A few moments later, General Sanju led the group into the conference room.
As the heavy wooden doors swung open, Rose followed Marina inside.
General Baxter sat at the head of the table. Sergeant Bill and Sergeant Wyatt sat beside him. Across from them were two people Rose had never met before.
Marina gently pulled out the chair beside her.
"Sit here," she said quietly.
Rose nodded and took her seat.
General Sanju closed the doors behind them before taking his place near General Baxter.
For several moments, the room remained silent.
The two strangers studied Rose carefully, but she did not look away.
Finally, the woman spoke.
"My name is Chelsea," she said with a polite nod. "This is Oran. We both represent the Council."
She folded her hands neatly over the leather folder resting in front of her.
"The events at Blackwell Castle have placed every kingdom, faction, and clan under intense scrutiny. Before rumors spread any further, the Council must establish what truly happened."
Rose remained silent.
Chelsea continued.
"Our greatest concern is preventing this tragedy from becoming a war."
She opened the folder.
"According to Article Seven of the Covenant Treaty…"
Her voice became firm as she read aloud.
"No kingdom, faction, or clan may knowingly shelter or protect an individual responsible for unlawfully harming a citizen outside its lawful jurisdiction. Failure to surrender the accused for a lawful investigation shall be considered an act of interference."
Chelsea closed the folder and looked around the table.
"If Princess Sophia knowingly killed Claudette Perry, and the Sea Kingdom refuses to surrender her, then King Nerion may be found in direct violation of Article Seven."
The room fell silent.
Marina calmly met Chelsea's gaze.
"That is correct."
Her expression hardened.
"Princess Sophia fled to the Sea Kingdom immediately after committing the crime. If King Nerion chooses to protect her instead of allowing her to face justice, then he will be violating the treaty his kingdom swore to uphold."
Chelsea nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Before anyone else could speak, Oran leaned back in his chair.
"There must be another solution."
Everyone looked toward him.
"A single death, while unfortunate, should not become the reason thousands lose their lives. Surely there is a path that does not drag two kingdoms into war."
Rose's hands slowly tightened beneath the table.
Marina remained expressionless.
Through their mind link, only Rose heard her voice.
Do not allow his words to deceive you.
He is protecting the guilty, not the innocent.
Rose said nothing.
Oran continued as though he had not noticed the growing tension.
"The Council can negotiate with King Nerion. There is no reason to rush toward conflict when diplomacy remains an option."
The room gradually grew warmer.
Chelsea's eyes shifted toward Rose.
General Baxter noticed the change in temperature but remained silent.
Sergeant Bill straightened in his chair.
Sergeant Wyatt exchanged a brief glance with Sanju.
Only Marina remained completely calm.
Oran finally noticed that everyone's attention had shifted away from him.
Confused, he turned toward Rose.
She slowly raised her head.
Her emerald eyes met his.
Without raising her voice, she spoke.
"My name is Rose Maxwell."
"I was there."
"I watched Claudette Perry die."
The room became completely still.
"The person who killed her…"
Rose paused.
"…was someone we trusted."
Heat radiated from her body.
Tiny flames danced across her fingertips before disappearing.
"I did not come here seeking revenge."
Her eyes never left Oran.
"I came here seeking justice."
The air around her trembled.
"But if justice is denied…"
Her voice remained quiet, yet every person in the room heard the warning behind it.
"…then those who protect murderers will answer for it as well."
No one spoke.
Oran stared at Rose, but the confidence he had shown only moments earlier had disappeared.
Chelsea slowly opened her folder again.
"Then we will begin with your statement," she said. "Tell us everything that happened at Blackwell Castle."
⸻
Meanwhile, in the Sea Kingdom, King Nerion gathered the nobles and council members inside the royal throne room.
The long chamber was filled with the most powerful families in the kingdom. Nobles stood beneath towering pillars carved from white coral, while council members sat around a circular table before the throne.
King Nerion rose from his seat.
Worry weighed heavily upon his face.
"What can we do to protect my daughter?" he asked.
His gaze moved across every person in the chamber.
"If Princess Sophia is forced to stand trial, the peace between the kingdoms could be shattered. I called all of you here because I need a solution."
His voice became more desperate.
"Tell me how we protect the princess of this kingdom."
Silence filled the throne room.
No one dared to answer.
Several nobles exchanged uneasy glances, but none were willing to speak first.
After several moments, Councilor Vermont cleared his throat.
"My King," he said respectfully, "with all due respect, Princess Sophia must stand trial for what she has done."
The room immediately grew tense.
King Nerion stared at his younger brother.
Vermont continued.
"There were witnesses. One of those witnesses defeated a Shadow, and we have now learned that she commands the loyalty of a dragon."
Quiet whispers spread through the chamber.
Vermont's expression remained serious.
"Even if we wished to protect the princess, we cannot drag our people into war because she acted out of jealousy."
King Nerion's expression darkened.
"What would you have me do?" he demanded. "Abandon my child because of one mistake?"
Vermont met his brother's gaze without fear.
"She took a life."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"If another kingdom had taken the life of Princess Sophia, would you not demand justice?"
The king slammed his fist against the arm of his throne.
"That woman was a commoner!" he shouted. "Sophia is a princess. She carries my blood. She is not an ordinary citizen."
His voice thundered through the chamber.
"She is my daughter!"
The nobles lowered their eyes.
Vermont remained calm.
"And that is precisely the problem," he replied.
"This is no longer a private family matter. Princess Sophia has committed an act that could be judged as political treason."
King Nerion's eyes narrowed.
Vermont continued before he could interrupt.
"You ask us to protect her, but my loyalty does not belong only to the crown."
He looked around the throne room.
"It belongs to the people of this kingdom."
His eyes returned to the king.
"The life she took did not belong to our kingdom, but that does not make it worthless."
"Article Seven exists for circumstances such as this."
"The law must stand."
"Princess Sophia must face trial."
His words settled heavily across the chamber.
"I do not know where the rest of the council stands," Vermont continued, "but I will not interfere with justice."
He paused.
"I warned you long ago that her actions would eventually place this kingdom in danger."
King Nerion's jaw tightened.
He glared at the man standing before him, not only as a councilor, but as his younger brother.
The silence became unbearable.
Finally, the king spoke.
"That is why I called you here."
His voice was quieter now.
"Not as your king…"
He descended one step from the throne.
"…but as your brother."
"Sophia is your niece. You have loved her as though she were your own daughter."
His eyes searched Vermont's face.
"If you were standing in my place, how would you protect her?"
Vermont released a slow breath.
"Brother, you are the king."
He looked toward the crown resting upon Nerion's head.
"I never desired the throne. I willingly stepped aside because I loved you and respected your choice."
His expression hardened.
"But what is wrong remains wrong."
"And what is right remains right."
"I love Sophia as though she were my own daughter, but I cannot defend what she has done."
King Nerion remained silent.
"You taught her that the lives of commoners mattered less than the lives of royalty," Vermont said.
A few nobles shifted uncomfortably.
"Whenever she abused her authority, she was forgiven."
"Whenever she harmed someone, the matter was hidden."
"Whenever she crossed a line, the kingdom was forced to clean up after her."
His voice became heavier.
"She has taken lives within our own kingdom before, and each time her actions were excused because she was a princess."
King Nerion's hands slowly tightened.
Vermont continued.
"For years, I repaired the damage she and her sisters left behind."
"I compensated grieving families."
"I prevented furious citizens from turning against the crown."
"I restored peace before resentment could grow into rebellion."
He stepped closer to the throne.
"But this time, I cannot clean up the damage."
"This crime was committed outside our kingdom."
"It happened beyond our authority."
"And now the people she harmed have the right to demand justice."
King Nerion stared at his brother, unable to respond.
Vermont slowly shook his head.
"I warned you that one day her behavior would destroy us."
"You told me a commoner was simply a commoner."
He looked around the chamber.
"And now look where we stand."
The nobles remained silent.
"Princess Sophia did not only kill an innocent woman," Vermont continued. "She killed someone connected to a warrior powerful enough to command a dragon."
Whispers spread through the chamber again.
Vermont's eyes swept across the council.
"A dragon has not willingly chosen a master in over a thousand years."
He looked back at his brother.
"If that warrior comes seeking justice…"
His voice lowered.
"…how do you expect the people of the Sea Kingdom to stand against such a force?"
Silence returned.
King Nerion could not understand why his own brother refused to help save his niece.
The nobles exchanged uneasy glances.
No one openly sided with Vermont, but neither did anyone challenge him.
To oppose the king was to oppose the crown.
But opposing Vermont carried dangers of its own.
Vermont was known throughout the kingdom for his integrity. He did not seek revenge through violence or threats. Instead, he uncovered corruption wherever it existed.
If a noble had stolen money from the kingdom, Vermont would find it.
If a council member had abused power, he would expose it.
If anyone had grown wealthy through the suffering of the people, Vermont would bring the truth before the crown.
Because of that, even the most powerful nobles feared standing against him.
His loyalty had never belonged to wealth or status.
It belonged to the kingdom.
Just as several council members began quietly debating what should happen next, the enormous throne room doors burst open.
"Father!"
Princess Sophia rushed into the chamber.
Two of her older sisters hurried after her, desperately trying to stop her.
"Sophia, wait!"
"Let Father decide what to do!"
Sophia ignored them.
She stumbled across the throne room before collapsing onto her knees.
Tears streamed down her face as she crawled toward her father's throne.
"Father…"
She clung to the bottom of his robes.
"Please save me."
"I do not want to stand trial."
Her body shook as she cried.
"I do not want to die."
"I do not want to leave my family."
She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
"I did not mean to do it."
"I did not mean to kill her."
Her sobs echoed throughout the chamber.
To anyone who did not know her, Sophia appeared broken.
She appeared frightened, remorseful, and ashamed.
But Vermont watched her silently.
He knew his niece.
Her tears were not born from guilt.
They were born from fear.
Fear of Rose Maxwell.
Fear of facing judgment.
Fear that, for the first time in her life, her title would not protect her.
Sophia knew her uncle would not defend her.
Not this time.
So she turned to the only person she believed would still erase the consequences of her actions.
Her father.
King Nerion looked down at his youngest daughter.
For a moment, he did not move.
Then he bent down and gently lifted her from the floor.
Sophia buried her face against his chest.
"Please, Father," she whispered. "Do not let them take me."
King Nerion closed his eyes.
He held his daughter tightly as the throne room waited for his decision.
Vermont watched his brother carefully.
"Do not choose only as a father," he warned quietly.
King Nerion opened his eyes.
He slowly turned toward the nobles and council members.
"If the kingdoms demand my daughter," he said, his voice low but unwavering, "then they demand a member of the royal bloodline."
His gaze swept across the chamber.
"I will not surrender Princess Sophia."
The room froze.
Vermont's expression darkened.
"Nerion…"
The king raised his hand, silencing him.
"If they seek war…"
His voice thundered throughout the throne room.
"…then war is what they shall have!"
Several nobles gasped.
One elderly councilor lowered his head in disbelief.
Another gripped the edge of the council table, his knuckles turning white.
Whispers spread rapidly through the chamber.
"He is refusing the Covenant…"
"This could destroy the kingdom…"
"Article Seven has never been challenged like this…"
Even those who wished to support the king could no longer hide the fear in their eyes.
Vermont stared at his brother.
"You would sacrifice the people for one child?"
King Nerion tightened his arm around Sophia.
"I will not allow another kingdom to place my daughter in chains."
"She took a life," Vermont answered. "You cannot change that by declaring war."
"I am the king!" Nerion shouted.
His voice shook the chamber.
"A crown is sacred."
"No foreign kingdom has the right to judge the blood of the Sea Kingdom."
"My daughter will not stand trial."
"My daughter will not be surrendered."
He looked toward the doors of the throne room as though an army already waited beyond them.
"If anyone wishes to take her…"
His eyes burned with determination.
"…they will have to march through this kingdom first."
The throne room fell completely silent.
No one argued.
No one celebrated.
The nobles only stared at their king, realizing what his decision could cost them.
Vermont slowly lowered his head.
Not in submission.
But in sorrow.
King Nerion had been given the opportunity to protect his kingdom.
Instead, he had chosen to protect his daughter from justice.
The Covenant had not yet been officially broken.
But everyone inside the throne room understood the truth.
The Sea Kingdom had taken its first step toward war.
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