a tangled knot of emotions that made my chest ache. Her eyes were wide, darting around as if she feared someone might hear us.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I only did it because I was scared. The Royal Concubine... she said she'd hurt my family if I didn't comply."

My pulse quickened. "What did you do, Maria?"

Her hands trembled as she held onto the bars, guilt etched into every line of her face. "I was placed as your handmaiden to spy on you. I've been... I've been supplying the Royal Concubine with information, everything I learnt about you."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The trust I had placed in her now felt like a blade twisting in my heart. So that was why? That was why she warned me.
That was why she told me to leave. Was she feeling guilty for her actions?

"What sort of information?"

Her voice was barely audible. "I told her about the man who called you 'amber eyes'... I told you you wouldn't let me style your hair... I didn't know then... Every small, insignificant detail she thought she could use against you. I thought... I thought it wouldn't matter. I didn't know it would come to this." She started to sob, clasping her hands together. "Please, Lady Cressida, please forgive me."

I closed my eyes, fighting back the bitterness, the betrayal that clawed at my throat. "It's too late, Maria. Forgiveness won't change anything." I took a steadying breath, the chill of the dungeon walls pressing in on me. "But you can still help me. You can help me find Rowan."

She looked up, eyes widening as though this possibility hadn't crossed her mind. "Prince Rowan has been out all day, but from what I heard, he will be back in time for the Wolf Clan meeting," she stammered.

"I heard the King plans to do away with you before the Wolf Clan meeting..."

My heart trembled with fear.

"Then you have to tell him. You must make him understand what's happened to me," I whispered fiercely. "He's the only one who can stop this."

Maria nodded, wiping her tears hastily. "I'll go; I'll tell him. I swear it."

As she slipped away into the shadows, I clung to the slim chance that she might reach Rowan in time. All I could do now was wait and hope he'd come before the darkness closed in completely.