Chapter 33 Elsie
Elsie
There was so much tension in the room that anyone could hear a pin drop a kilometer away.
Given Alicia Vane’s instructions, we showed up at the courtroom two hours before today’s hearing.
If we hadn’t done so, we wouldn’t have gotten a seat in the gallery at all.
As soon as the doors opened for seating, the entire place filled to the brim.
Henri, Noah, Ivy, Remy, and I all sat in the front row behind the prosecution as we had for many days, a united front here to watch this case progress.
After my father’s testimony, the buzz around the case increased more than I thought possible.
News articles were published every day, spreading speculation and lies about the case, my father’s involvement, and Aster’s master plan.
Our friend group had met at Puddle and Pear, but couldn’t escape the whispers and rumors there.
I was recognized as William Middleton’s daughter, and pitying looks became a new way for strangers to greet me.
Which brought us to today.
The final day of prosecution questioning.
Mira Aster would be taking the stand.
And everyone in the magical world would be tuned in—at least the ones in the UK.
As I looked around the crowded room, I noticed professors and students from Forrestbriar, all with grim faces and tight smiles. Collectively, our academy community recognized the damage Aster had caused and wanted to see justice served.
I could only hope that this court system wouldn’t fail us.
For all the students who were affected by the potion and the poison.
By the sexual harassment and assault that happened in response to the protest. By the haunting memories that would never go away.
By the heart-crushing pain experienced in the poison's wake.
We deserved to see Aster brought to full justice for her crimes.
Once it was finally time to begin, I was a jittery mess.
So were Ivy and Henri, and most definitely Noah, but his facade was rock solid.
I had to sit on the edge of my seat to prevent myself from bouncing my legs annoyingly until finally all the officials came in.
Aster’s defense team all took their seats, with her noticeably absent.
Today, the only proceeding scheduled was her testimony.
It would be a long and grueling set of questions, and I would hold on to every single one.
Lukas came in and gave us all a nervous smile before taking his own seat, and I wished I could reach out to him. This weighed heavily on his shoulders, just like it did on all of ours, and I knew his desire for justice.
Soon enough, Aster was announced and walked into the room.
Her chin was held high, but her skin had a sickly undertone.
Surely, she knew it was over for her. Aster was wearing a sharp, deep purple suit, and her dark hair was pinned up.
It made her look put together and professional, which I was sure was the intent.
After she was sworn in, Alicia Vane wasted no time.
“Please state your name for the court.”
In an act of defiance, she pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes for a few seconds. “Mira Aster.”
“Ms. Aster, you were formerly a professor at Forrestbriar Academy, correct?”
“Yes.” Aster crossed her arms, her eyes gazing across the gallery. I leaned into Ivy, as if that would shield her from Aster’s eyes. It seemed Noah had the same idea with Henri.
“You were a professor at Forrestbriar Academy last spring semester, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. This past semester, love potion attacks started on campus. You were a professor, as you stated. Were you present on campus at the time the first attack began?”
“I was not.” Aster looked indignant as she stared back at Vane, who nodded.
“You were not present during the time of the first love potion attack. Were you present during any of the other attacks? There are over ten documented, and I can give you precise dates if needed.” Vane flipped a paper on her clipboard, pulled another off, and handed it to the judge.
He looked it over before passing it along to Aster.
“I was most likely on campus for some of these. I couldn’t tell you which ones.”
My blood was simmering with rage at her answers. She wasn’t giving proper answers, but was skirting around the truth.
“It was discovered that the method by which the potion was distributed to the entirety of Forrestbriar’s campus was with spell-casting. This ancient practice that is widely illegal now. Did you spell-cast the love potion to the campus?”
“I did not,” was all Aster answered. I clenched my fists.
“Thank you, Ms. Aster. A former witness testified that you held them under blood oath and forced them to not only help you create the love potions, but that you trained her in spell-casting and forced her to spell-cast to the entire campus, therefore cleaning your hands of the crimes. Can you confirm this?”
Aster did not answer immediately. Instead, her eyes instantly found Ivy, who was holding her breath.
“No, I cannot confirm.”
Ivy audibly gasped, yet wasn’t alone in the gallery in doing so.
“Let’s move on to a slightly different subject. Your Honor, may the court see Exhibit A?”
The judge nodded, and suddenly there were magical projections in the air, big enough that anyone in the room could see. The projection changed every few seconds, showing spell and potion notes in the same handwriting. Each page shown pertained to a love potion.
“Ms. Aster, do you recognize this handwriting?” Vane asked, pausing the display on a page that showed the exact ingredients for a love potion.
“No, I do not,” Aster lied.
“Interesting, because these notebooks were obtained from your personal office at the academy. The handwriting was compared with handwriting credited to you in official court documents, as well as documents from the academy.”
“Interesting, indeed.” Aster’s reply had us all bristling.
“Your honor, may the court see Exhibit B?”
Once the judge nodded, more pages were shown. This time, there was a second handwriting on the pages, along with Aster’s handwriting. The exhibit displayed a few more pages, showing how the extra handwriting described spell-casting a love potion.
“Ms. Aster, do you recognize this second handwriting, the one that was found on many pages of your lab books?”
Aster opened her mouth, but no noise came out. Slowly, she closed her mouth, but her eyes were flickering around the room in panic. She squirmed in her seat. “I do not.”
“Ms. Aster, it is confirmed that the first handwriting is yours. Did you work with someone else to create and implement the love potions?” Vane stepped closer to Aster, who was now sweating.
And I mean, she was really sweating. In a matter of seconds, her skin had grown infinitely paler, and sweat rolled down her temple and collected on her forehead. She didn’t answer.
“Ms. Aster, who is it that worked with you on the love potion attacks?” Vane demanded.
“N-no one.”
“There is a second handwriting. Is that your handwriting also?”
“No,” Aster choked out.
“Then that would lead us to believe there was someone else involved. Who else was involved?”
Aster’s shoulders were moving up and down at a rapid pace, and Ivy pulled on my hand. When I looked at her, she had a look of fear in her eyes.
“Ms. Aster, please tell the court who conspired with you to attack Forrestbriar Academy with love potions.”
Aster began coughing, her breathing loud and wheezing. Her eyes went to her attorney in panic, as if he could help her in this situation.
As soon as I realized the truth, Vane spoke it.
“Ms. Aster, are you under compulsion of a blood oath by whomever you colluded with on these attacks?” Vane took a step back, and we all held our breath as we watched.
Aster couldn’t answer; all color leeched from her skin. She was sweating profusely , breathing raggedly, and gripping the witness booth like her life depended on it.
Alicia walked back to the prosecution table, leaned to whisper in her colleague’s ear, and then stood straight. Smoothing out her black suit jacket, she turned to the judge.
“Your Honor, the prosecution recognizes that the defendant, Mira Aster, is presently bound by a blood oath that prevents her from answering crucial questions truthfully. Further questioning at this time would risk harm to the witness and compromise of this court’s proceedings.
We request that the court adjourn testimony for the day, and permit questioning to resume only once the blood oath has been broken or otherwise nullified, ensuring the integrity and safety of the proceedings. ”
The judge looked at Aster, who was rocking forward and backward in her seat, looking on the verge of passing out. The judge nodded. “So noted. Court is suspended until the oath is lifted, at which point questioning may resume.”