The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 27: Blame

Chapter 27: Blame

>>Aelin

The tension in the throne room was palpable. The Queen was beyond angry and everyone could feel the force of her anger through her gaze, it was like her crimson eyes were burning.

Ariston and I looked at each other while everyone began to whisper amongst themselves. It was a shock to everyone since the demon royal family is known to be the strongest. They rule because they possess power over every other demon and so for a dragon royal to be killed... it was a very shocking thing.

Amidst the murmurs of shock and confusion, the conversation took a turn that sent a chill down my spine.

"How could this happen?" a demon noble spoke up, his voice echoing in the vast space. "Princess Alishay was one of the strongest among us. This... This wasn’t an ordinary attack."

"She wouldn’t have let her guard down," another demon added, his tone sharp with suspicion. "Whoever did this must have been calculating, waiting for the right moment."

"Right, for a dragon to get murdered," People shook their heads, "Someone was planning to kill her,"

The murmurs grew louder, speculation spreading like wildfire. And then, someone’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.

"What about the human?"

I froze.

"What?" I managed to whisper, but my voice was drowned out by the growing chorus of agreement.

"Yes," another demon chimed in, stepping forward slightly. "It’s no secret that Lady Aelin had every reason to hold a grudge against Princess Alishay."

"What?" I shook my head as people moved away from Ariston and me, forming a clearing around us in circular form while all eyes came on us, "No!"

"It has to be the human."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice trembling but loud enough to carry this time.

A smirk curled on the lips of the first demon who had spoken. It was kitty, the black fox spirit, "Oh, come now. Don’t play innocent. Everyone knows that you lost your child shortly after your marriage because you had a fight with the Princess"

I felt the ground sway beneath me. "It wasn’t—"

"Princess Alishay," the demon interrupted coldly. "She’s the one who struck you, isn’t she? Accidentally, of course, but still—her actions led to the miscarriage."

The word hung in the air like a curse, sharp and cutting.

Miscarriage?

"That’s not what happened..." I was confused, "What?" Why are they saying it was a miscarriage?

The room erupted again, voices overlapping in heated whispers and outright accusations.

"It makes perfect sense! There could be no one else who would want the Princess dead"

"It’s true," another demon said. "She’s been bitter ever since. Princess Alishay’s death only benefits her."

"No!" I tried to defend myself, "I-"

"She doesn’t belong here anyway," another sneered. "She’s human. Weak. Why would someone like her even deserve to bear Prince Draegon’s child?"

I felt Queen Darcelle’s gaze on me intensify and I turned to look at her

Before I could respond, Ariston’s voice rang out, "That’s enough!"

The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward him. He stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of me. He took my hand in his and pulled me closer

"This baseless slander is not only offensive but idiotic," Ariston said coldly, his crimson gaze sweeping over the crowd. "You think Princess Aelin, a human, somehow managed to kill Princess Alishay, one of the strongest demons in Dravos?"

A demon scoffed, folding his arms. "Or maybe you underestimate how far humans will go to exact revenge. She’s clearly motivated."

"Motivated?" Ariston’s lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Motivated by what? Grief? Loss? Yes, she has every right to hate those who wronged her. But use your brains demons, you’re ready to believe that your all powerful Princess Alishay was killed by a human?"

"Then who else could it be?" An advisor said, glaring at Ariston. "She’s the only one with a clear grudge!"

"Ah," Ariston paused, "Do demons don’t have the ability to think?" He said, "If not, I guess it would make sense for you all to come to this conclusion."

"What!?!" Many demons roared and were ready to fight Ariston while Ariston pulled me even closer to keep me safe.

"What?" Ariston retorted, "Can’t bear to hear the truth?" He glared at the demons, "Even if Princess Aelin wanted to kill your demon princess, she would do with some honor,"

I shot my head at Ariston

"What honor?! Battle her to death. I can’t fight at all! What are you saying?" I squeezed his arm and he glanced back at me.

"Sorry," His gaze dropped for a moment, "I didn’t think that one through,"

"Honor?" someone scoffed. "She’s a human. What do you expect? Deception is in the blood of you humans."

I felt my stomach churn at the venom in their words. My heart was pounding, anger and hurt swirling inside me. But before I could speak, Ariston cut in again.

"Careful," he warned, his tone icy. "You’re starting to sound desperate. Perhaps it’s because you’re worried someone might look a little too closely at your alibis."

The demon bristled, his eyes narrowing. "Are you accusing me now?"

Ariston smirked. "I’m not accusing anyone. Just exploring the possibility that this crime is a little closer to home than you’d like to admit."

The tension in the room escalated, the whispers growing louder again. But I wasn’t listening anymore.

Their words echoed in my head, louder than the noise around me.

Miscarriage??

They think it was a miscarriage? But other than that, everyone knew I lost my baby... They all knew and did nothing about it. They may think it was a miscarriage but they know it happened because of Alishay but-

...

My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms.

-No one did anything...

Of course they wouldn’t. I’m a human, they would have never taken my side...

The whispers grew louder, the crowd feeding on the chaos like vultures circling a carcass. My heart pounded painfully in my chest, and my breath felt shallow.

The demons’ scornful voices echoed in my head. ’She’s human. She had a grudge. She’s the one who lost a child because of Alishay.’

I didn’t even know how to defend myself anymore.

"She’s weak," one demon sneered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "The weakest among us. She wouldn’t have been able to defeat Alishay in a fair fight—so she must have done it through treachery!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could utter a word, another voice cut through the air.

"Enough," Draegon said, his deep voice carrying effortlessly over the noise.

It was as if the entire room collectively froze. Heads turned in his direction, including mine. He stood tall and imposing, his purple eyes sharp and unyielding as they swept across the room.

"Let’s not entertain such absurd accusations," Draegon said, his voice laced with disdain. "It’s impossible for her to have killed Alishay. A human as weak as her wouldn’t even come close to succeeding in such a feat."

My chest tightened at his words, though I wasn’t sure if it was from relief or something far more painful. He defended me—but it stung. He didn’t deny my innocence because he believed in me. He did it because he thought I was incapable.

A murmur rippled through the crowd, their surprise as tangible as the tension in the air. But no one was more shocked than Ruoxy, who stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Her face, usually so composed and unreadable, betrayed a flicker of disbelief. Her sharp eyes darted to Draegon, narrowing dangerously, but she quickly masked her surprise with a sly, calculating smile.

"Well, if the weak little human couldn’t have done it," Ruoxy said, her voice dripping with mockery, "then perhaps we should look elsewhere. To someone stronger. Someone who has a habit of lurking in the shadows."

Her eyes slid to Ariston, and the crowd’s attention followed.

My stomach sank.

"That’s ridiculous," I said quickly, stepping forward before anyone could latch onto the idea. "Ariston has nothing to do with this."

"Doesn’t he?" Ruoxy tilted her head, her tone deceptively sweet. "He’s strong enough to kill Alishay. He’s a war hero like Draegon, he’s more than capable of doing this. And let’s not forget—he seems to disappear quite often. What exactly is he doing during those times, hmm?"

All eyes turned to Ariston, whose expression remained calm, though I could see the flicker of annoyance in his eyes.

"I don’t see how my movements are relevant," Ariston said evenly, his voice steady and unbothered.

Ruoxy smirked, clearly enjoying the way the crowd’s suspicions shifted toward him.

I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t let Ariston take the blame, not after everything he’d done for me.

"He was with me," I said quickly, my voice louder than I intended.

The room went silent again, all eyes now on me.

"What?" Ruoxy said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I nodded, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Ariston was with me the entire time. We were together. There’s no way he could have been involved."

Ariston’s gaze flicked to me, his face unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was surprised, annoyed, or grateful.

But the crowd wasn’t satisfied.

"With you?" someone scoffed. "Wouldn’t that mean, you did this together?"

"No, we didn’t!" I snapped, my voice shaking with anger and desperation. "And he didn’t do it. I know he didn’t. What reason would he have to do something like this?"

For a moment, the accusations died down, though I could feel the weight of their skepticism.

But as the room slowly returned to its chaotic murmurs, I turned to glance at Ariston.

He didn’t look at me.

Something twisted in my chest.

I defended him without hesitation, but now... doubt crept into my mind. Ariston was kind to me, and I trusted him—but he did disappear often. And I didn’t know where he went or what he was doing.