The moment Alina put the folded letter beside the vial, the entire hall erupted in chaos. Gasps rippled through the hall like waves. Several nobles stood up from their seats, pointing at the vial in front of them. The atmosphere in the room which had been cold just a minute ago, suddenly transformed into shock, fear, and panic.

"What is that?"

"What game is she playing now?"

"Poison? In the royal court?"

King Lucien slammed his hand on the armrest of his throne.

"Silence!" he roared, his face flushed with fury and confusion. "What are you trying to do? Explain yourself! Right now!"

Alina glanced at Dorian and he took a step back. She then turned to look at Austin who gave her a small encouraging nod.

Then she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. And looked straight at Lord Valdren, who looked a little unsettled.

"This is a confession letter," Alina announced, pointing at the letter. "It was written by one of Lord Valdren’s own servants. It has details about how Lord Valdren ordered a poison to be mixed into my mother’s medicines. He made her suffer for months until her body finally gave out."

Shock spread throughout the hall. Even King Lucien looked genuinely shocked. He stared at her in disbelief before turning towards Lord Valdren.

Lord Valdren glanced around. Then he let out a cold and mocking laugh that echoed through the silent hall.

"Forged," he said. "This is nothing but a desperate lie by a foreign girl trying to manipulate an old, dying nobleman for political gain. How convenient that this ’proof’ appears now...when her repeated failures in the trials have become impossible to ignore."

One of the senior council members nodded in agreement.

"Anyone can write a fake confession letter. She is clearly trying to stir chaos to save her failing petition."

Alina had expected this. There was no way Valdren was going to confess so easily. She turned around and picked up the letter with her trembling hands. She unfolded it and began to read it aloud.

"Lord Valdren never stopped searching for Princess Isadora after she fled the palace. He planted spies among merchants and travellers who used to cross borders occasionally. Years later, one of the spies finally discovered she was living in Aldmere with her husband and child.’"

Tears stung her eyes but she blinked them back and continued reading.

"Soon, he came to know Princess Isadora was still in contact with her lady-in-waiting, Laura Vale. To know more details of her life, Lord Valdren with the help of his spies killed one of their messengers to intercept their letters. From that letter, he got to know Princess Isadora was sick. It was nothing serious and could be cured with medicines."

Her voice began to shake as she continued.

"After that, he secretly bribed the physician treating her. I was ordered to mix small amounts of poison into her medicine every few days."

The hall became eerily silent.

"The poison acted slowly. Princess Isadora became weaker month by month. She could no longer walk properly. Some days she could barely breathe, and would cough constantly. Lord Valdren specifically ordered the doses remain small so she would have a painful death and it appears natural."

She finished. Even the nobles who had mocked her earlier began to doubt Lord Valdren now. Austin stood behind her, watching her with pride in his eyes. But his body was on alert, ready to step in if anyone tried to harm her.

Valdren’s smile slowly wavered. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Your mother was selfish and weak," his voice filled with contempt. "She abandoned her royal duty for a foreign man and a meaningless life outside this kingdom. She betrayed her homeland. She deserved it."

Rage surged through Alina’s body as her eyes blazed with years of pain, grief, and... strength.

"How dare you speak of her like that?" her voice cut through the room like a blade. "My mother didn’t betray this kingdom. She chose love over fear and control. She was braver than any of you sitting here, hiding behind your titles while poisoning those who dared to be free. You didn’t kill her because she was weak, Lord Valdren. You killed her because she was strong enough to leave this hypocrite kingdom behind."

A few nobles lowered their heads in shame.

"Tell me...was her existence really that unbearable to you that you didn’t leave her alone even when she left everything behind?"

Valdren finally stood up from his seat.

"She carried royal blood and honor of this kingdom," he replied without remorse. "By fleeing, she endangered the purity and stability of the crown."

Alina couldn’t believe her ears. Lord Valdren still hated her mother with passion. He wasn’t satisfied even after killing her.

"You are a monster!" Alina screamed.

Before Lord Valdren could attack her again, the doors opened. Everyone turned around. Lord Garrick entered the hall with the help of his cane, along with the same servant holding his other hand.

He had abandoned the court life years ago. So seeing him in the grand hall was shocking for everyone. Even Alina, Austin, and Dorian looked surprised. They hadn’t asked him to come. But apparently, Laura had informed him of their secret plan, and he had decided to finally break his silence in front of everyone.

Lord Garrick slowly walked to the center of the room and looked straight into the king’s eyes.

"I have stayed silent for too long," Lord Garrick said, his voice firm despite his age. "I watched Princess Isadora suffer for months before she finally fled the palace. And I knew Lord Valdren had tracked her down."

He sighed with guilt.

"I have carried this evidence for years," he said, pointing at the vial and letter. "The servant who wrote that confession was one of Lord Valdren’s men. And he confessed everything to me and gave me the proof before he died under suspicious circumstances."

Then he looked at Alina.

"Everything Lady Alina has said and shown to the court is true. Lord Valdren had indeed ordered the murder of Princess Isadora."

King Lucien stared at him in disbelief. His face had gone pale with shock and sorrow.

"Lord Garrick... if you knew my sister was murdered...then why did you stay silent for all these years?" he asked.