Her feet carried her to the ballroom faster than she expected. Whatever magic the evil fairy had done to connect them certainly took no time to do its job.

There was no shortage of guests packed into the massive room. Estefania had half-expected most guests to stay home because of the fairy's threat, but she supposed they wanted front-row seats at the show.

Even the royal family sat on their thrones, waiting for the spectacle to begin. The king laughed at a woman sitting by his side who was not his wife while the queen stared out at her people with her nose in the air. Avangelique gripped Lorenzo's hand so hard that both her hand and his were white.

Only Fletcher stood leaning against his cane. Estefania couldn't imagine the pain he was in just to be present for his people. She admired his strength and dedication.

"Good to see the Cyrans are taking this seriously," Elowen said. "Though the king is rather publicly caressing Dowager Duchess de Ryne."

She'd nearly forgotten Elowen was by her side. The girl seemed practically fearless. She'd even tried to offer Estefania her crown, but the princess declined. Jewels wouldn't help her defeat a fairy.

Her gaze caught on the king again. It was so strange that he looked as young as his sons. Even the woman in his arms looked decades his senior. The Dowager Duchess de Ryne was Nathaniel's mother, after all.

"Fletcher and Nathaniel wouldn't let them treat the fairy's threats like a joke," Estefania said. "They both care too much."

Their father, though... Estefania liked to think there was good in everyone, but she was seriously doubting the King of Cyra. He'd let his own sons suffer so he could stay young.

"You sense it too then," the voice from her head curled around the hall like a snake.

"See how rotten they are. Vain and entitled, thinking everything is theirs. The king who strikes deals rather than sacrifices. The queen more obsessed with her looks than granting pardons. A prince who hides or parades like a show pony. His brother who knows nothing of real problems. These are no rulers. They are little more than jesters in a palace exercising power."

The air crackled like ozone before a storm. Elowen gasped as, once again, the fairy emerged from a shower of gold. Tonight, the fairy wore iridescent blue silks that caught the light like sapphires, and her hair was braided and coiled around her head.

"She's in fine form tonight," Elowen said. "But you can't let Mona get under your skin."

Estefania would never get used to having a face or a name for the woman who'd ruined her childhood: Countess Monique de Nene or Mona, as Rillian called her. It was easier to see her as a monster rather than a woman who'd made a life for herself so great that she'd managed to marry an earl.

"Welcome," Fletcher addressed the crowd and the fairy. "Thank you for coming tonight."

"Quiet prince," Mona said. "I'm not here for you. Tonight is all about Estefania."

"Any quarrel you have with my future bride, you also have with me," Fletcher descended the dais.

"Keep him back," Estefania whispered to Elowen. "He cannot interfere."

"I'll do my best," Elowen said. "And don't take your eyes off her. And don't let her manipulate you with words."

Estefania didn't have time to process that statement because Mona clapped her hands together and spread them apart. An ancient-looking book appeared between them.

"The laws of magic," Mona said. "Plain and simple, but we need a judge who can enforce the laws of the fairy queen. That is why we must call forth the last fairy in the lands."

Mona snapped her fingers, and a dark-skinned woman appeared before them, bound in chains. The woman fell to her knees before Mona and whimpered.

"That's Trix," Elowen's words were barely audible.

Mona dropped the book on the floor before Trix's chained hands. Then she kicked at her fellow fairy and grabbed her chin to force her to face Estefania.

"Read the rites," Mona said. "Let these simpletons know the rules, Beatrix."

Trix's mouth quivered as she looked at the book's open page. Estefania couldn't read the language, but Trix apparently could.

"F-For we are fairies who can stand no lies," Trix said. "Each fairy carries magic from within which amplifies the pure wishes of the heart. When a fairy challenges another, they challenge the purity of the wisher and the fairy who has granted the wish."

Estefania grasped the only part of this that was to her advantage: "I'm not a fairy; therefore, I cannot complete this trial."

Mona laughed. "The Empress marked you. Her kiss on your forehead gives you the potential to be a fairy if you so desire."

Estefania flushed. She knew the mark was a blessing, but no one ever said it might make her a fairy. Did that mean she had magic?

"I-In cases like this, our mistress, the Fairy Empress, will provide a scenario in which the challengee and challenged will present the best solutions before a judge," Trix said. "You will receive no help, and the best solution to the problem will be rewarded with a win. If the challenger wins, then the fairy will be stripped of her rank and cursed as punishment. If the challenged proves herself worthy of her wings, then she may craft a punishment for the losing fairy."

"Your rules are barbaric," Fletcher spat.

"How is this worse than waving swords or those silly little pistols you import from over the sea?" Mona asked. "The only person who gets hurt here is the one who is wrong."

She couldn't let Mona injure anyone else. This battle would determine the fate of her kingdom. This could prove she was more than a sheltered princess, and it was the only way to stop Mona from wreaking any more havoc. She had to save her brother.

"I accept your challenge," Estefania said.

Mona's eyes seemed to almost glow with golden light. The room rumbled, and Estefania tried to steady herself. Trix just looked down at the book and shook her head.

"Estefania de Sahar, daughter of Prince Hadrian, has accepted the challenge of Monique de Dalinos, daughter of Lord Solomon," Trix said. "Let those who witness not interfere."

A golden bubble formed around them, cutting Estefania, Trix, and Mona off from the rest of the ballroom. Estefania could see her sister on the other side muttering a prayer under her breath. Her heart lurched, and she turned her gaze to Elowen. The girl from Nene just nodded and mouthed the words, good luck.

Trix held out the book, which had started to glow. Words appeared across the pages, and she looked down. Her dark skin seemed to pale as she took in the inscription. The fairy's hands shook as she started to read the book's magic.

"The first of three wishes given to a family of great renowned," Trix said. "A girl's first wish was that great queens would eternally rule her kingdom."

Mona's lips curved up. "As the challenger, I would like the accused to stand and answer first."

Estefania frowned. "What?"

"You must answer how you would grant the wish," Mona said.

"Consider the consequences of what would be brought into existence by their choice," Trix said. "But state your intentions to grant the wish, and the book will decide if your answer is optimal."

Estefania bit her lip. She'd never done anything like this, and she wasn't even sure it would work since she wasn't a fairy. Still, she couldn't let Bash down.

If a girl wished for her kingdom to be ruled by queens, that didn't seem terrible. Queens ruled Sahar, and her grandmother was a fair ruler. She wanted the crown to go to her granddaughter over her son. Estefania didn't see anything wrong with that.

"I would grant the wish," she said.

Trix winced. Mona only laughed. Her cackle was cold, and Estefania chilled to the bone. The fairy flourished her wings and stared at Estefania with a piercing gaze.

"This wish was once granted by a fairy to your great-grandmother Alisandra, Estefania," Trix said. The consequences were severe, and half the royal line died. After all, if only a woman could wear a crown, this would kill Alisandra's father, King Pierce, and her six brothers. It would be better to encourage the wisher to make a better choice."

Estefania blanched. She had to remember this was Mona she was dealing with. The fairy knew history and had experience granting wishes.

This seemingly simple challenge just got much harder. Estefania hadn't considered all of the angles like Trix had suggested. She wished she'd known she could suggest a new solution to a wish. Instead, she'd rushed a solution and hadn't really thought about her answer well enough.

Her heart sank. She knew before Trix announced it from the book she'd lost this first round. She took a deep breath and reminded herself she had two more chances. She could outthink Mona.

"You still think you have a chance, little princess?" Mona asked. "You shouldn't have even been born, little girl. You're no fairy."

A cold chill ran down Estefania's spine. Maybe Mona was right, but she couldn't give up. If she lost again, she'd never recover her brother, and Nathaniel would lose his sister.

"We'll never know since you destroyed your sisters," Estefania replied. "How does it feel to be the last of your kind? Is that why you kept Rillian in a box?"

Mona's fingers sparked as she drummed them on her hip. The fairy seemed to bristle at the name Rillian. Elowen was right. He was still a sore spot for the fairy.

"Do not speak of things you know nothing of, you little bastard," Mona's words were barbed and poised to attack. "After all, you never should have been born."

Trix moved forward and came face to face with Mona. "That's enough, Monique. These challenges are times of truth and justice. We must proceed."

Estefania let Trix's words sink in as they reminded her of what Rillian had said just before the trial. Only truths could be spoken in the bubble. That meant every word out of Mona's mouth was real and honest. Maybe deep down, Estefania really was a worthless bastard.

Mona's smile curved up her lips again as she regained control. Estefania had a sinking feeling that she was being set up. This trial was her brother's only hope, and she could only desperately wish the cruel fairy would show mercy.