The trial will start at any moment, we are waiting for Hannah, who is late and my father is also late today.
The marquess was standing there, talking to someone that is related to the trial today.
And I am here, the Duke is beside me. Holding my hand and helping me to feel at ease. He looked worried for me right now, and I feel that I will puke any time. It's because of anxiety.
"Everything will be alright, just don't worry and be yourself, alright?" The Duke Theron said, and massaging my hand.
"Why I need to be here, and why I have a bad feeling about this?" I said and he look behind us, my lady in waiting and Sir William was there. They are looking at me, and on the other side, Azriel was there with Warren.
Why they are here?
"You didn't do anything bad, so calm down and everything will be alright, and I believe that yoy will be fine, just be with it and trust the process, okay." I nod and he gently kissed my forehead, making me close my eyes and smile at the Duke.
Finally, my father and Hannah was there, walking inside the trial room, and all of the audiences went silent.
I just remembered that the last time that I was here was last week, but now. Here I am again, at the trial room.
"Now, we can start the trial, for the attempt of Princess Hannah to princess Delaney at the garden."
My father wasn't talking, and Hannah is looking at me, smirking. As if she already know tha she won the trial.
"Princess Delaney, can you share your testament? On what happened at that day that the princess Hannah attempted to stab you?" I stood up and walk to the chair where I will sit while giving my statement.
"It was morning, I am doing my errands and such, until I was at the garden, marquess talked with me and we have a little chat, then when my conversation with the marquess ended, we bid our farewell, and princess Hannah pushed me at the stone part of the garden, I almost fell off. But I manage to keep my balance, she went mad and tried to stab me, until the marquess and the guards stopped her to hurt me." I said and Hannah is glaring at me now.
All of the audiences are silent, and looking at me. I want to remove my eye silk, and manipulate Hannah to tell the truth.
Because I know that she will lie here, it's her natural instincts, to lie and to make a false story that is not right.
"That sounds unfortunately, but can we hear the side of princess Hannah, on the incident that happened?" Hannah stood up and sit at the other side.
At the moment she sit there, her tears burst and all people was shocked.
"I am sorry, but I feel bad that I am the one who is being manipulated that time, I accidentally saw her eyes there, and then my body move on it's own, even I don't want to hurt or harm her, my body move on it's own, until there's people around me and my sister, I am really horrified that I might hurt her." My fist want to hit the table now.
As what I expected, a lie after lie from my stupid sister, she use her tears to manipulate the audiences. But she cannot lie, the sage can prove if she was being controlled at that moment.
"Where is the Sage, to see if the princess Hannah is telling the truth." I am calm at the beginning, but when I saw that the sage wasn't Azriel, I feel the pressure now.
I am being framed for the second time, fuck them all.
"The princess Hannah is being manipulated there, and she's definitely telling the truth." I looked at Sage Azriel, and he's fuming mad right now, glaring at the Sage who is trying to lie for the sake of Hannah.
I raised my hand and Azriel saw me, I shook my head and keep my posture. They want to ruin my image huh, fine.
"What can you say about this, princess Delaney?" I smile and keeping my posture well.
"Why you asked for the assistance of great sage? Isn't he that reliable?" They gulped when I said that.
"I can demonstrate you if I really manipulate the princess, the difference of I manipulate her and—"
"Enough for that play, I'm giving you the punishment. A hundred whip, and detention to your room, I am also forbidding you to marry the Duke. You're a big disgrace to the family." My father said, and the Duke Theron stand up, and went to my seat.
"If you're forbidding Princess Delaney to marry me, then I would gladly accept it. Exile the princess and me at the Drivike, and I will gladly pull out my military and my land to the Drivike." Duke Theron pull my hand, and we walk out together at the trial room.
I look behind them, and show my biggest smile. All of them, my father, Hannah and the empress look shocked that I smile at them.
They think that stoping my marriage with the Duke is that easy. Stoping the marriage means pulling out the military forces of the Duke and the land that he owns.
He has a biggest contribution to the empire, I know that's the reason why my father want my sister to become the duchess.
He's really a greedy man.
But the Duke already know that, that's why he also choose me. Because I am not the same as my father.
We keep walking until we reach the carriage and sit there.
"I will never let you go." The Duke Theron kissed my hand and kissed my forehead after.
"I love you, so much."
...
The trial didn't went good, and the emperor was trying to put the blame on me. Like I was the victim here. But at the trial, he keep insisting that I was the wrong one?
The Duke Theron was at his room, and I am also at my room now, we are busy and trying to do something that we can after my father said that, and he is really serious at what Duke Theron said at the trial.
Even a lot of people saw what Hannah tried to do. They even tried to use my curse? Using other sage and make a false accusations on me.
They are really threatened on my existence. I didn't make a move, I am just being me, yet they are triggered already?
"Fuck them all!" I hissed while I am trying to relax at my milk tub. I am all alone at my room, I don't want to get out of my room.
But I am still finishing my works and making sure that I will finish all of them in no time, because my fiance and my stupid brother need that.
But before that, I will relax in a bit and do it later. I already warned Sir William and I feel lately that someone is lurking around my mansion.
I will check my servants later, to see if there is won't wrong. Because I really feel that someone is here, I noticed that when I am walking around the place last night.
"How can he pull his land at the Drivike," I said while looking at the map of Drivike, and Windsor is really that big.
The military forces of the Duke is different to the knights of the empire.
The knights of the empire is talented like the military forces of the Duke, but the military forces of the Duke is more than the knights of the empire. That's why my father should not attack the Duke or piss the Duke.
But now, I think that is too late. He really pushed the trigger, and the Duke is busy now.
I saw how the Duke Theron pull his papers and other office things being pulled at the palace. He's indeed serious.
How I can relax if I see that the situation is getting messy. I have to do something, but it's also a good thing if the Windsor become an country on it's own.
I was busy at wearing my dress, until a loud knock makes me look at the door. Who will knock at this time?
I didn't pay attention to the loud knock, and I continue to comb my hair, until it knocks again.
I wear my eye silk before deciding to open the door.
Who will knock at this time? I just stand up, and open the door. And it's my father and the empress.
"My daughter, can we talk?" I almost throw up when I heard him calls me my daughter? Isn't he telling the truth?
I open the door and turn on all of the lights.
They are wearing a robe, and sit at my sofa. I don't want to prepare some tea. They don't deserve to be accomodate after all the silly things they done to me lately.
"Convince the Duke to stop his plan, that is not the right thing to do." I looked at them, are thet stupid? Why they are talking to me as if I am the one who is controlling the Duke?
"And your marriage isn't really good for the royal family and the nobility—"
"I am not the one who you should talk about it, your highness, and that marriage is bad for royal family and nobility? Why? I am from royal family even I am a mere daughter of a concubine." I saw how my father's teeth greeted and he took a deep breath.
"You're talking to a wrong person, Duke Theron is here. You can talk to him now." I look at the balcony, and the Duke was really there.
Wearing a white long sleeves and messy hair, he's staring to my father and to the empress.
He looked pissed, and serious this time.
"Please, stop making some moves that will pissed me off more and start an all out war to your land, because even I don't want any of it. I will feel bad for you." Duke Theron said and sit beside me.
"You keep showing disrespect act to my future duchess, even he is your daughter, is that the right act?" My father didn't respond, yet he stands up and look behind the door.
"Just don't pull the land of Windsor to the empire, and I will forget what happened to the trial lately, that's all." The empress look unsatisfied on what my father said, and glare to me, as if I did something that is not favorable to them.
"And stop disrespecting my fiance, I am not happy on how the royal family is treating their own kind," Duke Theron said and the empress stood up and look at me.
"Be thankful that the Duke is giving you a lot of favor even you're doing some scheme." They walk away from my room, and close the door.
"Are you alright, did they hurt you?" Duke Theron checked my body and looked worried.
As what I expected, they won't stop and I know that they will find other way to stop the marriage, because it's getting near.
"I won't forgive them, they think that stoping me to pull of my land will is alright, nope." I feel dizzy, out of nowhere, it feels like anytime I will lost my balance.
So I hold tight at the arms of Duke Theron and he still talking right now.
I didn't hear anything from him, my sight become blurry, until my legs became weak.
What's happening?
"Princess Delaney?" He keeps calling me, until I started to breath heavily. This is new to me. It feels like I am about to pass out any time.
But too late, my body feel weak, and I lost my consciousness.