Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 908: Justice For Aldric

Valerie’s voice echoed above the chaos he’d started, his tone sharp with desperation. "Where is he?!" he demanded, his eyes wild and bloodshot, clearly losing his grip on reality.

The pressure of everything he’d been dealing with, compounded by this unexpected attack, was driving him to the edge of sanity.

"Aldric, you bastard! Come out this instant and stop hiding like a coward!" Valerie screamed, his self-control shattered, and his anger blazing.

"Valerie!" Queen Maeve marched over to her son, her lips pressed into a tight line, displeasure evident. The entire room turned to watch as she approached.

When she reached Valerie, she grabbed his arm with a firm grip, her voice a snarl. "Stop this madness this instant! What do you think you’re doing? You’ve crossed the line, son!"

But Valerie was beyond reason. He was a ball of anxiety and fury, and he pulled away from her. "Don’t touch me!" He snapped.

In his frantic attempt to free himself from her grasp, Valerie’s claws accidentally slashed across his mother’s face. The moment it happened, a suffocating silence fell over the chamber.

Everyone in the room froze, staring in shock. Valerie stared at his trembling hands, his face going pale as the reality of what he’d done settled in. Hurting others with his authority was one thing, but his mother? In front of all these witnesses? He had gone too far.

Queen Maeve, like Valerie, was frozen in shock. Slowly, robotically, she reached up to her cheek, her fingers brushing against the three claw marks. The wounds healed instantly, but the blood left behind was undeniable evidence of what had just occurred.

No one moved. Even the soldiers and knights had stopped their search, all eyes locked on Queen Maeve, waiting to see how she would respond.

To everyone’s astonishment, Queen Maeve threw her head back and began to laugh. Her cackling echoed through the chamber, bordering on the edge of madness. Everyone, including Valerie, watched in bewilderment. Had the Fae queen finally lost her mind?

When she finally stopped laughing, Queen Maeve wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with a single finger. Her voice was dripping with mockery as she spoke, "Really, Valerie? You would turn on your own mother now?"

A deep frown formed on Valerie’s face, his instincts prickling with unease. It was something about the way the Summer Queen said it, something that rubbed him the wrong way. His mother was a complex woman, but she had never looked at him with such smug disdain. Something was very wrong.

Suddenly, before everyone’s eyes, Queen Maeve’s features began to distort grotesquely. The Faeries around her gasped, stepping back in horror, fearful that whatever was happening might be contagious.

But the transformation continued. Queen Maeve’s skin melted away, revealing none other than an unharmed, smug dark Fae prince beneath.

"Miss me that much, brother? Here I am," Aldric smirked.

Valerie was stunned, unable to move or utter a word. Aldric had obviously used dark magic, something Valerie hadn’t anticipated. Before he could recover, the chamber doors burst open, and the real Queen Maeve stumbled in, her appearance disheveled.

Her chest was heaving, her face twisted with fury. It was clear she had been tied up somewhere while Aldric impersonated her, and had only just managed to escape.

"Arrest him this instant!" she screamed, rousing everyone from their shock.

The knights moved as one, their training taking over. But Aldric was prepared. Shadows spilled effortlessly from his body, moving like an extra limb.

He willed the shadows to seize each and every person who might pose a threat, including knights, soldiers, and any Fae who dared stand against him. The knights fought back, but Aldric’s power doubled, his darkness wrapping around them like thick cocoons. They couldn’t even summon an atom of their abilities.

In moments like these, Aldric delighted in his identity as the dark Fae prince. His power was thrilling, even to him, and he couldn’t deny the satisfaction he felt flaunting it. For added measure, he bound the doors with his shadows, ensuring no one could enter or leave.

The only ones left untouched were Valerie and Queen Maeve.

Once the threats were neutralized, Aldric dusted off his hands, turning his attention back to Valerie. "Now, where were we, brother?"

Valerie’s body shook with rage, his face flushed with fury. He approached Aldric slowly, his voice trembling with anger. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you? You have no right! You no longer have a say in the matters of the court! You lost that right when you forfeited out of the death duel like a coward. You are a disgraced prince, Aldric," he spat.

But Aldric was unfazed. He tilted his head, appearing bored. "Really, brother? Are you sure about that?"

Valerie hesitated, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Surely, Aldric couldn’t know what he had done.

Aldric turned away from his brother, addressing the room instead. The Faeries were bewildered, their expressions reflecting a mix of confusion and shock. They had just been harassed upon Valerie’s order, and now they were witnessing this baffling display between the brothers.

"Thank you, high lords, Fae council, esteemed ministers, queens, and..." Aldric glanced at the bound soldiers on the ground, "currently incapacitated knights. Thank you all for honoring my invitation on such short notice. I assure you, it will be worth your time."

Murmurs spread through the crowd as they realized they had been tricked into attending a fabricated meeting.

Lord Ormani, ever eager to ingratiate himself with Valerie and Queen Maeve, stepped forward, his voice loud and accusing. "What is the meaning of this, disgraced Prince Aldric? Do you think we have time to waste like you?"

"I am here to demand justice," Aldric said calmly, unaffected by the outburst.

"Justice? What in the Fae are you talking about?" Lord Ormani asked, exasperated.

Aldric’s confidence was unsettling and he said before them. "I demand justice, as I stand here accusing Prince Valerie of the Summer Court of using the drug Spirit during the death duel."