The Confession

The tension in the room was palpable. The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as Sofia stepped forward, her expression cold and calculated. She carried herself with the weight of someone who knew exactly what she was doing—someone who had been planning this moment for a long time. Cedric's eyes narrowed as she approached, her eyes locking onto his with a gaze that was sharp, unrelenting.

"I have evidence," Sofia said, her voice ringing through the grand hall like the toll of a bell. "Evidence that not only implicates Cedric Valen but also Queen Seraphina in a conspiracy against the court and the Crown."

The crowd gasped. All eyes turned to Seraphina, who remained composed but visibly tightened her grip on the arms of her throne. Cedric could feel the shift in the atmosphere, the way the crowd hung on Sofia's every word. Evelyn, standing beside her, had a look of triumph on her face, as if this was the final nail in the coffin.

Sofia pulled out a bundle of papers from within her robes, documents sealed with official marks. "These letters," she said, her voice loud and clear, "show correspondence between Cedric and several high-ranking officials, discussing plans to manipulate court proceedings and eliminate key figures who stood in their way—including Alistair, Reinhardt and the King."

Cedric's heart pounded in his chest. He knew what was coming. He had seen it all unfold in his mind, the carefully laid traps, the web of lies and half-truths that had been spun to tighten around him. But now, it wasn't just him. Seraphina was being dragged into this too.

Evelyn stepped forward, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. "It is true," she said, "that Cedric and Queen Seraphina worked together. They conspired to poison the King, to manipulate the court, and to secure power for themselves. They are both guilty, and they must both face justice."

Cedric felt a burning rage rising within him. They had planned this from the beginning, to not only take him down but to destroy Seraphina as well. This wasn't just about him anymore—it was about everything they had built together, everything he had done to protect her.

Without thinking, Cedric stood, his voice booming through the hall as he cut through the accusations. "Enough!" His outburst silenced the room, every gaze turning to him. His eyes blazed with fury as he looked directly at Sofia and Evelyn. "You can accuse me of whatever you want. You can throw every lie, every piece of fabricated evidence my way. But leave Seraphina out of this!"

Seraphina looked at him, her eyes wide, but she remained silent. Her stoic mask remained in place, though Cedric could feel the tension radiating from her.

"The truth," Cedric continued, stepping forward, his voice low but filled with conviction, "is that everything I did, I did alone. Seraphina had nothing to do with it. She is innocent."

Sofia scoffed, a cold smile curling on her lips. "You expect us to believe that? After all the evidence we've brought forward?"

Cedric didn't flinch. He stared directly at the gathered nobles, queens, and officials, his voice unwavering. "Yes, I expect you to believe it because it's the truth. I've manipulated the court. I've dealt with those who stood in my way. But I did it all alone."

He turned to Seraphina, his gaze softening for a moment as he spoke. "Everything I did, I did it for myself. I killed your Illicit lover Alistair. I killed your Illicit Brother Reinhardt. I I killed your Illicit Father to you call the king. I killed those bastards and the only thing i regret I didn't made killed them enough, and I did it for myself and to protect myself and noone else. I made mistakes. I took actions that were wrong. But it was my choice. My burden. Noone else."

The hall was silent, every eye fixed on Cedric. He felt the weight of his confession settling over him, the enormity of what he was saying sinking in. But he wasn't done. He had one more truth to lay bare.

"I confess," Cedric said, his voice steady. "It was all my fault."

The room erupted in murmurs once again, disbelief and shock rippling through the crowd. Sofia's smile faltered, and Evelyn's expression turned from triumph to something resembling frustration. This wasn't how they had expected it to go.

Seraphina, however, remained still, her face impassive, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—something Cedric couldn't quite place.

Evelyn stepped forward again, her voice sharp and cold. "You think this confession will save you? That you can take all the blame and we'll simply let her go free?"

Cedric's gaze snapped to her, and he smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't expect you to let anyone go free. But know this, Evelyn—you won't win. Not like this. You've built your case on lies, on deception, and when the truth finally comes out, it will be you standing here in chains."

Sofia's expression hardened, but Cedric wasn't finished. "And as for you, Sofia," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low, "you may think you're clever, but your ambitions will be your downfall. You think aligning yourself with Evelyn will give you power, but all you've done is attach yourself to a sinking ship."

He turned back to the court, his voice rising once again. "Let this be my final confession: I have committed crimes, and I will answer for them. But I will not let you drag down the innocent with me."

For a moment, the room was silent. Then, Seraphina stood, her movements graceful and deliberate. She stepped forward, standing beside Cedric, her gaze sweeping across the gathered nobles and queens.

"Cedric, don't you have something else to confess? This time tell the truth. About me, because I am going to if you don't."

Cedric looked at her. She is fearless and determined to tell the truth. This made Cedric smile and with a calm expression he stepped forward and kneel.

"I confess that I love you and nothing else. I may not have done the crimes they claim but I would gladly do it for you."

"You finally told the truth therfore I will tell you the truth as well. I confess that I love you too. And I know you are not guilty."

Sofia raged out As she stand at front,

"That's absurd. How come we know that just because he confessed love to you and taken back his previous confession of crimes with another confession of love. That's not how it works!"

Queen Seraphina still calm and looked at her.

"Sofia, don't you think you are missing to add Queen at the end."

Sofia gasped

"What?"

Sofia glanced at the guards who put their swords near Sofia as they cut her one eye.

Sofia screamed out as Queen Seraphina made a signal to quiet her down and the gurads pushed her head to the ground as she fell to unconscious.

"Bring some water and wake her up now."

The guards followed her instructions as Sofia opened her eyes. With her conscious back. Her scared eye still bleeding outm but this time she pit her hands on her mouth fearful to scream or say anything.

"Remove those hands and say the words which you are supposed to. Or do you want to match your second eye with the first?"

Sofia with fearful voice tried to speak with both tears of blood and water coming from her eyes.

"Q-Q-Queen Seraphina, I-I-I am sorry."

"No need to." Queen Seraphina's smiled.

"I am merciful therefore I forgive you. You just have to address me as the queen that's all. I don't mind you Actually say my name. But as the queen it's my responsibility to protect Arcadia's honour right?"

"Y-Y-Yes."

"Yes, What?"

"Yes, Queen Seraphina."

"See, now you learned. Was it that hard to say? It was easy to say it, but hard to learn for you."

Sofia treambled. As Queen Seraphina moved Forward and looked at Cedric and Everyone.

"If Cedric is guilty," she said, her voice cool and authoritative, "then so am I. I will not stand by and let him bear this burden alone. But understand this—I will not fall so easily. We will not fall."

The declaration sent a shockwave through the room, but Cedric felt a strange sense of calm. This was the moment he had feared, but in the face of it, he realized something: they were stronger together. And no matter what came next, they would face it as one.