Moira's expression trembled with disbelief. "This is ridiculous! How dare you speak to Her Majesty with such disrespect?"
Vivia said, "I'm not being disrespectful, but somebody must voice out this injustice."
Veloria stepped forward, her shadow ominously looming over. "This is none of your concern, Princess Clairette. I think you've grown a little too comfortable with your stay here, seeing how you think you can meddle in our matters."
Zerath reached quickly to draw her behind him. "Apologies, Your Majesty. I'll talk to her."
Vivia brushed past him and faced Veloria, standing tall.
"I'm not meddling in your matters. I'm simply stating right from wrong. Crown Prince Zerath deserves to be Casca's lord. You cannot snatch that away from him when he has put his life on the line to save his people from death."
Her eyes squinted. "Poor judgement has consequences, Princess Clairette."
"What poor judgement is Your Majesty talking about? A call to place Eurus's well-being first? A decision to help a frightened child feel safe?"
Moira's expression worsened in outrage. "You're crossing your limits, Princess Clairette. You're overstepping your boundaries as a guest!"
The air around the four felt pricklier. Zerath was at a complete loss. He wanted to pull Vivia away from this confrontation, but she remained firm like a pillar refusing to budge. Even the peeking knights felt their legs tremble. Not a single demon held courage to defy the King and Queen, let alone a human.
Veloria's gaze darkened. "I think you didn't hear me before. We can have political ties all we want, but we cannot cross our limits."
"Okay. Maybe Zerath made a mistake. He shouldn't have spent the night in my chamber. If you feel that way, you can decide a different punishment for him which has nothing to do with Casca's lordship."
"It has," her voice turned icier. "It's all that child's fault. He is responsible for Zerath's poor judgement and unleashing the ice tide upon us."
"No," Vivia looked her straight in the eye. "Zerath's judgement to share my chamber and Zerath's valor to fight for his people are two separate incidents. If he erred, then his punishment should only reflect the severity of that choice alone. If he fought for his people with his life, then his reward must equally reflect the weight of the lives he saved. Yet Your Majesty is allowing the consequences of one unrelated event to get entangled with another."
"Do you think sharing a room with a human should be taken lightly?"
"Does Your Majesty think that Casca people's lives should be taken lightly? Crown Prince Zerath earned his lordship because he stopped Casca from being consumed into the ice tide. This has nothing to do with his decision to listen to Eurus's request."
Moira shook with fury. If she could, she would have ended Clairette's life for the sole crime of her mistress's humiliation. But she dared not act with a human's presence on their soil that could easily ignite a retaliation.
Veloria watched Vivia with a severe gaze. From within her shawl, her hand clenched tight. The princess's emerald green eyes stabbed her heart like thorns.
Just like…her mother.
Those eyes are just as hateful as hers…
She shut her eyes and forced the fog of hatred to dissipate. When she looked again, she said with a blade-like sharpness, "Zerath's punishment has been decided, and he has agreed to it too. It was nice to hear your thoughts, but that would end here."
Moira took this chance and urged Veloria. "Yes, we should leave, Your Majesty. We don't have to entertain a measly human's talk."
Veloria turned to leave, but a cold smile stretched Vivia's lips. "Then whose talk does Your Majesty want to entertain? Perhaps a distressed sister bitter about her son losing his nobility?"
If the air had felt prickly before, then it turned downright freezing now.
Veloria slowly turned, her expression growing darker. "What did you say?"
"Something Your Majesty doesn't want to hear. Perhaps I'm utterly disrespectful to the Queen right now, perhaps I'm crossing all kinds of lines, but what choice do I have? If Zerath loses his lordship, then I imagine who will rejoice this news the most."
"Princess!" Moira exclaimed. "Are you even in your right mind? Standing before the Queen, you dare accuse her of being influenced? I knew it. Giving you shelter in Rudaheim was the biggest mistake! Humans always change their colors like a chameleon."
Veloria trembled slightly. "You should feel fortunate that you don't belong here, Princess, or those words of yours would've been branded as a rebellion."
Vivia remained quiet for a long moment, her gaze never leaving hers.
"Does Your Majesty feel fortunate that Crown Prince Zerath is your son?"
She froze and so did Zerath. His breathing silently turned ragged and heavy as her question hung in the air.
"Your son is loved by your people. I see it everyday. Whether soldiers at the border or servants in the palace or Nethermoor's people - everybody adores Crown Prince Zerath. They admire him because they know their prince would do anything to protect them.
That's what Zerath did when he stopped the tide. It could've consumed him too, yet he thought nothing of it. Casca would've ceased to exist if not for him. Whether it's to help Eurus or save Casca, his only intentions are to help his people. He is the kindest king Rudaheim will be so fortunate to have."
A gentle breeze fluttered the strands of Zerath's dark hair. Vivia stood right before him, but he didn't know why…her figure before him shimmered blurry in this moment.
"You should feel proud of your son, yet the fact that his actions are being lumped with what young lord Astaroth did is beyond unjust. His well-deserved honor must not be taken away for a tit-for-tat revenge."
A tense silence pierced through the air.
"It won't be."
A gruff voice broke the silence as a pair of heavy footsteps approached them.
Vivia looked up, startled to see Nefarion stride into their midst. His sharp eyes fixed at her squarely. Goosebumps prickled her with cold, but she didn't lower her gaze.
Nefarion said, his gaze still locked at Vivia, "Zerath's lordship will not be taken away."