Chapter 99: Chapter 99: In The Royal Palace

On the other hand:

The road leading to the Royal Palace felt longer than usual.

Mariana sat inside the carriage, her hands resting quietly on her lap, fingers intertwined. The rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling against stone echoed faintly, but her mind was far from calm.

Adonis’s words still lingered in her heart.

No one decides your fate except you.

Her chest tightened slightly.

“I will handle everything,” he had said.

And she believed him.

She truly did.

But…

Mariana slowly lowered her gaze.

“I can’t just rely on him for everything,” she murmured softly to herself.

She was not some helpless girl.

She was a princess.

And if she wanted to stand beside him, not behind him, then she had to act.

She had to face this herself.

Sitting across from her was a tall red haired woman clad in polished armor.

Claudia.

The captain of her personal guard.

Her sharp eyes had been quietly observing Mariana the entire journey.

“You’re unusually quiet today, Your Highness,” Claudia said finally.

Mariana gave a faint smile.

“Am I?”

Claudia nodded.

“You’re heading into a storm. It’s natural to feel uneasy.”

Mariana looked out the window.

The towering walls of the Royal Palace were already visible in the distance.

“I’m not afraid,” she said softly.

Claudia raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

Mariana’s eyes hardened slightly.

“I’m… worried. But not afraid.”

Claudia studied her for a moment, then nodded.

“Good.”

A pause.

“But be prepared. The Queen of Gratis is already here.”

Mariana’s expression froze.

“What?”

Claudia’s voice remained calm.

“She arrived this morning.”

A heavy silence fell inside the carriage.

Mariana’s fingers tightened.

“So… it’s already begun.”

Claudia did not reply. She didn’t need to.

—

The gates of the Royal Palace opened.

The carriage rolled inside.

Servants lined the path. Guards stood at attention.

Everything looked the same as always.

Yet Mariana felt the hidden tension in the air.

The moment she stepped out of the carriage, several eyes turned toward her.

Whispers followed:

“That’s her.”

“The one involved with a bastard?”

Mariana ignored them. Her posture remained straight. Her steps steady.

Claudia walked beside her like a silent wall.

They entered the palace halls.

Golden pillars. Polished floors. Familiar surroundings.

Yet today, everything felt colder.

—

As Mariana turned into one of the inner corridors, a group of girls stood waiting.

Her steps slowed slightly.

Her younger half-sisters. Three of them.

Dressed in luxurious gowns, their expressions filled with poorly concealed amusement.

One of them stepped forward, covering her mouth with a delicate fan.

“Oh my… look who finally returned.”

Another giggled,

“The runaway princess.”

The third tilted her head mockingly.

“No, no. She’s not a princess anymore, is she?”

Their laughter echoed softly.

Mariana’s expression remained calm.

“What do you want?” she asked.

The first girl lowered her fan, revealing a smirk.

“We just heard something interesting.”

The second added,

“That our dear elder sister has fallen in love… with a bastard.”

They burst into laughter again.

Mariana’s fingers tightened slightly.

“Is that true?” the third one asked, feigning innocence. “You chose an illegitimate child over a Crown Prince?”

The first leaned closer,

“How can you fall so low dear sister?”

The second shook her head.

“Honestly, it’s embarrassing. Do you even realize what kind of disgrace you’ve brought to the royal family?”

Mariana remained silent.

But her eyes… her eyed had turned cold.

“You had everything,” the third continued. “A perfect engagement. A powerful alliance. A future as a queen.”

The first sneered, “And you threw it all away for some lowborn trash?”

That was the moment, Mariana moved.

Before anyone could react—

Slap!

The sound echoed sharply through the corridor.

The first sister’s head snapped to the side. Her body staggered sideways.

Before she could even process it—

Slap!

The second one was struck.

Her entire body spun slightly, her cheek instantly swelling.

The third one froze in shock.

Mariana stepped forward.

Her expression no longer calm. It was cold to a chilling degree.

“Say that again,” she said quietly.

The third sister trembled.

Mariana didn’t wait.

Slap!

The third girl’s body was sent stumbling backward.

All three of them stood frozen.

Their cheeks, so carefully make-uped, were now swollen. Deformed from the force.

Their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Y-You… you hit us…?” one of them stuttered. “How could you?”

Mariana looked at them with absolute indifference.

“Because you insulted someone important to me.”

“How can you expect me to stay silent?”

They were speechless.

For the first time, they looked at her differently.

Not as a sister. But as someone dangerous.

Mariana turned away.

“I don’t care what you think of me,” she said coldly. “But watch your words next time.”

Claudia followed silently behind her.

The corridor fell into stunned silence.

—

Mariana continued walking. Her heartbeat was slightly faster now. But her mind was clear.

She had made her stance known. There was no turning back.

Finally, she reached the grand hall.

The doors opened.

Inside, the King and Queen of Fernis sat upon their thrones.

Beside them sat another figure.

Queen Lysandra of Gratis.

The moment Mariana stepped in, all eyes turned toward her, making the environment feel heavy.

“Mariana,” the King spoke, his voice ringing authority.

“Step forward.”

Mariana walked forward slowly. Each step echoed across the hall.

She stopped before them. And bowed slightly.

“Father. Mother.”

Silence.

Then—

“Lift your head, dear.” Queen Elenora said.

Mariana did. Her eyes met theirs.

For a moment, there was nothing but tension.

Then the King spoke,

“We have heard troubling things.”

His gaze was sharp. “Explain yourself.”

Mariana did not hesitate. “Everything you heard is true, father”

The words echoed in every corner.

Queen Elenora’s eyes widened.

“Maria…”

But Mariana continued, “I have chosen someone.”

Her voice did not waver. “And I will not take it back.”

Queen Lysandra’s lips curved slightly.

“Such boldness,” she said softly.

The King’s expression darkened.

“Do you understand what you are saying, Maria?”

“Yes, father.”

“And do you understand the consequences?”

“Yes.”

“Then why?”

The question echoed.Mariana looked straight ahead.

“Because I love him.”

Rumble!

King Magnus released his aura in anger which was like a living storm.

Queen Elenora’s hand trembled slightly.

“You are a princess, dear. Your life is not your own.”

Mariana’s gaze remained solid, “Then I will take it back.”

The King’s anger flared.

“You dare?”

Mariana did not flinch even against the suffocating aura. Her own Celestial physical neutralise it effortlessly.

“Yes. I dare.”

The hall felt suffocating.

Queen Lysandra watched with interest.

“This is quite the spectacle,” she murmured.

The King stood slowly.

His presence filled the entire room.

“You would abandon your duty… for a bastard?”

Mariana’s reply was immediate,

“He is not a bastard to me father.”

The tension reached its peak.

Claudia’s hand subtly moved toward her sword, ready to protect Maria at all cost, even if it mean going against the throne.

The Royal guards were alsk tensed.

Everything stood on the edge of breaking.

And yet—Mariana stood firm.

Her will was unyielding. For she had chosen her own path.

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