Chapter 530: The Trial
The bells tolled at dawn.
Their deep, booming voices rolled across the kingdom, rattling windowpanes, waking servants, and calling the elders to assemble.
Roland had ordered the trial the moment Rose had agreed, and his command had spread with ruthless efficiency.
It was now evening and time.
"The red-haired girl," they called her.
Some scoffed and spat, claiming she was another fraud, another fortune-hunter come to play on the Queen’s grief.
Others, hushed and fearful, said perhaps, just perhaps, she might truly be a miracle child, the last surviving bloom of Scarlett’s line.
In the antechamber where the trial’s subject waited, Auburn sat alone, wringing her trembling hands together. The chamber was small and bare, its stone walls cold with damp.
A single torch sputtered on the far wall, casting a wavering glow across her pale face.
She had barely been able to call herself down from the very moment she had been brought in up till now as she heard the bells ring.
What if it doesn’t work? she thought desperately.
What if the magic fails? What if the blood shows nothing?
She thought of Candy lying dead in a pool of her own blood and shivered in fright.
She curled her fists and pressed them to her knees, her breaths coming short and uneven.
The iron door groaned and opened.
Cherry slipped inside like a shadow, her crimson gown trailing behind her, eyes sharp and glittering.
She shut the door softly and fixed Auburn with an impatient glare.
Auburn was delighted to see her!
"You look like a cornered rabbit," Cherry said coldly. "So scared and worried.
"I..." Auburn’s voice cracked. She swallowed and tried again. "I’m afraid. What if they see through me? What if the magic doesn’t work?"
Cherry’s eyes hardened. She strode forward and grasped Auburn’s chin, forcing her face up.
"Do you think I risked everything to bring you here only for you to cower now?" Cherry hissed. "Your hair is red because of my magic. Your blood is royal because of my magic. Do you hear me? When they test you, they will see what I want them to see. But you...". she shook Auburn’s chin lightly. "must not falter. You must look the part, act the part, breathe the part."
Auburn’s lips parted, her breath shaky. "And if I fail?"
Cherry’s smile was cold. "Then you’ll wish you had died with Candy."
The threat cut like ice. Auburn shuddered and nodded quickly. "I’ll do as you say."
"Good girl." Cherry released her with a flick of her hand. She smoothed her gown and leaned close. "Remember, child, it isn’t just your head on the block. If you fail, I fail too. And I do not take failure kindly."
With that, Cherry swept out of the chamber, leaving Auburn alone with her thundering heart.
❧
Cherry’s heels clicked smartly against the stone floor as she made her way to her sister’s chambers.
The guards bowed as she entered, and there sat Rose, pale and restless in her chair. Hildegard hovered nearby, her hands busy with embroidery though her eyes flickered constantly to her mistress.
"Cherry," Rose breathed as soon as she saw her. "I can hardly breathe. My heart... it will burst."
Cherry placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder, her expression carefully composed. "You must steady yourself. This trial will prove what you already know in your heart."
But then, lowering her voice to a whisper, she added: "Are you certain, Rose? Certain that she is truly Scarlett’s child?"
Rose looked up, her blue eyes shimmering with fragile hope. "My gut tells me so. The necklace, the hair, the eyes... everything cries of Scarlett. I would know my own blood. I feel it in my bones."
Cherry’s lips curved into a smile, soft, sisterly. "Then where your heart is, there mine shall be also. I will stand with you. If you believe she is your grandchild, then I believe it too."
Rose clutched her hand gratefully. "Thank you, sister."
A sharp scoff broke the tender moment.
"Belief is not enough," Hildegard muttered, her needle stabbing through cloth. "I’ve seen too many deceivers in this castle to count. Every one of them swore they were your daughter. What makes this girl any different. I’m worried for you Rose."
Cherry’s head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing. "Must you always spit poison, Hildegard? Why so negative?"
Hildegard lifted her chin. "Someone must, when the Queen herself cannot think clearly. I won’t stand by and watch her be fooled again."
The sisters locked eyes with her, the old enmity simmering.
Hildegard, Rose’s childhood maid, her lifelong shadow, had never trusted Cherry, and Cherry had never tolerated Hildegard’s interference.
Rose raised a weary hand. "Enough, both of you. This is not the time for quarreling."
Cherry leaned back, smoothing her skirts with an air of wounded dignity. Hildegard returned to her embroidery, lips tight.
And then, the bells rang.
The great bronze throats of the tower roared through the halls, shaking the floor beneath their feet.
Rose stood at once, her gown spilling like blood across the floor, her hand trembling as she reached for Cherry’s.
"It’s time," she whispered.
Cherry held her hand firmly, her smile unreadable.
Together, with Hildegard trailing behind, they left for the hall of judgment.
❧
The Hall of Blood was already alive with murmurs when they arrived.
Servants pressed at the doorways, straining to glimpse the trial. Elders stood cloaked in grey at the foot of the dais, their stern faces drawn tight with suspicion.
Roland himself stood tall upon the platform, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes like iron.
At the center of the chamber rested the sacred stone basin, carved with runes that glowed faintly in the dawn light. Within it shimmered a silver liquid, enchanted water that responded only to royal blood.
The moment Rose entered, whispers surged like waves crashing against rock.
She ignored them all, her gaze fixed on Auburn, who was being led in by two guards.
The girl looked small beneath the vaulted ceiling, her pale hands clenched, her red hair catching the light like fire.She faltered as she walked, but Rose rushed to her, taking her hand.
"Do not fear, child," Rose said firmly. "I am with you."
Auburn nodded, her eyes shimmering with fear, and just a hint of something else.
Roland’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
"The Trial of Blood shall commence. The girl claims to be of royal descent, the child of our lost daughter Scarlett. Today we will see the truth."
He gestured sharply. "Step forward."
Auburn hesitated, but Rose pressed her hand encouragingly. She walked toward the basin. The hall fell silent, every breath held.
"Cut her hand," Roland commanded.
A guard stepped forward with a small ceremonial blade. Auburn extended her palm, trembling.
The blade nicked her skin, and a single drop of crimson welled up. It fell into the basin below.
For one long, excruciating moment nothing happened.
The hall stirred, whispers rising. Cherry’s face fell in utter disbelief.
It had failed!