Hearing the red-eyed man's question, Anneliese's face drained of color. The lie she'd crafted in haste now loomed like a trap—one that needed proof. And she'd just told it to the High Conclave.
"Name anything, Ann," she thought wildly. "It's not like they'll actually search for it. And even if they do—this forest is huge. Things get lost here all the time."
She closed her eyes tightly, mentally digging for an idea.
"Come on, Ann. Think. What could you have lost? Something—anything—from yesterday?"
When she opened her eyes again, the elite figures in ceremonial robes had silently moved closer, standing beside the red-eyed man. Their presence was suffocating.
A bead of sweat trickled down her back.
One of the High Conclave members announced, voice like ice, "The girl is lying. Our Inspection Unit has searched the area thoroughly. Nothing was found."
"She's not lying."The voice was calm, deliberate—Vincenzo."I was in the forest last night. I helped the girl find her way back to town."
Ann's breath caught. He was protecting her?
But then it hit her like a slap of cold wind.
He was the shadow man who helped her. And the one who killed the witch.
A ripple of panic surged through her chest, tightening around her lungs.
Vincenzo, however, remained unreadable. Even though he knew she was lying, he had no intention of exposing her. She had become… his mystery to solve.
King Archimedes studied Vincenzo's face, his expression unreadable. Then he turned his piercing gaze to Ann.
"What is it that you lost, Miss?" he asked coolly.
"A... book," Ann blurted, seizing the first thought that came to her.
"A book?" repeated Envoy Egnatius, raising a skeptical brow.
Gulping, Ann clarified, "Yes. I'm fond of books. This one… it was rare. Unusual in its appearance."
Without taking his eyes off her, Archimedes turned toward the assembled guards."Search the forest again," he commanded. "Let's see whether her story holds truth—or if she's trying to deceive us."
Ann's already pale face blanched further. The Inspection Unit moved swiftly, spreading through the dense underbrush once again—this time searching for a book that didn't even exist.
Minutes stretched into an hour.
Finally, Head Witch Bellatrix's voice sliced through the tension. "There is no book," she said coldly. "She's lying. It's obvious. The girl came here for something else."
Fairy Luciana stepped forward gracefully. Her voice was soft, almost melodic—yet every syllable felt like a dagger. "Do you know," she asked Ann gently, "what the punishment is for lying to the High Conclave?"
Ann's lips parted, but no words came.
Luciana smiled faintly. "Execution."
King Archimedes's fingers twitched at his side, as if tempted to respond, but he remained silent.
Ann's blood turned to ice. The word fell like a blade. Execution? For lying? Her thoughts were spinning, her pulse thudding in her ears. She closed her eyes and wished—"If only a book could just magically appear over here! A book that belongs to me."
A voice echoed from the forest's edge.
An officer emerged from between the trees, holding something in his hands. A book.
Ann's eyes widened as he walked straight toward them.
The officer bowed and handed it directly to Vincenzo.
For a moment, something flickered in Vincenzo's crimson gaze—not confusion, but something more complex. Recognition... or perhaps unease.
As his gloved hand closed around the book, a sudden stillness settled over the clearing.
The air shifted.
Subtle—but sharp enough for him to notice. He narrowed his eyes.
The girl standing before him wasn't a witch. She wasn't magical. And yet… something was tethered to her. Something that defied logic.
The Conclave members exchanged baffled glances.
"Is this the precious book you lost?" Vincenzo asked, holding it out to her.
Ann didn't move. Couldn't speak. Her world tilted again.
She wasn't one of them. Not magical. Not powerful. Just a human girl who loved quiet corners and old books.
But since she'd found that book, nothing had been the same.
Vincenzo's expression darkened.
"You don't value your life much, do you?" he said, voice suddenly sharp. "Considering how little you're cooperating."
Ann flinched. But the words anchored her, snapped her out of her daze.
"Yes! This is the book I lost," she said quickly. Then, breathless, she added, "Thank you for finding it. I'm very grateful. Now that it's proven I wasn't lying… may I take it and return home before it gets dark?"
King Archimedes stepped forward again. His tone held quiet steel. "Do you know what this book is?"
Ann hesitated. Tired of spinning lies, she finally answered truthfully. "Yes. It's the dormant Book of Spells—created by fairies and witches long ago."
A murmur passed through the heads of the Conclave.
"Where did you acquire it?" another asked sharply.
Ann's mind darted to Mr. Herondale—but she couldn't involve him and put him in danger. So she lied again. "I found it in the forest when I was little," she said. "I don't remember where exactly."
"You never thought to report it to the Administrative Board?" asked Envoy Egnatius, eyes narrowing.
"I had no idea what it was back then," Ann replied, struggling to stay calm. "I was a child. I only realized its identity recently… after reading about it in the town's library." Her voice trembled.
Too much had happened.Too fast.She just wanted to go home.
Desperate to end this ordeal, she held out the book. "You can keep it. If it's that important… I don't need it. I only kept it because of its appearance."
Egnatius's eyes flared with anger. "That book has been sought for centuries. You've committed a felony under the Sicilian Empire's Unlawful Artefact Act."
Vincenzo took a step forward, his tone smooth—but laced with venom. "Easy there, Lightwood. Don't try to hide your incompetence behind the ignorance of a girl who didn't know what she had."
Egnatius's face flushed with humiliation. He turned toward Vincenzo, jaw clenched. "She is a citizen of my empire. I am the head of the Human Division. I will deal with her… as I see fit."