Knock knock, the sound came from outside the door.
It's late, the kitchens were alive with noise.
Servants hurried back and forth carrying trays of polished silver and steaming platters while cooks barked orders over the crackling heat of the ovens. The scent of butter, roasted herbs, and fresh bread filled the air thick enough to make the entire lower wing feel warm.
Paddy stood near one of the long wooden tables helping arrange sugared fruits onto smaller serving dishes while beside her, her friend Miriam hurriedly folded fresh linens.
"You sliced them unevenly again," Miriam whispered under her breath.
The royal kitchens bustled with noise and heat, servants weaving through one another with trays balanced carefully on their arms while cooks shouted over bubbling pots and smoking pans.
Paddy stood beside one of the preparation tables separating fresh berries into silver bowls while her friend Lina kneaded dough nearby, flour dusting the sleeves of her dress.
"You're distracted again," Lina muttered quietly without looking up.
Paddy sighed. "I'm thinking."
"That's usually dangerous."
Paddy rolled her eyes faintly, before she could answer, another maid hurried toward them carrying folded cloths. The girl slowed upon noticing Paddy, her expression shifting strangely before she leaned quickly toward Lina's ear.
Paddy frowned.
The maid whispered something hurriedly while glancing pointedly at her, Lina's hands stopped moving immediately.
Her face drained.
"God…" she whispered.
Paddy straightened. "What?"
Lina looked toward her slowly, almost disbelieving, then she cleared her throat sharply.
"Paddy…"
Something in her tone made Paddy's stomach tighten instantly.
"What happened?"
"Your lady," Lina said quickly, lowering her voice despite the chaos around them, "she's been summoned before the royal court house."
Paddy blinked. "What?"
"She's defending herself."
The bowl slipped from Paddy's fingers, berries scattered across the floor, several nearby servants jumped.
Paddy barely noticed.
"Defending herself against what?"
Lina immediately grabbed her arm before she could move.
"You have to calm down first."
"How can I calm down?"
"Because ordinary maids are not allowed near the court hearing chambers," Lina hissed urgently. "If you run there now they'll throw you out before you even speak."
Paddy's breathing quickened.
"What are they accusing her of?" Lina hesitated, which somehow made it worse.
"Well?"
"They're saying…" Lina swallowed awkwardly. "They're saying your lady was seen behaving improperly with knights."
Paddy stared at her.
"What?"
"They used the word court-enticing," the other maid whispered nervously beside them. "Like…tempting soldiers for attention."
Paddy looked horrified.
"That's absurd!"
"There's more," Lina rushed out quickly. "They're accusing her of trespassing into restricted military grounds and stealing."
Paddy froze completely.
"Stealing?"
"The royal horse clip."
Paddy's face lost color.
"No."
"They said she was seen in the sparring fields where noble ladies are forbidden from entering alone." Lina tightened her grip on Paddy's wrist before she bolted. "Listen to me first. Those women from yesterday are involved somehow, everyone downstairs is already whispering about it."
Paddy shook her head violently. "No no no, my lady would never-"
"I know that."
"She wouldn't even know where to steal from!"
"I know."
Paddy's chest rose sharply with panic.
"I have to go to her."
"You can't enter the court chambers as a servant," Lina repeated firmly. "Find Madam Theresa first. If anyone can speak for Lady Vanya properly, it's her."
Paddy immediately turned, then nearly ran directly into one of the passing servants in her haste.
"Sorry sorry"
"Paddy!"
But she was already hurrying from the kitchens, heart pounding violently inside her chest.
Vanya had barely returned to their allocated quarters when the knocking came.
Three sharp knocks, firm, official, sharp. She had only just removed her gloves. Still slightly flushed from riding. Still thinking about the strange encounter in the sparring grounds.
"Come in," she called softly.
The door opened almost immediately.
Two palace attendants stood outside dressed in dark navy garments embroidered with the royal crest.
The older woman bowed stiffly.
"Lady Vanya Emeraldae?"
"Yes?"
"You are requested before the royal court house immediately."
Vanya blinked.
"The court house? for what?"
Neither attendant explained further.
Something cold settled uneasily in her stomach.
"Has something happened?"
"You are expected presently, my lady." that was not an answer.
Vanya slowly placed her gloves down.
Confusion flickered across her face as she followed them from the quarters and deeper into the palace halls, the further they walked, the stranger the atmosphere became.
People were staring, servants whispered, even nobles turned subtly as she passed by the time the large chamber doors opened before her, unease had fully settled in her chest.
The royal court chamber was enormous, far more severe than the ballroom.
Three elevated panels stood at the far end of the room beneath towering windows of colored glass. Long tables stretched across both sides filled with officials, clerks, and noble observers.
Others stood behind them murmuring quietly amongst themselves, and there-
Lady Evelyn, alongside the same girls from earlier, watching her, sneering.
Understanding hit Vanya almost instantly.
This was deliberate, the room quieted as she entered alone.
No Theresa. No Paddy. No familiar face.
One of the women near Evelyn whispered something behind her fan and laughed softly. Vanya straightened instinctively despite the confusion clawing at her chest.
A younger court woman dressed in a dark fitted overcoat approached carrying a rolled parchment sealed with red wax.
Her expression remained carefully neutral.
"Lady Vanya Emeraldae," she announced clearly.
Every eye in the chamber fixed onto her. The woman opened the scroll.
"You stand accused of improper court-enticement…"
Several murmurs spread immediately.
Vanya's brows furrowed.
"…provocation of royal soldiers, unlawful trespassing upon restricted military grounds, conduct unbecoming of a noble lady, deceptive presentation, attempted seduction within royal territory…"
Vanya stared at her in disbelief.
"…and suspicion of theft involving royal property."
The chamber erupted into whispers.
Lady Evelyn lowered her head pretending to hide her satisfaction. Vanya's face flushed instantly.
"What?"
The woman continued without emotion.
"You were reportedly seen entering the royal sparring grounds unattended while improperly engaging knights and unlawfully acquiring property belonging to the crown."
"This is ridiculous."
The words escaped before Vanya could stop herself. A few nobles exchanged looks immediately. One older panel member lifted a brow sharply, then movement near the side tables caught Vanya's attention. The stable boy, the one whose head had struck the beam earlier.
He stood pale-faced near one of the officials clutching something tightly in his hands.
Vanya recognized it instantly. Her purse.
Her eyes widened.
"That's mine."
The chamber stirred loudly again.
The young attendant stepped toward the stable boy immediately and removed the purse from his trembling hands before carrying it carefully toward the panel.
Vanya's stomach dropped.
No. No no-
That purse was unmistakable, old dark fabric stitched carefully together years ago from one of her mother's ruined handbags. She and Paddy had repaired it together by hand.
She took a step forward instinctively.
"That belongs to me."
One of the panel women opened it slowly.
Then froze.
Silence swept the chamber.
Carefully, she reached inside and lifted a small gold-plated clip crowned with a crimson ruby crest, the jewel caught the candlelight brilliantly, gasps immediately erupted throughout the room.
Someone stood abruptly. Another noble whispered,
"The royal crest…"
"That's impossible…"
Murmuring exploded across the court chamber like wildfire.
And Vanya had never seen the object before in her life.