Chapter 133: The Crown Is My Wager

LYSANDER

I stood up. The chair scraped against marble, loud and jarring.

"I do not accept." My voice filled the chamber, bouncing off the vaulted ceiling. "This is not justice. This is vengeance, and everyone here wants to pretend they are doing what is right because they happen to be wearing a mask of procedure."

"Your Majesty," Bradley warned under his breath.

I ignored him. "Johann should answer to me for his actions if we want to be high and mighty. He knew the orders I gave the sentinels. He exploited a loophole in some old law and rulebook to justify murder. Those retainers were arrested for failing to detect rogue infiltration into their circle, and for allowing enemies to slip past their guard. That investigation remains ongoing. And now two of them are dead, executed without trial, without appeal, without anything resembling due process."

Edelina laughed, a sharp, brittle sound. "One of them is now your mate. Or have we forgotten that the rogue who infiltrated the retainers’ circle is that very girl? Your precious... what was her name again? Bonnie? Yes Bonnie. With her mysterious origins and her convenient appearance?" She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that carried to every corner of the room. "Forgive my son and myself for suspecting that my husband would never receive justice through proper channels. Forgive us for believing we had to act ourselves. The others responsible for his death, Lysander, are still breathing, and those other heads must fall before my husband can be buried with honor."

I felt my claws extend, slicing through the skin of my palms, hot blood welling up and dripping onto the floor. The pain centered me. Bradley’s grip on my shoulder tightened until I could feel his fingernails digging into muscle.

"Control yourself," he breathed.

The presiding elder slammed his hand against the table. "Please, quiet. Both of you. This bickering serves no purpose."

He turned to me, his eyes weary but resolute. "You argue that interpretation, and perhaps you have merit. But the law is blind by design. It cannot account for every nuance, every extenuating circumstance. The collar represents a compromise. A way forward that acknowledges both the healer’s unique status and the need for security against her."

"I will not collar her." My voice had gone flat, dangerous. "I have a counter-proposal instead."

The elders exchanged glances. Edelina sat back, her interest piqued, a cat watching a mouse considering its options.

"If a similar occurrence happens with the healer," I said, each word precise and weighted, "if she loses control again and assaults another member of this court, I will abandon the throne. I will renounce my claim entirely. I will walk away from the crown, the castle, the entire succession." I looked directly at Edelina, holding her gaze. "How is that, Your Majesty? A better deal? Does this satisfy your sense of justice for my dear cousin and your son?"

The gasp that rippled through the chamber sounded like wind through dry leaves.

Bradley stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the elders. "Your Majesty, what are you doing?" he hissed, his composure cracking at last. "This is insane. You simply cannot..."

"Step aside," I murmured.

"A collar is not that bad." He grabbed my arm, his fingers bruising. "It is temporary. It can be removed once tensions ease. But this? Dangling the throne itself? This is... forgive me for saying it... this is madness, Your Majesty. Absolute madness."

I looked past him, focusing on Edelina. She had gone very still, her mind working behind those bloodshot eyes. I could almost see the calculations running through her thoughts, the weighing of possibilities. Without me on the throne, she would have exactly what she wanted. That was the goal, was it not?

Edelina smiled. It started small and grew until it dominated her face, predatory and triumphant. "Accountability," she purred. "I do love accountability. If the court permits this arrangement, then yes, I accept."

"Please think this through, Your Majesty," Bradley groaned.

I stepped around him, addressing the presiding elder directly. "So the collar is out of the question. Drop that verdict. Do we have an agreement?"

The elder looked stricken. He turned to his colleagues and began a hurried, whispered consultation that lasted several minutes. I stood motionless, my blood dripping steadily onto the marble, each drop a small red testament to my self-control.

Finally, the elder turned back. "The collar is withdrawn," he announced, his voice hollow. "The alternative penalty is accepted. The healer will remain under your supervision, and should she transgress again, you will surrender all claim to the throne." He paused, his shoulders slumping. "This council is adjourned."

I did not even wait for the formal dismissal to land when I turned and walked out of the chamber, my boots striking the marble in a sharp, angry rhythm.

Behind me, I could hear the rising tide of voices, the chaos of the court digesting what had just occurred.

Bradley caught up to me in the corridor, his hand closing around my elbow and spinning me around. His face was flushed, his eyes wild with barely contained fury.

"Your Majesty, why?" he demanded, his voice cracking. "Explain it to me. Make me understand why you would gamble everything, everything we have worked for, on this... this impulse."

I shook him off and kept walking. He scrambled to keep pace beside me.

"Because I could never make her feel like a slave." I did not look at him. I kept my eyes fixed on the end of the hallway, on the heavy oak doors that would lead me out of this suffocating place. "I could never look her in the eyes and tell her that I allowed them to put a collar around her throat. Not after everything she has endured. Not after everything she means to me."

"Your heart is one thing," Bradley snapped, his footsteps echoing against the stone. "But dangling the throne itself as bait? That goes beyond protecting her feelings, my King. That invites catastrophe. You have given Edelina exactly what she wants. A clear path to removing you entirely."

I stopped walking. I turned to face him, and I let him see the calculation in my eyes, the cold strategy beneath the emotion. "Please do not call me King. I am still regent. And... I know Edelina. I have studied her. She cannot resist an opening like this. She will become obsessed with provoking Bonnie, with finding some way to make her lose control again. She will push and prod and scheme, and in doing so, she will reveal herself. She will show her true face, her true methods, her true alliances." I resumed walking, my voice dropping to a murmur. "And we will be ready to see it."

Bradley stared at me, his mouth open. "You are taking an enormous risk."

"I am aware."

"You could lose everything."

"I am aware of that as well."

We reached the doors. I pushed them open, and fresh air washed over my face, carrying the scent of pine and cold stone. The courtyard stretched before us, empty in the afternoon light.

Bradley’s phone buzzed against his hip. He pulled it out automatically, glancing at the screen, and his entire demeanor changed. The anger drained away, replaced by something electric and urgent.

He answered, listening intently, his eyes widening with each passing second. "Step on it," he instructed whoever was on the other end. "Get her here immediately." He ended the call and looked at me, his expression transformed.

"What?" I asked, my heart suddenly pounding against my ribs.

"They found her." Bradley’s voice trembled slightly. "Valentine’s daughter. She agreed to come. She will be here within the hour to heal the delicate."

The world seemed to tilt again, but this time in a different direction. I leaned against the stone wall, my legs suddenly unsteady, and I laughed. It started as a choked sound and grew until it echoed off the castle walls, desperate and wild and barely sane.

"Well," I managed finally, wiping my eyes. "Perhaps the goddess has not abandoned us after all."