Chapter 37 Vindicated
"I said that?" she asked, twitching her brow in confusion.
"Yes, Lady Seraphina, you said the maids were the ones who told you about her stealing the clothes and jewelry. You weren't there at first, so what changed?" Elias asked.
"I... I... I can't remember saying that to anyone," she defended shamelessly.
"That was what you told me, Seraphina. You said your maids came to call you. Now it's more like you're giving another version of the story. Why?" the alpha asked, his voice calm, yet anyone could sense the doubt in it.
"Please, Alpha, permit Lyra to speak her own side of what happened," Elias requested.
The alpha glared at him for a while, his face emotionless, as if he wasn't pleased with his request. Then, all of a sudden, he turned to me and said, "Go on, Elias. We should have done this earlier..." Elias smiled and then turned his gaze to me.
"Miss Lyra, you were punished without a proper investigation. Now you are standing before the alpha. Remember, it's a sin to lie to the alpha. So speak nothing but the truth concerning what happened between Lady Seraphina and you." I quickly wiped the trace of tears from my face and knelt properly.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to defend myself..." I paused, using the word 'defend' as it sounded stupid, because I had already been punished for the crime.
"It's okay. You don't have to be scared. Tell me what happened," the alpha urged.
"What's the use of urging her to admit that she stole? We all know she's just like the other maids— a bunch of gold diggers. Asking her politely will only encourage her stupid act!" Kael blurted.
"Just shut up, Kael! I've warned you not to say a word in here. This is my last warning to you, Kael. If you dare say a word again, I'll have you thrown out since you don't want to learn," the alpha cut him off.
He balled his fist, his angry glare not leaving me for a second. He was doing his best to scare me into not saying what I had to say; he knew everything, he was aware I was innocent, but still chose to let me suffer. Now that the alpha had given me the chance to speak for myself, he was trying to scare me with his usual intimidating gaze. Bad for him, it wouldn't work this time.
"It's all my fault, alpha. Please don't get angry at Kael. If I hadn't shown up here, none of this would have happened. I'll just leave after the case is solved... In fact, I'm willing to take the same punishment she took if it turns out I accused her wrongly," she mumbled, pouting sadly. Still playing the pathetic role... I hadn't even stated my own side of the story, and here she was trying her best to cover it up with her victimized act. I guessed I should play along then.
"There's no need to punish Lady Seraphina. I understand I'm just a maid, and a maid can never be right when it comes to the future lady. Even though I've been punished without a proper investigation, I still hope Lady Seraphina will allow me to express myself. I feel that even though I'm just a maid, I have the right to at least speak up for myself." By the time I was done, tears were already streaming down my cheeks. Not because I wanted to cry, but because I needed to play the pathetic role. I needed to beat her at her own game, and the only way to do it was by playing pathetic like her.
"That's enough, Lyra. I understand we didn't let you speak before we punished you. I promise to get justice for you if it turns out you're accused wrongly." Hearing that from the alpha gave me hope. I sighed and then gathered the last courage I had left. This case would determine my future. I knew for sure that if I won against Lady Seraphina, she'd never lay a hand on me ever again.
"A week ago, when Lady Seraphina nearly came to the castle, she went for a walk and ended up being bitten by a snake. I was the one who took care of the wound and then carried her back. Funny how she didn't mention to any of you that I was the one; she told the alpha prince it was her personal maid, even when she knew I was the one... I shouldn't be saying this, but I think Lady Seraphina has something against me..." I said, wiping the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
"Is that true, Seraphina?" the alpha asked.
She hesitated for a while before she nodded.
"Why didn't you mention it to anyone?" the alpha asked.
Immediately, she got on her knees and began tearing up.
"I'm sorry, alpha. When I came back that day and saw Kael speaking to her, I got jealous. I wanted to tell Kael about it, but after seeing them in that position, I kicked against it because I felt telling him about her would make him give her more attention. So when he asked, I had to lie to him. I'm sorry," she said, crying.
"But I have nothing with Prince Kael. So because you thought I wanted him, you framed me for stealing your property. I know I'm a maid, but no one deserves to be treated this way," I mumbled, tearing up even more.
"Seraphina, because you thought the prince would leave you for her, you went ahead and framed her. So you lied to us and made us punish her all because of your jealousy?" the alpha asked.
"I'm sorry, alpha. It wasn't my intention to treat her that way. It was Anna who suggested we frame her. She had one of the maids place them there even before I gave my consent, so I had to play along. Please forgive me," she cried.
The alpha banged his hand on the table beside the throne.
"How dare you, Seraphina! You made us punish an innocent girl because of your stupid jealousy... you lied, we asked, and you swore. How could you?" the alpha yelled.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me," she lamented.
Kael on the other side couldn't say a word; the only thing he had on his face was fear, fear that the alpha would blame him.
"I can remember you saying you'd take the same punishment she took if it turns out you accused her... Are you still sticking to that?" Elias asked.
"She wouldn't survive that, you fool!" Kael yelled at Elias. Wow, so he's aware the punishment was a harsh one?
"Shut up, Kael! She'd take every stroke Lyra took, and that's final!" the alpha commanded.