The next morning felt too quiet and cold. Alina waited anxiously for someone to bring news about the trial, but no one came. Every little sound outside her door made her heart jump, only to feel disappointed later.

Finally, she gave up waiting. She got dressed and was about to go to Austin when the door opened. Laura walked in holding a sealed letter.

"They’ve sent the details for the first trial," Laura said.

"Finally. What is it?" Alina asked.

Laura opened the seal and read out loud.

"The Observation Period," Laura stopped.

Alina waited for her to continue but when she didn’t, she frowned.

"That’s it? Observation for what?"

Laura’s face grew serious as she continued reading.

"Everything, which includes your manners, how you control your emotions, how you talk to nobles and servants. It also includes how you walk, how you speak, even how you breathe. Every single thing you do will be observed and reported to the council."

Alina laughed dryly.

"So they’re going to follow me around all day, just waiting for me to make a mistake. That’s the big test?"

Laura shook her head.

"The system isn’t meant to test your skills. It’s meant to wear you down emotionally until you give up and withdraw."

Alina hadn’t even noticed Austin standing silently near the door until he finally stepped inside.

"I’ll stay with her," he said.

"You can’t," Laura looked worried. "The rules say petition candidates must go through the observation period by themselves," she explained. "If you interfere, they’ll say she is dependent on you and will disqualify her right away."

"This is ridiculous," Austin almost shouted.

Laura nodded, agreeing with him.

"It’s their strategy. By separating the candidates from their loved ones, it becomes easier to break them."

"I won’t give them anything," Alina said, though she was shaking from inside.

The trial took place in one of the grand halls during a formal gathering of nobles. When Alina entered, she felt hundreds of eyes looking at her at once. At first, it looked like a normal aristocratic gathering with soft music, delicious food and expensively dressed nobles. But Alina knew it was a trap.

She took a cup of tea from a servant who wouldn’t look her in the eye. Before she could even sip it, a noblewoman in a golden dress came to her with a sharp smile.

"What a simple dress," the woman said, looking her from top to bottom. "But it’s refreshing. Most candidates try too hard to impress."

"I like simplicity." Alina replied calmly.

The woman’s smile grew wider.

"Yes. We can see that."

Then another noblewoman joined them.

"I heard you grew up in a normal household with no proper training on royal etiquette. Is that true?"

Alina took a sip of tea before replying.

"Yes."

The woman laughed softly.

"How brave of you to even try. I don’t think I could handle the embarrassment."

Everyone spoke to her with smiling insults and hidden cruelty. They wanted her to lose control, to cry or get angry. But Alina gave them nothing. She stayed polite and calm.

Then came the seating for lunch. Alina found her name card at the very end of the table, next to unimportant guests. But unfortunately for them, she had played this game at Ravenmoor before and knew the rules.

She smiled and sat down in her seat. She smoothed her napkin and looked up at everyone.

"Well... at least the court is honest enough to tell me where I belong."

A few nobles looked uncomfortable, lowering their eyes to focus on their plates. The insult had been meant to humiliate her, but instead she had exposed it openly in front of everyone.

After lunch, Alina walked out of the hall to the garden to get some fresh air. She didn’t get far when three young noblewomen blocked her path in a quiet hallway.

One of them smiled lazily.

"Tell us honestly, is the duke really in love with you? Or he just feels sorry for you?"

One of them giggled at the question.

"I heard she arrived at his castle in rags. She probably looked so pitiful he kept her."

"And now you want to be a princess too? How ambitious for someone with such a shameful past!" The third one added with fake pity,

Alina didn’t want to give them any reaction, so she tried to walk past them, but one of them blocked her again.

"Running away already?" she said. "That’s what girls like you do."

"I’m not running. I just have nothing to say to you," Alina replied calmly, though she wanted to smash their heads.

"Here’s some advice for you: women like you confuse obsession with love. He doesn’t really want you. He just wants to save you. Once he does that, he’ll get bored and find someone else to rescue."

This was it. For the first time that day, her patience almost gave out.

"At least he is courageous enough to stand with me in public," she said calmly. "Can any of you say the same?"

The women had no answer. They looked embarrassed.

"I guess no one can," Alina said and walked away.

Within an hour, the rumours about Alina had spread like wildfire. Everyone heard about the seating, the hallway, and how Alina kept smiling even when they tried to break her.

Austin heard all the stories. Each one made him quieter, and those who knew him knew his silence was scarier than his anger.

Late afternoon, while walking through the palace, he overheard two drunk young noblemen laughing in a corner.

"Did you hear about that foreign girl today? She had to sit at the very end like a servant," one of them said.

"It gets better," the other one smirked. "Some women cornered her after lunch. I heard they almost made her cry. I think she looks prettier when she’s humiliated, don’t you think? All that fire in her eyes makes you want to see her break more."

The air grew cold suddenly. Before the men could understand what happened, Austin grabbed the first man by the throat and slammed him so hard against the wall that his head cracked against the stone. The man dangled there, choking, his face turning purple.

The other man screamed calling for the guards.

"Say it again," Austin shouted.

The other man backed away. It looked like Austin might kill the man right there. Dorian and Laura who were passing nearby, saw the scene and rushed immediately towards him.

"Your Grace, stop!" they shouted.

But Austin didn’t. He was about to punch the man when he heard Laura crying.

"This is what they want. Don’t give them a reason to disqualify her," Laura begged.

Finally, Austin loosened his grip. The man fell on the floor, gasping and crying.

"Say anything about her again, and next time I won’t stop," Austin warned them and walked away.

By evening, everyone knew about the assault. Servants whispered whenever Austin walked by. Noble ladies gathered in small groups, hiding their mouths behind fans as they talked excitedly about Austin.

"The Duke of Ravenmoor assaulted an Arcasedian nobleman."

"He lost control because of his mistress."

"Such obsession only brings embarrassment and ruin."

Alina heard the whispers as she walked back to her chambers. She clenched her hands tightly and kept walking as if the whispers didn’t bother her.

She pushed the door open and saw Austin standing by the window. His back was stiff, shoulders tense, and fists clenched tightly.

Alina rushed to him and turned him around. Her hands instinctively moved over his arms, shoulders, and chest, checking for any injuries.

"Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you? You’re okay, right?" she almost panicked.

Austin looked surprised at first, but then his expression softened.

"I’m fine, Alina. Not even a scratch."

She sighed in relief.

"Then why are you standing here like a ghost? You scared me."

"Sorry," he replied. "Are you angry with me?"

"Angry?" She blinked. "Why would I be angry?"

"Because I made things worse for you. I gave them exactly what they wanted. But I couldn’t control myself when they were talking about you like..." He couldn’t finish.

She smiled.

"I would only be angry if you got hurt," she replied. "You think I care about what those nobles think?"

Austin smiled and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head.

A minute later, Laura arrived looking scared.

"The council is furious," she said. "They’ve summoned His Grace for an emergency meeting."

Alina broke the hug and stepped back.

"For what exactly? Defending me?"

"Lord Valdren is saying you bring only chaos just like your mother. He wants stricter rules regarding your petition," she told them.

Alina felt guilty.

"This is my fault. He defended me and now they’re going to punish him."

Austin immediately turned to her.

"No. This is on me."

"But you did it for me," Alina said. "Let me come with you."

"You’ve already fought enough today," he said, cupping her cheeks. "Let me handle this."