Chapter 99-Yes, I can

Chapter 99: 99-Yes, I can

"A blood trial?" Zolani turned pale.

She moved before Maisa could even understand what had happened without letting go of her hand.

One moment she was standing beneath the weight of hundreds of watching eyes, and the next Zolani had stepped directly in front of her, both hands closing around Maisa’s as though she could physically shield her from the judgment that had just fallen over the garden.

Her crimson hair stirred in the breeze, but there was nothing gentle about the look she gave Addessa. The kindness that usually softened her face had vanished.

"Have you lost your mind, Addessa?" Zolani demanded, the absurd call for a blood trial had made her forget that Addessa exceeded her in ranking and she had no place questioning her.

Her voice carried farther than she probably intended. It held her fury and anger against Addessa for being unfair towards Maisa.

A ripple went through the students. They were attracted by Addessa’s call for a blood trial but now, they were captivated by the heated reaction from Zolani.

"Why would you punish Maisa? She was the victim!"

Addessa only smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile. It wasn’t even particularly large. It was the sort of smile that made Zolani’s stomach twist because it suggested that Addessa had already considered every argument that could be thrown at her and had decided she didn’t care.

She said nothing to defend her request. Instead, the silence stretched between them. Addessa slowly rolled her shoulders, then cracked her neck from side to side, the quiet pop cutting through the tense atmosphere like a warning.

She wasn’t going to retreat. Whatever consequences awaited her, she had already decided to see this through to the end.

Her eyes remained fixed ahead, her expression hardening as she prepared herself for whatever came next. ’Today, I’ll tell the zing that it doesn’t get to tell me what to do!’ She swore in her mind. ’A redblood for a mate after what happened to Asher... heck no!’

One by one, students began returning to their seats. The garden, which had moments ago felt like a formal disciplinary hearing, slowly transformed into something that looked dangerously close to an arena.

Students settled beneath the ancient trees, whispering excitedly as they waited to see what would happen next. Even the professors exchanged glances before taking their seats.

Nobody wanted to miss the drama. It was the first time the council turned on each other and they wanted to witness it all unfold.

Lumi stood motionless. Her eyes remained fixed on Addessa. She had been ready to intervene the moment Addessa challenged Varitreya, but something about her mate’s expression stopped her.

There was no hesitation in Addessa’s eyes, no uncertainty and no emotion. She looked as though she had deliberately walked into a storm and intended to stand there until lightning struck everyone around her.

Lumi didn’t know what Addessa was planning and that frightened her. So she decided to wait and see what the girl was upto before she intervenes. ’Don’t do anything too crazy, Addie!’

Varitreya slowly recovered from her shock. Her gaze moved from Addessa to Maisa, then back again.

For days, she had been meaning to speak privately with Addessa. There had been something wrong between them, something she couldn’t properly explain. Through the bond, Varitreya had felt emotions that didn’t belong to her; anger, resentment, fear, a darkness that seemed to grow and bloom from Addessa’s petal.

She had wanted answers but before she could find the girl in private, Addessa had chosen to challenge her in front of the entire school.

Varitreya’s expression hardened. "I object."

She turned, clearly intending to end the matter before it could go any further.

"According to the rules of the academy," Addessa said calmly behind her, "any vampire who calls for a blood trial must be given the floor to establish the grounds for their request, princess. You can’t object so easily."

Varitreya stopped. The entire garden seemed to hold its breath. Slowly, the princess turned around.

Kayden’s expression darkened immediately. "Don’t push it, Addessa."

The warning was quiet but he meant every word. His eyes were cold enough to make several students lower their gazes.

There were many reasons for his anger. Addessa had challenged Varitreya publicly, in front of professors and students, and that alone was enough to irritate him. But beneath that anger was another, more complicated feeling, Luan.

Kayden knew exactly how the man he loved felt about Addessa and perhaps that made the situation even more infuriating.

Addessa didn’t even glance at him. "I am invoking academy law," she said. "I am not asking permission to speak. Additionally, Kayden, I have yet to push anything. I am just getting started."

Varitreya’s jaw tightened. "Then speak. Let me hear what you have to say."

Zolani immediately tugged Maisa closer. Her mind was racing to keep up with the fire Addessa was starting. Even all the water in the world she could conjure wouldn’t be enough to put out those flames of destruction.

"You’re not standing alone," she declared. "I am with you," she held her more tightly.

Maisa barely had time to react before Zolani began guiding her forward.

"Zolani..."

"Come on," Zolani didn’t hold back. The desire to protect Maisa filled her with such undeniable adrenaline that she couldn’t barely keep up with herself, she just acted.

Maisa tried to pull her back. "I don’t think..."

"I don’t care what you think right now. She is threatening to push you into the blood trial... do you know what that will do to you?"

"Can we at least talk about this?"

"There’s no time for talk. We need to stop this nightmare this instant."

Zolani’s grip tightened. She brought Maisa to stand before Addessa, then stepped directly beside her again.

"Look at her," Zolani said.

Addessa did. Her black eyes were cold and empty. They lacked emotion and feeling, it almost seemed as though she had never awakened her zing.

"Can you honestly stand there and demand that she undergo a blood trial?"

"Yes, I can."

The answer came without hesitation. Addessa’s gaze settled on Maisa, but for a moment, she wasn’t really looking at her. She was seeing someone else, Leah.

The girl who had shattered her brother’s life and left Addessa carrying the consequences of that betrayal like an immortal weight upon her shoulders.

Leah’s face had become inseparable from every painful memory Addessa had spent years trying to bury, and whenever that name resurfaced, whatever mercy might have existed inside her seemed to vanish with it.

When it came to Leah, Addessa had nothing left to give: not forgiveness, not sympathy and certainly not mercy.

Zolani stared at her in disbelief. "Can you really bear to see her go through that?"

Addessa’s expression remained cold, almost unreadable. Her bad side was having its own kind of fun. "If she’s innocent and has nothing to hide," she replied evenly, "then the trial won’t hurt her."

Zolani’s brows furrowed. "That’s not the point, Addessa."

Addessa finally looked at her. "Then what is?"

"The point is that you’re willing to let someone suffer simply because you don’t trust them."

A flicker passed through Addessa’s eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. "No," she said quietly. "I’m willing to let the truth be examined by a higher power," her gaze returned to Maisa. "If she has nothing to hide, then she has nothing to fear."

The words sounded reasonable and maybe that was what made them so cruel because Addessa wasn’t asking whether Maisa deserved mercy, she was pushing her towards a sharp blade whose cuts don’t heal easily.

"Since you’re standing up for her so hard. She must be innocent. Then... she had no reason to worry."