The whispers turned uglier now.
No longer curious.
No longer careful.
They judged her before a fair hearing had even begun, and now that Lady Evelyn had openly attached her noble house to the accusations, the room shifted with dangerous acceptance. A claim supported by a recognized house was no longer dismissed as idle gossip. It became weight. Influence. Threat.
"She must have grown too comfortable."
"Country nobles always do."
"They arrive pretending innocence."
"And then forget their place."
The court chamber had grown warmer.
Or perhaps it only felt that way to Vanya.
The candlelit air pressed heavily against her skin while hushed voices slithered through the room like smoke. Every whisper seemed sharper now. Curious eyes no longer watched her with intrigue but with fascination tinged by scandal.
Like she had become tonight's entertainment.
The ruby-crested clip still rested atop the velvet cloth before the panel.
Untouched.
Damning.
Vanya stared at it helplessly.
She had never seen it before in her life.
Yet there it sat inside her purse as though placed there deliberately for all to find.
And somehow that frightened her more than the accusations themselves.
Because somebody had planned this.
Carefully.
Patiently.
The older panel lord tapped one finger lightly against the arm of his chair.
"We will continue."
The chamber quieted once more.
His gaze settled on Vanya.
"Lady Vanya Emeraldae, several accusations brought before this court concern conduct beyond theft. Improper court behavior. Provocative enticement. Questionable interactions with military personnel."
The wording alone made her stomach twist.
The panel woman beside him adjusted the thin spectacles perched upon her nose.
"Normally, such matters would remain private concerns among noble households. However…" her eyes drifted briefly toward the ruby crest, "…given the presence of stolen royal property, the court must determine whether these incidents suggest intentional misconduct or deeper instability of character."
Instability.
Vanya nearly laughed from disbelief.
Instead, she stood straighter.
"You speak of me as though I am not standing here."
A few surprised glances lifted toward her.
The older lord regarded her calmly.
"You are standing here precisely so we may hear your defense."
"Then perhaps," Vanya replied carefully, "you should allow me to defend myself instead of listening to women who dislike my dress."
A ripple moved through the chamber immediately.
Some shocked.
Some amused.
Lady Evelyn's expression sharpened.
The panel woman lifted a brow slightly.
"You deny behaving inappropriately during the banquet?"
"I deny seducing married men simply because they looked at me."
That earned several muffled reactions.
One younger nobleman near the side table nearly choked on his drink while another hid a smile behind his hand.
Lady Catherine flushed furiously.
"How shameless."
Vanya turned toward her fully.
"No," she said quietly. "What is shameless is building accusations around gossip because you dislike someone."
The tension shifted.
Subtly.
For the first time since entering the chamber, a few people looked uncertain.
Lady Evelyn noticed it immediately.
Which meant she moved quickly.
"Then explain your behavior in the gardens," she said smoothly. "Alone at night. Returning flushed. Wandering restricted grounds this morning. One coincidence may be ignored, Lady Vanya. Several become concerning."
"And how exactly was I behaving with the knights?" Vanya asked calmly.
Evelyn blinked once.
Vanya continued before she could answer.
"Did they claim I touched them? Seduced them? Offered myself?"
A faint murmur spread.
Lady Evelyn's lips tightened.
"You were seen laughing amongst soldiers."
"I was asking for directions."
"That is still inappropriate."
"Then your kingdom must be terribly fragile if conversation ruins its knights."
A startled sound escaped somewhere behind the chamber.
Half laugh.
Half cough.
Even one of the clerks lowered his head to hide amusement.
Lady Evelyn's face darkened.
"You think this is humorous?"
"No," Vanya replied softly. "I think this is cruel."
Silence fell briefly.
Real silence this time.
Not performative.
Something about the way she said it landed heavier than expected.
Because unlike the others Vanya truly looked confused.
Not manipulative.
Not sly.
Just increasingly wounded.
The panel woman observed her carefully now, noting every expression, every pause.
Vanya slowly looked around the chamber.
"I did not know the royal court allowed interrogations from ordinary noble ladies," she said quietly. "Is this a hearing… or am I simply being placed on display in a room of people deciding whether they like me or not?"
Several nobles stiffened.
Even the older panel lord leaned back slightly at the boldness of the statement.
And that made Lady Evelyn pivot again.
"Then perhaps the stable workers misunderstood as well?"
Her gaze swept toward the stable boy instantly.
Edrin nearly jumped.
"You spent considerable time amongst the soldiers, did you not?" Evelyn pressed smoothly. "Enough to attract attention."
Edrin looked deeply uncomfortable.
"I… well, the knights were only helping calm the mare"
"So they gathered around her?"
"Yes, but"
"And she remained there."
"For only a little!"
"But she remained."
Edrin faltered again.
Every answer seemed to worsen things.
The poor boy looked moments from tears.
Vanya noticed immediately.
And despite everything happening she felt guilty for him.
Because he was frightened too.
The panel lord sighed faintly.
"Enough. The stable boy is clearly overwhelmed."
Relief flashed across Edrin's face.
But before dismissal, one of the observing nobles suddenly spoke.
A heavyset older woman draped in emerald velvet.
"I have heard rumors before now regarding the Emeraldae girl."
The chamber shifted attentively.
Vanya frowned.
The woman continued.
"They say she was raised unusually freely for noble blood."
Theresa would have hated that sentence.
"She spends time with servants."
Another murmur.
"She reads excessively."
A pause.
"As though that were a crime," someone muttered dryly from farther back.
The woman ignored it.
"And there have been whispers that the girl behaves… intensely."
"What does that even mean?" Vanya asked before stopping herself.
The noblewoman looked vaguely uncomfortable now forced to elaborate publicly.
"Emotional attachments. Odd fixations. Excessive curiosity. Wandering habits."
"She likes books and gardens," Vanya said flatly.
"And snakes," another voice whispered.
Several heads turned.
Vanya blinked.
Oh God.
Mr. Jones and his earthworm conversations.
Someone near the back laughed quietly.
"Perhaps she truly is strange."
"She certainly doesn't behave like court ladies."
"No," another voice murmured thoughtfully. "She behaves like someone who forgot to fear them."
That one lingered strangely in the room.
Meanwhile, deep within the servant corridors below the court chambers, Paddy finally found Theresa.
Madam Theresa was moving quickly through the eastern hallways with one of the palace stewards beside her, a folded ledger tucked beneath her arm. Her expression already looked dark before Paddy even reached her.
"Madam Theresa!"
Theresa turned sharply.
The moment she saw Paddy's face, her own hardened.
"What happened?"
Paddy rushed toward her breathlessly.
"It's Lady Vanya."
Every ounce of color left Theresa's face.
"What about her?"
"They took her to the royal court chamber!"
The steward beside Theresa immediately stepped away sensing trouble.
Theresa grabbed Paddy's shoulders firmly.
"Why?"
"They're accusing her of stealing!"
Theresa went still.
Utterly still.
"…what?"
"The royal crest clip from the stables," Paddy rushed out desperately. "Lady Evelyn and the other women are accusing her of seducing soldiers and wandering alone and...and they found the crest inside her purse"
"That is impossible."
"I know!"
Theresa released her slowly, already thinking.
Too quickly.
Too sharply.
Her mind moved through possibilities with frightening precision.
"When did this begin?"
"Right after she returned from riding."
Theresa's eyes narrowed instantly.
"The horse."
Paddy blinked.
"Joseph said the white mare wasn't supposed to be available today."
That stopped Theresa cold.
A dangerous silence followed.
Then:
"Where is Joseph?"
"Outside the stables trying to speak with workers."
Theresa's jaw tightened.
Someone had prepared this.
Not impulsively.
Not carelessly.
Prepared.
She immediately began walking toward the upper corridor staircase.
Fast enough that Paddy nearly stumbled following her.
"Madam Theresa"
"Listen to me carefully," Theresa said lowly while ascending the steps. "Until I say otherwise, do not speak to anyone alone inside this palace. Not servants. Not guards. No one."
Paddy nodded quickly.
Fear curled deeper inside her chest.
Theresa rarely sounded afraid.
But now
she did.
And that terrified Paddy more than the accusations themselves.