Chapter 130: The Rot Within the Crown

“And why is this little... who-... she-wolf present at the meeting?” Queen Calista asked, pointing at Fairuza with unmasked disgust.

“We are uncovering traitors today, so she is part of the narrative,” Zoriana replied flatly.

“Traitors? I thought we only had one,” Gael smirked, casting a dark look toward his brother. “Or is Fairuza his accomplice?” he snorted.

“You will know everything in due course, Your Highness,” Zoriana said, taking a sharp breath.

“Let the show begin,” Kalina beamed ecstatically in her mind. Zoriana didn't entirely share her wolf's joy; she was still anxious that things could go south at any moment.

Forcing her chin up, she squared her shoulders. When she spoke, her voice was loud, clear, and commanding total authority.

“First, I have a confession to make. A few months ago, Prince Gael appointed me as a Royal Advisor. However, my true mission was not to help prepare for rogue attacks. It was to uncover the traitors within this realm. Today is the day the wolves who committed atrocities against the werewolf kingdom will finally pay for their sins.”

Gael was practically glowing, grinning from ear to ear as he lounged lazily in his chair.

“It may seem that the chaos started just a few months ago with rogue attacks destabilizing the realm, but the rot began much earlier,” she paused.

She watched Gael’s posture shift instantly; he leaned forward, tensing up. Queen Calista narrowed her eyes, and only Karel maintained his smug smile, entirely oblivious to what was coming.

“We could start with a mysterious murder that happened twenty years ago, or perhaps a deal struck in an Eastern border brothel, but let us start from the beginning.”

Now, Karel tensed. Swallowing hard, he bolted to his feet. “Alpha Zoriana, you are not a detective. What is the connection between a decades-old murder and someone trying to overthrow Prince Gael? And brothels are certainly not a part of our discussion today!” he spat angrily.

Before Zoriana could answer, the King signaled for him to sit down.

“Beta Karel, the Crown Prince has not even been crowned yet, so he cannot be overthrown as he is not the King,” King Arthur’s voice boomed, his authority undeniable. “As long as I wear the crown on my head, I hold absolute power. I order you to sit down and remain silent until you are requested to speak.”

Karel sank back into his seat, utterly shocked, just as a contingent of Royal Guards marched into the room.

“Zoriana, what the hell is going on?” Gael frowned, slamming his fist onto the table. He could feel the control slipping from his fingers. What had she agreed to with the King behind his back?

“Beta Karel and Queen Calista, you are accused of the murder of the King’s fated mate.”

“WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?!” the Queen yelled, jumping to her feet, her face twisted in fury.

Beside her, Karel’s face turned ashen pale.

“Why are you so nervous, my Queen?” King Arthur asked softly. “If you are innocent, there will be no evidence of your guilt.”

Calista’s eyes widened. “Of course I am innocent! How dare you doubt me?”

King Arthur smiled warmly, reaching out to gently take her wrist. “Yes, how could I doubt my dear wife... who was fucking my son’s Beta in our marital bed?”

Calista opened her mouth to protest, but Zoriana pressed a button on the podium, and a video began to play on the massive screen.

Calista was spread across the bed in the royal chambers, stark naked, with Karel thrusting into her. Their faces were clearly visible.

“When is the old man finally going to die so I can have you all to myself?” Karel groaned on the recording.

Calista moaned in response, “Yeah... harder... a few more days and he’ll be dead... don't stop...”

Flavia gasped loudly, covering her mouth in horror.

“It’s a fake! This bitch wants to tarnish my reputation!” Calista screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Zoriana.

Zoriana smoothly switched the display to a verified document from the Royal Investigation Court, proving the video was authentic and free of AI manipulation.

“Of course, your brother would write anything for you!” Karel hissed, standing up. Because he knew the video was real, his mind raced frantically, wondering how Zoriana could have possibly obtained it. There were no cameras in the royal chambers, meaning someone had recorded it manually.

Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at his mate. Brianna didn't look surprised or heartbroken. She knew. In fact, she was the fucking bitch who had ratted him out. He wanted to strangle her right then and there, but he was trapped.

“Actually, the testimony is from the Royal High Court, not my brother,” Zoriana countered as the guards began to close in on Karel and Calista.

Zoriana saw Karel’s pupils dilate in terror as he tried to shift into his wolf. She turned to him and winked. “Don't even try it, Beta Karel. I added wolfsbane and silver to the water you’ve been drinking so eagerly since the meeting started. You can't shift, and you certainly can't fight.”

Karel roared in absolute rage. “You fucking bitch!”

Gael was turning from white as a sheet to red as a tomato, vibrating with shock and fury. “Karel, you’re my Beta... my best friend! How could you do this? Sleeping with my mother? Praying for my father’s death?”

“Gael, you don't understand! Everything we did was for you!” Calista sobbed as the guards forced handcuffs onto her wrists, pushing her back into her seat and keeping their hands firmly on her shoulders.

“HOW WAS FUCKING MY FRIEND FOR ME?!” Gael screamed, clutching his chest.

“Your Highness, your best friend and your mother didn't just wish for the King’s death,” Zoriana intervened, her voice cutting through the chaos. “They were actively arranging it by adding a slow-acting poison to your father’s meals, designed to accumulate in his system over time and cause a seemingly natural death.”

Gael couldn't breathe. He was entirely speechless, staring at the screen as multiple lab analyses, medical reports, and photos flooded the display. The evidence clearly showed that his mother had hired a maid to poison her husband and had even added the toxin herself on several occasions.

“It can't be... it can't be...” he mumbled like a mantra.

“The evidence is undeniable. Queen Calista will stand trial for attempted murder, adultery, and a murder,” King Arthur declared. Calista shook violently, sobbing and trying to reach out to the King, but the guards pinned her in place.

“But what murder? Nobody died,” Flavia asked, completely bewildered.

“My mother is dead. And this wench murdered her,” Tristan said coldly, his voice cutting through the room like a glacier as he pointed directly at Calista.

The next set of evidence flooded the screen, causing the crowded room to gasp in collective shock.

“I had already rejected her for you, Calista. Why did you kill her?” King Arthur asked, unable to conceal his heartbreak. Even his wife's cheating and plotting to kill him didn't hurt as deeply as the confirmation that she had murdered the woman he truly loved.

Calista stopped crying. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed hysterically. “You rejected her, Arthur, but you were always sneaking off to her den! She was still your favorite. Your bastard Tristan was always your favorite! I couldn't let your whore and her bastard steal what belongs to my son. Gael was meant to be King! Everything I did, I did for him. Any mother would do the same for her son!”

“Mother, I didn't ask you for any of this...” Gael said, shaking his head in horror. “You ruined yourself.”

Calista just kept laughing. The King coldly motioned to the guards. “Take her to the dungeon to await her trial.”

“What about Beta Karel?” the head guard asked.

Zoriana raised an eyebrow, a lethal smirk playing on her lips. “Oh, with Beta Karel, we are just beginning to list his crimes.”

The room fell dead silent, everyone holding their breath for what would happen next.