Jocelyn's screams echoed through the stone courtyard as the guards dragged her before us. Her once-pristine maid's uniform was disheveled, her face streaked with tears of terror. I'd never seen such naked fear in someone's eyes before.
"Please, Your Majesty, I've done nothing wrong!" she cried, falling to her knees.
Theron stood beside me, his face carved from stone. The jovial king who loved to tease me was gone, replaced by a monarch who radiated cold fury. I understood his rage completely – it mirrored my own. Someone had poisoned our wives, and this trembling servant was part of it.
"You served my wife's tea," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "The same tea that contained substances preventing conception."
"And my Queen's," Theron added. "For years."
Jocelyn shook her head frantically. "No! I would never harm the Queen! I've been loyal—"
"Spare us your lies," I cut in. "We have testimony from the herbalist who provided the mixture. She identified you by description."
