The Dragon King's Heart

"I call forth the witnesses to give their statements, as they swear upon the Tome of Law," Laina ordered. 

With Margaret's case, in the Drawing Room, there were only a handful of witnesses. A small number of Royal Guards were present in the room with her, apart from the Nobles of High Court. 

Three Royal Guards came forward to give their statement. Then, Margaret walked forward to give her statement. She placed her hand on the Tome of Law and gave a full account of what had happened. 

"Lies! Those are lies, your Highness!" one of the nobles interrupted Margaret as she spoke. 

Laina glared at the person who spoke up. She pointed straight at them. All eyes were upon Lady Pennifier. The royal guards escorted her out of the crowd of nobles. Now, she stood before Laina. 

"Lady Pennifer, place your hand on the tome," Laina ordered. 

Immediately, Pennifer began to shake in fear. Laina could see the poor woman's flustered look in her eyes. Her eyes were darting away, refusing to meet the Crown Princess's gaze. Laina tapped her finger on the arm of her throne chair. 

"We don't have all day, Lady Pennifer," Laina reminded her. 

Still, the lady refused to put her hand on the tome. Laina was getting annoyed. The Nobles of Highcourt have never been kind to her, nor had they ever respected her. Be it in public or in private, their pride kept their heads held high. 

If she did not put them in their place today, she would not be able to live with herself. Laina rubbed her temples, plastered a smile on her face. 

"Lady Pennifer, you've interrupted a Royal Court session, refused to abide by the rules, and now when I ask you to speak, you refuse? This utter disrespect for the crown is punishable by death," Laina declared. 

The ministers gasped in shock, none of them expected such strong words from the Crown Princess. Their expressions only angered Laina even more. She had had enough of all of them. Though she knew better than to go off on them. 

She knew she might never get a moment quite like this one. 

Laina got up from her throne, "Is it truly that shocking for me to state the facts? No one seemed surprised when Lord Ethan made a similar threat to Margaret, now did they?"

Though she was not there to witness it herself, she was kept up to date on what had occurred through her trustworthy subordinates. Upon hearing what she had to say, no one dared to speak. The Royal Court was almost silent. 

But Lord Ethan was not about to back down. He could not allow his face, and the faces of the Nobles of the High Court to be trampled upon. Not even by the Crown Princess herself. He stood out from the nobles, watching Laina carefully as he spoke. 

"Your Highness, if I may. We are talking about two very different people, are we not? Lady Pennifer is a dignified member of the Nobility. A Noble of the High Court no less. On the other hand…" he pointed to Margaret, "she's just a handmaid. How could you value two people from different social statuses so differently?" 

"Have you not heard about equality, Lord Ethan? Everyone is equal regardless of social status, that is merely a symbol of authority. Furthermore, if you cannot command the respect you deserve, why would anyone bother giving it to you at all? 

To treat another member of society to be of a lower status than yourself… How egotistical do you have to be for that to happen?" 

She could see the fire of rage burning bright in his eyes. She had touched on a point that hurt him. Laina was not about to let go so easily. She was like a tiger with prey in her jaws. All she had to do was clamp down to deal the finishing blow. 

A smile flashed across Laina's face. She had forgotten all about it till this moment. Margaret was not just her handmaid, she was nobility too. 

"Even so, you are incorrect to have assumed Margaret is of lower status than you. She too is a noble after all."

"She's-"

"Don't you dare interrupt me while I am still speaking, cousin! You don't appreciate people doing that to you, neither do I," Laina snapped at him in a cold tone of voice. 

He had never been afraid of her. Not until this very moment. His heart was palpitating in his chest. No matter how hard Ethan tried, no words came from his mouth. Was this the true strength of a monarch?

The ability to silence their subject effortlessly? The more he thought about it, the more he craved such power.

Unknown to all of them, a small easily overlooked wooden puppet had found its way into the Royal Court. It found the perfect spot to watch how things played out. Colette, who was watching through the eyes of the puppet, was intrigued by Lord Ethan. 

There weren't many people she had seen who so daringly spoke out against Laina. Though that moment was not his best, she was still intrigued. 

"Perhaps he would be of use to me," Colette muttered to herself with a grin on her face. 

Laina looked at everyone who had gathered in the Royal Court that day. As much as she wished to punish the nobles further for the nuisance they had caused, she knew she had to do the right thing. 

Now that she had her fill of fun. It was time for her to do her due diligence. Laina walked back up the steps and took her seat on the throne once more. 

"Do any of the Nobles of the High Court have anything they wish to confess?" she asked them nonchalantly. 

None of them had the bravery to come forward, knowing if they divulged the truth; they would lose all respect from the others. They were like a pack of animals. If one went down, everyone else went down with. 

"No one? I assume all of you are keeping silent because you know what you've done. Reflect upon what you've done. For once, we can have some peace and quiet. 

Now that all of you have had your share of fun... Taking into the long-standing relationship between the Crown and the Nobles of the High Court, as long as Lady Margaret is agreeable, let's all bury the hatchet and put the matter behind us, shall we?" Laina declared as she clapped her hands together. 

Everyone was baffled for a moment, but Lord Ethan knew this moment of kindness was hard to come by. If Laina so chose, she could have had all of their heads in an instant. The Royal Guards would arrest them where they stood and by midday tomorrow, their heads would no longer be attached to their necks. 

It was not the outcome he had hoped for, but the one he must accept.