Daphne's POV
The silence after my declaration felt heavy enough to crush stone.
"Not guilty."
The head elder spoke my words back to me, each syllable deliberate and measured. His brow furrowed deeply. "Not guilty?"
A wave of hushed conversations swept through the circular chamber. I caught pieces of their whispered debates, watched as heads turned and bent together in urgent discussion. Even Mother's rigid posture wavered above me, her fingers gripping her chair's armrest until the knuckles turned bone white.
The head elder pressed forward in his seat. "Are you absolutely certain of this plea, Luna Daphne?"
I met his penetrating stare without flinching. My voice stayed level and strong. "Why would I abandon the truth now?"
The whispered conversations grew more animated. Someone cleared their throat with obvious discomfort. An elder in the third tier hissed something urgent to the person beside them.
