The Grand Hall roars with agitated voices as Cassian and I step through the main doors.
They don't notice us at first. Half the council is already standing, gesturing, debating. Lord Varek, always the loudest, bangs his fist against the long mahogany table.
"We must decide now! The monarchy cannot remain rudderless!"
"Yes!" someone else snaps. "We've waited long enough for the Queen to name a successor. It's clear she won't. And with Prince Cassian nowhere to be found…"
"I'm here," Cassian says calmly.
The room freezes. Heads turn sharply.
And then the murmurs start. Some gasp. Some scoff. One even mutters a curse.
I step forward, just beside him.
"You can't be serious," Varek sneers. "You walk in here…now…after vanishing for a month, and expect us to pretend nothing has changed?"
"We're not here to pretend," Cassian replies. "We're here to remind you what you seem so desperate to ignore."
He lifts his chin, his voice carrying. "The late King Lucien might not have fathered me by blood…but he raised me, crowned me his heir, trained me to lead. You all bowed to me once. My rights don't evaporate because of a blood test."
"You're not a Lucien," Varek hisses.
"That doesn't undo my life," Cassian counters. "Nor the fact that I was made the Crown Prince by a reigning king." He pauses,
"And what about Celeste?"
Another council member waves him off. "And what now? You want us to bend to her instead?" he gestures toward me. "A woman raised outside the palace, with no knowledge of state affairs or royal obligation?"
Something burns in me, but I hold it.
"Celeste might be Lucien's daughter," someone else adds, "but she wasn't groomed to rule."
"True!" another agrees. "She was raised as a commoner. She only became known to the palace after her marriage. Is this what we want? A monarchy of convenience?"
Their words grate against every part of me, but I keep quiet.
"And now what?" one laughs dryly. "Shall we start taking in everyone with royal blood who shows up and tossing the crown on their head like a party hat?"
Cassian clenches his jaw. I can feel his frustration through the heat of his silence. I take a step forward.
"That's enough," I say.
The words fall out of me without thinking. Not shouted. Not whispered. Just firm and mine.
Heads turn again.
"I said enough!"
The room goes still.
I hear my own breath in my chest, steady but loud. My voice is calm when I speak again.
"I can see you all are arguing blindly. So let's stop pretending this is about what's best for Matica and call this what it is, a power grab."
A few flinches. Some scowl. But no one speaks.
I walk slowly toward the table. "Since we're quoting tradition, let's open the law book fully."
I pause. "By Section 3 of the Matica's Constitution," I recite clearly, "a royal heir or heiress of legitimate blood, upon attaining the age of twenty-one and having been raised in the royal household according to the etiquette and traditions of the crown, may ascend the throne upon the former monarch's death or abdication, once married."
I look around the room. "Subsection 1, should the heir not have been raised within the royal residence, but trained in matters of the law and statecraft, such person may be considered fit to rule."
A few faces darken.
"Subsection 2, any heir who has lived an honorable life, formed a stable household, and contributed responsibly to society may be recognized as worthy."
Now the room is quieter. Still.
"And finally, Subsection 3, in the case of a female heir, upon marriage, she reserves the right to appoint her spouse as consort and by extension, co-ruler of the Matican throne."
I pause deliberately, scanning their eyes.
"By all these standards," I continue, voice unwavering, "I am the rightful heiress of Matica. I am twenty-eight. I hold a degree in law, called to the bar of this land. I have been married, I have a family. And most importantly…" I take a breath. "I am the daughter of King Lucien by blood."
A hush falls like fog.
Cassian watches me, awe softening the storm in his eyes.
"I don't need your validation," I say to the room. "But I wanted you to hear it plainly, I have fulfilled every requirement your laws demand. I have bled for this palace. Twice."
No one speaks. No one dares.
I raise my chin. "If there are still objections, I invite you to present them before the people of Matica… and their rightful Queen."
The silence that follows is a silence of defeat. A silence that means victory.
Cassian steps forward beside me.
No one speaks.
Not even Lord Edric.
Their silence doesn't scare me anymore.
I see fear in their eyes; fear of the truth, fear of losing the power they've clung to for too long. I take another breath, the chamber now under my command.
"And if any of you still believe that Queen Morgana's reign is over," I continue, voice clear and grounded, "then let me remind you of the law, again."
I walk toward the central pillar where the royal edicts are engraved in brass. My hand hovers as I recite:
" Section 8 of Matica's Constitution:
A ruling monarch may not be deposed of their throne until such a time as they have been tried before the Legal Arm of the Grand Council, and is found guilty of treason, betrayal, or harm to the realm, and stripped of their title by due process of law.
"Which means," I turn to face them, "Queen Morgana's crown still stands, until due process is completed. And in case anyone has forgotten…" I pause, lifting my chin, "…I am the Head of the Legal Arm of this council."
Murmurs erupt. Chairs shuffle. Someone even stands as if to protest but I raise my hand and silence falls again.
"I shall appoint a disciplinary panel, balanced and fair, to try Queen Morgana. Her crimes will be judged, not in gossip-filled halls but by the law she once swore to uphold. And until the verdict is passed, no crown shall be transferred. Any attempt to do so would be deemed a violation of the Matican code and a direct betrayal of the crown."
I let that sink in.
Cassian's eyes don't leave me. A flicker of pride gleams in them.
But I am not finished.
"Now," I say slowly, "I have one more truth to share, one that is deeply personal but no less relevant to this house."
I turn to the doors and gesture.
Esther enters, her face calm but her eyes watchful.
And right beside her, holding his head high with quiet confidence, is Ray.
The air stills.
Every council member turns to look at the boy. I watch them blink, shift uncomfortably, unsure of what this moment means.
Ray walks in forward with poised steps and stops just before the Grand Table.
Then, without prompting, he bows. Gracefully. Royally.
As if his blood already knows its roots.
I speak before anyone else can.
"This is my son, Ray Weylin-Lucien. He is nine years old. He is the fruit of an affair between Cassian and I, unknown to me at the time, but destined before I even knew my purpose. Ray was born long before fate brought me back into this palace. As you all can see, I was destined for this day."
Gasps ripple through the hall.
Cassian doesn't flinch.
Ray walks to him, and Cassian bends instinctively, overwhelmed.
Their eyes meet.
And then, without hesitation, Ray reaches out and shakes his father's hand.
The hall goes absolutely silent.
Esther stands beside me, pride swelling in her eyes.
For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe again.
Because now the world knows the truth, not just about who I am, but who we are.
A family. A legacy. And a force the council cannot sweep aside.