Page 51 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
The Delacroix sigil burns on the wall behind my throne, a constant reminder of the damage my brothers did to our kingdom. Blood taints. Fire purifies.
I plan to be a fire for the ages.
A week has passed since the birth of Adele’s son, and it’s both fitting and ghoulish that my first tribunal after my coronation should be centered on her trial. She’s been under strict guard ever since, her complete testimony taken in by the investigators and warlocks responsible for the inquiry, the depths of her betrayal unequaled.
Jasper was mostly just her lover but also her puppet as she used her name and connections to orchestrate the whole thing. She now has to answer for all those crimes in front of the court.
“Adele Chastain you stand here accused of the murder of our late king, your late husband Victor Delacroix. You conspired with Jasper Beaumont, your lover and the father of your child, to kill the king and myself to seize power. You hired assassins made to look like our enemies to disperse blame, and you ordered them to kill your own father, the current Prime Minister.”
The proof of her pregnancy is gone, her pixie shape back, making her look small. Almost childlike. If I hadn’t read her dark, compassionless thoughts myself, I could never believe the depths of her wickedness.
“Do you have something to say in your defense?” I ask loudly.
She cracks a wry smile. “Shouldn’t you be on my side? Can’t you imagine how it felt, to be cast aside and overlooked, forced to live a life I didn’t want? Don’t you have any pity at all?”
After I confessed to killing Jasper, Adele cursed me to the nine hells. I didn’t expect her to appeal to our similarities. I raise my chin, the royal mask fully in place. “Don’t pretend we’re the same. You schemed to condemn me to the same fate as you. You convinced Victor to get rid of me, and when that failed, you tried to kill me.” I pause to add some gravitas to my next announcement. “There’s only one possible sentence for a treason of this magnitude, and that sentence is death.”
Peter’s gaze bounces to the ground for a split second. I hope he feels guilty for what he did to his daughter, but I can’t pardon her or reduce the gravity of her sentence.
Adele’s mouth opens in a mix of surprise and disgust, and I get the impression she truly believed she’d get away with her sins. “Eleanor killed your other brother, and she still lives.”
“Again… I fear you mistake me for a fool if you think I view your crimes in the same light.”
Whatever Adele says, she didn’t kill Victor to get herself out of a bad marriage, in self-defense, or because he was abusive to her. She killed him to seize power. If Peter forced her to marry him, that’s a pity, but she showed her true colors when she had that necklace made under false pretenses by the court’s warlocks.
The law should have the final word in a matter like this, not my anger or my ego. And in Adele’s case, the law offers no wiggle room at all.
I clench my jaw, my resolve clear and unwavering. “Do you have any last wishes?”
The room grows somber, Sebastian’s face a shade whiter than it was a minute ago, but I read nothing but regretful acceptance in the bunch of his features. Peter too.
Alec scowls from the side, about ready to carry out the sentence himself. I named him head of the royal guard, and his friend Jude is sitting next to him. The taciturn guard is about to receive a promotion for his loyalty and the part he played in getting me out of Brazil. After this trial, I have less depressing matters to address, starting with my intention to partner with Keenan and his angels to bring peace back to the western continent.
This trial is wretched.
Condemning Adele to death, the girl I’ve known since I was born, isn’t easy. It’s certainly not fun. But I do believe it’s necessary. Sebastian wasn’t wrong when he asked me if I was cruel enough to reign. The Shadow World doesn’t deal well in shades of gray, and if I’m to rule over the demons that roam the continent and reform the court, I need to show strength and clarity.
“Adele Chastain was our queen. As such she let down the entire court, and our people. Countless people have died because of her schemes, and who knows how many more will suffer because of it. I condemn her to death, as is prescribed by our laws. Does anyone here have something to say in her defense?”
Silence moves through the room, the other vampires present not moving or breathing. The crowd is immobile, as only a vampire crowd can be, making this silence the most complete silence of all. And that comforts me for the decision I made.
Adele wanted to destroy everything. I can never let myself forget how her unhappiness drove her to hatred. I can’t help but acknowledge the reasons for her crimes.
“Adele, now, you have the opportunity to voice the reasons for your betrayal to this court. If you wish to proceed, I’ll have the warlocks bind you to the truth, so nobody here can doubt the truth in your testimony.”
I’m offering her a chance to pull the veil off her father’s crimes and drag him along with her to ruin. Sebastian and I talked about it, and he’s on board.
The court can’t change with Peter Chastain at the helm, and yet I can’t overlook his pull with the government. Hopefully, Adele takes her chance to dismantle the aura of righteousness he catered around himself.
But who does she hate more? Me, for being so close to living the life she always wanted? Or Peter, for ruining hers in the first place? I guess it doesn’t matter. It certainly won’t change the fact that she’ll be dead before the night is over, and I will have to live with her death on my conscience.
My first true hard decision as Queen, and I expect it’ll stay with me forever.
Chapter26
Wings
LEO
