Chapter 15
Ella's POV
Stella's gaze fell on me, and I instinctively stepped back half a step.
"Who are you?" she asked slowly.
I opened my mouth, but my throat tightened. Not a single word came out.
Julian wasn't here. The entire room held only Alpha Walter, the Luna, and Stella's fully armed warriors. Kane stood by the doorway, his face ashen, with Victoria leaning against him.
"Answer me." Stella took a step forward.
"She is Ella, Julian's companion," Alpha Walter said.
Stella let out a cold laugh. "Companion? An Omega, companion to the crown prince?" She paused, her gaze sweeping over me.
"General Stella," Luna Jenna interjected gently, "tonight's priority is finding whoever drugged the room, not interrogating an innocent girl."
"Innocent?" Stella turned to Jenna. "The princess lies unconscious, yet this Omega can move freely—even call for help. Don't you find that strange?"
Her words made the atmosphere in the room suddenly tense. Every eye turned to me.
"I... I also inhaled the drug," I tried to keep my voice steady. "I just woke earlier than the princess."
"Is that so?" Stella moved closer. "An ordinary Omega servant shouldn't have such resistance at all. Unless you're the thief crying thief? Or maybe... you're not what you appear to be?"
"That's not true!" Fiona suddenly spoke up, weak but firm. "Ella is innocent! We both smelled the strange scent, and then... then I don't remember anything..."
"Your Highness," Stella cut her off, "you're too kind, too easily deceived." She turned to her warriors. "Take her for questioning."
Several warriors immediately stepped forward. I retreated instinctively, but one grabbed my wrist.
"Wait!" Alpha Walter stood. "General Stella, this girl is Julian's companion. Without his consent, you have no authority to take her."
Stella laughed coldly. "Prince Julian is nowhere to be seen. How do we know if he consents?" She paused. "Alpha Walter, I appreciate your concern. However, dealing with suspected assassins has always been the warrior squad's responsibility."
Walter's expression darkened slightly, but he said nothing more.
I realized then that her warrior squad didn't answer to the Alpha at all.
"Ella is not an assassin," Kane spoke.
My whole body stiffened.
"Oh?" Stella looked at Kane with interest. "The West Wing lord speaks for this servant too?"
Kane's gaze swept over me. In that instant, I saw complex emotions in his eyes.
"She's just an Omega. She doesn't have the capability to plan such a scheme."
His words cut like a knife into my heart.
"Just an Omega"—that was how he defined me.
Victoria looked at me coldly, a sneer on her lips.
"Kane is right. A lowly Omega—what audacity or ability could she have? Though..." she paused, "she does have some suspicious marks."
Stella noticed immediately. She approached me, grabbed my wrist, and roughly pulled up my sleeve.
The red marks from struggling with Kane in the Tower, the finger-shaped bruises from his grip, the wrinkles from my clothes being yanked—all exposed to her view.
"These..." Stella's voice was low and dangerous. "How did you get them?"
I bit my lip, not knowing how to respond.
Say Kane caused them? That would expose our relationship to everyone. Say I did it myself? That would confirm the "suspicious" accusation.
"She... she was injured before," Fiona said quietly. "I heard Julian mention it..."
"Injured?" Stella sneered. "These don't look like old wounds. They look... freshly made."
The gazes around me grew intense. Kane's expression turned terrifyingly dark.
"Enough." Stella released my wrist and ordered her warriors, "Take her. I'll question her myself."
"No!" Fiona screamed. "Ella is my friend! You can't treat her so roughly!"
But Stella was unmoved. Two warriors stepped forward, grabbing my arms from both sides.
I struggled, but couldn't break free from their grip.
Stella looked at me, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "If you're truly innocent, you should be able to withstand a test." She slowly raised her hand. "Let me see if you're really just an ordinary Omega."
Before I could react, I felt a searing force slam into my abdomen. It wasn't an ordinary punch—it was a burning agony that swept through my entire body.
I opened my mouth to scream but only coughed up blood.
"Stop it!" Fiona's shriek rang in my ears.
I collapsed to my knees, clutching my stomach as blood dripped from my lips.
Stella stood before me, a barely perceptible trace of dark purple flame lingering on her hand.
"Interesting," Stella said. "Most Omegas would have passed out from one of my punches, but she's still conscious? I'm growing more interested in you. Let me try again—"
She raised her hand, preparing another strike.
At that moment, the temperature in the room plummeted. Frost formed on the windows. My breath turned to white mist.
A wave of frost swept through the entire room.
A squad of royal guards rushed in, forming a standoff with Stella's warriors.
Julian walked in slowly, General Marcus following behind with a strained expression.
Ice crystals gathered in Julian's right hand, his voice low and threatening: "Who dares touch what is mine?"
Stella's warriors instinctively stepped back but still didn't release me.
Julian's guards immediately moved forward, weapons drawn.
Julian came to my side, knelt, and pulled me from the warriors' grasp, helping me up.
"You've suffered," he said softly, making my nose sting with tears.
I glanced at the submissive Marcus, then at the warriors behind him—those soldiers who should have been supporting Kane under Marcus's command, yet now answered to Julian.
In that instant, I understood the general picture.
"If I can help you succeed," I whispered, my voice trembling with pain, "then that's my value."
Julian didn't answer. He simply gathered me into his arms and turned to leave.
Stella's warriors seemed ready to block us, but Julian merely looked back at them.
That single glance—cold, sharp, carrying undeniable authority.
The warriors didn't dare move.
Julian carried me out of the room. Behind us, dead silence.
I leaned against his chest, feeling the warmth radiating from him, yet unable to tell whether this warmth was genuine or just another carefully orchestrated game.