Chapter 24 — The Price of Being Weak.
Maid Moon stood in the center of the court, her hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles had gone pale.
Before her, upon the white-marble dais, sat Princess Rynvaris.
To Rynvaris’s left stood the man who had illegally sold the royal rations—his head bowed, sweat tracing slow lines down his temples.Behind her, like a silent shadow, remained Fifth Royal Knight Orion Blackveil, one gauntleted hand resting near the hilt of his sword.
The Great Court was quiet.
Not peaceful— heavy.
Queen Elowen Calista leaned forward slightly on her throne.
“Maid Moon,” the Queen said at last, her voice calm, polished, and edged with lethal restraint, “tell me why you dared to commit your crime using Princess Rynvaris’s name.”
The words fell like a verdict.
Moon’s breath hitched. Her knees trembled, and she lowered her head until her forehead almost touched the cold floor.
“Y-Your Majesty…” she whispered.
The weight of a hundred noble gazes crushed down on her fragile frame.
Before she could continue—
“Your Majesty,” Rynvaris said gently, stepping forward half a pace, “if you will forgive my rudeness.”
The court stirred.A princess interrupting the Queen mid-judgment was no small thing.
Queen Elowen’s eyes shifted to her daughter.
For a heartbeat, she studied her in silence.
What is this child planning now?
the Queen murmured inwardly.
“Speak,” the Queen allowed at last.
Rynvaris inclined her head respectfully.
“Your Majesty,” she said, her voice soft but steady, “may I request that several common citizens and a few palace maids who serve the royal household be brought before this court?”
A faint crease appeared between the Queen’s brows.
“For what purpose?” she asked.
Rynvaris lifted her gaze, meeting her mother’s eyes without hesitation.
“To prove,” she said clearly,
“Maid Moon is innocent.”
The words rang through the hall.
For a breath— Silence.
Then—
“What…?”
“Innocent…?”
“Is she mad…?”
Murmurs burst through the court like ripples through still water.
Even the accused man flinched in surprise.
Queen Elowen’s expression hardened.
“Princess,” she said coldly,
“if you fail to present proof worthy of this court, I will not protect you.”
Her voice sharpened.
“I will personally ensure that you are punished for obstructing royal judgment.”
Rynvaris lowered her head in obedience.
“I accept that risk, Your Majesty.”
Orion’s eyes flickered toward her—just for an instant.
The Queen raised her hand.
“Bring them,” she commanded.
Moments later, the great doors opened.
Several common townspeople were escorted in, followed by a small group of palace maids in simple uniforms.
They knelt in a line before the throne.
And in the sudden stillness of the court—
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Rynvaris took her first step toward turning the judgment upside down.
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“You do not need to be afraid,” Rynvaris said gently, turning toward the kneeling line of visitors. Her voice was soft, almost warm—an unfamiliar sound in the Great Court.
“You have all been brought here only to answer a few questions,” she continued.
“Speak what you know. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
The commoners and maids kept their heads bowed.
This was the first time in their lives they had stood before the Queen, before so many princes and princesses, before marble pillars that felt taller than mountains.
Their hands shook.
“So,” Rynvaris said, offering them a small, reassuring smile, “what do you know about me? Do not worry—just tell the truth. No one here will punish you for honesty.”
They hesitated.
Then Queen Elowen Calista spoke.
“You may answer her freely,” the Queen said, her voice carrying calm authority.
“I will be your witness. No one will harm you for your words.”
At once, the fear in their eyes eased.
Slowly, one maid raised her head.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty… No ... thank you, your majesty.” she said.
Rynvaris tilted her head slightly.
“Do you know my name?”
“Yes… Your Eleventh Highness,” the maid answered. “Princess Rynvaris.”
A faint glimmer of surprise crossed Rynvaris’s eyes.
“Oh,” she said lightly, lips curving.
“I am famous now. Even the maids know me.”
A ripple of uneasy laughter passed through the line.
“Then,” Rynvaris said, folding her hands behind her back, “tell me—what do you know about me?”
Queen Elowen gave a small nod.
“Answer her questions,” she added, her tone quietly protective.
The first commoner swallowed.
“Princess Rynvaris… is not smart,” he said carefully.
A few nobles frowned.
Another maid whispered,
“She has been punished many times.”
A third spoke, almost apologetically,
“She is weak… and has no power.”
“Her status is lower than even a maid,” someone added.
“And… she does not even pay her maid’s salary,” the last one said in a small voice.
The words stacked one after another.
Insult after insult.
Judgment after judgment.
For a moment, the court waited for anger.
For tears. For humiliation.
Instead—
“Stop,” Rynvaris said, lifting a hand.
A faint smile rested on her lips.
“I think that will be sufficient,” she said quietly.“I have no desire to hear any more… flattery.”
A few nobles stiffened.Someone choked back a laugh.Even the Queen’s lips twitched, just slightly.
In the seats of the royal family, First Princess Sylvaris narrowed her eyes.
Ray… What in the world are you doing?
Rynvaris turned back toward the throne.
“Your Majesty,” she said respectfully,
“after hearing this, I believe it already proves Maid Moon’s innocence.”
The court stirred again.
Because now—
Everyone was beginning to realize.
These witnesses had not described a powerful princess.
They had described someone too weak—
to threaten.
Too powerless—
to command.
And far too insignificant—
to be feared.
And that truth…
was exactly what Rynvaris wanted them to say.
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“What?” Queen Elowen said slowly,
her eyes narrowing with sudden interest.
“How does this connect to Maid Moon, Princess?”
Rynvaris turned slightly, letting her gaze sweep over the kneeling witnesses, then over the condemned man.
“Your Majesty,” she said calmly,
“you have just heard my reputation in this capital with your own ears.”
She gestured lightly toward the commoners.
“A foolish princess.”
“Weak.”
“Powerless.”
“Lower than a maid.”
A faint, self-mocking smile touched her lips.
Tell me, Your Majesty,” she continued,
“how could a mere maid possibly use my name to frighten this man?”
She looked directly at the criminal now.
“If even the common people do not fear me,” Rynvaris said softly,“then how could this man fear the authority of Princess Rynvaris?”
The man’s face went white.
Rynvaris’s voice hardened.
“There is only one explanation,” she said.
“He is lying.”
A ripple of tension spread through the hall.
“This man,” Rynvaris continued,
“was not threatened by my name.”
She lifted her chin.
“He was threatened by someone far above me.”
Her eyes turned back to the throne.
“Your Majesty,” she said clearly,
“this man committed a crime against the Crown. He framed a royal princess. He endangered a royal servant.”
Then, without hesitation—
“I demand,” Rynvaris said,
“ he be executed.”
A gasp tore through the court.
“Executed?!” someone cried.
“With his family?!” rayvaris added.
The man’s mind shattered.
No—no—this is not what the Eighth Prince said… Two months. Three months in prison. That was all.
His hands slammed into the floor.
“Your Majesty!” he screamed, tears pouring down his face. “Someone gave me one hundred gold coins to do this!”
His voice broke.
“Please—please spare my family! They know nothing! Nothing at all!”
The nobles froze.
One name trembled on the edge of every thought.
Queen Elowen rose.
Slowly. The very air seemed to tighten.
“Then,” she said quietly,
“you admit to framing a princess of this realm.”
Her gaze turned glacial.
“And you admit to accepting a bribe to corrupt royal justice.”
She turned her head slightly.
“Knight Orion Blackveil.”
Orion stepped forward.
The sound of his armored boots echoed like a death bell.
“Execute him,” the Queen said.
Not loudly.
Not angrily.
As if ordering the opening of a door.
“At once.”
The man screamed.
“No—wait—Your Majesty—”
Steel rang.
In a single motion—
Orion drew.
One step.
One slash.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
The man’s voice cut off mid-breath.
His body collapsed to the marble floor, blood spreading silently beneath him.
No one screamed.
No one moved.
Even the nobles sat frozen, afraid that a single breath might draw Orion’s attention.
The commoners and maids trembled, pressing their foreheads to the floor.
Queen caslista Elowen did not even look at the corpse.
“In the name of God Auriviel,” she declared, her voice filling the Great Court,“I declare this trial concluded.”
Only then did she turn to Rynvaris.
“And you,” the Queen said coolly,
“I will grant you the reward you deserve. Come to court tomorrow morning.”
Rynvaris smiled.
Queen turned away.
“Now leave.”
The Queen departed first.
Orion followed, his blade still stained.
One by one, the nobles rose and withdrew.
No one dared look at the body.
No one dared speak.
And as the Great Court slowly emptied—
Only one truth remained clear to everyone present:
The weakest princess in the empire…
had just turned a royal trial into an execution.
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