Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 233

Chapter 233

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Lucian’s POV

Tasha looked stunned–no, more than stunned. She looked like the ground had been ripped out from under her.

“A few people sitting in the cells right now could testify to the horrors you’ve caused, Tasha,” Maxwell continued, his voice dripping with disgust.

“And let’s not forget–you didn’t just manipulate the hearing to suit yourselfish desires. You had the audacity to undermine our authority, disregarding our orders, and you pushed our mate to the brink of ruin. All of this–everything–is your doing!” The anger in my voice surprised even me. It spilled out, hot and unforgiving, and her face twisted into a mask of rage.

Yet the other elders in the room? They sat frozen, their confusion evident, except for Timothy. He didn’t look confused—he looked complicit. Of course, he was in on this mess too.

“There were testimonies–actual, valid testimonies–from pack members that could have proven Scarlett’s innocence, but you silenced them.” I said, my voice rising with each word.

“You refused to let them speak because you wanted the verdict to go your way. You didn’t care about the truth. Deep down, you knew Scarlett had been framed, but you ignored it. We even told you ourselves–she didn’t have that lying bastard’s scent on her. But none of that mattered to you, did it? All you cared about was eliminating Nikolay Vladislav’s daughter from the North. That’s what this was about. That’s all it ever was about.”

I paused, the anger in my chest burning so fiercely I could barely breathe. “And you succeeded,” I said, my voice trembling now with the weight of it all. “You succeeded in stripping her of every ounce of dignity she had left. You humiliated her in front of everyone. Was that enough for you, Tasha? Did it satisfy you to break her like that?”

Maxwell took over, his words filled with a rage that matched my own. “And for the record,” he spat, “Scarlett was untouched when she came to us. If there’s anyone here who’s tainted, it’s us–not her. So don’t you dare sit there and blame her for the lack of magic in the North. Lies and deceit–your lies and deceit–have plagued this region long enough. We won’t allow it to continue!

The room was deathly quiet. The elders stared at us, their shock plain on their faces. It was clear they had no idea how far this had gone–or maybe they just didn’t want to know. Either way, the weight of the truth had crashed down on them like a tidal wave, and they couldn’t hide from it anymore

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “We knew our mate was innocent from the start,” I said, my voice quieter now but no less intense. “That’s why

we set out to find the real culprit, to clear her name. And before we left, we gave explicit orders–explicit–that Scarlett was to be fed, treated with basic

dignity, and spared from any punishment until we returned. But what did you do, Tasha? You ignored us. You told the people in charge of her to lie to us, to

ensure she suffered.”

Clay’s voice joined the fray, thick with bitterness and pain. “She was starved, humiliated, and worked like a slave udder the harshest conditions imaginable. All while we were out there trying to prove her innocence. We told this council–we told you to hold off on any punishments until we brought back the truth. But you couldn’t wait, could you? You couldn’t resist making her life a living hell”

His words cut through the silence like a knife, and for a moment, no one spoke. The weight of what had been done what she had done—settled over the room like a suffocating fog. The truth was out now, raw and unyielding, and there was no turning back. Tasha’s face twisted with anger, but benith if, 1 could see something else: fear. She knew the tides had turned, and there was no escaping what came next.

“Tasha, is it true? Did you really instruct the workers to starve that young woman? Elder Elisabeth’s voice was firm but faced with disbelief, as if she couldn’t reconcile the severity of the accusation with the person in front of her

All eyes turned to Tasha, waiting for an answer, fait she said nothing. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but only a low wraz weeds escaped: “She was guilty. It was all she could muster

5:40 pm

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RITA

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Chapter 233-

The silence that followed was deafening, filled with the weight of disgust from the other elders.

Elder James was the first to break it, his voice trembling with barely–contained anger. “This is an abuse of power,” he said, his words cutting through the room. “What would their parents thick of us right now? We were put here to guide them, to protect them–not to ruin their lives.”

“Well,” Timothy interjected defensively, “we were misled. Those people gave false testimony! It’s not our fault that they lied.”

James turned to him, his expression a/mixture of fury and incredulity. “But it is our fault that we refused to allow other testimonies–ones that could have

cast doubt on the lies we were fed. Why did you turn them away? His question hung in the air, but Timothy and Tasha both avoided his gaze. Neither had

an answer.

Tasha, regaining a shred of composure, raised her chin defiantly. “That still doesn’t change the fact that she killed our people,” she said, her voice rising.

“She had no right!”

Maxwell’s laugh was bitter, full of pain and anger. “No right? She wanted to escape the hell you put her through! She tried to make the settlement sleep so she could run for her life. What did you expect? That she’d hang around and endure the humiliation, the starvation, the endless suffering until your cold heart magically softened? Everyone saw her as guilty because of you. Why would she stay?”

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