Chapter 6 - The Palace Interrogation
Within thirty minutes, the cathedral steps were cleared of the public and press, but the drama was only beginning.
Rachel and Alexander were escorted under guard into the State Inquest Room—a grand, wood-paneled hall reserved for high-level government hearings. King Leopold sat at the head of a massive oak table, flanked by legal magistrates and military attachés.
I stood across from Rachel, my uniform pressed and immaculate.
"Sit," King Leopold commanded Rachel and Alexander.
Rachel sank slowly into a velvet chair, her silk-and-lace wedding dress pooling around her feet like a collapsed cloud. All the glamour, the expensive makeup, and the carefully crafted media persona had completely evaporated. She looked small, desperate, and cornered.
"According to our penal code," the chief magistrate began, sliding a heavy document across the table, "falsifying royal registry documents and committing international defamation against a foreign military officer carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. Furthermore, because these documents were used to secure a royal title and state benefits, the marriage contract itself is legally voidable under Article 9."
Rachel let out a sharp, choked sob. "No! You can't do that! The wedding was broadcast globally! The press is already calling us the couple of the decade! If you annul this, my life is over!"
"Your life was a fraud, Mrs. Carter-Vance—or whatever your legal name truly is," the magistrate replied coldly.
Alexander buried his face in his hands, muttering curses under his breath. "I told you we should have just invited her," he muttered bitterly to Rachel. "I told you lying to the Crown was insane!"
"You went along with it!" Rachel shrieked, turning on her new husband with pure fury. "You didn't care until you got caught!"
"Enough!" King Leopold slammed his hand onto the table, silencing the room instantly.
The King stood up, walking slowly around the table until he stood directly behind my chair. He placed a hand gently on my shoulder.
"In my kingdom," King Leopold said quietly, looking down at Rachel, "honor is the currency of the realm. You traded your sister's dignity for social climbing. You traded truth for applause. A crown cannot rest upon the head of someone who has no foundation of integrity."
The King paused, letting the silence crush down upon them.
May you like
"However," Leopold continued, "the Crown has no desire to subject the international press to a multi-year criminal trial that would make a mockery of the state. Therefore, I propose an alternative."
Rachel looked up, her eyes wide with desperate hope. "What... what alternative?"
