Chapter 159 The Downfall of Maya

Chapter 159 The Downfall of Maya
The following day.

The click of high-heeled footsteps echoed haughtily across the marble floor. Maya pushed open the carved teak door of the Council Elders' Court with her head held high. Inside the grand room, the clan elders sat in a circle with grim expressions etched onto their faces.

"What is the meaning of this? Why did you summon me so abruptly?" Maya asked in a raised voice, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am your Luna! I just helped Alpha Rolex reclaim his power, and this is how you welcome me?"

The Grand Elder, a silver-haired man with a sharp gaze, tapped his wooden staff against the floor. Clack!

"Sit down, Maya," the Grand Elder commanded coldly.

"No! I will not sit until you explain what I've done wrong!" Maya challenged, her eyes glaring sharply at each elder in the room. "Tell me, what is my crime that this honorable Council Court dares to try me like a criminal?"

The Grand Elder did not answer with words. He gestured to his guard. A thick dossier and a scroll of documents were thrown onto the table in front of Maya.

"Open it and see for yourself," the Grand Elder said flatly.

Maya furrowed her brow, snatching the dossier roughly. However, the more she read page after page, the color in her face gradually drained away. Her lips began to tremble.

"This... this is slander! Where did you get these forged documents?!" Maya screamed hysterically, throwing the file to the floor.

"Those are the proofs of your crimes, Maya," the Second Elder interjected in a heavy voice. "For months, you have abused your authority. You imprisoned dozens of people in the forbidden cave on the northern border. And most fatal of all... you held Sera captive there!"

"Lies! That is all lies!" Maya shrieked, stepping backward with rapid breaths. "I never did anything so vile! Who spread this slander?!"

"The evidence is real, Maya. Your signature and personal seal are on every order for logistics sent to that cave," the Grand Elder stated firmly.

"It wasn't me! It wasn't my doing!" Maya shook her head violently, trying to defend herself. "It was Boby's doing! Yes, Boby! He planned all of this! He was the one who proposed the captivity!"

"Boby is your right-hand man, Maya," the Second Elder interrupted.

"But he was the one giving orders in the field!" Maya yelled in panic, pointing frantically. "I only executed his orders... I mean, I only agreed because he threatened me! Boby set Sera up! He was the one who locked those people in the cave! I knew nothing about their suffering! I am the victim here!"

Whispers and angry shouts began to ignite the courtroom. The council members present exchanged looks, and the atmosphere turned chaotic and unruly.

"She's blaming her own subordinate!"
"Shameless!"
"Stripping her of her title is only right!"
"Shut your mouth, Maya!"

"Silence! All of you must listen to me!" Maya screamed, trying to cover her panic. "I am the Luna of Silvermoon! Without my troops, you would all still be refugees! You cannot punish me based on these damn papers!"

Slam!

The doors of the courtroom burst wide open suddenly. The chaotic atmosphere instantly fell silent. At the threshold stood a woman in a simple white dress. Elegant, yet radiating an extraordinary aura of fortitude.

"Sera...?" Maya whispered, her face pale as a corpse.

Sera stepped inside calmly. Every step she took drew the attention of the entire room. She walked straight toward the center of the court, standing right beside Maya, who was now trembling with fear.

"I am here to testify," Sera's voice sounded clear and firm, echoing into every corner of the room.

"Sera, you..." The Grand Elder stood up from his chair. "You survived?"

"Yes, Elder. And I stand here as a living victim of this woman's cruelty," Sera said, indicating Maya out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't listen to her! She is a mad woman trying to steal my position!" Maya shrieked in a high-pitched scream. "She is lying!"

"Lying?" Sera chuckled coldly. Without hesitation, Sera pulled up the sleeves of her long dress, then revealed the back of her dress across her spine.

The elders' eyes widened. Gasping breaths were held in various corners of the room. Across Sera's smooth arms and back were carved the blue and black marks of lashes and strikes—old wounds that had only recently scabbed over.

"Are these iron whip marks a lie too, Maya?" Sera asked in a piercing tone. "Was the pain I felt every night when your men whipped me on your orders just a fabrication?"

"No... no... that wasn't me..." Maya's voice squeaked, her steps retreating until her back hit a stone pillar.

"You said Boby did it?" Sera turned to look at Maya, full of disappointment and rage. "Then let us see who actually gave the orders."

Sera pulled out a small magical projection screen from beneath her cloak and placed it on the trial table. Instantly, a glow of light projected a crystal-clear video recording onto the courtroom wall.

In the video, Maya was clearly visible, standing elegantly inside a dark cave. In front of her, Sera was bound to a wooden post, looking frail.

"Whip her again," Maya's voice in the recording sounded freezing and ruthless. "Make sure she can never safely give birth to Rolex's child. Make her suffer until she begs me for death!"

"But My Lady, she is pregnant..." her subordinate's voice sounded hesitant in the video.

"Just do it, or I'll throw your family's head into this cave next!" Maya snapped in the recording.

The video ended. The courtroom erupted into immense fury. The elders slammed their hands on the tables, while the clan guards immediately surrounded Maya with drawn swords.

"How cruel!"
"An angel-faced devil!"
"She is unfit to be Luna!"
"Punish her! Punish her!"

Maya collapsed onto the cold marble floor. Tears trickled down, not out of remorse, but over her own destruction. She glared at Sera with a gaze filled with hatred. "You... you destroyed me, Sera!"

"You destroyed yourself with your own arrogance and cruelty, Maya," Sera replied flatly, staring at the woman without a shred of pity.

The Grand Elder struck his staff three times loudly. Clack! Clack! Clack!

"Enough!" the Grand Elder's voice boomed, silencing the entire room. He looked at Maya with the coldest stare imaginable. "The court has witnessed undeniable proof. Maya, for your acts of treason, torture, and crimes against humanity..."

"Elder, mercy! Please give me a chance! I beg of you!" Maya screamed, kneeling and crawling toward the trial table.

"In the name of the Silvermoon Clan's customary law," the Grand Elder continued, ignoring Maya's wailing, "we hereby rule: As of this second, the title of Luna is fully stripped from you!"

"No! Don't!" Maya shrieked.

"You are found guilty and sentenced to life in exile," the Grand Elder declared. "You will be banished to Black Island, a remote island at the edge of the northern ocean. You shall never set foot on clan territory again!"

"No! Rolex! Help me, Rolex!" Maya screamed out the Alpha's name, but there was no response.

Two burly guards immediately grabbed Maya's arms roughly, dragging her to her feet. Maya squirmed, trying to break free, her luxurious dress now filthy and torn.

"Let go of me! Sera, you will pay for this! I swear you will pay for this!" Maya's hysterical screams gradually faded as she was dragged out of the court's main hall toward the transport ship bound for the island of exile.

Sera pulled her dress sleeves back down. She took a long, deep breath, feeling the heavy burden that had weighed on her chest for so long finally lift completely. She turned toward the court window, looking up at the bright sky outside. Justice had been served, and now, a peaceful future with Rolex and baby Leon stretched out before her.