Guilty until proven innocent?

My mind went blank like a serene ocean. Words failed to come out of my mouth. Incomprehension was visible through my vacant stare as my heartbeat feebly against my chest.

"Summoned to the Intermediate Court?" I repeated stupidly.

"I'm afraid that we don't have a lot of time so I suggest that you cooperate with us. The council members insist on punctuality." His cold tone snapped me out of my daze.

"Flair, don't worry. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding. But for now, you have to listen to them." Alex grabbed my hand which felt drastically warm in contrast to my frigid fingers.

The sound of laughter caught my attention as I peeked into the house. My mom and aunt were conversing earnestly. They have not yet caught the gist of the situation.

"Take care of mom." I looked at her as my breathing hitched and tears threatened to fall out of my amber eyes.

"I will. Trust me." His confident voice gave me the strength to turn my back on the house as I let myself be escorted by the guards.

I had no idea where they were leading me since I'd never had a reason to be directed to a law court before. Even though I was trying to pay attention to the surroundings, it was all muddled up and after a few sharp twists and turns, I ended up losing my concentration. My eyes gazed helplessly at the messenger's stiff back while his robe brushed behind him.

I could hear the commotion in the streets of Nuxvar, roars reverberated in the strangely darkened sky as the public desired to witness the culprit but to my fortune, they couldn't see the weak girl quivering underneath the wall of soldiers.

I had no idea what I was being escorted for, but the reaction of the public felt like I was a culprit rather than a suspect.

We finally halted in front of the towering iron gates. The messenger pounded on it while I inhaled deeply to calm my hammering heart. The yawning entrance of the court shook my nerves as my eyes wandered around it wildly. Expensive velvet rugs descended from the plain off-white walls. Long rows of desks were occupied by the grave silhouettes as they judged the arraigned subjects.

A girl was perched elegantly on the bronze throne. Lushed wine gown encircled her perfectly crafted frame. A delicate gold crown encased her pitch-onyx black curls against her pale complexion. Chandelier's light highlighted her razor-sharp cheekbones giving her a celestial aura.

I immediately drop down as a courtesy to show respect to the Princess of Celion.

She waved her hand as an indication for me to stand up while I, on the other hand, wished to bury my pitiful existence to escape from her bottomless eyes.

"Call in the parties so that we can begin the inquiry." The princess's voice rang endlessly. She is in charge of this hearing?!

My breathing hitched as the members of Elite walked into the court. I noticed that some were limping while others had gashes and bruises on their body. My eyebrows furrowed as I made eye contact with one of them. He felt awfully familiar. His gaze made me uncomfortable as I yanked at my navy blue dress involuntarily.

Why did I even agree to wear this god-forsaken dress in the first place?

What astounded me the most was when Solar, Rick, and a hooded figure were escorted by the guards. Rick's ocean-blue eyes widened as they landed me. You look beautiful. He mouthed whilst I tilted my head, confused by his nonchalant attitude. I looked at Solar who had a more stricken expression. She bit her plump lips nervously as her light brown eyes darted back and forth.

"Right. Now that we're all gathered let's hear what the plaintiffs have to say." The princess spoke monotonously. Her tone brought chills down my spine as I fought to keep a blank face.

Before a member of the Elites could step forward, the doors were flung open revealing a man with dusty blonde hair. His fitted black tunic emphasized the muscular body underneath. A velvet emerald cloak swept behind him as he sauntered into the court with a smug expression. We all bowed down once again as the crowned prince made his way to the throne.

"Apologies for the delay. I was caught up with some last-minute issues. Shall we continue the hearing?" He waved his hand carelessly as he settled beside his sister who looked colder than before. As if it was possible...Even an outsider could spot the differences in their personalities. It wasn't just the appearance where one had porcelain white skin and ebony hair while the other had warmer golden skin and beachy blonde hair.

It was as if their persona took after their looks.

I peered at the hooded figure beside me. My eyes shined in curiosity as I signaled at Rick, who just shrugged his shoulders in response like being in the presence of the prince and princess wasn't worthy of his time.

I snapped my head when the injured guy stepped forward limply, "Your royal highnesses, it is a true honor to have met you in person. While I may have wished to meet you in a much different circumstance, I am privileged to have you as the judge of this trial. For I am sure that you will keep a keen eye on this case because what I am about to present to you can not only sabotage the tournament but can also be a threat to the prosperous Kingdom of Celion!"

Prosperous? Is he kidding me? Celion could be many things but prosperous. For years the Kingdom has been at war with other empires. Whilst Celion prides itself to have the finest troops, we all know swords can only do so much in front of the magic

The whole room fell in anticipation. I could sense the jury's assessing glares as subtle taps could be heard in the lull. The prince shifted in his seat, eyes sparkling with excitement as he leaned forward. The princess, however, remained indifferent.

I found that rather comforting.

"You see when we were disposed of to the isolated forest for the last challenge, the task that the princess herself had designed. That was when these transgressors stepped out of their bounds and broke the tournament rules. They did not only attack us at midnight with weapons, but they also hoarded the tags that we had collected after days of hard work. They injured several of our group members with rusty blades and sharp arrows, exposing them to infection and blood loss."

Mumbles broke into the room as the petitioner bowed to the royals before stepping back with a half-smile. His members pat him on the back for igniting heat across the council body. My fist clenched at how he twisted the story in their favor. So near and yet so far away from the truth. Rick grasped my wrist tightly as I realized that my whole body was trembling with anger.

"Let's hear what the defendants have to say." The princess articulated with her ruby lips. My eyes shifted to the prince as I noticed that he was rather distracted from the whole hearing thing. I followed his gaze and saw Solar sweating profusely. Her honey-blonde hair was tied into a messy braid and her rosy lips were already swollen as she bit on them anxiously. She seemed oblivious to the attention being cast her way.

No matter how aloft she pretends to be, the reality is far different from it.

I cleared my throat as I eyed the crowned Prince wanting the trial to get back on track since others had also smelled something off. He quickly came out of his daydream, running a hand through his neatly cropped hair. I couldn't help but feel amused at the charming prince being flustered and all.