The Mad Princess and the Dying Prince novel Chapter 124

"Plenty of people saw us on the street that day. Have you not bothered to investigate?" Lucia arched a brow. "Is the true purpose of this little gathering to interfere with Prince Jareth's marriage? Are you all acting as the Prince's elders now? Or are you simply eager to defy the king's royal edict?"

A collective gasp rippled through the garden.

The noble ladies turned pale.

They had already witnessed the sheer audacity of Lucia's tongue, but this was a trap they had not anticipated! They had only wanted to watch the drama unfold, but Lucia had dragged every single one of them into the line of fire, and none of them dared to bear the blame.

Accused of interfering with royal matters and defying the king? If those words reached Prince Jareth, he would destroy them all.

Desperate, the women began clamoring to clear their names.

"We said no such thing!"

"Who is defying an edict? Stop spouting lies!"

Princess Corinna burned with fury and opened her mouth to strike back, but Seraphina seized her wrist, shaking her head sharply.

As the highest-ranking women present, if this rumor spread, Prince Jareth would blame them for orchestrating the rebellion against his marriage.

The Prince's wrath was a terrifying thing. Pressing the issue now would only end in disaster.

Silenced by Seraphina, Corinna swallowed her venom and took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I summoned you all today so we might copy holy texts," Corinna announced loudly, pivoting the narrative. "I will present these prayers to the queen mother. This is a demonstration of our undying loyalty to the old king and The Kingdom of Valerius. Therefore, you must all write with devotion and utmost care!"

She had never intended to confront Lucia so directly, but the girl's sheer insolence had thrown their entire strategy into chaos.

Corinna despised her more than ever.

Relieved to escape the treacherous subject, the noblewomen hastily agreed and dispersed to prepare their work.

Lucia glanced toward the water and shrugged, raising no objections.

She started walking. "I can go alone. You do not need to follow me."

Zella was thrilled. "Then I will go select a text and prepare the ink for you!"

She had a terrible feeling that standing too close to Lucia would only invite disaster. She absolutely refused to be caught in the crossfire.

Seeing Lucia wander off alone toward the lake, Corinna and Seraphina exchanged a knowing look and let her go. They truly did have to copy the holy texts and couldn't waste the entire afternoon on a single provincial girl.

The noble ladies settled at the tables, laying out their parchment while servant girls prepared the ink.

Lucia walked alone down the stone path, bypassing the grand garden statues until she reached the edge of the lake.