Chapter 37 The accusations
The palace gates closed behind the hunting party like the doors of a tomb. Servants lined the courtyard in silent rows, their faces pale with shock. News of the Queen's death had reached the palace hours before the riders returned, carried by a messenger who'd ridden his horse nearly to death to deliver the terrible tidings.
Celeste's body arrived wrapped in hunting cloaks, carried on a makeshift stretcher between four guards who moved with funeral solemnity. Adrian rode beside the stretcher, his face carved from stone, his eyes fixed straight ahead. He hadn't spoken since they'd left the ravine. Hadn't acknowledged anyone. Just followed his dead wife's body home like a man walking in a nightmare.
Lila rode in the carriage with Maya, her sister's blood still staining her dress from when she'd knelt beside the body. She couldn't stop shaking. Couldn't stop seeing Celeste's broken neck, her empty eyes, her beautiful face frozen in eternal surprise.
The palace exploded into organized chaos. Healers rushed to examine the Queen's body. Servants prepared the royal chambers for mourning. The council convened immediately to begin formal proceedings. Death of a queen wasn't just tragedy. It was political crisis requiring immediate investigation and resolution.
They took Celeste's body to the healing chambers where Iris and her assistants worked with gentle efficiency. Washing away blood and dirt. Cataloging injuries. Preparing her for the funeral that would need to happen quickly. In three days, the Queen would lie in state for the kingdom to mourn. But first, they needed to understand how she'd died.
Adrian stood outside the healing chambers like a statue. Guards flanked him at respectful distance. Through the mate bond, Lila felt his emotions battering against walls he'd erected. Grief. Guilt. Rage. Confusion. All of it locked away where it couldn't touch him, couldn't make him weak when the kingdom needed strength.
She wanted to go to him. Wanted to offer comfort even though she had none to give. But guards blocked her path, their faces apologetic but firm.
"Lady Lila, the council requests your presence immediately." A court official appeared at her elbow. "The investigation has begun."
The council chamber felt different now. Colder. More formal. Every councilor wore black already, as if they'd been prepared for royal death. Maybe they kept mourning clothes ready. Maybe death at court was expected often enough to require preparation.
The Master of the Hunt stood at the center of the room, still wearing his blood-spattered hunting leathers. His face was haggard from hours of questioning riders, examining evidence, trying to piece together how a routine hunt had ended in the Queen's death.
"Lady Lila Hartwell." Councilor Thorne's voice was heavy with exhaustion and suspicion. "You attended the hunt this morning despite being forbidden from riding. Why?"
"I had a bad feeling." Her voice came out hoarse from crying. "I tried to warn Celeste not to go. She wouldn't listen. So I went to the forest edge to watch. To make sure she was safe."
"A bad feeling." Thorne's expression was skeptical. "Can you elaborate?"
"Just. A sense that something terrible would happen. That she shouldn't ride. That the hunt was dangerous." Lila twisted her hands in her lap. "I begged her to stay home. She refused."
"Several servants confirm you visited the Queen's chambers last night." Another councilor spoke up. "Around the tenth hour. What was the nature of that visit?"
"I told her she shouldn't go to the hunt. That she was a poor rider. That trying to prove herself was foolish." The memory made Lila's throat tight. "We argued. She said I was jealous. Said I wanted her to look weak in front of Adrian. I left angry."
"So you argued with the Queen hours before her death." Thorne made a note. "Did you threaten her?"
"No! I was trying to protect her." Desperation crept into Lila's voice. "I had a premonition. I knew something bad would happen."
"How convenient. A premonition that proved accurate." The councilor's tone made it clear he didn't believe in premonitions. "What time did you leave the Queen's chambers?"
"I don't know. Maybe half past ten. The palace bells hadn't rung eleven yet."
"And after leaving the Queen, where did you go?"
"Back to my chambers. I couldn't sleep. I paced most of the night." Lila met Thorne's eyes. "Maya can confirm. She brought me tea around midnight because she heard me moving around."
"So your only alibi is your servant. How convenient." Another councilor spoke, this one openly hostile. "And this morning, despite being forbidden from the hunt, you attended anyway."
"I already explained why."
"You explained that you had a bad feeling. That you went to ensure the Queen's safety." The councilor leaned forward. "Yet when her horse bolted, when she rode toward the ravine, where were you? Why didn't you scream a warning? Why didn't you try to stop her?"
The question hit like a physical blow. Lila had been at the tree line, too far away to see clearly through the mist. By the time she'd realized something was wrong, Celeste was already falling.
"I couldn't see her through the fog. I didn't know she'd ridden ahead until I heard the scream."
"How convenient that the fog blocked your view. How convenient that you were positioned exactly where you could claim to be watching over her while actually being unable to prevent anything."
"I'm not the one who shot her horse with poison!" Lila's voice rose. "I'm not the one who planned murder! I was trying to save her!"
"Really?" Thorne's voice was quiet but cutting. "Or were you ensuring your plan succeeded? Attending the hunt under the guise of protection while actually waiting to see your scheme come to fruition?"
"That's insane. Why would I want Celeste dead?"
"That's an excellent question." Thorne gestured to another councilor who stood, holding documents. "We've been reviewing the history between you and the late Queen. The arguments. The tensions. The separation she demanded because of your inappropriate relationship with her husband."
"There was no inappropriate relationship." But even as Lila said it, she knew how hollow it sounded. Everyone in the palace had suspected for years.
"Then explain the restrictions you have faced over the years." The councilor's words fell like stones. "Explain why you've been living in this palace for three years despite having no official position. Explain why the King fought so hard to keep
you here against multiple council recommendations to send you away."