The air in the room stilled instantly as Ruby stared blankly at Kira for a heartbeat.
"Why did I do what?" she asked, blinking in wide-eyed confusion. She looked from Kira to Derek and back again, her hands lifting in a small, helpless gesture. "Your Highness, I don't understand."
Kira took a step closer. Her voice was quiet, but every word carried weight. "You planned all of it," Kira said, her voice steadier than she felt. "It started with the time. You sent me a message saying the ceremony was at four. You sent a dress you knew I would despise to get me frustrated, to make me look difficult. And then the tea." She turned to Derek. "A maid came in. She brought herbal tea, claiming it would calm my nerves before the blessing. But the tea was poisoned."
The room went still. But it wasn't the silence of belief. It felt like the silence of a judge waiting for a witness to stop digging their own grave.
