Maryelle’s POV
The morning before the trial’s c****x, the palace feels heavy with silence. Every corridor hums with anticipation, every servant’s step echoes like a warning. I wake restless, my stomach knotted, my thoughts circling the lies Canum spun yesterday.
Phantom is already gone when I rise, summoned to confer with the defense team. I dress slowly, hands trembling, until a knock sounds at the door.
It’s Queen Dowager Margaret. Phantom’s mother.
She enters with the grace of someone who has carried kingdoms on her shoulders. Her presence fills the room, not with intimidation, but with warmth. She takes my hands in hers, her touch firm, grounding.
“My dear,” she says softly, her voice like velvet over steel. “I know yesterday was unbearable. I saw the way Canum twisted truth i
