Chapter 160: The Questions That Do Not Wait for Comfort
Chapter 159: The Questions That Do Not Wait for Comfort
Lyria’s POV
I let the silence settle first.
I remembered the lessons I received.
Do not rush truth. Shape it so it cannot be turned against you.
So I breathed once, slowly.
And answered.
"I am aware," I said softly, "that such a title is what is spoken of me."
I paused.
Then I continued, my voice still even.
"It should be known that I did not choose this position, and I know where I stand as an illegitimate child. So yes, I am aware of my standing and I am aware I am illegitimate, but the prophecy does not speak of legitimacy."
My fingers rested still against my lap.
"It speaks only of royal blood," I said. "Of lineage, not of how that lineage is received."
A slight tilt of Lady Mirelle’s head, as though she was listening more closely now.
So I did not stop.
"In that sense," I continued, "there is no distinction made that would exclude me from the role upon that basis alone."
I lifted my gaze then, meeting hers properly.
"I did not seek to stand here," I said. "But I cannot deny that I do."
Silence followed my words.
Lady Mirelle’s eyes lingered on me for a moment longer than before.
Then she nodded once.
"I see," she said.
But something in her expression shifted as she looked down toward the papers in her hands.
The faint smile she had carried until now faded, as though the weight of what remained had finally settled upon it.
She turned a page.
And then she asked again.
"You have remained a shadow for many years," she said, "Your Highness, so why now?"
"Do you intend to take what belongs to Princess Jacinta?"
For a moment, I said nothing.
Not because I lacked an answer.
But because I felt it—there, beneath the words.
The structure of it.
The framing.
This was not new.
I had seen it before.
On paper. It had been written so plainly... but close enough that the meaning was the same.
My gaze shifted without meaning to.
To the side of the hall, and I met pale green eyes that were watching me intensely.
Then I turned again and locked gazes with Corvin, leaning back slightly, as though amused, though his eyes were sharp in a way that did not match his smile. A faint snicker at the corner of his mouth, like he already knew how this would unfold.
And I understood then.
He had known.
Not the answer—but the question.
Because he had seen it before I entered this room. That was what the knowing look had been.
My attention drifted again.
To the man who had not looked away at all.
Duke Valenridge.
He stood with his usual composure, and then I realized too that the paper had been his small way of helping me, and I had doubted him.
I turned back to Lady Mirelle and then exhaled softly.
And then, strangely enough, I smiled.
I lowered my gaze to my hands for a moment, as though collecting what remained of my thoughts.
Then I leaned forward slightly, the same way Duke Valenridge had leaned forward during his interview.
"I am a princess," I said. "Not a crown princess."
My voice remained calm.
"I am here because I have been called to be considered as one among many. Not because I have taken anything from another."
I lifted my eyes again.
"Princess Jacinta is legitimate," I said evenly. "And I am not."
"That alone," I added, "is sufficient to make clear that I do not stand in competition with her position."
My hands remained still.
"And I must also say," I continued, "this situation was not of my own making."
"I did not present myself to court," I said. "Nor did I step forward to be seen. I was brought into view."
My tone softened only slightly.
"So if there is an expectation that I have placed myself in opposition to the Crown Princess," I added, "then it is an expectation built without my intent."
I leaned back then, the tension in my shoulders easing just a fraction.
"The role of Crown Princess carries weight far beyond what I could claim for myself," I said. "It requires certainty I do not presume to possess."
I paused for a while and tilted my head.
"And I believe," I added, "it is already clear who that role is meant for."
My gaze lifted briefly.
"Princess Jacinta," I said, "has been prepared for it. I have not."
Silence settled again.
"And even if I were to speak until my voice failed," I said, "I do not believe it would change what those who doubt me have already decided."
A faint breath left me.
"So I will not attempt to convince them. I will allow them to think as they wish," I said. "Because those who insist most loudly upon innocence are often the ones already assumed guilty."
The words lingered.
I felt them land.
And then I stopped speaking.
My gaze drifted once more to Corvin, whose gaze now hardened, his face showing disgust—a quite ugly reaction.
I locked gazes with forest green eyes, and Baron Redwick nodded, a smile on his face.
Earl Hawthorne subtly pressed a hand near his chest as though steadying his own reaction, then gave the smallest, most discreet nod.
Lucian nodded too, a smile on his face as he held back a laugh.
Duke Thorncrest let out a low, amused exhale that suggested nothing and everything at once.
And Duke Valenridge... his gaze was still fixed on me, but this time with approval. He gave me a small nod as his lips curved into a smile.
Then he turned.
And walked away from the hall without another word.
Lady Mirelle’s smile returned too.
"Is that all?" I asked her softly.
"Yes, Your Highness," she said with a nod.
"Very well," I replied.
And then I rose from my seat.
