Mr. Smith stood quietly in the throne room, his eyes lowered in shame, his voice trembling as he began to speak. The weight of the truth sat heavy on his shoulders, and the presence of the Queen, King, and Wilson only made it harder to confess.
“We are sorry, Your Highness,” he said, his voice strained. “It was Wilson who offered us money to steal Princess Emily. Since the day our son was killed… for stealing… we’ve been grieving. Wilson came to us during our weakest moment. He told us that if we took the child and raised her as ours, we would be given wealth, protection, a new life. We were desperate. We thought we were doing the right thing.”
The Queen let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Her hand slowly rose to her chest, fingers trembling, heart aching with the stin
