All Chapters of Forbidden To Love: A Royal Sin : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

After the meeting, I stay behind. My feet move slowly, carrying me deeper into my mother’s chamber. I touch the edges of her personal things, the delicate fabrics, the jewels she wore, the books she read. Everything still carries her scent, her presence, as if she might walk back in at any moment.In the inner room, I sink to my knees. My lips tremble as I whisper, “It’s seven days to your burial, Mother. Father has decided.” My chest tightens. “But I don’t want you to be buried before the truth comes to light. You deserve justice before you can rest in peace. I know Julia had a hand in your death… but I must find how she did it. Help me. Show me a sign.”I hold my breath and let the silence press around me, heavy and still. My heart pounds in the quiet, waiting… listening… hoping.Minutes later, I send a guard to fetch me some carton boxes, and when he returns, I start placing Mother’s belongings carefully inside. I begin with her books and her magazines, the ones she always loved, s

As I walk back to my chambers, my legs move faster than I intend. Goosebumps prickle my skin, and my mind spins in a thousand directions at once. That was my mother’s mug, her mug, with my initials carved into it, clear as daylight, just as I painted them the day I gave it to her. And yet… there it sat in Julia’s house. On her table. Like some kind of trophy.What is my mother’s cup doing in Julia’s house?And why, why is the fake one left behind in my mother’s room? The one I’ve been keeping on my shelves, thinking it hers.I glance over my shoulder, half-expecting Julia to be trailing me. Her face when I lifted the mug still burns in my mind, an expression she couldn’t hide, no matter how she tried. Guilt. Fear. Raw and unmasked.I shut the door to my chamber and turn the key with trembling fingers. My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it might shatter through my ribs. I cross to the shelf where I left the mug I had taken from my mother’s room earlier. My hand hovers over it b

The morning presses on me like a stone. My chamber feels too small, too tight for the storm brewing inside me. Today Julia’s trial begins.Gregory comes to me early, his expression unreadable at first. But I know him. Behind his calm, he is bracing for impact, just like I am.“We need to be ready for the note,” he says quietly. No preamble, no softening. Straight to it.I nod, though the air feels heavier with just the mention. That hateful letter Julia sent to Mother, the one dripping with venom, accusing Gregory and me of having an affair. The one that mocked her as a mother, as a ruler.The rumor is not new. It’s been whispered in corners for years. The stares, the sly glances, the half-hidden smirks, we’ve borne them all before. That doesn’t frighten me. Not anymore.But the thought of it being dragged into open court? Spoken aloud before the king, before the council, before half of Aerithia? That is what twists my stomach into knots.“It will hurt Father most,” I whisper. “He alr

The judgment is read, each word echoing like iron through the chamber.“Lady Julia of Aerithia, for the murder of Queen Serah Halrion, you are hereby condemned to life imprisonment.”The gavel falls.For a heartbeat, silence hangs heavy. Then Julia’s voice slices through it, jagged and wild. She laughs; a sharp, bitter sound that makes my skin crawl.“Life imprisonment?” she spits, her eyes burning. “Then let it be known, I do not regret it. I’ve been in imprisonment ever since Serah stole everything from me! She wore a crown that was mine, took a love that was mine! She deserved worse!”Her words cut deeper than the judgment itself.Tears well in my eyes and spill before I can hold them back. It should be a moment of triumph, of justice but all I feel is grief. Grief for my mother, for the venom still spilling from Julia’s mouth, for the ruin her hatred has left behind.Gregory is at my side before I can falter. His arms close around me, strong and warm. He holds me tight, and when I

The burial has rounded up successfully, and all dignitaries have returned to their kingdoms. Father has summoned us for a family meeting in his private chamber. The air is still heavy with grief, but there is a tense undercurrent, the kind that comes when unfinished matters demand attention.Gregory and I take our places on either side of the table. The room feels smaller than usual, as if Mother’s absence has shrunk it. I can still imagine her presence here, softening Father’s sternness.Father enters, his steps slow but deliberate. He doesn’t sit immediately. His hands rest on the table, and his gaze sweeps over us.“My children,” he begins, his voice firm but edged with sorrow, “the queen has been laid to rest with every honor Aerithia could give. Her memory will remain at the heart of this kingdom.”I take a deep breath. “I have tidied her chambers, Father. Everything she loved is in order… the doors are locked now.” I said with a shaky voice.Father closes his eyes briefly, then