Chapter 343 - Final Verdict

Tabitha darted her eyes around the cell and also at its surrounding. The cell looked very cold and was indeed isolated from the rest of the cells. It was void of every kind of facility. All that the cell had was a small bed and a toilet right in the corner. It was also void of basic things like fresh air and sunlight.

"Nothing can be more fitting than this for Lillian," Tabitha spoke with a smile on her face. She was already satisfied thinking how that witch was going to spend the rest of her remaining life.

"We will start creating the barrier. But before we do that…" Tabitha glanced at the guard and then at the Princess and informed, "…we will need a person who will be responsible for bringing food and other necessary items to Lillian. Only that person will be able to pass in such items inside the barrier. So if something goes wrong, then we will know whom to catch."

As there was only one guard standing beside them, Adeline glanced at him and then asked, "May I know your name?"

"I am Hans, Your Highness," that guard replied with a bow.

"How long have you been working here for?" Adeline asked again.

"It has already been almost 9 years, Your Highness," the guard replied again.

"Can I trust you with a very important task, Mr. Hans?" Adeline politely questioned him again.

Anyone would be more than happy to serve the Future Queen herself, especially when she was to say that the task that they were going to do was something very important. So he straightened his back and then answered, "You can trust me, Your Highness. I will not disappoint you."

Adeline smiled and briefed him of the important task, "You might have already guessed from our conversation that the prisoner of this cell will be none other than Queen Lillian. The hearing is going on in the King's Court as we speak. We will shift her here immediately after the King gives his verdict."

She pointed towards the witches and then continued, "And as you know that Lillian is a witch, the ladies here are going to cast some spells in this particular cell so that Lillian won't be able to use her powers while she is inside."

Adeline glanced at Tabitha and said, "So, as she explained earlier, you will be solely responsible for keeping an eye on Lillian. Are you ready for that?"

"Yes, Your Highness," that guard replied confidently.

"Okay, it's settled then," Adeline glanced at Tabitha and smiled.

Tabitha nodded and then stepped inside the cell, followed by the rest of the witches. Tabitha glanced at the guard and ordered, "Hans, please face towards us and stand just outside the bars." She then glanced at Adeline and said, "Your Highness, I think it is better if you step a little further away."

"Sure," Adeline swiftly took a few steps to the side and watched as the witches made a circle inside the cell, held each other's hands, and began the incantation.

After chanting some ancient spells for a while, an orange circle appeared on the floor of the cell. Slowly, a few more circles appeared as if they were extra layers of protection. The circles were then covered with runes that would stop the flow of any kind of energy and would stop the prisoner from using magic.

A rune also appeared on that guard's forehead.

The magic circle was finally complete after twenty whole minutes. The Mystic Coven was finally done preparing a personal Hell on Earth for Lillian.

The witches walked out of the cell one by one and the High Priestess informed Adeline, "Your Highness, the cell will activate on its own when Lillian will get inside here. To avoid any mishap on the way here, I suggest knocking her out before bringing her here. We will personally see that nothing will go wrong."

Adeline smiled and said, "I cannot thank you enough for all the support from your side… Let's head back then. I think we will also need your statements against Lillian regarding the murder of two of the members of the coven."

She then glanced at Agnes and added, "And I believe that Agnes witnessed the dead body of the midwife who was murdered by Lillian around 30 years ago."

Agnes looked a bit surprised when Adeline mentioned the incident which she herself had almost forgotten about. "How do you know that?"

"Let's say that I have my ways," Adeline didn't want to take Theodore's name as the guard was still there.

"Let's go then, shall we?" Adeline glanced at the guard and ordered, "Mr. Hans, lead the way."

"Yes, Your Highness," Hans sprinted in front of the Princess and walked ahead of all the ladies while showing them the way with his lantern.

By now, it was already starting to get dark. So Hans offered to show the ladies the way until they would reach the back gate. All of the ladies gladly accepted.

The two parties then parted their ways after reaching the back gate. Hans returned back to his post in the dungeon while all the ladies headed back to the King's Court.

As Adeline and the witches neared the Court, the red-eyed man who was still lingering around instantly felt the presence of a lot of witches again.

"I think I should get the hell away from here before they also sense my presence. I was lucky earlier that I wasn't discovered. I already got all the information that I need anyway," he thought to himself and then quietly walked towards the Palace wall before the witches got too close.

Adeline and the witches walked inside the Court to join the ongoing case.

It looked as though almost all of the individual cases were already taken care of. So, Adeline quickly took the witches to the clerks and then asked them to finish their case as well.

It took another half an hour to go through the remaining cases. Everyone already looked exhausted from the whole day of work. Everyone was eager to listen to the final verdict of the King and then return back to their respective homes.

The King and the councilmen then sat together in another separate room to discuss the punishment for the culprit Queen.

And after a long wait, King Dragomir finally walked back to the Court. He was finally ready to read out the punishment.

He stood in front of his throne and then cleared his throat. And he addressed everyone who was in the Court hall, "First and foremost, I would like to apologize from my side for not being able to punish Queen Lillian sooner. I was unable to see what was going on right under my nose. For that, I am deeply ashamed."

"Secondly," he gestured towards Adeline and said, "I am really proud of the Future Queen for digging out all the crimes of Lillian and successfully leading a team to capture her."

He then glanced towards all the other supporters and said, "I am also really thankful to Prince Raphael, Prince Edwin, and the Mystic Coven for helping the Future Queen."

The King then seriously looked at all the affected parties and announced the final verdict, "Queen Lillian has been found guilty of 28 murders, 11 kidnappings, and 68 bodily injuries inflicted on the innocent. As such, her title has been stripped away as effective from this very moment. She will no longer be called the Queen and her claim to any Royal property is nullified."

King Dragomir announced the punishment that everyone in the Courtroom was eager to hear, "Lillian has been, hereby, sentenced to life imprisonment in the darkest cell of the dungeon. The Court is now adjourned."

The Court Hall erupted into cheers and cries from all the victims and their families. They hugged each other and cried in each other's arms as justice was finally served.. They no longer needed to fear the evil witch of Wyverndale.