The goddess had just announced Violet’s awakening and now, everyone was going to know about the child she had birthed in the human realm.
Baron’s cold and cruel laughter broke through the commotion.
He lifted his head from where he lay sprawled and with a summon of his air ability, slammed the hovering swords away and sent it across the floor.
Consort Baron rose to his feet slowly, dusting himself off, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
Queen Seraphira didn’t move. Her expression had paled to a shade just shy of ghostly, her posture rigid.
The noise had drawn the attention of the councilors, many of whom had still been huddled at the window, trying to make sense of the impossible. Even now, the sky outside remained dark, the twin moons casting an eerie glow across the land.
"But the queen isn’t pregnant," someone said.
"So how can the free Fae have a heir already?" another followed.
The speculation circled the air until Baron’s voice cut through it all.
"Perhaps that question," he said, loud and clear, "should be directed at Her Majesty."
There was silence.
Seraphira swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as every head turned. The weight of their gazes fell on her like stones. One by one, the councilors returned to their positions, eager to hear the truth from her.
Councilor Ada asked this time, her brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that, consort Baron?"
Baron didn’t even look at her. His smirk widened. "Exactly. Ask your queen. "
Seraphira’s venomous eyes burned into her husband. If they weren’t connected, she swore she could have melted him right now. But he smiled harder, basking in the rising tension like a man who had already won.
Perhaps if the previous queen and her mother had known, she would have let her die because Baron was literally a weapon fashioned against her.
Then another voice joined in.
Councilor Enock, stepped forward. He was Baron’s relative, and he asked. "Speak, my queen, what is this omen we see outside the window?"
Seraphira’s hands clenched at her sides, her nails biting into her palms. But then she exhaled deeply and lifted her chin.
"You’re right," she confessed with a steady voice. "I have an heir in another realm."
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
Instantly, the councilors erupted into a flurry of murmurs. Their reactions were not encouraging, faces twisted in confusion, outrage, and disbelief. Whispers turned to low arguments and some looked to each other as if seeking confirmation they had heard correctly.
Even among the Free Fae—who had long accepted Seraphira’s rebellious streak, her escape from the realm as a wild youngling—none had known this. No one had known about Violet. The old queen had guarded that secret like a sacred shame.
The Free Fae married among their own. It was tradition. That she had been mated to a beast—as the council often referred to the wolf shifters—was shameful enough. That she had borne his child? That was unbelievable — even if the goddess bonded them.
Seraphira said. "I’m sure everyone in this room is aware of the union that almost took my life. Yes, the goddess mated me to a wolf shifter and from that union came a child."
More murmurs followed. They were harsher this time and she could see the judgement on their faces.
But before she could speak again, Baron’s voice rang out, soaked in mockery.
"Her Majesty accuses me of betrayal while she hides a she-child sired with a wolf?" He turned to the council with a grand sweep of his hand. "She speaks of the sanctity of Fae blood, of the dangers of outsiders, yet her own daughter is one of them."
Seraphira hissed. "My daughter is not an outsider, and you will do well to speak carefully about her."
But Baron only laughed again, full and loud and shameless.
"Then where is she?" he challenged. "Why is she still in the human realm, Your Majesty?"
Seraphira knew what this was. Baron wanted her to lose control and say too much. But she couldn’t give him that satisfaction. The royal house could not be seen fractured. Not in front of the council. Her people cannot begin to question her rule.
"My heir," Seraphira said carefully, "was left in the human realm where she would be fostered, grow in peace, and return to take her rightful place when the time is right."
Then Baron tilted his head, his eyes gleaming. "When exactly is the time, Your Majesty?"
Seraphira’s jaw tightened.
Baron let the pause stretch long enough for tension to sink its claws deep.
"As Her Majesty’s consort, bound by law and life," he began, "I claim my right. That child belongs to us. Bring her to the realm. If she is truly the heir..." He smiled darkly. "Then let her survive the Trials of Ascension."
"What?" Seraphira whispered, her voice almost stolen by disbelief. Her eyes narrowed. "You can’t be serious."
They wanted Violet to take that deadly test?!
"Oh, but I am," Baron said. "You gave me no heir, Your Majesty. And now we discover one exists, hidden from the court, and raised among humans?" He turned to the council. "If she is a true Fae, then let her prove it."
The murmuring returned, louder this time. This time, there were nods. Councilors whispered and exchanged glances, and slowly the consensus began to take shape dangerously.
Seraphira’s voice rose sharply. "She doesn’t know our way. She’s never walked these lands or spoken our tongue."
"Then teach her," Baron replied without hesitation. "Or let her fail."
There was more nods and Seraphira saw the support folding like cards into Baron’s hand, one by one.
She straightened, her expression shifting into icy authority.
"I am Queen of this kingdom," she silenced them. "And I say we’ve had enough for today."
Baron’s smirked. He knew he was winning.
Seraphira’s eyes swept over them all. "We will revisit this matter at another time. Until then, I must consult with the rest of the Free Fae. This session is dismissed."
Then she turned on her heel and walked out because if she stayed a moment longer, they’d see the fear on her face.
What had she done?
All this while, she had believed hiding Violet’s powers was the right thing to do, but it seemed she had done more harm than good.
Goddess help her.