"Lieutenant, what do you have to say? The King looked over at her. The King clearly believed Leo—and why wouldn't he, judging by the smile on his face? While she was mixed-blood, Leo was still a member of the royal family as a minor member.
She couldn't let the king see her anxiety if she wanted to have even the slightest chance of convincing him to trust her. Fear could be mistaken for guilt rather readily. Tessa straightened her spine and fixed her gaze directly in his direction. I'm not sure how such a misconception developed, but that is what it is, Your Highness. I wonder if Captain Leo is still aware of his request for me to deliver an urgent letter to Outpost 5 this morning. I left the castle for that reason.
The king's heavy brows furrowed as he turned to look at Leo. The captain quickly shook his head in disagreement.
"Your Highness, I have no idea what has happened to the Lieutenant. I never gave such an instruction; perhaps her mixed parentage makes her a good liar. "If I indeed had, then tell me, why are you back? Leo said as he cocked his head to gaze at her over his big nose. You would have needed more time to travel to the outpost and back, wouldn't you say?
The task was unsuccessful because the letter was blank, so I gave up. Tessa objected, her rage driving her to be careless.
Lieutenant, if you have another outburst, I'll have you imprisoned while your trial continues without you. The monarch yelled.
That was it, then. Her trial was this. Tessa bit her nails into her hands as she concentrated on remaining composed. She had to fight cleverly because this was a struggle. She needed to be shrewd. "Your Highness, I apologise; I was feeling upset. I was upset by the captain's implication that I abandoned the castle when I didn't, not by the letter's content.
You weren't by yourself? Leo seems more astonished than the King did.
"Yes, in fact. I was accompanied by Colonel Jothan of the House of Gold. He gave me the order to stop delivering Captain Leo's message and head back to the keep after we managed to capture a number of No-Landers during an ambush. Along with two of his soldiers, I did that, Your Highness.
Leo's demeanour grew glum as the muttering among the group intensified.
She wasn't by herself?
"Colonel Jothan was there, and No-Landers was taken prisoner!"
"Silence!" The King gave the order before giving Leo a disapproving glance. "Captain, things don't look good at the moment."
Saying "My King! Leo objected, his hands trembling. That's impossible. I swear I didn't compose a letter. I'm not sure why the Colonel was with Tessa, but I think she may have also used him.
Tessa carefully observed the king's demeanour and noticed that he was not persuaded by the blatant untruth. She could end this whole thing right now if she used her advantage. Giving Leo a way out was all she needed to do.
"My King, perhaps—
"Father!" Tessa was interrupted by Princess Mira's strident voice as she entered the podium in a cloud of pink. Father, you shouldn't believe her.
Tessa watched in shock as the princess pointed a jewelled finger in her general direction while standing next to her father. "I have firsthand knowledge of the lieutenant's tricks. She is an expert liar! And the fact that she attempted to run does not at all surprise me. I frequently overheard her discussing plans to do just that, but I never mentioned it since I thought it was a joke.
Why? The Princess was self-centered and spoiled, and she had always been repulsed by Tessa's beauty, but the King would be executed if he believed the lies. Was the princess's hatred of her really so intense? Why?
Jonathan from the Gold House The only explanation was him. The princess could not stand it when somebody even briefly caught Jothan's eye. Had Tessa's remarks about going to the No-Lands with the Colonel sparked this?
Is the princess truly ready to execute someone out of small-minded jealousy?
"Jealousy?" Mira's eyes grew smaller, giving off a poisonous expression. "Why on earth would I be jealous of a scarred bitch like you?"
There were several gasps in response to the princes' profanity, but Tessa was not that shocked. The majority of Kingdom citizens were unaware of the royals true hues. Well, she'd demonstrate for them today. She needed to. She was not going to let a spoiled brat kill her.
Tessa calmly retorted, "I don't understand it either, Princess. Why does Colonel Jothan focus on this disfigured woman more than he does you?
"You're a slut!" The princess had a rage-filled look in her eyes. "Jothan is mine, and only mine! She appeared to have forgotten that they were being watched as she ran at her with her fists outstretched like claws. Tessa had no doubt that the girl would have jumped from the dias if Leo hadn't intervened at the last second to pull her back.
"Mira, halt this immediately! The monarch yelled. He then appeared to be building up patience as he caressed the braids around his sword-scarred Tevvuk crown. Tessa wasn't sure if his daughter's demonstration that she wasn't exactly an unbiased witness had done enough to clear her of suspicion.
She's not to blame, Your Highness. Once again, the Lieutenant has succeeded in making the Princess look foolish. Still gripping the girl by the shoulders, Leo begged. Tessa questioned whether the Captain was genuinely that ignorant to not see that he had just humiliated the Princess as several audience members coughed.
The King yelled, "Enough," and struck the arm of his thrower with his fist. "Phone Colonel Jothan, and let's fix this mess once and for all," I said.
A young man in a blue and gold embroidered tunic who was one of the king's assistants hurried to his side and whispered. After sighing, the king waved him off. "I've been informed that the Colonel is still away on an excursion. It will be wise to wait until the morning to make this choice.
The new piece of information that verified Tessa's account caused the crowd to get more animated. She forced herself to hold her breath as she prayed that this really was the end. Even though she couldn't say she knew Jothan well, she was aware of his integrity. He would demonstrate that she wasn't a traitor or a liar when he got back.
Your Highness, she might attempt to flee once more if you put off making a choice. Leo grumbled.
Be at ease, Leo. It won't happen; my shadows won't let it happen," the King replied, dismissing his worry and clearly miffed at his relative.
Father, you're smart. After her embarrassing stunt, the princess grinned as she recovered her voice. However, I sincerely hope you do not disregard the fact that the lieutenant labelled your daughter a liar. That alone merits a few lashes even if everything else turns out to be fake, doesn't it?
The king seemed to consider his daughter's statements as he gave her a lengthy look. He looked defeated when he turned back to the space. Twenty lashes will be administered to the lieutenant for disrespecting the princess.
Tessa once again heard muttering, but she was unable to understand any of the words. She exerted all of her effort to restrain herself from protesting the absurd sentence. The King made the clear decision to lash an officer rather than allow his blood and heir to be insulted. Even so. However, she had a secret hope that he would put justice before all else.
Twenty beatings. Twenty lashes had never killed a warrior. Regarding the agony, she wouldn't consider it.
She knew the Punisher had been called in because of the sudden tension in the air. Two guards were ordered to pull her up from her kneeling position by the king's assistant, but Tessa resisted them with a raised hand. She rose up gently and turned, showing everyone that she had her emotions under control and was not terrified. She was unable to keep her focus on a few spectators. Maybe they were embarrassed by their joy at witnessing her punishment. Or maybe they felt bad for participating in an injustice. She focused on one sorrowful pair of eyes. Mirabel. The lady's hands were clutched together in front of her as she sobbed quietly. Tessa gritted her teeth. Weeping was pointless because this was how the world operated. If you forgot that there were people in power and those who did not, you would receive a whipping.
She turned to face the Punisher and asked, looking into his wide, blond eyes and crooked nose, "Where would you like me to stand?"