Chapter 28: Defense
>>Aelin
The throne room was in chaos. Accusations ricocheted off the walls like arrows. My pulse thudded painfully in my ears as I stood there, surrounded by glares and sharp tongues. It felt like I was being backed into a corner with no escape.
"That’s exactly the problem!" a sharp voice from the crowd cut through. It was one of the high-ranking demons, a man with glowing red eyes that seemed to burn into me. "What if he’s doing it for you? You’re human—you couldn’t have killed Alishay yourself, so you must’ve made him do it for you!"
I froze, the words hitting me like a slap.
"That’s absurd!" I shot back, my voice trembling with both anger and desperation. "Why would I ever—"
"It’s not absurd at all," another demon chimed in, their tone cold and accusing. "You’ve had plenty of motive. Everyone knows Alishay caused you to lose your child. You hated her for that, didn’t you?"
I couldn’t breathe.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! It was an accident! How could you kill her for an accident!"
My chest tightened painfully, and the room seemed to blur around me. "Accident?" My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, the grief and anger bubbling up all at once.
"You all knew," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The weight of their words sank in. I turned to look at Draegon. His gaze was dull and he quietly stood there. But the room wasn’t done with me yet.
"You’re always with Ariston. If you didn’t do it yourself, then it stands to reason you worked together."