The council is duly constituted now. Whoever summoned the rest of them was smart, this was no longer a matter that could be buried in the shadows.
By the time I walk back into the grand hall, Madam Jessy trailing beside me, the old hag, her miserable son, and the twelve wise councilors are seated, speaking in hushed tones.
As soon as I step in, silence falls over them like a thick cloud.
Eyes flicker toward me, then dart to Madam Jessy. Confusion ripples through the room.
The Queen's sharp gaze narrows. "What is she doing here?"
I don't answer. Instead, I stroll forward leisurely, my heels clicking against the marble floor, savoring the tension in the air.
Cassian shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He still won't look at me.
Lord Edric clears his throat. "Celeste," he acknowledges, his tone measured. "This is a royal matter…"
"Yes," Madam Jessy interjects smoothly, stepping beside me. "A royal matter that concerns the truth. And I make it my business when justice is at stake."
Murmurs ripple through the council. The Queen's lips press into a thin line.
I cross my arms, meeting her glare head-on.
"Shall we begin?" I say, my voice calm but firm.
I see her fingers twitch against the armrest of her chair. For the first time, she looks rattled.
Good.
I stand firmly, my voice steady as I speak.
"I have waited for days for the investigation concerning the allegations placed on me to be concluded. I have waited to have my name cleared, but so far, the palace has been busy with other matters while I stayed in my room, forgotten and starved."
I let my words hang in the air, watching as their expressions shift. Some council members moved uncomfortably. The Queen's lips press together, her fingers gripping the edge of her chair. Cassian lowers his gaze.
"So," I continue, my voice unwavering, "I took it upon myself to clear my own name."
I step forward and gesture toward Madam Jessy. "I brought Madam Jessy here, my witness, to speak the truth."
A low murmur ripples through the hall as Madam Jessy steps forward with the air of someone who has nothing to lose but plenty to say.
"I would have been here sooner, but I was out of town," she begins. "When Celeste Lucien called me and explained the injustice she was facing, I was appalled. And all because she did a simple job for me?"
She pauses, scanning the room, letting her words sink in. Some council members glance at one another, their faces unreadable.
Madam Jessy's eyes lock onto the Queen. "First of all, Morgana, I am deeply disappointed in you."
The Queen stiffens. A few gasps echo in the hall at Madam Jessy's bluntness.
"I remember when you first told me about your grand plans to unite this poor girl with your son," Madam Jessy continues, her voice laced with disbelief. "You were excited and hopeful. You told me all about the wonderful future you had planned for her."
The Queen glares at her, but Jessy doesn't falter.
"What happened?" she presses, her tone sharp. "Why deceive her? Why bring her under your roof only to humiliate and punish her?"
The silence in the room is suffocating. I watch Cassian shift in his seat, his jaw tightening.
Madam Jessy shakes her head. "Imagine my shock when I walked into the law firm and found Princess Celeste of Matica, a royal, sitting at a miserable desk, working as a legal associate."
Gasps fill the air again.
"She wouldn't tell me anything, but I knew something was wrong." Jessy scoffs, looking around. "Why would she need to work when this kingdom has more wealth than it knows what to do with?"
She pauses, then pulls out her phone. "I hired Celeste to write a WILL for me. She did an exceptional job, and I paid her well. I still have the transfer history on my phone."
She slides her phone to Lord Edric. He glances at the screen, his eyes widening before he whistles in astonishment. He passes the phone to another council member, who reacts the same way.
The Queen's face turns pale. Cassian's hands clench on the table.
Their shame is on full display, and I drink it in like the finest wine.
Lord Edric slides the phone across the table to Cassian. "See for yourself," he says curtly.
Cassian hesitates before picking it up. The moment his eyes land on the screen, his expression shifts, first confusion, then shock. His jaw tightens, and his grip on the phone turns white-knuckled.
The Queen sits rigidly, her face carefully blank, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
Madam Jessy scoffs. "I gave her that money to help her," she says, crossing her arms. "I didn't like the fact that she was working. I knew she had financial difficulties, and nobody in this palace lifted a finger to help her. She never asked me for anything, never complained, but I figured it out."
Her voice sharpens, cutting through the tense air like a blade. "So why punish her for spending her hard-earned money however she chose? Why accuse her? Why tarnish her image? Because she chose to work hard and not be a liability?"
She scans the room, her disappointment tangible, her gaze filled with unmasked disdain. "I am disgusted by every single one of you."
Silence. Heavy, suffocating.
And then, I break. My breath shudders, my chest tightens, and I feel the tears slip down my cheeks. I try to hold them back, but it's useless. I cry - silent, raw sobs that shake me.
Madam Jessy moves instantly, pulling me into her arms. She strokes my back gently, offering comfort as she slips a handkerchief into my hand.
The silence stretches. When I finally pull myself together, dabbing my eyes, I notice Cassian standing beside me.
I don't know when he moved.
I don't let him touch me.
Lord Edric clears his throat. "This was all a misunderstanding…"
I snap my head toward him. "A misunderstanding?" My voice drips with incredulity. "A misunderstanding that went too far? That became dangerous? That got my rights and freedom taken away in my own home?" I cut him off before he can spew more nonsense. My heart pounds in my chest. I'm livid.
Lord Edric hesitates, then turns to Cassian, silently urging him to speak.
I don't give him the chance.
"I should be suing the royal ass off right now," I seethe, my glare shifting to the Queen. She looks away, suddenly very interested in the grand chandelier above. Coward. "But I don't have the time. It's a waste of my valuable time."
I inhale sharply, steadying my breath before turning to Cassian. His expression is unreadable, but I don't care.
"I'm done." My voice shakes, not with fear, but with the sheer force of my emotions. "I'm done with this charade of a marriage. I'm done watching you parade women all over the place, disrespecting me, humiliating me, not giving a damn about my emotional well-being."
His jaw tightens, but he doesn't move, doesn't speak.
"I'm done seeing your ugly faces!" My voice cracks, and before I know it, my fists are pounding against his chest. Hard, frantic, as if trying to push out every ounce of anger, every moment of pain he's caused me.
Cassian doesn't stop me. He doesn't even flinch. He just stands there, absorbing every hit, every word. His face twists with shock, disbelief, and something else that looks suspiciously like pain.
"I want out," I hiss. "I want a divorce."
The room stills. A thick, suffocating silence settles over us. The Queen shifts in her seat, the council members exchange uneasy glances, but I don't care.
Cassian finally moves, opening his mouth, but before he can speak, the sound of heels clicking against the marble floor echoes through the grand hall.
I turn sharply.
My mother.
I stiffen. I didn't ask her to come. It wasn't part of the plan. She hasn't stepped foot in this palace since my wedding, and yet, she's here.
Her gaze sweeps across the room, cold and unyielding. She stares at Cassian, then the Queen, then the entire council, her disgust barely hidden.
"She's coming home with me," she says, her voice firm, unwavering. "Right now." She grips my hand.
The weight of her words hangs heavy in the air.
No one breathes.
"Divorce in the Royal House of Matica is an anomaly," Lord Edric suddenly declares, his voice booming through the hall. "It's impossible."
I stop but don't turn around. I don't care for his words, for his authority, or for the centuries-old traditions that have done nothing but shackle me.
My mother tightens her grip on my hand. "Then it's about time we redefine what's possible," she says coolly.
I turn and glance at Cassian. He's frozen, his hands clenched at his sides, his lips slightly parted like he wants to say something but he doesn't. He just watches, helpless, as I walk away from the life I was forced into.
The Queen says nothing. Not a single word. Not even an attempt to stop me.
Coward.
Madam Jessy follows behind, her heels clicking against the polished floor with a rhythmic finality.
The grand doors of the hall swing open before us. The guards step aside without question.
With each step I take, the weight on my chest lightens. The chains that once bound me to this place - this toxic, loveless prison - begin to fall away.
By the time we reach the grand entrance of the palace, I know one thing for certain.
I'm never coming back.