The chamber remained tense long after Theresa's final words settled into the air.
No one moved immediately.
No one quite knew how to.
Because somehow, within minutes, the hearing had transformed from a public humiliation of Lady Vanya Emeraldae into something far uglier for the court itself.
The panel looked divided.
Several nobles suddenly appeared uncomfortable sitting too close to Lady Catherine and Evelyn.
Even the servants standing near the walls had begun exchanging cautious glances.
And through it all—
Lady Morwen Ashcombe never looked away from Theresa.
Not once.
The older woman's silver-ringed fingers rested calmly atop the carved wolf head of her cane, though the faint tightening around the handle betrayed something restrained beneath her elegant composure.
History.
Old history.
Dangerous history.
Theresa noticed it too.
Of course she did.
She sat beside Vanya with effortless grace, crossing one leg over the other while adjusting the cuff of her glove as though she had arrived for afternoon tea rather than a near scandal trial.
Vanya leaned slightly closer toward her.
Quietly.
"Do you know her?"
Theresa's gaze remained forward.
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
Cold.
Vanya swallowed.
"That sounded personal."
"It is."
Before Vanya could ask further, the panel lord cleared his throat loudly.
"This court will maintain order."
His tone carried strain now.
Not authority.
Strain.
Because the hearing was slipping beyond control.
Lady Catherine quickly stood again, desperate to reclaim momentum before the room shifted entirely against them.
"With all due respect," she said sharply, "this changes nothing regarding the theft itself."
Theresa sighed softly.
Ah.
There it was.
The desperation.
Lady Catherine pointed toward the ruby-crested clip still resting upon the velvet cloth.
"The royal crest was found inside Lady Vanya's personal belongings. Regardless of emotional theatrics, that fact remains."
A few murmurs followed immediately.
Because unfortunately—
she wasn't wrong.
The theft accusation still stood.
And everyone knew it.
The panel woman adjusted the scrolls before her carefully.
"That much is true."
Vanya's stomach tightened again.
Lady Evelyn quickly rose beside her mother now, sensing the room balancing uncertainly between sympathy and suspicion.
"And if I may remind the court," Evelyn added smoothly, "Lady Vanya was discovered wandering restricted military grounds mere hours before the stolen item surfaced."
Theresa looked almost bored.
Evelyn continued carefully.
"She has repeatedly ignored social boundaries since arriving here. Improper wandering. Suspicious behavior. Inappropriate interactions with soldiers."
"Inappropriate," Theresa repeated softly, tasting the word like spoiled wine.
Evelyn stiffened.
"Yes."
Theresa tilted her head.
"Did she seduce the horses as well?"
A loud cough exploded somewhere near the clerk tables.
Several younger nobles abruptly looked downward.
Even the older panel lord pressed fingers briefly against his temple.
Evelyn flushed crimson.
"That is not what I implied."
"No," Theresa agreed mildly. "You merely implied my daughter's existence itself is inherently scandalous."
Lady Catherine stepped forward sharply.
"She was seen alone with a strange man in the royal artistry gardens."
"And?"
The single word sliced cleanly through the room.
Lady Catherine blinked.
Theresa looked genuinely curious now.
"Did this mysterious man file complaint against her virtue?"
"No but—"
"Did he accuse her of theft?"
"No—"
"Did anyone witness misconduct beyond standing and breathing simultaneously in the same location?"
Catherine faltered.
The room shifted again.
Because once stripped apart carefully—
their accusations sounded increasingly ridiculous.
Lady Morwen finally intervened again.
Smoothly.
"Theresa."
The name echoed differently coming from her.
Older.
Sharper.
Theresa turned slowly toward her.
Morwen's eyes narrowed faintly.
"You always were skilled at redirecting rooms."
"And you always mistook cruelty for intelligence," Theresa replied pleasantly.
The tension snapped tight instantly.
Vanya looked between them carefully now.
This was no ordinary dislike.
This ran deep.
Lady Morwen stepped forward another pace.
"You believe the girl incapable of wrongdoing simply because you raised her."
"I believe," Theresa corrected calmly, "that she deserves actual evidence before being publicly dissected by bitter aristocrats with too much free time."
Lady Catherine gasped quietly.
Morwen ignored her entirely.
"You hide her too much."
The statement landed strangely.
Personal again.
"She should have entered society years ago."
Theresa's expression cooled immediately.
"That was never your concern."
"No," Morwen replied softly.
"It became my concern long ago."
Silence.
Vanya frowned harder now.
What did that mean?
Even the panel noticed it this time.
The older lord leaned forward slightly.
"Lady Morwen… clarify your involvement with House Emeraldae."
Morwen's gaze lingered on Theresa.
Not the panel.
Not Vanya.
Theresa.
Then finally—
she smiled faintly.
"Old acquaintance."
Theresa's laugh came soft.
Dangerously soft.
"That is a generous description."
The chamber went still again.
Paddy, standing anxiously near the back beside Joseph, whispered under her breath.
"Oh God."
Joseph nodded once.
Slowly.
Like a man witnessing a battlefield moments before war officially begins.
The panel woman straightened carefully.
"Regardless of prior familiarity between households, we must remain focused on the matter of theft."
Finally.
Something sensible.
Theresa inclined her head politely.
"At last. A legal sentence."
The panel woman continued.
"Lady Vanya Emeraldae, until proper investigation concludes, the royal crest remains the primary concern before this court."
Vanya stood slowly.
This time steadier than before.
Because Theresa's arrival had changed something.
Not externally.
Internally.
She no longer felt entirely alone.
"I understand."
The panel woman nodded.
"You maintain the item was not yours?"
"Yes."
"And that the purse belonged to you?"
"Yes."
The stable boy shifted nervously near the wall.
Edrin.
His bruised temple still slightly swollen from earlier.
The panel lord motioned toward him.
"Bring the purse again."
Edrin obeyed immediately, nearly stumbling in his haste.
He carried the familiar stitched pouch carefully toward the central table.
Vanya's chest tightened seeing it.
Because she recognized every stitch.
Every thread.
She and Paddy had repaired it together from her mother's old fabric scraps during winter storms.
Theresa noticed the look in her eyes immediately.
Then her own expression sharpened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The panel woman opened the purse again carefully before the chamber.
Empty now aside from folded handkerchiefs and sewing thread.
The ruby crest remained outside atop velvet.
"Who retrieved the purse originally?" Theresa asked suddenly.
Edrin startled.
"I—I did, milady."
"From where?"
"The stable corridor."
Theresa tilted her head slightly.
"And why exactly were you holding a noblewoman's purse?"
Edrin froze.
Several people blinked.
Ah.
Good question.
The boy swallowed nervously.
"She… dropped it near the horse rails earlier."
"And instead of returning it immediately?"
"I was going to!"
"You simply carried it around while royal property mysteriously appeared inside?"
The chamber shifted uneasily.
Because suddenly—
that sounded absurd too.
Edrin panicked immediately.
"I swear I didn't place anything inside it!"
Theresa's tone softened unexpectedly.
"I know."
The boy blinked.
Theresa studied him carefully.
"You look terrified, not deceptive."
Relief nearly broke across his face.
The panel lord sighed heavily.
"At minimum, this confirms chain of possession remains uncertain."
Exactly.
That mattered.
A lot.
Lady Evelyn sensed momentum slipping again.
"This proves nothing," she insisted quickly. "The crest still ended up inside her belongings."
"And poison ends up inside cups," Theresa replied smoothly. "That does not mean the cup poured itself."
Silence.
Sharp silence.
The implication landed.
Someone planted it.
And for the first time—
the possibility no longer sounded unreasonable.
Lady Morwen watched Theresa carefully now.
Almost thoughtfully.
Then suddenly—
she spoke again.
Quiet.
Measured.
"Still…"
The room listened immediately.
"…the timing remains convenient."
Theresa looked at her.
Morwen's gaze drifted toward Vanya slowly.
"The girl arrives after years hidden from court society. Within days, scandal follows her."
"That is called being young and beautiful inside a starving court," Theresa replied flatly.
A few startled nobles looked away immediately.
Morwen's mouth curved faintly.
"You always did weaponize honesty."
"And you always mistook manipulation for refinement."
Again—
that strange undercurrent.
Like two women fighting a war no one else fully understood.
Vanya finally spoke quietly.
"What do you know about me?"
The room stilled.
Morwen looked at her slowly.
Truly looked at her.
And something unreadable flickered briefly behind the older woman's eyes.
Not hatred.
Not exactly.
Something sadder.
More dangerous.
"You resemble someone," Morwen said softly.
Theresa's posture tightened instantly.
There.
There it was.
The real wound beneath all this.
But before anyone could press further—
the chamber doors opened once more.
This time—
the herald entered breathlessly.
And unlike before—
he looked pale.
Deeply pale.
He bowed quickly toward the panel.
"My lords… my ladies…"
His voice shook slightly.
"There has been… an incident."
The room straightened immediately.
The panel lord frowned.
"What incident?"
The herald swallowed.
"The western tower guards reported unauthorized movement within the restricted archives beneath the palace."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"The archives?"
"At this hour?"
The herald continued shakily.
"And another royal crest…"
He hesitated.
"…has been reported missing."