Louis picked up the letter, stepped forward, away from the box, and faced the lords. Holding it up, he started to read the contents.
---
"Lord Phelan,
It has co to my attention, that human can burn Palers with magic. I know you know exactly what that spells for vampires and Palers. You will help take the human from the Primus.
Need I remind you of the incident that made that human gravely ill? I am sure the Primus would not be pleased to hear of your involvent. If you don't want this to reach his ears, you better do as I ask. Worry not, I shall take care of everything. All I ask is the needed information to make this possible, just as you have done before.
As for your son, he is the only one with access to the castle and the human. I'll have him lure the human out. That shouldn't be so hard to do. There is no need to fear; I have put so things in place to ensure he isn't suspected. It will just seem like a regular attack.
Should you fail in this task, I'll assu you want the Primus to know you're the reason that human was poisoned. I expect a reply imdiately.
Lord Seraphino."
---
After reading the letter, Louis rolled it up. The lords were already conversing among themselves. So were shocked about Seraphino's plan to kidnap Mauve; others couldn't believe their ears about her using magic to kill Palers. The news hadn't spread to a lot of the lords—only a few who had access to intel in the castle knew about this, and these were mostly lords who had provided a few guards in the fight against Palers.
"I'm sure you all rember the party before last, just after Lady Francine and Lord Drusile's estates were attacked. It was at this party that Seraphino poisoned the Primus's mate. The White Disease. This might not be familiar to vampires, but to humans, it has been a cause of death for so ti now. Regardless of how long it took, the infected would die. Symptoms are dizziness, weakness, fever, and, most importantly, white patches on the skin. This is identical to the symptoms her ladyship had, and on her skin, the white patches still lie. These aren't false accusations; we not only have Seraphino's written proof but also Lord Phelan's and his son's confessions."
Louis paused for a mont as he waited for his words to sink in. He didn't want to miss any part, and it was pretty important the lords knew the whole story. He wasn't worried about whose side they would be on, simply because Palers were a greater threat to vampires than anything else.
"As you have heard, it is unclear what Seraphino intends to do with the Primus's mate after he has kidnapped her, but it is pretty clear he hasn't had any good intentions toward her. After attacking her in the castle nurous tis, then going as far as to poison her, and now this—what next? If we let him act as he wishes, deliberately going against the Primus, whether his acts are against a human doesn't dampen the severity of his actions."
Louis paused again, letting his words sink in. There was no doubt about Seraphino getting banished; however, it wouldn't happen if the lords didn't agree with it.
"Why are we just finding out that the Primus's mate can burn Palers with magic? Should this be sothing that we should have been inford of before now?"
Louis tried not to roll his eyes. This wasn't why they were here, but he had expected nothing less and had prepared accordingly.
"I understand your questions, but this isn't exactly a secret. More than fifty percent of you are aware. We just haven't made an official announcent because there isn't enough information on it and the extent of the damage she can cause to Palers. Lord Kieran has been at the castle for a little over a week. Lord Kieran is the one who ca up with the drug that has proven the most effective against Palers, and that had co about after rigorous research and several trials. That's the sa thing that's happening right now. The Primus has always put the fight against Palers as his priority."
"Until he mated and impregnated a human," a lord mumbled.
Louis made eye contact with the lord. "It is thanks to this human that we finally have a solution to the problem that has eaten at us for decades. Everyone here has lost at least a family mber to Palers. Our last Primus and his wife, my parents, Lady Jevera's mother—we all bear scars from these evil creatures. More than anything, we all want to see them destroyed."
"Yes!" soone yelled.
"And we have found a way to do that. All that is left is how to implent it, but this is a completely different discussion. Right now, we are dealing with Lord Seraphino, who wanted to harm the Primus's mate—the one who had figured out how to kill Palers."
"How did she learn magic?" Lord Drusile suddenly asked.
Louis narrowed his eyes. "As I have said, all that is irrelevant to the trial, and we have the accused in the box. We must determine what to do with him—" A loud laugh cut off the rest of Louis's words.
"Even with all this, I have committed no cris," Seraphino said.
"What are you talking about?" Jael asked darkly.
"Exactly what I said. Let's say, peradventure, the words Louis uttered are in any way true—I haven't committed any cris. All he stated were actions taken before she beca the Primus's mate, nothing but a human the Primus just likes to stick it into. This trial is unnecessary and a waste—"
A loud sound echoed in the courtroom—it was the sound of wood breaking. Jael had held onto his armrest so hard the wood snapped off. Everyone turned in his direction and was imdiately t with glowing eyes. A cold draft passed across the room, almost blowing out the candles. Seraphino visibly shrank back, and for so ti, no one said anything.
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