Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 90 Court Day
“She’s lying! I was taken by ambulance and admitted to the hospital immediately after the incident!” Ada yelled suddenly, banging her hands furiously on the railing that surrounded the platform where she sat.
Ann said nothing and stared confidently ahead at her father’s face, her expression neutral but her eyes burned with a determination that wasn’t lost on him.
“You will be silent until your testimony is called for Princess Ada. These are serious proceedings with dire consequences for the accused if found guilty. You will respect the order of things here, do you understand?” An irritated male voice came from above.
One thing was for sure, the reputation of the Royal Court’s Elder Council certainly seemed to be true.
It made sense in a way, as the Royal Court undoubtedly had to have seen its fair share of power plays and false accusations over the centuries that they had presided over justice across the kingdom.
The Elders that sat in the Courtroom were the oldest, and most experienced across the Kingdom, many having surpassed their third century and it was rumored that the eldest among them had exceeded 500 years old recently.
They were all handpicked for excellence by their predecessors and specific qualities that they had conducted themselves with throughout their careers. Honesty, Integrity, Fairness, and a strong sense of impartial Justice.
The knowledge that this was turning out to be far more impartially judged than she had originally feared brought her peace of mind and the seeming lack of tolerance for outbursts outside of the appropriate times went a long way to calm Ann’s nerves.
Ada looked furious and Ann could tell she was dying to say more, but she clenched her jaw and sat back down after casting an imploring look toward her father.
“Now, we will hear from both Ann and Narcissa about the events leading to the alleged a*s*sault, as well as hear testimony from Ann. Then we will confer and render judgment. So, if there are no more inappropriate outbursts, then let us continue.” i
A deathly silence fell over the courtroom and as Narcissa was called up to her podium, Leopold’s eyes seemed to glaze over as he glanced at her, becoming transfixed with her mere presence.
Ann frowned and wondered how she had never noticed it before. It was as if he was transfixed, utterly spellbound by her very being and simply unable to tear his eyes away from her. It wasn’t the look of doting love or wistful adoration, it was borderline obsessive.
She didn’t have too long to ponder the implications of that though as Narcissa began her testimony, but Ann was sure that it only lent more weight to the theory of their involvement in dark witchcraft.
She was at least honest, about having not been there when the attack occurred, and only hearing the commotion from the outside of the room.
“…and then the guards were f0rced to break open the door because Ann simply refused to let us in. They called out to her, as did we all, but she didn’t answer and I was positively frantic with worry. It was obvious that something terrible was happening inside of her office., but I never dreamed…” she trailed off, as she sniffed theatrically and made a great show of burying her face in her hands as she took a few shaky breaths.
Once she was done with her little performance of shock and disbelief, she lifted her head and imitated perfectly the charade of trying to pull herself together as she took a deep breath and continued.
“I never dreamed that my own step-daughter would be so vicious as to attempt to take the life of her sister’s unborn child, purely out of jealousy.”
“Is that so? And why would there be any jealousy apparent in the relationship between them both?” A female voice questioned with interest.
“I’m sure you’re all aware of the… erm… mistakes that were made…” Leopold interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “There’s no need to go over the past here.”
A dark chuckle rose from multiple members within the courtroom and he blanched slightly at the sound.
“I think you’ll find that a trial is the perfect place to go over the past, as it establishes the facts of a case as well as any aggravating or mitigating factors as well as heavily dictating the charges brought and in some ways, the outcome. What is a trial if not a close examination of past occurrences?” A wavering voice rose as the scowl on Leopold’s face deepened.
“As your King, I don’t think that it is necessary.” He ground out imperiously as Narcissa and Ada glanced toward him with an imploring look.
“And as the current presiding Elder Council, my King, we are tasked with holding all subjects of this kingdom accountable for their actions… including you.” A
disdainful voice slithered down from somewhere above, making the hairs on the back of Ann’s neck stand on end. She could feel the ancient strength and barely suppressed power in this speaker’s aura, and it was chilling.
It was clear to her that Leopold felt it too, as he paled suddenly and sat back in his chair sullenly, gripping the arms of his chair tightly.
“As I was saying, why, was there jealousy amongst the sisters in the first place?” The female voice continued smoothly.
Narcissa pursed her lips tightly and flicked her eyes up at Ada. Although it was only a momentary shift, Narcissa’s fury was clear. Yet as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone again.
“Ann’s fated mate… engaged in an affair with Ada.” Narcissa admitted reluctantly to a chorus of gasps and mutters.
“So the baby that Ada carries…?” The same female voice asked, with a hint of disgust in her voice.
“Belongs to Ann’s original fated mate… yes.” Narcissa ground out through gritted teeth.
A dark, disdainful chuckle rose above the chorus of disdainful mutters and seemed to echo loudly throughout the chamber as the ancient voice spoke again.
“Well, well, well… It really seems as though history is repeating itself, doesn’t it?” the ancient voice almost purred but the thinly veiled fury and disgust in his tone was very much apparent.
A hushed silence descended on the chamber as the tension in the room rose.
“The apple truly doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree.” The voice continued, as Leopold exploded with rage.