Harmonia Calendar 715, Thal 25 - Capital Lionsgate, Elandor
Early Afternoon - Tribunal Hall
"Speak."
I licked my lips, but they were too dry. My hands trembled at my sides, mouth opening once before closing again.
The magistrate's gaze sharpened.
My eyes darted to Adonis for a breath.
'I'm sorry...My family...for my family.'
My lips parted at last.
The voice that came was mine, but it didn't sound like me.
"Lord Adonis. He…forced me. He said I belonged to him now. His personal...slave. If I spoke, he would hurt the people I love."
These lines.
Exactly as Favian had forced into me.
My hands rose, shaking, to the collar of the shirt.
I pulled the fabric aside just enough.
Purple-yellow marks stained my pale skin.
There were more, hidden deeper.
I knew whose hands made them, but I could never say it.
'For my family,'
I spoke to myself, a poor attempt to justify my decision.
The magistrate's quill scratched the parchment.
My eyes betrayed me, and I looked for him again.
Adonis.
He was watching me.
Those blue eyes met mine, and a tear silently ran down his cheek.
My chest ached, fingers clutching the fabric of my shirt as if it could keep me from falling apart.
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'
'Please stop.'
'Stop looking at me with those eyes.'
'I know it hurts, but it hurts me as well.'
I tried to look away, only for my eyes to find him.
Favian.
His gaze was worse.
Red eyes looked down at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. My ribs ached where he hit me.
'There was more.'
Another line he wanted to hear, forced into me.
My lips trembled, but they stayed shut.
I looked back at Adonis—one last time.
My vision blurred.
'If we survive this...I hope...you can forgive me.'
***
Afternoon - Tribunal Hall
The hall had gone still.
I sat on the benches with the rest, leaning forward, jaw clenched tight.
My gaze kept sliding to the center, to him.
Adonis.
He stood on the small black podium, two soldiers at his back.
It was over.
Sarah had spoken.
My hands shifted on the railings, ready to stand up for him, to defend him.
But the High Magistrate's firm voice shattered my thoughts.
"Bring the next witness."
'Next?'
My eyes flicked toward the door, confused.
The side door opened again.
A servant entered first.
One I recognized.
I'd seen him often in the estate's halls, he was responsible for Favian's affairs.
He faced the magistrates, his words felt flat, almost bland.
"I saw him pull her. He took her down the passage. She shouted..."
My teeth ground together.
A lie.
This man...I saw him, he'd never left the banquet hall that evening.
The magistrate's quill scratched across the page, writing down the statement.
Another figure entered.
A maid.
She clutched her apron, but her voice came clear.
"I heard him brag. He said he had personal slaves for...entertainment. He said no one would stop him."
Gasps rippled through the benches.
I gripped the railings harder.
She too.
Coached.
Each word planted in her mouth.
I wanted to stand up to expose their lies, but the next witness already entered.
Another maid stepped in.
Her eyes darted once toward Favian before she looked away.
Her voice wavered, but she forced it out.
"He treats the maids like his playthings. Everyone knows..."
My nails bit into my palms.
'Everyone knows? Knows what? That this is a play?'
Then a knight stepped in.
His armor shone, he stood straight at attention, and his words came like a drill.
"He keeps a room in the city. Commoner girls go in. They don't always come out."
I forced my gaze forward, jaw set.
I knew them.
I knew their names.
Each one was chosen and prepared.
Father and Favian had planned it all.
Murmurs spread through the benches with each statement.
The background was filled with the scratch of the magistrate's quill, writing everything down.
At the podium, Adonis shifted.
He took one step forward, and the guards moved with him, blades half-loosened.
His voice broke across the room.
"I... didn't do it."
He barely finished before two hands seized his shoulders, pulling him back.
The High Magistrate's voice came sharp.
"Silence. You will answer when called."
Theodora shot to her feet beside me.
Her voice was loud and furious.
"He would never—!"
Thud.
The hammer struck wood.
The magistrate spoke, his firm voice carried through the hall.
"Sit. Or you will be removed."
Theodora's hands balled in her skirt, trembling, but she sat.
Her lips pressed tight, tears ran down her cheeks.
I rose next.
My voice came steady, controlled.
"If the court requires character statements, I will—"
Thud.
The hammer struck again.
"Order."
Guards moved at once.
Two hands pressed firmly on my shoulders.
I stayed standing for a heartbeat longer before I sat again.
The wood creaked as I tightened my grip on the railings.
'Not now. They will throw me out if I push further.'
My gaze shifted.
Mother didn't rise.
She sat with her hands folded, eyes locked on Adonis.
Her face was pale, lips trembling.
She already knew words would not save him here.
Favian leaned back in his seat.
His posture was loose, almost lazy, but I saw the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
A smile, he thought, hidden.
Father did not move at all.
No flicker, no tell.
He just watched.
At the podium, Adonis swayed slightly, sweat on his temple, his jaw clenched.
I stared at him.
My brother, even if Father refused it.
'I will defend you.'
'They'll have to drag me out to stop me.'