In the grand audience chamber, the air thrummed with tension. Normally reserved for noble gatherings and courtly announcements, the room now bristled with an unusual mix of faces. Staff and guards lined the edges, their whispers barely audible beneath the murmur of nobles seated at the center.

At the far end, Lady Esther stood with practiced poise, her gown of silver and black gleaming under the high chandeliers. Her expression was serene, but Cassie saw the faint tightness around her mouth, the way her fingers clenched slightly at her sides.

Cassie, standing between two guards near the center of the chamber, kept her gaze steady. The murmurs around her carried the weight of doubt and curiosity, the staff’s distrust mingling with the nobles’ detached amusement.

“Do you think she’ll crack?” one voice whispered.

“Better to confess than go against Lady Esther,” another replied, low and sharp.

Cassie’s fists tightened briefly at her sides. The odds weren’t in her favor, but she hadn’t survived this long by yielding to pressure.

The head maid cleared her throat, and the room quieted. She gestured toward the brooch, displayed prominently on a velvet-lined tray in the center of the room.

“This brooch,” she began, “was found among Cassie’s belongings. Lady Esther claims it was stolen during routine cleaning. Cassie denies the accusation.”

Her words hung in the air, and all eyes turned to Cassie.

Cassie stepped forward, her movements measured and deliberate. She studied the brooch closely, her gaze narrowing.

“There’s dust on the clasp,” she said, her voice calm but clear. “A fine layer. It’s undisturbed, which means it hasn’t been opened or fastened in some time.”

A ripple of murmurs swept through the crowd.

“That’s ridiculous,” Esther said sharply, stepping forward. Her voice carried the smoothness of practiced indignation. “Do you expect us to believe you’re an expert on jewelry now?”

Cassie met her gaze evenly. “I expect you to believe evidence,” she replied.

The head maid raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. “And how does this evidence prove your innocence?”

“The dust shows it was planted,” Cassie said. “If I’d stolen it, the clasp would’ve been opened to pin it somewhere or hide it better.”

She turned to the head maid. “I also noticed the junior maid—Elise—was absent during the cleaning. She reappeared just before the brooch was reported missing.”

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Elise, standing near the back of the room, stiffened visibly.

“I suggest we inspect Elise’s quarters,” Cassie said, her tone level. “If the brooch was planted, there may be other evidence.”

Esther’s laugh cut through the air, sharp and brittle. “This is absurd. She’s deflecting to cover her own crimes.”

The head maid hesitated, glancing at the guards. After a moment, she nodded. “Search Elise’s room.”

The search was swift but thorough. Guards rifled through Elise’s belongings as the gathered crowd waited in tense silence. Cassie watched the process with careful detachment, her senses attuned to every shift in the room.

When a guard finally straightened, holding a second brooch in his gloved hand, the chamber erupted in whispers.

The brooch was identical to the one on the tray, its clasp coated with the same fine layer of dust.

The head maid gestured for silence, her voice cutting through the noise. “Explain this, Elise.”

Elise paled, her gaze darting to Esther before settling on the floor. “I—I don’t know how it got there,” she stammered, her voice trembling. “It must be a mistake.”

Cassie stepped forward, her expression calm but her words pointed. “The dust matches. The brooch was hidden in your belongings, just like mine.”

Elise’s composure cracked further under the weight of the stares surrounding her. Her hands trembled at her sides.

Esther’s voice rang out, smooth and commanding. “This is a distraction,” she said, her tone laced with feigned authority. “The real issue is Cassie’s theft, not some trivial coincidence.”

But her words didn’t carry the same weight as before. The room’s attention lingered on Elise, the cracks in her facade spreading rapidly.

Under the mounting pressure, Elise finally broke.

“It wasn’t my idea!” she blurted, her voice high and frantic. “Lady Esther told me to do it! She said she’d protect me if anyone found out!”

The room fell into stunned silence.

Esther’s face twisted briefly with fury before smoothing into an impassive mask. “Lies,” she hissed, her voice cold. “A desperate attempt to save herself. You’d believe the word of a maid over mine?”

The tension in the room was palpable as the doors to the chamber opened suddenly, revealing the Crown Prince.

His presence commanded immediate silence. He moved with deliberate steps, his dark cloak trailing behind him, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

“What is this commotion?” he asked, his tone clipped.

The head maid inclined her head. “A dispute, Your Highness, involving Lady Esther and one of the staff.”

Theodoric’s gaze swept over the room, lingering briefly on Esther before settling on Cassie. “Explain.”

Cassie stepped forward, her movements steady. She recounted the sequence of events succinctly, her tone free of accusation but filled with precision.

When she finished, the prince’s gaze turned to Esther.

“Is this true?” he asked, his voice quiet but laced with steel.

Esther hesitated, her composure faltering. “Your Highness,” she began, her tone softening into practiced sweetness, “I was only trying to address a disruption. I had no knowledge of this... maid’s actions.”

Her words rang hollow, and the prince’s expression didn’t change.

“You’ve wasted my time,” he said, his voice cold. “And undermined the integrity of this palace with your antics.”

Esther flinched, but she recovered quickly, her smile forced. “I only sought to maintain order—”

“Enough.”

The single word cut through her excuses like a blade. Theodoric turned to the head maid. “The matter is settled. Cassie is cleared of all accusations. Ensure the staff understands that baseless claims will not be tolerated.”

The head maid bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”

As the room began to disperse, Cassie remained still, her eyes on Esther. The crown prince’s fiancée met her gaze with a glare that burned with quiet fury.

“You think you’ve won,” Esther whispered as she passed, her voice low but venomous. “But this is far from over.”

Cassie’s expression didn’t change, but her muscles tensed. The storm hadn’t passed—it was only beginning.