Rising From Exile: The Dragonless Queen

Katia POV:

"You dare look at us like that?" I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the heavy, oppressive air of the courtyard. "You occupied my place for fifteen years! You slept in silk sheets, ate roasted meat, and wore jewels while I was fighting wild dogs for scraps in the mud! You enjoyed every ounce of the Holland family's wealth and privilege, and now that the tides have turned, you have the sheer, unmitigated audacity to act like a victim? You ungrateful, treacherous parasite!"

My words echoed off the stone walls, sharp and unyielding. Why should I hold back? If she had shown even a fraction of gratitude when she first discovered her true lineage, I might not be so furious. But she was reveling in our downfall.

The remaining Holland family members stared at me, stunned by my sudden, explosive outburst.

"You... you vulgar peasant!" Darby gasped, her face flushing a deep, ugly red. She had never been spoken to with such raw, street-level venom. Her eyes darted frantically until they landed on the tall, imposing figure of Gideon Sterling. She immediately softened her posture, forcing tears into her eyes. "Master Gideon, please! I only just discovered my true identity. I was merely trying to help the Holland family find their biological daughter. I didn't ask for this cruelty."

Gideon Sterling, the youngest Royal Investigator in the history of the crown, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He was a man of the Dragon King's court, a scholar with a future as bright as a sun-crystal. He was the dream of every noblewoman in the capital.

I narrowed my eyes. I knew exactly what Darby was doing. She was playing to his sense of chivalry, trying to secure her own safety by appealing to the most powerful man in the yard.

Eleanor, my biological mother, stepped forward, her chains rattling. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow with an exhaustion that went straight to her soul. "Enough," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "If you refuse to acknowledge the love and care we gave you for fifteen years, Darby, then so be it. From this moment on, you are no longer a daughter of the Holland family."

"Truly? You swear it?" Darby's eyes lit up with poorly concealed ecstasy. The Holland name was now synonymous with treason. Whoever associated with us would be trampled into the dirt. She was finally free from the burden of our exile.

Eleanor turned away from her, looking at me. Her eyes, so similar to my own, filled with a agonizing sorrow. "My child... I am so sorry. I was blind. I let another enjoy the life that was rightfully yours."

Looking at this woman, feeling the undeniable pull of blood between us, my heart twisted. In my past life, I was an orphan. I had never known a mother's guilt or a mother's love. Now, seeing Eleanor's devastation, I felt a fierce, protective instinct flare to life within me.

Eleanor looked back at Darby, a desperate plea in her eyes. "Darby, we raised you. Please, I beg of you, ask the Carlisles to take Katia as well. Don't let her march to the Northern Wastes."

Darby took a step back, her face hardening into a mask of pure defense. "Madam Holland, it was your own foolishness that led to this. The sins of the past have nothing to do with me. I am a daughter of the Carlisle family now."

Eleanor closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her dirt-streaked cheek. The betrayal was absolute. Darby was selfish, cruel, and utterly devoid of loyalty.

"Darby Carlisle!" I shouted, stepping right into her personal space. "Your biological mother committed the crime of swapping us! You might be a Carlisle now, but it doesn't change the fact that you were born of a treacherous maid! And if you want to cut ties so cleanly, you need to return everything that belongs to my family!"

Before the guards could react, I lunged forward and threw my arms around Darby in a tight, inescapable hug.

"Get off me! You filthy peasant!" Darby shrieked, struggling against my grip.

But my hands were moving with the practiced, lightning-fast precision of a street survivor. While I yelled in her ear, my fingers deftly unhooked the heavy spatial pouch from her waist. I slid the cold, sapphire bracelet off her wrist and palmed it. I reached up, tangling my hands in her perfectly coiffed hair, and yanked out two solid gold hairpins, secretly tucking them into my sleeves.

"Ah! My hair!" Darby screamed as I finally shoved her away. Her pristine appearance was completely ruined. Her hair fell in a tangled, chaotic mess around her shoulders, and her earlobes were red where I had subtly tugged at her earrings.

A guard stepped forward, drawing his baton. "Step back, convict!"

I immediately dropped to my knees, holding my hands up in a gesture of absolute compliance, my face a picture of righteous indignation. "Officers! Master Gideon! The decree stated that all property of the Holland family is to be confiscated by the crown! Yet this woman is wearing silks and jewels bought with Holland gold! I was merely assisting the authorities in recovering stolen royal assets!"

The courtyard fell dead silent. The guards exchanged uncertain glances. The decree was indeed absolute. The Holland family had been stripped of everything for the crime of writing a forbidden text that offended the Dragon King.

Gideon Sterling's cold, calculating green eyes locked onto Darby. His brow furrowed. He noticed the missing pouch and the ruined hair, but more importantly, he noticed the expensive silk she was wearing.

"Master Gideon," Darby stammered, her face draining of color. "I... I merely forgot to change in the chaos. I will return the garments immediately. There is no need for her to be so vicious!" She wept, looking at him with wide, pleading eyes, hoping her tears would wash away her greed.