Chapter Nineteen: The King’s Judgment

Seraphina POV

The palace was nothing like I had expected; it was huge and vast with glass and marble design.

Guards were stationed at every edge of the palace.

I had been on the edge throughout my ride here; the armed men, who I suspect are guards, didn't help.

They keep glaring holes into my head.

I somehow wished Ronan or Lena had at least followed me, but then I'm sure the scary guards would have just hurt them.

Sighing, I got dragged inside the palace.

"Keep your head down." One of the guards shouted in my ears.

I did as told.

And when we finally got to the throne room, my fear increased.

The king, queen, and some kingdom elders sat in the throne room.

They seemed as though they had been expecting my arrival.

I was made to fall on my knees by the guards.

"So this is the one with the chaos."

"She looks so small."

"She looks weak, how can she be wreaking havoc with this state."

The elders all whispered.

"Silence." The king's loud booming voice ran across the entire throne room.

His voice was as scary as his face, which had a sharp cut; his eyes were like the colors of storms.

"Introduce yourself." He ordered. And everyone's eyes fell on me.

Again, the spotlight.

"Uhm. I'm Seraphina, Seraphina Blackwood? And I'm a lobizona."

"Are you Ethan's daughter?" The queen asked now; she looked pale, and her green eyes were clouded with sadness.

"Silent Tessa." The king seemed offended by her intrusion, and Queen Tessa looked scared. She was even trembling in her seat.

"I never met my father or my mother, The only family I know is my grandmother."

"That didn't answer the question though. Are you Ethan's daughter?"

"Y…es."

Another murmur echoed amongst the elders.

"So queen Raine was your grandmother then, the one who raised you."

"Yes your majesty."

The king remained silent, his eyes scrutinizing me, while the murmurs increased.

"And what do you have to say about the missing students?" One of the elders asked.

"Yeah, it started when you came into the academy, did you peharps kill them?"

My breathing became heavy with their questions and accusing eyes.

I fisted my hands, trying not to have a panic attack.

"Her silence must be confirmation, peharps she's like kyros, or even worse."

"We have to kill her your majesty."

"Yes. Before she turns out families into a blood pool."

"Yes, kill her, kill her."

"Enough." The king's booming voice echoed throughout the throne room.

"What do you have to say about the accusations?"

"I…" I saw the deaths of the students, but if I told them that, they would have proof that I did it.

"I didn't kill them."

"Lies."

"She's just like those vile disgusting humans."

The elder's insults were more severe than those of my classmates.

Their eyes were scrunched with disapproval; they looked at me like they wanted me dead and out of existence forever.

"Did you know anything about the killings? Did you see something?" The king asked again.

"I…"

The door to the throne room opened, and Ronan stepped inside, accompanied by Principal Lena and some teachers.

They paid their respects to the king.

"My king, you have taken hostage of one of my students without any notice."

"Lena. I see you've been fairing well, especially since you are now questioning the authority of the king." An elder with a malicious smile spoke.

"I wouldnt dream of such elder Marcus, but these kids are my responsibility, so it's only right that I worry when something is amiss."

"Hm. just like you worried about them by hiding their dead bodies?" Elder Marcus countered.

Causing the elders to gasp.

"I assure you none of that happened, and laying accusations on a noble without proof is punishable by death." She quoted the law, causing Elder Marcus' scroll to deepen.

"Lena, why didn't you inform me about the mutant in your custody?" The king asked.

I winced at the referral.

"I apologize, but I didn't wish to worry you on such trivial matters."

"She's my niece, my brother daughter, how is that trivial?"

"It was the Queen Raina wish for her to remain hidden, she feared Seraphina life would be in danger if she was discovered, and given the current situation, she was right to worry."

"That is absurd. Queen Raina was already dethroned, her wishes shouldn't come before your loyalty to the king." Another elder countered.

"Yes, Lena has performed blasphemy and has betrayed the throne, she also deserves to be punished."

Oh dear.

If Lena got in trouble, it would haunt me; she had always done everything to protect me.

"Sire I assure you, principal Lena would never ever bring harm to the kingdom, The oath she kept was when Queen Raina was still in power, so she in no way disrespected the throne, If you wish to blame anyone, then I bring my self forwards. After all it's my fault for being born with the fate of a lobizona."

Utter silence.

I expected anything but that, but worse was how the king's eyes were fixated on me.

"Everyone leaves." He finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

They looked shocked and disappointed, but they all did as he said.

Till it was just me and the king in the throne room.

"Seraphina was it?"

"Yes sire."

A small smile creased his eyes.

"You look so much like him."

"You take his Stubbornness and heart too."

A smile crept up my face just by thinking of how my father was.

I'm sure he would look like King Damien if he was alive.

"Does this mean you are not going to kill me?"

His eyebrows furrowed as his jaw clenched.

"If it were up to me, you wouldn't have ever showed face here, now that these devils know who you are, they wouldn't stop till you are gone."

I swallowed hard.

"You don't though? Even after knowing what I am?"

"Your powers don't define you, it's how you use it, and you are first my niece before the whole lobizona act."

And there I was, thinking the king was an unfeeling monster.

My heart warmed at the thoughts.

"Thanks. It means a lot."

"It's what Ethan would have wanted, I have already failed him as his brother, the least I can do is not repeat the same with his daughter."

"Come, walk with me."

I did that, and the more we talked, the more I eased into him; he was actually an easy person to talk to, quite different than the man he portrayed during the meeting.

"You are lucky to have had mother by your side, where is she?"

Oh. He doesn't know.

"Uhm..she passed away."

He halted his movements.

"What? When?"

"Few months ago. It was why she sent me here."

"Oh." His eyes dropped as a faint tremble touched his lips in hurt. But he quickly masked it.

"I guess I also deserve that, life isn't fairytale after all." His smile was also sad,

And I could tell the tragedy had affected him; he lost his brother and his mother.

Thinking about it, I remember when Granny told a story about a queen and her kids.

Was she perhaps telling me her story with her kids?

"I think she always talked about you."

"What?"

"Thinking about it, I remember her stories, it was always about a queen and her two sons, she must have missed you so much. I never understood the sadness in her eyes when she told the story, now I do."

"And what where the stories."

I told him as much as I could remember, and each time, his eyes sparkled, especially when he could relate to them.

He chuckled in between, and I could see the love shining in his eyes.

"You know she would have loved this so much."

"This?"

"You being back home."

"Oh."

"Now I'm more determined to keep you out of danger, the elders be damned, they will not harm my family."

My heart warmed; he had just called me his family.

"I truly appreciate, but if you are going to help, then it's high time you know the full story."

And I narrated everything that had occurred since I entered the academy. However, I omitted the part about Ronan and Ciaran.

"Who else knows about this?" His brows were set in a severe line.

“Just Lena and Ronan.”

"I trust Lena, but ronan was kyros previous accomplice, can he be trusted?"

"Yes." I said without any pause.

"Alright, you will all stay here for a while, to keep the elders from forming ideas to hurt you, and in the meantime, you shall narrate this story to my trusted witch Annika, I know she can be able to help."

The need to hug him enveloped me. I didn't fight it as I immediately hugged him; I expected the guards following us closely behind to push me away from him.

But none of that happened. Instead, he hugged me back.

"Thanks, for not hating me, and for being my family."

"Oh child." He stroked my hair affectionately.

It finally feels like the puzzle is being fixed.