Alpha's replacement bride is destined mate-Chapter 89 Outcome of the Trial

The door creaked open slowly, and the slight sound was strangely jarring in the tense atmosphere. A blinding white light washed over Emily, and she subconsciously squinted. Through the glare, Emily noticed that the judge’s seat was empty, and her heart sank. An indescribable unease swept over her for a moment.

At that very instant, Katherine entered. Her steps were slightly unsteady, and her face was etched with anxiety. Her eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She hurried to her seat and sat down, her hands gripping the edge of the chair as if seeking solace.

Footsteps echoed behind her, and Emily saw Prince Adam and three other jurors enter, but not King James. The court staff announced, "Stand up," and everyone rose to their feet one by one.

Prince Adam stood at the center of the courtroom, his face solemn, his eyes exuding firmness and dignity. He lifted his chin slightly, and his calm, authoritative voice rang out, "Based on the results of the investigation, Luna Diane died of poisoning. The perpetrator is Katherine Fox."

"No, it can’t be!" Katherine sprang to her feet with a cry, her face momentarily pale, her eyes brimming with horror and fury. Her body trembled slightly, as if she couldn’t fathom the verdict. "Even if Luna Diane died of poisoning, what does that have to do with me? There’s simply no evidence that I poisoned Luna Diane." Her voice was shrill and piercing, filled with desperate denial.

"Quiet!" The court clerk immediately silenced Katherine.

"You want proof?" Prince Adam’s gaze bore into Katherine like a laser. It seemed to declare the inviolability of justice. "Then I’ll provide it."

Prince Adam ordered someone to activate the display screen, revealing Nancy’s face on the monitor. She sat in an interrogation chair, recounting to the camera how Katherine had an affair with Alpha Robert and subsequently tasked Nancy with procuring poison to replace Luna Diane’s soup. She described how Katherine had ordered the maid to serve the poisoned soup to Luna Diane, and after Luna Diane gave birth to her child and died, Katherine bribed the doctor to falsify the death report. Nancy also confessed to how Katherine had coerced Emily into marrying her daughter in the North.

As Nancy concluded her testimony, the scene shifted to another grey-bearded man, who confessed to shooting Emily and revealed that Katherine had orchestrated the attack.

"Do you have any questions?" Prince Adam asked Katherine.

Katherine sat slumped in her chair, her face ashen, her eyes hollow. She looked frail, like a deflated balloon. The old arrogance had vanished, replaced by despair and helplessness.

"Katherine Fox is convicted of poisoning Luna Diane, and Katherine Fox is also convicted of abusing Emily and forcing her into marriage in the North." Prince Adam’s voice echoed through the courtroom, clear and commanding. "In accordance with our decree, Katherine Fox has been stripped of all titles and sentenced to death. Nancy Luke is also sentenced to death. The remaining individuals involved, including her daughter, Gina Fox, will be deported."

"No, no, no." Katherine jerked to her feet in protest, her voice sharp and filled with anguish. "My daughter doesn’t know anything. Why is she being deported? It’s not fair!" Her eyes blazed with rage and despair, tears streaming down her cheeks. She waved her hands frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of her daughter.

"The king’s decree stands above all else," Prince Adam said solemnly. "The trial has now concluded. Guards, take this woman to prison."

Two guards entered, and Katherine’s expression turned to alarm as she saw them. She resisted as much as she could.

"I’m not Luna, you can’t do this to me!" Katherine shouted. "I want to see the king, I want to appeal!"

"Take her away," Prince Adam ordered.

The two guards forcibly escorted Katherine out, her cries echoing through the corridors before fading away.

Emily sank back in her chair, her heart finally at peace as Prince Adam finished reading the verdict.

She had won. She had brought justice to her mother’s true murderer, and from this moment on, she was no longer the girl burdened with the false accusation of cursing her mother.

Tears trickled down the corners of Emily’s eyes, and she wept silently, for herself and for her mother.

At that moment, a white tissue was handed to her, and she looked up to see Prince Adam standing beside her. Everyone else had left the courtroom, leaving her alone with him.

"Are you feeling better?" Prince Adam asked gently, his hand resting lightly on Emily’s shoulder in comfort.

"Just leave me alone for a while, okay?" Emily whispered, her voice husky, as if she had just emerged from a long, arduous battle.

"Okay," Prince Adam replied softly, slowly withdrawing his hand and turning to leave. As he reached the door, he paused and looked back at Emily.

"Your stepmother’s death sentence will be carried out in three days. And congratulations, Emily, you’ve won your fight. Now that the trial is over, you can go home. If, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here."

"Thank you, Adam," Emily sighed, her voice tinged with gratitude but an indescribable sense of distance. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, but I think we’d be better off keeping our distance."

Prince Adam was silent for a few seconds, a flash of confusion fleeting across his eyes, but he soon regained his composure. "Okay," he murmured, then turned and left the courtroom. His figure disappeared into the doorway, leaving Emily alone amidst her tangled emotions.

When the door closed softly, Emily finally couldn’t hold back her tears. After a long while, when she had cried herself out, she slowly left the courtroom.

She walked out of the Capitol alone and stood outside, gazing at the blue sky. The sun was so bright, it was blinding. At that moment, she felt warmer than she ever had before.

"Emily!" An angry voice came from the other direction, and Alpha Robert rushed towards Emily with a furious expression on his face. He confronted her. "What was the outcome of the trial? Tell me."

Emily looked up at her strange father and said in a cold, calm tone, "Katherine poisoned my mother, who was sentenced to death, and as for your other daughter, she was sentenced to deportation. I am satisfied with this verdict."

"Look what you’ve done," Alpha Robert lashed out at Emily and slapped her hard. "You’ve ruined my family, you’ve ruined my pack."

"Everything I do is for my mother," Emily glared at Alpha Robert, the taste of blood in her mouth.

"It’s you, it’s you who betrayed my mother," Emily yelled at her father. "You made me feel guilty for killing my mother, you made me blame myself for her death for eighteen years, and you deserve to die just like Katherine."

"How dare you speak to me like that," Alpha Robert kicked Emily in the stomach. "If I had known you were going to cause so much trouble, I would have strangled you at birth."

Emily was kicked to the ground by Alpha Robert, and an immediate pain in her stomach was so sharp that she could barely breathe. Her face paled instantly, and fine beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. But she held on, looking stubbornly up at Alpha Robert. "It’s not too late for you to kill me now."

"That’s what you said," Alpha Robert said, approaching Emily with a fierce look.