Were Sandara here, she would notice the tell-tale signs of nervousness- a ticked jaw, slightly narrowed eyes, and the twitching of the left little finger- on the High Witch’s face. But, she isn’t, and the ones who are here are none the wiser.
“I do not recall making a formal announcement of an Awakening, so I would like to know the basis of this declaration.”
“So you admit it, then.”
“Admit what?”
“Admit that you neglected to announce your daughter’s Awakening.”
“I admit to nothing. I have no knowledge of the matters you speak of.”
Estelle chooses to play dumb, and everyone in this room knows it. Since she refuses to admit to anything, there is no evidence against her. All they have are just allegations. Mere words that do not hold water before the council or any other regulatory body they can report her to.
It's annoying when you know the truth but cannot prove it. To prideful beings like witches, it is a slight to them, an insult to their intelligence and the greatest insult one can ever give them.
A witch would rather die than be called stupid.
And that is what the High Witch has just done- call them stupid, albeit indirectly.
“Is there anything else you would like to say?”
“No, my queen.”
The spokeswoman bows slightly and returns to her seat.
This one must be really good at cozying up to others, Estelle muses. She makes a mental note to conduct some investigations on her.
“Alright then. I will not stand at the ceremony. Since there is nothing else to discuss, you may see yourselves off. And shut the door on your way out. I have other matters to attend to.”
Estelle rises with her usual grace and resplendence and heads upstairs. However, the door refuses to open, even after she tries opening it.
I do not recall locking this door on my way in. Has that absent-minded assistant of mine forgotten that I am yet to return upstairs?
But even if she locked it, I would still be able to open it. Unless…
The High Witch’s stoic visage gives way to a saccharine smile. If Evanora were here, she would remark that this expression is similar to that of Arielle Vane whenever she realized she was betrayed. She dubbed it the demonic smile because if one were to look at her at that moment, you would see an expression akin to the spawns of Hell- utterly cruel, twisted, and manic.
I tried, mama. I really did. They’re the ones who want to die.
A sardonic smirk graces her face as she slowly turns around. Her aura is absent this time, but the chill that pervades the atmosphere makes the witches gulp uncontrollably.
“Y-you c-cannot l-leave. At least not until you confess.”
“Confess to what?” Estelle focuses on the witch who stuttered.
“Confess your wrongdoings, of course. Did you think we didn’t come prepared? We’ve done our findings, and we have adequate proof of the fact that you concealed your daughter’s Awakening from the rest of us. You deserve to be punished.”
“By who?” the High witch cocks an eyebrow.
“She finally admits it! We have all the proof we need.”
“Proof of what exactly?”
“That is not important now. Expect a summons from the council soon.”
Estelle narrows her eyes and leans against the door. She knows that things cannot be this simple. Since they have sufficient evidence, there is no need for verbal confirmation from her. Unless they do not want to actually report anything. They’re here for something else.
After a deep sigh, she speaks in a rather resigned tone, like one who has lost a battle.
“What do you want?”
The witches pause in their steps. They start to smirk, with a few of them giggling provocatively. Any normal witch would be unnerved by this. But to Estelle, they look more like drag queens than witches. At least witches have elegance and class.
The High Witch would prefer that these pests get on with the unnecessary suspense and go straight to the point. But that will contradict the ‘cornered’ persona she adopted moments ago. Thus, she is left with no other choice than to bide her time, waiting for them to spill their secrets before silencing them effectively.
“Now that you ask,” one of the older witches with stringy red hair speaks while moving one of the seats in the reception close to her, completely disregarding the arrangement of the room. This action adds to the never-ending list of irritating things the opposition has done, and she can only console herself with the fact that her blood will soon be splattered one every corner of the room. Then, the room will still require complete modeling. So, no harm done.
“We are willing to rescind our complaints, only if we are privy to the knowledge of the r=entirety of your daughter’s Awakening. It’s only fair that you tell us about how it went since we won’t report you anymore.”
“I cannot agree to those terms.”
“You cannot, or you will not?”
Estelle remains silent, to the utter dismay of the witches. Grumblings and complaints of dissatisfaction ensue amongst them until a young, slender witch with feline features shrieks in delight. The others wonder the reason for her outburst, and she does not keep them in the dark for long.
“I think our ‘dear’ queen has a big secret. Want me to let it out?” the young witch taunts.
You’re a smart one. I’ll give you that. it is only a pity that you’ll die today. Otherwise, you would make an excellent addition to my Intelligence Team. Even if you do not make the cut, I can always send you to the North. Deidre could use an additional recruit of your calibre.
“What secret?”
“You cannot bluster your way out of this, your majesty.”
I know it’s impossible to walk out of this unscathed. That’s why you have to die.