The summons came at noon.
The Duke demanded my presence in the great hall.
By the time I arrived, the chamber was already heavy with tension. Nobles and advisors lined the edges, their whispers a storm of judgment. At the center stood Calen, posture rigid yet triumphant, a bandage artfully wrapped around his arm.
Father, the Duke of Halewyn sat high upon the dais, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
Calen stepped forward, bowing low. "Father, yesterday my younger brother struck me with unstable magic. Had I not defended myself, I would not be standing here today."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
My throat tightened. He had twisted the truth into a blade.
"I demand justice," Calen continued, voice rising with righteous fury. "If this goes unpunished, what will the vassals say? That the Duke cannot control even his own bloodline?"
The Duke's gaze shifted to me, unreadable. "Erian. Speak."
My mouth felt dry. If I denied it, no one would believe me. If I admitted, I'd be branded a traitor.
"I never attacked him," I said firmly. "He provoked me before witnesses. All I did was stand my ground."
Calen's smirk was venom. "Then explain this."
He snapped his fingers. Two servants dragged forth a shattered practice dummy, blackened as if scorched by uncontrolled energy.
"This," Calen declared, "is proof of his reckless power. Ask the servants who witnessed it."
Murmurs swelled. Heads turned toward me like knives.
I clenched my fists. They'd prepared everything evidence, witnesses, the narrative.
How could I fight against it?
Then, a voice rang out.
"Enough."
The hall fell silent as Aster Caelum strode in, silver cloak trailing behind him. Every noble dropped to one knee, heads bowed.
"Your Highness," the Duke said stiffly.
Aster's gaze swept the hall before settling on me. "I was present at yesterday's exchange."
My breath caught.
Why was he stepping in?
Calen's smile wavered. "Your Highness… then surely you saw how recklessly he"
"I saw," Aster interrupted, voice like steel. "And what I saw was a boy defending himself against needless provocation."
The hall erupted in shocked whispers.
My knees nearly buckled. Did he just… defend me?
But Aster wasn't finished. He turned his gaze on me, sharp and merciless.
"However, what I also saw was weakness. A boy with power he cannot control, reckless enough to endanger his peers."
The hall hushed again, uncertainty rippling.
Aster's words cut both ways. Not condemnation, not salvation something in between.
The Duke leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Then, Your Highness, what do you propose?"
Aster's answer was a blade cloaked in velvet.
"Let him prove himself in the upcoming Trials. If he fails, he will not live long enough to be a disgrace. If he succeeds… then perhaps his existence has meaning after all."
Gasps echoed. Calen's eyes widened, fury barely masked.
My heart thundered. I had been thrown from the wolf's jaws straight into a dragon's fire.
But as Aster's gaze lingered on me, unreadable, I knew one thing:
He wasn't done with me yet.