Fake Heiress True Luna (Irina) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61: This Ends Today

Irina’s POV

The entire room went silent.

Claim

Julie’s breath hitched, her body stiffening like a statue. Her eyes darted to the glowing lines of the truth-binding circle etched into the floor, the faint shimmer of magic still humming around me like a pulse. She knew exactly what would happen if she stepped in – and that was why she wouldn’t dare.

–

“W-What are you suggesting?” she stammered, her voice trembling despite the tremor of indignation she tried to fake. “That I have to prove myself to you?”

“Yes,” I said simply, folding my arms. “If everything you’ve said is true, if you’re as innocent as you claim… then the spell will protect you. Isn’t that right, Elder Harden?”

All

eyes turned to the Elder. His face was a mask of stone, but there was a flicker in his eyes that told me he was as scared as Julie was. “Indeed,” he said slowly. “You won’t get harmed unless you die, but Julie isn’t the one on trial here.”

“Of course, he is defending her!” Theia snarled.

“He knows if she steps in, they are both doomed,” I reminded her, still locking my gaze on Elder Harden.

Julie laughed – high-pitched, nervous, forced. “That’s absurd. This entire setup is beneath me. I have nothing to prove to anyone here. The Elders already know who I am-”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem,” I interrupted smoothly. “Step into the circle. I may be the one on trial here today, but your claims are unfounded. I’m sure you have a witness, just like I do, but for some reason, you will not give your testimony? Even though you are the victim here?”

Her head snapped toward me, and I saw the mask slip for the first time that night. Her pupils dilated, her nostrils flared. The air around her seemed to tighten as the scent of her fear bled through her perfume.

“I will not be subjected to some twisted trick by a filthy omega,” she hissed, her voice cracking near the end.

Perfect, now she showed her true colors.

The murmur of the Elders grew louder with suspicion.

Aiden looked like he was ready to shift and pounce on her, but again, I looked at him to calm

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him down.

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“Julie,” Elder Levis called. He was the same one who made me go to the Alpha’s gathering in the first place. “Please step into the circle and respond to rogue Kratos.”

accusations delivered by the

Julie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. For the first time, her confidence faltered completely. Her gaze darted wildly between Elder Levis, Serim, and her supposed father, Richard searching for an escape, for someone to intervene.

–

“I- I don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” she said finally, her voice cracking under the weight of the silence that followed. “This is her trial, not mine.”

“Which means you have nothing to lose,” I countered, my tone calm but sharp enough to slice through the air. “So, why are you so afraid, Julie?”

A ripple of murmurs swept through the room. The Elders exchanged wary glances, their carefully constructed neutrality beginning to waver. Even Harden looked uneasy now, as though the ground beneath his authority had shifted.

“Enough,” Serim barked, his voice echoing off the walls. “This has gone far enough. The council should not permit this circus to continue.”

“Are you questioning my decision, Alpha Serim?” Elder Levis asked with a cold tone.

“Of course not, but why should-”

“Then, Irina, please step aside, and Julie come in. I have a few questions for you.”

Julie froze. Her painted lips parted slightly, as if the command itself had stolen the air from her lungs. The flicker of the torches cast trembling shadows across her face. She knew she couldn’t escape this but was still trying to make a last-ditch effort.”

“I-I don’t think that’s necessary, Elder Levis,” she said weakly, a hand clutching her chest as though she could steady her trembling heart. “Surely, my word-my status-is enough to satisfy the council. I’m the Alpha’s daughter.”

“Titles don’t matter during a trial,” Levis replied curtly. “Step into the circle.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.

“She can’t escape anymore,” I told Theia, happy justice would be served.

Once she stepped in, she couldn’t lie. Kratos wouldn’t bring back the people who died, but at least we could discover how she did what she did and who her accomplice was.

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“Something’s wrong, Irina,” Theia mumbled. I saw how her ears perked up. She was on high

alert now.

I stared at Julie, but nothing had changed in her demeanor. You sure? She still looks terrified.”

“She is,” Theia replied. “But if Richard is here, where is Rosette?”

“She must be here, somewhere,” I mumbled back, my eyes scanning the shadows at the far edges of the room, but I couldn’t see anything.

What I could feel… that was different.

The air itself felt… wrong. Heavy.

“Exactly,” Theia murmured, her tone low and tense. “I can’t smell her, and that’s the problem. Someone cloaked her scent.”

—

My stomach sank. If Rosette was here and hiding, that meant this wasn’t just a trial – it was an ambush.

Julie hesitated again, standing right at the edge of the circle. “Elder Levis, I- I don’t feel well,” she stammered, glancing toward her father, who was visibly sweating now. Richard’s eyes darted toward the far wall, too – a single, fleeting movement that told me Theia was right. He knew where Rosette was.

“Step in, Julie,” Levis ordered, his tone brooking no argument. “Or you will be held in contempt of this council. Irina step outside. I already told you I want her testimony first before we continue.”

I did as I was ordered, and was about to open my mouth when.

–

The sound ripped through the chamber a deafening BOOM shook the walls and shattered the torches along the eastern side. Flames burst from the stone, licking upward like furious serpents. The shockwave knocked me off my feet, my back slamming into the cold marble as heat and smoke erupted around us.

“Theia!” I coughed, pushing myself up as the acrid stench of burned wood and magic filled the air.

“Aiden’s fine! But we need to find him and get out of here!”

I didn’t need her to tell me twice. The glow of the truth circle had shattered, its lines flickering and fading as a wave of raw magic bled into the room. Elders were shouting, scrambling to fight whoever decided to interrupt the trial.

Through the smoke, I caught sight of Julie – or rather, where she had been. The spot she’d

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stood in was empty now. The only thing left was a trail of blood smeared across the floor, leading toward the broken eastern wall.

“Damn it!” Aiden’s roar cut through the noise as he shifted,

acking. He didn’t need to

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