The Vampiress Debutante

The Trial ~ 11

    Many of the nobles begin to gasp, the opposite of many of the ladies who are in the competition, who begin to giggle.

    However, the entire crowd goes silent as both Charlotte and the Queen enter, both of them being forced on their knees. Surprisingly, Charlotte has her head held high, ready for the King's judgment. The Queen seems to quietly accept her fate with her head hung, it's quite obvious who the dominant one in the relationship is. 

    "Do the two of you admit to being sexually involved?"

    Charlotte nods and looks at the Queen, who raises her head in shame. 

    "Yes."

    The King grunts and gestures to the guards on either side of his throne, they proceed to go behind him and escort out-

    Madisón.

    She is brought out next to Charlotte and offered an ornate chair to sit on, which she accepts. The King nods at her in pleasant acknowledgment, his mood obviously vastly improved at the sight of her. 

    Everything is playing out like a drama in theatre. How amusing.

    "Madisón, for the sake of legality, do you admit to witnessing the affair?"

    "Yes," she answers without a note of hesitation.

    "Alright then, the result is quite simple. Charlotte will be staked, that is the end of this meeting."

    I could see the abhorrent shock on Madisón and the Queen's face from the audience. Madisón obviously couldn't do anything as she had no social standing, and Charlotte's father hates her either way so no help from him either. I suppose now would be a good time to oppress the competition and show off a bit. Yes, that's the reasoning I'm going to stick with... oh to hell with inner thoughts Charlotte is my friend there is no way I'm letting her be killed.

    "Your Majesty, if I may suggest something?"

    I can feel the eyes of every noble in the room on me, including the two Prince's who had just entered. Excellent, this will work out much better if they are here. 

    King Blanć raises his eyebrows, but still gestures to allow me to speak.

    "Charlotte is the only heir to her family, it would be a shame if such an excellent noble line was ended. Wouldn't it be much cleaner to have her serve as the Queen's concubine?"

    The king smirks, he knew exactly what I was doing. If Charlotte became the Queen's concubine, her father would be looked down upon by the Court and forced to send more resources to the palace as a thank you for sparing his daughter. It was a win-win situation for both of us, and the outcome was decided the second I opened my mouth. 

    "You do bring up an excellent point, and I'm afraid I'll have to agree. Let it be known then, Charlotte Solléil is now the Queen's concubine, this excludes her from the competition but keeps her alive. Any moves against her are moves against the Queen's crown is this understood?"

    The court murmurs in agreement, everyone turning to leave. I soak in the appreciative stares from Madisón and Charlotte, but I wasn't the only one they should thank. The King, out of his obvious affection for Madisón, added in the bonus of protection from the Crown, ensuring the nobles couldn't even whisper about Charlotte if they wanted to continue living. 

    Turning away from the throne, I lock eyes with Adonis, whose gaze is still filled with passion from earlier. It's obvious he wanted to continue where we left off, but my friends are far more important.

    The more days that pass here at this rotten court, the more I understand about myself and the people around me. Maybe I can actually enjoy my time here after all.

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So basically I'm back, and I do want to clear up some things. 

Ebony isn't a jerk, Madisón isn't just a slut, and Charlotte obviously isn't as innocent as she appears to be. 

This will all become more clear as the book goes on, I hope you guys enjoy the show.