Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Maid Who Served the Tea

The air in the room stilled instantly as Ruby stared blankly at Kira for a heartbeat.

"Why did I do what?" she asked, blinking in wide-eyed confusion. She looked from Kira to Derek and back again, her hands lifting in a small, helpless gesture. "Your Highness, I don’t understand."

Kira took a step closer. Her voice was quiet, but every word carried weight. "You planned all of it," Kira said, her voice steadier than she felt. "It started with the time. You sent me a message saying the ceremony was at four. You sent a dress you knew I would despise to get me frustrated, to make me look difficult. And then the tea." She turned to Derek. "A maid came in. She brought herbal tea, claiming it would calm my nerves before the blessing. But the tea was poisoned."

The room went still. But it wasn’t the silence of belief. It felt like the silence of a judge waiting for a witness to stop digging their own grave.

Derek let out a short, venomous snort. "So," he said, his amber eyes mocking her. "It’s no longer just a mysterious text from a friend? Now we’ve moved on to poison? What’s next? An assassin in the closet?"

"I’m not lying!" Kira’s voice cracked. The frustration felt like a hot coal in her throat. "I know she had a hand in this."

Declan stepped forward, arms folded. "That’s a serious accusation, Your Highness. Poisoning the Queen is a capital offense in Dravengard. Do you have proof that Ruby sabotaged your day?"

Kira opened her mouth, but the words died. She had nothing concrete. No witness. No evidence. Just the sequence of events that fit too neatly, and too cruelly.

"I don’t have proof," she admitted. "But I’m not lying. The poison is why I didn’t make it to the ceremony. Not a tantrum or disrespect. Poison."

Derek huffed again. "You’re telling different stories now. First it was an urgent text from your dear friend. Now it’s poison. Which is it?"

Kira met his gaze. "Both. The text lured me out. The poison kept me from coming back."

Derek’s eyes narrowed. "And the name of this mysterious maid who brought you the so-called poisoned tea?"

"I don’t know her name," Kira said. "But I would recognise her face."

Derek exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled. "Then let’s settle this. I have enough time. I want every servant in this palace summoned to the grand hall. Right now."

The next twenty minutes were a blur of agonising tension. Kira stood in the centre of the hall as the domestic staff filed in—rows of men and women in muted uniforms, their heads bowed in respect and fear. There were dozens of them.

Kira walked slowly along the line, scanning each face. She looked for the specific mole near the lip, the ginger curls, the kind eyes. She walked the entire length of the hall twice.

The maid wasn’t there.

Derek watched her.

Kira’s stomach dropped. She turned back to the line, searching again. Nothing.

"Well?" Derek’s voice boomed through the hall, making several maids jump.

"She’s not here," Kira whispered.

Derek dismissed the servants with a single nod. They filed out quickly, heads still down. Once the hall was empty of everyone but the inner circle, he turned on Kira. "You accused my staff of poisoning you. You accused Ruby of orchestrating it. And now the maid you claim did it doesn’t exist in this house."

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