Queen of Mean

CHAPTER 37

"WATCH YOUR words, Duchess Victoria!" The chancellor, Lord Helisos, reprimanded Tori, who was now walking towards the podium where Lady Merilla Larat stood.

"Such audacity of you to indirectly threaten the crown," said Lady Merilla with a haughty smirk on her perfectly made-up face as she stared at the equally grinning Tori. The latter turned to the king who was now fuming. "Know your place, Duchess Victoria." The warning dripped on the king's statement which silenced the audience.

Provoking the king further, Tori curtsied before speaking on behalf of Prince Corean. "I am here as His Highness, Prince Corean Shuia Eckrett's, voice. Will you hear me out, King Elphaim Eckrett, the Blessed Empire's Sun of Gaia?"

Tori's question irked the composed Lady Merilla. To decline the request of the Duchess and to turn away from the second prince's side would raise suspicion for the king. Though the king already decided to sacrifice his son to get control of the mine from the north, he could not act brazenly in front of the three factions; the noble faction, the aristocratic faction, and the commoner's faction.

King Elphaim knew that Duchess Victoria Rozenreff used the Monakre Kingdom's royal envoy to stall the noble trial. The extended three days for his second son's life were not enough to save the prince. Swallowing his victorious grin, the king turned to his second son who was calmly sitting as if he was not about to be executed. "Prince Corean, come forward."

Prince Corean stood from his seat. His bruises were barely covered, earning a flock of whispers from the higher echelon of society. As he strode to the podium where Tori and Merilla were standing, his eyes never left the pair of red ones. Standing beside Tori, he bowed his head to the imperial family, but his eyes were on his mother. He was curtsying to his mother, not his greedy father, and not to his brother. "Blessing to the empire's sun, King Elphaim Eckrett," said the second prince.

The three members of the imperial family saw where his eyes were showing respect. Gritting his teeth from the blatant disrespect, King Elphaim Eckrett nodded his stiffly. "Well then, the floor is yours, Prince Corean. As your father, I can offer you a fresh start. Just confess the truth. I will ask you one last time, who is the traitor of this empire?"

King Elphaim wanted the prince to utter the duchess's name. He sent his men to torture his son every night just for this moment. The king strongly believed that the miserable days his son endured inside the capital's prison cell would be enough for the second prince to push the duchess into the cliff. But the king failed to notice two things. Prince Corean's strong devotion for the duchess pushed him to own all of her sins while the king's men whom King Elphaim sent to the prison failed to return.

Sabina, who was wrecked from failing to get the Duchy, grinned happily upon hearing the king's question to Prince Corean. She knew that the second prince would seize the chance to save himself, thus leaving Victoria, her wretched sister, the culprit. Just imagining the dull ax that would repeatedly hit Victoria's neck brought euphoria to Sabina.

Prince Lauren smiled inwardly as he looked down at his younger half-brother. Since Prince Corean was born, Prince Lauren waited patiently for this day, the fated day that the empire would finally be his. His sapphire-colored eyes moved to Victoria, now the duchess of Rozenreff Duchy. He felt the growing disappointment for her. He once planned for her to be his queen, but Prince Lauren hated how the duchess gazed at his brother. Now, he would enjoy seeing them be dragged by the royal knights. In the first place, there was no need to hold this noble trial. The result was clear and he was getting bored.

Duke Luwen Rozenreff stared at his eldest daughter for a long time. No, he was staring at his daughter since she arrived. He was torn between his loyalty to the empire and his love for his daughters. Though he surrendered the Duchy to Victoria, he knew that she deserved the title more than Sabina. The Porridge Attempted Massacre that almost ruined the Rozenreff Duchy's name was proof that Sabina failed. The way Victoria stood in front of the king and the mocking nobles screamed how dignified she was. The duke knew that at first glance, the favor seemed to tilt towards the noble faction. But upon closer inspection, the attending aristocrats or the accused side did not even bat an eyelash as if they already knew this would happen. The chilling smiling face of Prince Corean strengthened his belief that the new head of the Rozenreff Duchy already anticipated this one.