After the council meeting, Serena Alveir's name dangled on the edge of ruin.Though she had stood tall, the nobles and even the people began to lean toward distrust.
And that was the golden chance Irena Valkyria would never let slip away.
Valkyria's Scheme
In a dark chamber lit only by the glow of shadow crystals, Irena stood before the members of the Umbra Covenant.
She slammed a scroll onto the stone table.
"This is a tome of forbidden magic, sealed within the Royal Library… we will make it appear inside Serena's quarters."
A hooded man chuckled softly.
"So, you'll forge evidence… and brand her as a traitor to the crown?"
"Exactly," Irena whispered, lips curling in a cold smile.
"This time she won't merely be a girl of suspicion… she will be the betrayer of the realm, before every eye."
A Storm of Accusations
By dawn, rumors erupted across the academy.
A forbidden tome—one used for contacting demons—had been discovered in Serena's own room!
The whispers exploded:
"It's real evidence this time—she can't escape!""So she truly was the traitor hidden among us!"
The headmaster had no choice but to report directly to the royal court.
Trial Before the Court
Serena was brought to the Grand Hall of Judgment.
Nobles lined the aisles, armored spellknights flanking them. The air buzzed with murmurs.
At the forefront stood Crown Prince Lucius, pale and trembling. He could not easily shield her now—not against the crushing weight of such "evidence."
The voice of the court rang out:
"Serena Alveir! You stand accused of harboring a forbidden tome and conspiring with demons to overthrow the throne. How do you answer?"
A Denial Without Weight
Serena knelt, her voice unsteady yet firm.
"I have never touched that tome. I have never betrayed the realm!"
But nobles barked back, voices sharp as spears:
"Then where did the tome in your chamber come from?""How can you deny what lies before our very eyes?"
Hundreds of eyes bore down on her like chains of iron.Her heart felt crushed beneath their weight.
Lucius on Trial
Lucius stepped forward, voice trembling.
"I believe… Serena is not that kind of person."
But a senior noble's rebuke thundered over him:
"If Your Highness still insists, then you choose one woman over the stability of the entire kingdom!"
The hall grew suffocatingly tense—even the spellknights scarcely dared to breathe.
A Miracle of Shadows
Just as judgment was about to be declared—
The flames of the great torches shattered, breaking apart into floating motes of blue light.
Before the stunned court, the forbidden tome itself cracked… then dissolved into nothingness.
The hall erupted.
"What sorcery is this? Was it a fake?""No… it was woven by shadow magic—to frame her!"
Doubt swept through the chamber. Nobles exchanged shaken glances.
Irena, amidst the crowd, bit her lip until blood welled, her clenched fists trembling.
"Again… who dares defy me?"
A Girl Who Refuses to Yield
Despite her pain, Serena rose to her feet.Her blue eyes shone with tears that would not fall.
"I will not bow to lies. Even if the world denies me, I will stand for this land and for the honor of House Alveir."
Her words rang through the hall—not a plea, but an oath.And more than one noble felt a tremor in their heart.
A Smile in the Dark
When the trial ended, Irena strode from the palace with her followers.
A cold smile curved her lips. Though her plan had been thwarted, she knew well: the cracks of doubt had already deepened.
"So be it. If false proof fails… then I will forge reality itself. And next time, nothing will stop me."
Closing Scene
In a court shaken by accusation, one girl was nearly branded a traitor—yet stood her ground with honor and vow.
Another sank deeper into the dark, weaving crueler schemes to come.
And within the hidden depths of the tower, a man lifted his gaze to the moon and whispered:
"This time you were spared… and as long as I still breathe, Serena, you will never be destroyed by sins that were never yours."