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“My queen,” Thalor said with feigned politeness, “I propose we assign Lady Ithra to Oceanic Service.”

My chest tightened, cold fury slithering through me like a riptide. Oceanic Service? A mercy she hadn’t earned. A coward’s escape from true justice.

Oceanic Service was a sentence reserved for minor offenders, tasked with performing menial and laborious tasks for the community, cleaning temples, coral reefs and assisting with mundane duties within the kingdom. It was nothing compared to the severity of what Ithra had done.

Thalor’s gaze shifted to me, his smirk barely concealed. He knew exactly what he was doing, downplaying Ithra’s crime while subtly discrediting my judgment.

“You would have her scrub temple floors and call it justice for attempted murder?” My voice was stable with barely contained anger. “Her crimes are not a mistake that mere service can rectify.”

Thalor’s eyes glinted, as if relishing the challenge. “She was doing her duty, protecting our territory from an outsider. Surely that should account for something, should it not?”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “Her motives do not justify her actions. The law must apply to everyone equally, councilman, including Lady Ithra.”

Thalor leaned forward, his voice lowering, dripping with insinuation.

“The law… or your personal vendetta, Princess?”

The accusation stung, but I refused to let his words rattle me. This is not personal , I reminded myself. This was about my position as heir and ruler .

I straightened in my seat, icy composure masking the fire burning in my chest. “The law binds us all,” I said, my voice crisp and controlled, “including Lady Ithra. And the law demands she face a punishment befitting her crime. No more, no less.”

Thalor’s smirk faded slightly, his tone sharpening.

“Careful, Princess. Mercy is also a law of the sea.”

I leaned forward, my voice a deadly whisper, smooth and deliberate.

“Mercy is for those who show remorse.” My eyes never left his, hard and unyielding. “Ithra has shown nothing but contempt. She deserves no mercy. She deserves punishment .” I let the words hang, a stark warning.

“Enough,” my grandmother’s voice sliced through the room, sharp and commanding, the authority in her tone making my blood simmer. “We have two valid points.”

I stared at her, disbelief flooding through me. Two valid points?

There was nothing valid about sparing Ithra.

Nothing. The punishment she deserved was clear and righteous.

Her words struck me with the force of a wave crashing against jagged rocks.

Cold, unforgiving. A reminder that I wasn’t the only one holding the power here.

But I would have it, no matter the cost.

“Those in favor of the princess’s suggested punishment, raise your hands.”

Lady Thalia’s hand rose first, followed by General Kai and Lady Mira. Their loyalty brought a flicker of hope, but it was quickly drowned out by Thalor’s backers.

“Now, those in favor of Lord Thalor’s suggested punishment raise your hands.”

My heart sank as Lord Fillipos, Lord Tryfon, and Lord Elias raised their hands, aligning themselves with Thalor. A tie.

My body coiled, sweat coating my palms as the vote settled into silence. How could they not see what Ithra had done? How could they allow themselves to be swayed by Thalor’s thinly veiled manipulations?

All eyes turned to my grandmother. The final decision rested with her.

“Very well,” my grandmother’s voice rang out, each word slow and deliberate. My heart pounded in my chest, a drumbeat of anticipation as I waited for her judgment.

“Lady Ithra, for disobeying my commands, I am stripping you of your council duties.”

Ithra flinched, but it wasn’t enough. Not for what she had done. My grandmother’s eyes flicked to mine, and in that fleeting moment, I saw the sorrow in her gaze. That sorrow twisted inside me. I knew I wasn’t getting what I wanted.

“As for attempting to murder an innocent man, going against the Decree of the Seven Seas,” she continued, her voice firm, “I banish you to the Abyss. You’re all dismissed.”

The finality of the sentence hung heavy, a leaden weight around my neck.

Banishment to the Abyss, an exile to the deepest, darkest corners of the ocean, where even light feared to tread.

It was a fitting punishment for someone who had gone so far, so violently, against the very laws that held our world together.

But it wasn’t what I wanted.

Banishment was isolating, stripping her of powers and forcing her to survive against the terrors lurking in the depths, but it was…distant. Private. Ithra would be gone, yes, but her shame would vanish with her into the depths.

What I had craved was public retribution.

I wanted her marked, her sins etched into her very being for all to see.

Reputation was everything to her, and I wanted her to lose it all, the respect, the influence, the pride she wore like armor.

Everyone in the pod should have witnessed the exposure of her crimes, ensuring her undeniable and permanent fall.

But this…this was an ending hidden beneath the waves.

It was justice, perhaps. But it wasn’t the reckoning I had hoped for.

I entered my chambers feeling mentally drained, the last two days pressing heavily upon me.

The moment I stepped through the arched coral walls, the soft, magical light that filled the space enveloped me, but it did little to ease the hollow ache within my chest. The room was a sanctuary, adorned with glowing pearls and crystals that cast gentle reflections across the shining walls, yet I felt like a shell of my usual self, reduced to mere fragments.

My family crest, carved on the bed headboard, beckoned to me, but I couldn’t bring myself to sink into its comfort just yet.

I moved to the large windows, gazing out at the serene expanse of the ocean depths, where the light filtered down in ethereal beams, illuminating the underwater world in a dance of colors. It was beautiful, yet it felt distant.

Adrian.

His name echoed in my mind like a haunting melody, stirring a tumult of emotions I struggled to contain.

Each beat reverberated through me, a mix of longing and fear that coiled tightly around my heart.

I had a duty to Aetheria and its people, my people.

I couldn’t let them down, not again. The gravity of my responsibilities felt heavier than a water vortex threatening to drag me under.

I should have tempered his memories.

The thought struck like a knife, sharp and unyielding.

I should have released him, but I couldn’t afford the council finding out, not after that bastard .

Not after neglecting my duties since my parents’ death.

The memory of their absence loomed over me, a shadow I could never escape.

I couldn’t fail again. The fear of repeating past mistakes gripped me, squeezing the breath from my lungs .

And now there was this bond. This pull between us, undeniable and unrelenting, like the pull of the tide toward the shore, dragging me closer, deeper, with every breath. His proximity, his very presence, made the air feel thicker, charged with something I couldn’t name, couldn’t control.

I felt him in my mind, his thoughts, his emotions weaving into mine like a tide that swept everything else away.

It was intoxicating, pulling me so I couldn’t escape, couldn’t deny.

His turmoil, his confusion, every bit reverberated through me, like waves crashing against my chest, stirring a lust inside me I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Mate bonds are sacred.

But with a hybrid was unheard of. The council wouldn’t accept it, their judgment as cold and unforgiving as the depths of the abyss. I shouldn’t even consider their reaction. Taking him as my king, accepting this mating bond, was out of the question.

He will return to his world in a few days, Iryen.

The thought crashed over me, pulling me back to reality.

Once I assure the council and the Queen that he is no longer a threat, I can return to my normal life.

But what was normal for a crown princess?

I felt crushed by expectations, stifled by the prospect of a life confined to royal duties. A life alone.

With a sigh, I turned from the window, letting the coolness of the currents slip away from my skin and made my way to my ensuite, the soft glow of moonlight illuminating my path.

The ritual of preparing for bed was a welcome distraction, a chance to center myself amidst the chaos of my thoughts.

As I moved through my routine, I felt the tendrils of anxiety loosening their grip, if only slightly, allowing me a moment of clarity before the storm of my responsibilities swept me away once more.

Dressed In a white translucent night gown, I sank into the comforting embrace of my bed, the soft sheets cradling me like a warm cocoon.

Exhaustion wrapped around me like a heavy fog, pulling me under as my eyelids closed.

In an instant, sleep engulfed me, a welcome escape from the tumult of my thoughts and my grief, offering a momentary solace before the duty resumed.