Daniela was promptly escorted to the throne room the moment breakfast had ended. If it wasn't for the gems Jasper had given her, which pulsed with his protective essence, the guards would have been able to touch her.
But with so many of the stones in place, they could not lay a single finger on her.
The massive, carved doors were pushed open violently by the guards, the heavy wood scraping against the marble floor. Once Daniela was inside, they were slammed shut just as harshly, the thud echoing in the vast chamber. The hall was utterly silent, devoid of the usual courtier noise and foot traffic. Her steps, light and precise, tapped across the stone floor, the sound echoing like a lone drum guiding her toward the two figures who stood high above her on a raised dais. Their ornate thrones were positioned just behind them.
Daniela's eyes scanned the expansive room, noting the princes gathered below the platform. Each of them sat on their own separate, smaller thrones, her silent, privileged observers. When she reached the very center of the room, Daniela dropped into a deep, graceful bow before slowly raising her head and straightening her back once more, meeting their gaze.
"You slandered my son!" Queen Aurelia shrieked, her normal icy composure completely shattered. She gathered a searing fireball in her palm—a ball of raw, spitting solar energy—before tossing it at Daniela. It passed close enough for Daniela to feel the blistering heat on her skin, but not close enough to cause any injury. This clear act of provocation was enough for the dome shield that Jasper had provided to flash into immediate, fierce activity. Inky blackness coiled and circled around her with palpable, fierce energy, effectively blocking the residual heat of the fire.
The shield only made the Queen that much angrier. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her signature red hair seemed to glow with animosity and power.
"Your outburst this morning was inappropriate!" King Elderon said, his voice level and stern, a deliberate contrast to his wife's frenzy. "Your pardon may be used to—"
"I do not require my pardon in this circumstance," Daniela dared to cut off the King, refuting his words with a decisive shake of her head. She knew she had to seize and maintain the leverage she had worked so hard for.
"This is no simple matter! You have poisoned the princesses against my son!" Aurelia scowled, her earlier chaotic energy seeming to dampen slightly under her husband's stern gaze.
Daniela knew they wanted her to waste her priceless pardon—to spend it on something as small and insignificant as this public shaming. She stood firm, refusing to be tricked or threatened into anything.
"What makes you so sure it was Prince Eric who cut my face?" Daniela asked, her tone even and questioning, the picture of confused innocence. She spoke as if she had no idea why they would accuse their very own son.
"Do you think you can question us? We are your sovereigns!" King Elderon announced with finality, his voice booming through the hall.
"Forgive me. I only meant, I did not accuse your son—" Daniela began, bowing her head slightly.
"You did more than enough to lay the seeds of suspicion," the King said, waving a dismissing hand as he took his seat upon his throne, tapping his wife's back as an order for her to do the same.
"Your Majesties, I do not know why anyone would entertain such scary thoughts about the Prince." Her face was the picture of confusion, a masterful mask. "His reputation is impeccable." She said the word impeccable with such a precise, strong emphasis that it could only be interpreted as cutting mockery. "I made no indication that it was your son. I only looked toward him for comfort. We have been childhood friends for many years."
"Lies!" the Queen hollered, her fist slamming down against the armrest of her throne. Red sparks burst from the point where her fist connected with the stone.
"Your Majesties, I have kept my proper distance from your son because this marriage market demands it. But in a moment of utter vulnerability, I did seek out one of my closest friends." The barely-there smile on her face was unmistakable—she was lying. And they all knew it. But it didn't matter. What she had stated was as good as the truth, and they knew that, too.
She had intentionally refrained from looking at the princes until that moment. But as she realized the tides had turned in her favor, she slowly turned her head to sweep her gaze across them. Her eyes landed on Eric. His blood-red orbs were dark and ominous. She could tell that he was furious. They had spent so many lifetimes together that she knew what every last one of his subtle gestures meant. Nothing about him escaped her notice.
"Then who was it that attacked you?" King Elderon asked, leaning forward slightly. He had quickly surmised that Daniela had been attacked by his son, and his aggrieved wife must have helped cover it up. But neither of them thought it was imperative to tell him this. They could be so troublesome.
"I wish I knew," Daniela sighed dramatically, her hand rising to lightly touch the scarred side of her face. "The room was just so dark. And as you all know, I am a known cripple; my vision is not as good as it once was. I only saw shadows. He was tall, blonde. Very strong. Chiseled bone structure, I think. It was just too quick and too hot to fully tell."
"You do not know who it was. But he is blonde, tall, strong, chiseled bone structure. Not unlike Prince Eric. This is more of your slander. She should be whipped for her insolence." Aurelia spat.
Daniela placed her hand over her heart, as if genuinely saddened. "I saw so little of him. But what I saw was quite generic. Having hair blonde like the sun is quite common.
Chiseled bone structure is common; men are well-kept in your palace. And I am not very tall. Most men are tall to me."
Both the King and the Queen flushed crimson at her words. The implication that their son was common was infuriating. And yet, they could do nothing about it. King Elderon could not believe how not only his Queen but his son had been outwitted by a socially inclined cripple. He could not tolerate another moment of this public embarrassment.
"Leave!" King Elderon demanded, his voice a sharp, final strike.
The guards at the door were quick to pull the large, grand doors open. Daniela bowed low and deep, showing deference to the last, before turning and walking purposefully out as commanded.
The princes who had been watching the spectacle shared looks of intrigue. It was one thing to hear of Daniela's notorious behavior and how she dealt with various incidents. But to see it firsthand—to watch someone scheme, lie, and be so utterly clever—was captivating. In this moment, Prince Deakin finally understood her very potent allure. She was phenomenal, a political powerhouse in a sphere he hadn't even considered. He had watched something incredibly momentous.
His family relied on secrets and brute intel, whereas Daniela relied on sheer wits. She had respectfully humiliated the supreme King and Queen all on her own. And she had done it with effortless ease. He would need to inform his parents. Daniela was absolutely worth the risk. He would make her his Queen.