Emily returned home in the early hours of the day after spending a few days with her aunt. As she walked into the dining room, she found her family seated at the table, having breakfast. Emily greeted them warmly, saying, "Morning, Papa and mama, Grandma, morning." However, her greetings were met with an uncomfortable silence, and no one bothered to respond.
Cathy, Emily's sister, glanced at Emily and subtly nodded for her to take a seat. Emily went to the kitchen to fetch a plate and sat down next to Cathy. As she began to serve herself, her grandmother, who had been quiet until then, spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We don't have food for a plus one," she said, her eyes fixed on Emily.
Emily's eyes narrowed, and she dropped the serving spoon, her voice firm as she responded, "I'm not a plus one, I'm a member of this family."
Her grandmother's expression turned cold, and she retorted, "A member who has brought shame upon us." Emily was no stranger to her grandmother's tantrums and had grown accustomed to their confrontations.
Without hesitation, Emily shot back, "It seems you don't know what shame is."
Her grandmother's face turned red with anger, and she slammed her spoon down on the table, standing up abruptly. "Did you just speak to me that way?" she demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
Emily stood her ground, her voice unwavering as she replied, "I won't stand here and allow you to say such things to me." With that, she turned and walked away, heading towards her room. Her mother's loud voice stopped her in her tracks. "Come back here right now!" she commanded.
Emily turned to face her mother, who was now standing, her eyes blazing with anger.
"You can see what I've always talked about," her grandmother said, her voice venomous. "She acts so rude and uncultured, even when she's in the wrong."
Mrs. Neville turned to Emily, her expression stern. "We're going to the palace today, and you're going to apologize to the prince for humiliating him and beg him to take you back." Emily's eyes widened in shock as she processed her mother's words.
Emily stood firm, refusing her mother's demand. "I would never do that," she said, her voice unwavering. Mrs. Neville's response was icy. "You would do whatever I tell you to."
"Do you have any idea who you are up against, Emily?" her mother asked, her tone laced with a warning. Emily stood firm, her voice steady and unwavering. "I'm aware that I'm dealing with the Prince of Westfield," she replied, her eyes locked onto her mother's.
Her mother's expression turned stern, her voice emphasizing the prince's royal stature. "You're not just dealing with anyone, Emily. You're dealing with royalty, someone who is likely to become the future king of the Westfield Kingdom."
"A man who forces himself on a woman isn't man enough to rule a kingdom," Emily retorted harshly, her voice unwavering. Her mother's reaction was swift and violent, slapping Emily hard across the face. The sound of the slap resonated through the room.
Cathy intervened, rushing to stop her mother from striking Emily again. Mrs. Neville's words were just as hurtful as her physical blow. "What's so bad if he tries to touch a woman who's going to be his wife?" Emily was taken aback by her mother's statement, her eyes welling up with tears.
As Emily struggled to hold back her tears, she lashed out at her mother. "I know you can be greedy, selfish, and self-centered, but I never expected that from you." Emily's anger boiled over, and her voice thundered through the room.
Mrs. Neville raised her hand to slap Emily again, but Mr. Neville intervened, stopping his wife from hitting their daughter.
"You never allowed me to do whatever I wanted," Emily said, her voice firm. "I wanted to learn the art of swords, you stopped me. I never wanted to marry Prince Edward, but because you were so greedy and thought that I'd landed a great catch, you made me accept him." Emily caught her breath for a few seconds before she continued, "I won't let you tell me what to do with my life again.
"I would never ever marry a man who doesn't know how to keep his dignity with just a few glasses of wine," Emily declared, her voice unwavering.
The argument escalated, and Mrs Neville thundered, "You're a bastard,"
Emily's tears finally broke free, streaming down her face. "Yes, I am," she replied, her voice shaking. "After all, whose mother treats her own daughter this way?"
With that, Emily turned and walked away, only to be met with two guards and Sebastian, the prince's loyal servant.
Sebastian spoke, "The king demands your presence in the royal court." Emily stared at them in bewilderment. She had at least expected to be summoned by the first prince and not the king himself.
She had only met the king once, and that was at her private engagement to his son. Being summoned to the royal court meant she was either in big trouble or about to be rewarded. She was sure that with what happened a few days ago, it was not going to be a reward.
Before Emily could speak, Cathy came to join her at the door. "What do they want, Emily?" Cathy asked. Emily was being dragged by her hand by one of the guards. Emily cried in pain as the guard's grip on her hand was tight.
Cathy turned to Sebastian, demanding to know where they were taking her sister. Sebastian replied that it would be nice to have a family member present for Emily's judgment. Cathy hesitated before entering the carriage with Emily.
Hearing the commotion from outside, the rest of the family came out and saw their eldest daughter being dragged away by the royal guards to the carriage. Cathy held Sebastian by his hand and demanded again, "What's going on? Where are you taking my sister to?"
"It would be nice to have one of the family members of Miss Emily follow to the court for the judgment," Sebastian said and gave Cathy a smile. As Emily was being shoved into the carriage, Sebastian offered Cathy to go in. Cathy hesitated before she entered into the carriage.
Sebastian turned to the bewildered family and said, "I'm sure the message would be delivered to you by Miss Cathy." With that, he bowed at them and entered the carriage. The carriage drove off, leaving the Neville family bewildered and worried about what was going on.
The royal carriage halted in front of the palace, and the coachman hastened to open the door. A guard emerged first, pulling Emily out by her hand. She felt a surge of irritation as the two guards gripped her arms tightly, dragging her into the palace.
Emily wondered if this treatment was a result of slapping the prince and breaking off their engagement. Meanwhile, Cathy, who had exited the carriage last, was escorted by Sebastian. She took a deep breath, still reeling from the cramped carriage ride.
As she gazed up at the palace, Cathy's breath was taken away by its grandeur. This was her first visit, and she was mesmerized by the beauty before her. Almost forgetting the likely unpleasant reason for her presence, Cathy couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
As Emily was dragged into the palace, the servants whispered among themselves, shocked to see the young woman who had once escorted the first prince now being treated like a criminal.
Meanwhile, Thomas, the loyal servant of the second prince, who had just finished his assigned task, felt a surge of alarm as he caught sight of the red-haired woman with piercing green eyes, the same woman he had seen at the duel. As he watched her being dragged to the courtroom, he instinctively followed at a distance, his concern growing with each step.
As soon as Emily stepped into the courtroom, she spotted the king seated on his throne, with Prince Edward and the queen seated beside him.
Emily's eyes widened in surprise as she spotted her cousin, Molly, kneeling before the king with her head bowed. Emily was then forced to kneel beside Molly, her own head lowered in submission before the highest throne in the room. She knew better than to dare raise her gaze to meet the king's.
Fear began to set in as Emily struggled to comprehend the reason for her summon. Was slapping the prince and ending their engagement truly a crime worthy of such treatment? And what did slapping the prince have to with her cousin?
Summoning her courage, Emily spoke up, "Your Highness..." But the king's thunderous voice cut her off, "I won't be addressed by a criminal like you!"
Emily's eyes fleetingly met Edward's brown eyes before she averted her gaze. The king gestured to his right-hand man, Victor, who stood by the corner.
Victor unrolled a scroll and began reading, "Molly Fischer, a palace maid, confessed to stealing the royal emblem belonging to Prince Roman, the second prince."
Emily glanced at her cousin, bewildered, as Victor continued, "Molly claimed her cousin, Emily, coerced her into the theft, needing money to purchase a silver sword." Emily's eyes widened in shock.
The king's warning glare silenced Emily's whispered question, "A royal emblem?" Victor proceeded, "Molly stated the emblem is now in Emily's possession." Emily looked stunned, unsure what they were talking about.
"Molly, what's going on?" Emily asked, bewildered. Molly's gaze met Emily's briefly before looking away. Her voice trembled, "You're pretending, Emily. You asked me to steal the royal emblem for you."
Emily's voice remained low, "Molly, I would never steal or ask you to steal for me." Molly's words conveyed conviction, "This isn't the time to pretend, Emily. I had no choice but to reveal the truth, the guilt was overwhelming me."
The king thundered, "Silence!" stopping the barter between the two. He asked Molly, "Did Emily Neville ask you to steal the royal emblem?" Molly hesitated before responding, "She did, Your Highness."
The courtroom erupted into gasps and murmurs. Cathy, standing at the side, felt anxious and surprised. The king questioned Emily, "Did you ask Molly Fischer to steal the royal emblem?" Emily confidently replied, "I did not."
The situation grew tense as the two accused individuals' statements contradicted each other.
One of the king's advisors rose from his seat, bowed his head in respect, and requested, "May I pose a question to Miss Emily Fischer, Your Highness?" The king nodded, granting permission.
The advisor asked, "Miss Emily, is it true that you require funds to purchase a silver sword?"
Emily, acknowledged honestly, "I do intend to buy a sword, but..."
However, the advisor cut her off, "So, you did need money for a sword." before she could elaborate.
Edward intervened, "Father, I think this is a misunderstanding."
The king asked, "Isn't Emily Neville your former fiancée?" Edward nodded, his voice low, "Yes." He raised his head, meeting his father's gaze, "But Emily would never steal."
The king asked Molly, "Do you have evidence to support your claim?" Molly glanced at Cathy and Prince Edward before responding, "Yes, my king."