Shiro couldn’t believe what he just heard. Katie had meddled in witchery? His attention on all that was happening blurred and he couldn’t focus. Katie had lied. She had broken her promise.  The woman he liked – no loved at this point – deceived him and did the one thing she was not allowed to do. Matt shot up and looked over those gathered in the vast room before turning his eyes to Slavia with determination.

“Proof in her room? She did not allow you to enter her chambers, did she? So how did you enter? Breaking and entering? Clearly, you were in there since you supposedly found evidence. What if you planted that to get Katie in trouble? We cannot trust you,” he said, eyeing the girl carefully. Allura stood and attempted to make him sit down. They seemed close. Allura had no issue with touching his skin, which she hated to do after the McClain incident. That made Shiro wonder about their relationship.

Matt was seen fleeing from her window by the prince earlier.

Allura was still failing to get Matt to stop and settle down when Katie took action, grabbing Matt’s arm and forcing him to sit. “I admit to those crimes,” she said softly, “I made special medicine for someone recently that required me to use witchcraft. I, Katie Holt, have broken our contract and will not defy any punishment I shall be commissioned.” It was almost straight out a book, her response. As if she had practiced for the day she would be caught.

Slavia smiled in victory and regained her posture, fanning herself with that stupid hand-held fan. Shiro’s mind was still on the fact that Katie had not told him, but the cocky, arrogant brat before him made those thoughts go away. He was the prince after all and it was his parents that would punish the maid if her sin was discovered. “Slavia,” Shiro seethed, standing just as Matt had, “If you think ridding Pidge from my side will make me love you, you are incredibly mistaken. For all I know, you threatened her just like you did to me. You all heard how robotic Katie’s voice sounded! It was like she was fed the words to spit out!”

The Queen peaked up at this, no longer in a state of shock. “For Altea’s sake, first Matt’s treason, Katie’s trickery, and now Slavia’s threat? What on Altea are you children conversing about?” she asked, confounded by the situation.

“Mother,” Shiro addressed through clenched jaws, still glaring at his terrible fiancé, “This woman threatened me just this morning. She told me to stop meeting with Pidge and if I did not obey, she would have Katie burned at the stake. This is clearly her plan!”

“You hang out with the Holt girl?” Alfor asked, eyes flittering between the silent Katie and the boisterous Shiro. For a moment, his son faltered, realizing the huge secret he just let slip.

The queen touched her husband’s hand and smiled.

“You were not aware? How? He always sneaking off and his bored, slack expression changes completely when she is mentioned. My, how oblivious you are. How are you king again?” the woman questioned, actually surprised at his lack of knowledge of the situation of his own son.

Katie was the one to break the silence that followed. “Stake? Alright. If that is my punishment, I accept. I have wronged you and I am fully prepared to concur to the terms of my sinning,” she announced, head casted downwards in woe, “If I am requested to meet my mother’s fate, then I shall.”

Matt looked deflated at the events taking place. “But I had just gotten you back. There has to be some deceit going on. Katie, little sis, are you being blackmailed or threatened like that Prince suggested?” her brother inquired, placing both hands on her shoulders and willing her to look him in the eye. Katie refused to.

“Slavia. Here. Now,” Shiro roared, desiring a conversation with the perpetrator. The ire he was experiencing was as obvious as the sun in the sky. Two years. He spent two years with the loving, cheerful Katie he came to love. He was not about to allow her to slip from his grasp like her mother did to do to her. Shiro did not want to be on the receiving end of that dreadful, intolerable pain.

Slavia did as asked, skipping her way there as if she hadn’t just sentenced a teenage girl to her death. “Yes, my darling Takashi?” she giggled, smiling greatly at him.

“You said you would not do this if I said goodbye to her,” Shiro commented, rage now hiding beneath his mask, unable to be detected as he calmly handled the situation.

Slavia nodded at this, still smiling. Her innocent-like smile faded and an evil smirk took its place. “You disobeyed me. I told you I would watch and I did. You went to her room. I told you in the garden. At night. I thought you could not wait to end it with her, so I followed you to her room only to learn you were worried about her!” the girl spat, discreetly stomping down on Shiro’s foot with her heels. He hissed and grabbed at his precious pained foot, looking to see if anyone had noticed. They weren’t paying the two on the sidelines any attention. They were all engrossed in the discussion they were in the process of having on their own.

This worried Shiro. Katie might’ve kept a huge secret from him, but he still cared. One mistake can’t stop his heart from beating at the sight of her, for her soft touch, or for her angelic voice that found itself in Shiro’s dreams. He needed her. Bad. He will save what he wants to protect no matter what. Slavia will not be his bride. “Did you plant the evidence or is Katie confessing the truth?” he asked after a long silence.

Slavia looked at him, all aggression gone. “Of course, I actually found it. I was indignant upon my discovery of you breaking your word, so I snooped,” the girl admitted, crossing her arms deliberately. Shiro was done with her nonsense.

“Mother, father. Slavia has broken law forty-five,” he boomed, “She has confessed her sins right before me. Slavia DeCreed entered Katie Holt’s room without permission and went through her possessions. How else would she had found the witch medicine?”

Matt sadly nodded at this, seemingly upset with what conversation he had been having with the rest of Shiro’s family and Katie. Something was wrong. Will Katie actually be burned at the stake?

So, I finally updated again. I feel bad for continuously leaving you out to dry, so I'll try to update at least once a week. I have a job, so it may be a bit hard to follow through with, but I'm willing to try. It's summer after all, so no school!

-ThatOneServant, the lovely; deceitful author, out!