Chapter 6 - The Verdict of the Realm
A heavy murmur rippled through the gathered nobles. Whispers of outrage and disbelief collided against the vaulted ceiling. Lords who had once fawned over Selene now slunk back into the crowd, desperate to distance themselves from the fallen princess.
King Aldric closed his eyes for a long, agonizing moment. When he opened them, all paternal warmth had vanished, replaced by the grim duty of a sovereign.
"For the crimes of treason, forgery, and sedition against the crown," Aldric declared, his voice cutting through the murmurs like a blade, "I strip Selene of her royal titles, her name, and her place in the house of Aurelion. She shall be stripped of her silks and exiled to the desolate borderlands of the Stone Wastes, to live the remainder of her days as a common laborer."
"No!" Selene screamed, lunging forward with a desperate fury. "You can't do this to me! I am your blood! I am—"
She was cut off as two guards seized her arms, pinning her wrists behind her back with unyielding force. She thrashed and kicked, her pristine silver silk tearing as she was dragged down the marble aisle, her fierce curses echoing against the stone walls until the heavy oak doors slammed shut behind her.
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The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, and absolute.
King Aldric slumped back into his throne, burying his face in his hands as a single tear traced a path through his graying beard. Queen Helena walked up the steps, placing a gentle, forgiving hand upon her husband's shoulder, bridging the chasm that had nearly destroyed their family.
