"Impossible! The Emperor's heart is beating again! He is... He's alive!" The Royal Physician shouts.
"How did that happen?!" Prince Henrik asks in disbelief. To the keen observer, it was as if the Crown Prince was unhappy that his father got revived.
Prince Henrik narrows his eyes and turns to where Estelle and Nikolaidis are standing, "you did something to the Emperor! You... You witch!"
Another gasp could be heard all over the room from the Crown Prince's bold accusation.
"That's untrue, your highness! You saw what happened, my wife didn't use any magic! She was only trying to help the Emperor!" Nikolaidis defends his wife.
"Then how do you explain her strange words? What did she mean when she shouted AED?! That was a spell!"
Nikolaidis didn't know how to answer the Crown Prince. The Grand Duke has no clue what an AED is. Estelle was shaking in fear and couldn't get a word out to defend herself. It was as if she was having an out of body experience looking at the scene in front of her.
"Bring the Emperor to his room," Prince Henrik orders and attendants of the Emperor bring out a stretcher to carry the unconscious man out of the ballroom while everyone else stood frozen in place.
"The gods are the only ones who can give and take away life," Prince Henrik speaks as he stands up.
Henrik looks around the ballroom, "even the Saintess, the greatest healer given to us by the gods themselves, could not bring a dead person back to life so how could an ordinary noble lady do such a feat?!"
"Y-Your highness, my daughter is not a witch! She doesn't have a single ounce of mana in her!" Estelle's father, the Marquess, stammers.
Beside the Marquess, his wife Marchioness Claristelle, was shaking in dread. Her son, Hancelle, holds his mother up to keep her from collapsing on the floor. Hancelle also wanted to speak out for his sister but he knew his words bear no weight as he is still a powerless child.
The Crown Prince glares, "Marquess Gautier, do you have proof of such claim? Was she ever examined by a sorcerer?"
"N-No, your highness, but I've been with my daughter for all her life and not once has she manifested any magical abilities. Please believe me, your highness," the Marquess pleads and kneels.
"The Grand Duchess is indeed a witch. She knows this would happen," someone suddenly speaks out.
All eyes turn to the brunette lady walking towards the center of the ballroom, "greetings, your highness Crown Prince Henrik. I am Lady Claire Wetherford, the only daughter of Marquess Luther Wetherford and I know that Grand Duchess Estelle is a witch."
"Liar!" Marquess Gautier shouts.
"Silence!" Crown Prince Henrik's red eyes looked like they were shooting out fire.
Prince Henrik turns his attention to Claire, "I will listen to your explanation Lady Claire. How did you know that the Grand Duchess is a witch?"
"I was invited to the Founding Anniversary Ball last summer and I overheard a conversation between the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess while I was strolling through the garden outside the ballroom."
"And what was this conversation about?" The Crown Prince says.
"I didn't hear their entire talk, but, I am certain that the Grand Duchess was telling Grand Duke Nikolaidis that she knows the future. She foresaw that she will be executed for accusations of witch craft."
So it wasn't just my imagination! When I sensed that Niko and I were being watched when I was revealing to him the reason why I avoided him so much in the beginning, it was Lady Claire who was secretly listening in!
Estelle looks at Nikolaidis who stared back at her with fear and worry. We both know that Lady Claire was saying the truth except for the part where I'm a witch. Lady Claire probably didn't hear the part about how I know the future because I read it in a book! Wait, was she also the one who sent that letter to me?
'I know your secret'!
The Crown Prince raises his eyebrows, "is what your speaking the truth?"
"I swear in the name of House Wetherford that what I said was nothing but the truth, your highness."
"Your highness, I beg of you! My daughter is innocent! She is not a witch!" Marquess Gautier continues to plead.
"I refuse to believe that Grand Duchess Estelle is a witch, older brother," Tisha speaks out.
"We've been friends for years but she has never done anything involving magic," the Princess continues.
"I can attest to that as well, older brother," Mitch says.
The twin Princesses were scared of their older brother Henrik but they couldn't just stand and watch as their friend gets accused for such a serious offense. Estelle gives them a grateful look, her vision beginning to get blurry as tears pool in her eyes. She was feeling touched by the support that her friends and family were showing.
These people truly love and care for me...
Prince Henrik scowls at his sisters, "that's only what she shows in public but what about in private? She could freely practice spells when she's alone!"
"Forgive my interruption, your highness, but how about we test if the Grand Duchess really does not have any mana," Crown Princess Yulya says to her husband.
"Y-Yes! You are very wise Crown Princess! A mana test will reveal that my daughter has no mana in her body!" Marquess Gautier exclaims, still on his knees.
"Call the Chief Sorcerer this very instant and tell her to bring a mana gem with her!" Henrik commands.
"Estelle, if the gem glows, run towards me immediately," Niko whispers.
Estelle does a subtle nod in response to her husband's words. She's read about mana gems before. They're extremely rare gems that are used by sorcerers to perform large complex spells. The gems only respond to people who have mana and are basically useless if the person has no mana.
If it glows, it would refute everything my father and friends have claimed. I'm going to be executed if they find out I have mana but I'm not even sure if my body has any. I've only been Estelle for less than a year... Am I going to die again? Would I have to leave Niko?
The Chief Sorcerer arrives in the ballroom out of breath and carrying a large green stone in hand, "your highness, I have brought the mana gem."
"I want you to conduct a mana test on the Grand Duchess," Henrik points at Estelle.
Imperial Knights escort Estelle to where the Chief Sorcerer is standing. She looks back at Niko who reluctantly lets her go. I don't want to leave you, Niko...
"Please give me your hand, Grand Duchess," the sorceress says.
Estelle extends her hand and the Chief Sorcerer slowly puts it towards the gem while chanting words that Estelle didn't understand. Everyone in the ballroom watches with baited breath as the gem floats in mid-air with only Estelle's hand coming into contact with the green floating object. A few seconds later a bright light flashes from the gem, strong enough to temporarily blind everyone in the room.
"Astounding! The Grand Duchess has a large amount of mana within her!" The Chief Sorcerer shouts.
"She is truly a witch!" Prince Henrik yells at the same time.
Estelle runs to Nikolaidis as soon as her vision returns. I have to run away! They're really going to execute me now!
"Seize her!" Crown Prince Henrik's voice bellows.
Nikolaidis reaches out his hand for her. She grabs it and the two of them push through the crowd. Estelle doesn't know where they're headed but follows her husband as she tries her best to run as fast as she could. She could hear the footsteps of the Imperial Knights following behind them.
"Seal the doors!" Henrik tells the Chief Sorcerer.
The doors of the ballroom shut close with a resounding thud. The sound of the doors closing was like the weight of the world crashing into Estelle. No!
Nikolaidis lets go of Estelle's hand so he could use all his strength to push the nearest door open but it doesn't budge. The Imperial Knights are only a few steps away from them.
"I'm not going to give you up," Nikolaidis says and steps in front of the Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duke fights off the swarm of knights without a sword in hand. Nikolaidis is the strongest and fastest knight in the entire continent but the Imperial Knights were fully equipped with swords and axes and they greatly outnumbered him.
Estelle couldn't stand seeing Niko get hurt by trying to protect her. She could see they have nowhere left to run now and Niko was only needlessly getting hurt out of his desperation to protect her. He was getting covered in his own blood.
"Stop! Please!" Estelle screams and pulls her husband behind her, "just take me! Take me!"
"No!" Nikolaidis tries to stop the Imperial Knights but he falls to the floor.
"Tie them both up! The Grand Duke is also guilty for trying to help the witch escape!" Prince Henrik arrives at the scene.
For Estelle, everything seemed to pass by in a blur from that moment onwards.
The knights tie her up and gag her mouth so she couldn't speak. Henrik barks more orders and she feels herself getting weak, as if an unknown force was pushing her down. Her ears were ringing and her vision was a hazy blur. She didn't know how long time passed but the next moment she regains her senses, she sees that she's outside and she could make out the shape of a wooden pole in the middle of the courtyard.
"Burn the witch!"
I guess I couldn't escape my fate. I was meant to love a beautiful and amazing man but die a horrible and gruesome death...