CHAPTER 21 I followed without speaking, every step heavy. My heart hadn't slowed since Clarissa shoved me. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Inside the ballroom, everything glittered-but nothing felt warm. The chandeliers sparkled like glass teeth. The crowd of nobles lined the edges, silent and watching. Hungry. Sarah stood among the other girls-only five of us now. Her eyes found mine instantly. Her brows knit. She didn't say anything, but I saw it: the panic, the confusion, the warning. Clarissa looked radiant, untouched. I looked like I'd walked through a storm. The Queen stepped forward. She didn't look at me like a person. She looked at me like a problem she'd already solved. Her voice rang out through the ballroom, calm and clear. "Lady Marianne Alder," she said, "you are accused of inappropriate conduct with a member of the palace guard." The words landed like stone. Hard. Cold. Final. Gasps moved through the crowd like a ripple. My breath caught in my throat. Sarah's hand closed around mine-quiet, grounding. Clarissa didn't even try to hide her smile. The words struck like a slap. I froze. I could feel the air rush from my lungs, my skin going cold while the heat of every eye burned into my neck. My mouth opened-but no sound came at first. I turned toward Alexander instinctively, searching for something-anything-in his expression. But he stood completely still. Like a statue. Or worse, like a stranger. No reaction. No defense. Not even a flicker. "I-I told him to leave me alone," I said, my voice low but steady, locking my gaze on the Queen even as my hands trembled. Riven stepped forward. His voice didn't tremble. "We didn't do anything," he said, eyes locked on the Queen's, unblinking. "But I was the one who disobeyed orders. She's innocent." Gasps rolled through the crowd like thunder. A noblewoman covered her mouth with gloved fingers. A man near the front dropped his quill. Clarissa tilted her head, her expression dipped in fake pity. "How noble," she murmured just loud enough for the others to hear. "So tragic when the pawns start thinking they're kings." The Queen's frown deepened, but her voice stayed composed. "Convenient," she said. "A sudden confession, now that the court's eyes are upon you." Riven didn't flinch. "Convenient or not, it's the truth. I approached her. Not the other way around." "I am not guilty," I added, louder this time. "I have nothing to hide." "Truth?" the Queen said, glancing down at her jeweled fingers like the word bored her. "Truth is convenient, child. And easily fabricated. What matters is what I believe-and right now, I believe you're lying." "She doesn't belong in this trial," Riven said again, voice sharp. "If someone's to be punished, let it be me." Alexander's voice cut through the hall like a blade. "I claim the right of private interrogation." The room sucked in breath. Silence. Even the wind outside the stained glass stilled. The Queen's gaze flicked to him, then to me. "You invoke a royal clause," she said slowly, her voice dipped in frost. "That right has not been exercised in decades." He stepped forward, calm and sure. "Then let it be remembered." A murmur surged through the onlookers like water finding a crack. Clarissa's laugh rang out like a bell cracked down the middle. "How chivalrous," she drawled. "Will the next girl get the same privilege, or just the ones with silver rings?" The air in the room turned sharp. I wanted to scream, but instead I stood still, teeth clenched. Alexander's jaw tightened. "This matter concerns me." "You made that clear the moment you gave her a symbol of protection," the Queen said sharply. "And now it makes you compromised." "If that's your verdict," he said coldly, "then let me be compromised. But let the girl speak the truth without the theater." For a moment, the Queen said nothing. She just stared at Alexander with unreadable eyes-then slowly exhaled. "Very well," she said. "You may question her. In private." The court stirred with shock and scandalized whispers. A few noblemen stood as if ready to protest. A lady fainted, or pretended to. The rustle of silk and outrage filled the space. Clarissa's smile curled like poison ivy-but her fingers curled slightly into the folds of her gown. I didn't look back when the guards escorted me out. I kept my chin high, my hands clenched so tight the crescent moons of my nails bit into my palms. My heartbeat echoed in my ears like a war drum. Just before the doors closed, I heard Riven's voice one last time behind me. "Whatever he says," he called softly, "he won't choose you. But I still might."