It’s a brilliant move, honestly. I’m sure that if Corbin hadn’t shown up, he would be positioning himself somehow to be next in line.
The rest of the room was full to the brim. Ellie had said that morning as she combed through Lindy’s matted hair that people had been arriving since dawn to witness the trial. Evidently, since Elise’s canceled execution, the people had been thirsty for some kind of spectacle of justice, and the public’s perception of her was filled with enough distrust, jealousy, and anger on behalf of the princes to make her the perfect target.
She could feel all eyes on her from her position in the center of the room, and she glanced to the side where seven chairs had been set out in the front row for the princes. Six of them were there, seated from youngest to oldest, but Corbin’s chair remained conspicuously empty. Lindy drew in a shaking breath.
I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation for it. Perhaps he just doesn’t want to be here to witness my end.
Haldrick cleared his throat, commanding the attention of the entire room. As one, the crowd fell silent.
“Your Highnesses,” Haldrick began.
“Hold a moment, Haldrick! You can’t start yet.”
Murmurs rolled through the crowd as Corbin pushed his way through, filling the empty seat. He gave Lindy a small, reassuring smile.
Haldrick’s jaw clenched as he pressed his lips together in a tight smile. “Your Highnesses,” he began again. “People of Cygnus. We are gathered here today in search of justice—justice for our king, may he rest in peace, andjustice for our princes who were cruelly cursed. The evidence, which has already been examined and found indisputable, will be presented for the benefit of all present, and a suitable punishment will be given.”
“Belinda Olorin, formerly of Nedra, has been accused of regicide and the abhorrent use of magic to curse our princes, altering their minds to suit her own fashions. Would the accused care to state how she pleads?” He fixed Lindy with a smug sneer.
Lindy breathed deeply through her nose and threw her shoulders back, refusing to cower in front of him.
He wants me to show weakness. He’s nothing but a bully.
“I cursed the princes,” she stated, clearly surprising him with her admission of guilt. “It was accidental, not out of malicious intent, but I did curse them. I had no part in King Theodor’s death.”
The second part of her plea was hardly heard, as the room erupted with angry boos and shouts. Haldrick held a hand out for silence.
“So, you admit it,” he said once the room was quiet again. “You claim the act with pride.”
“Hardly. But I will take ownership of my mistake. Once I understood the ramifications of my anger, I made every effort to make things right.”
“And while we’re on the subject, Haldrick,” Corbin interrupted, drawing a glare from the self-styled judge, “Queen Belindawas not the only one at fault. The curse would not have happened were she not sorely provoked.”
Whispers traveled through the room.
“She has affected your minds. Who can say what sort of lies she filled your brains with while under her influence.”
Jacques piped up, “How could she have done that? She didn’t talk the whole time.”
“Ah, yes.” Haldrick held up a finger as if he had been waiting to come to that point. “The nettle shirts. Further proof that the witch was working some kind of vile magic, likely one that required blood as a payment.”
The response to this claim was nearly as loud as her admission, and Lindy mumbled darkly to herself as the room roared. “That’s not even how magic works.”
“You have heard it yourself,” Haldrick yelled over the din. “The witch has admitted guilt for her crimes.”
“My brothers and I were the ones affected,” Corbin interrupted again. “According to Cygnus law, we must be allowed to say our side of things.”
Haldrick shook his head. “We can trust nothing. The witch has?—”
“Let the princes speak!”
“We want to hear their side of the story!”
The audience was overwhelming, and eventually Haldrick gave in, gesturing for Corbin to stand with a tight-lipped scowl.
The prince cleared his throat. “As I said before, the curse that Queen Belinda cast was not without provocation. From the time that she joined our court late last year, my brothers and I have done little to make Queen Belinda feel at home. In fact.” He glanced down the row at the rest of the princes. “We went out of our way tomake her miserable. Honestly, the fact that we were only turned into swans and not into worms or toads, and that it didn’t happen months ago is a testament to the queen’s restraint and strength of character.”
“So your defense of her is only that she could have chosen something else,” Haldrick jeered.
