Page 71 of Microburst

“All they had to do was wait out the public outrage and she’d be too worried about people finding her petty and would drop the lawsuit. So his statement that he never understood anything he did was abusive is now perjury in my mind. What I’m saying is any plea agreement without serious prison time is off the table.”

“Your Honor, that’s beyond excessive,” Kole’s attorney argued.

His death was in her eyes when she glared at him. “Your client committed acapital crime. The punishment for threatening to kill the ruler of Thovudin is the death penalty. Non-negotiable. To dismiss any of this as trivial and only texts risks the security of ournation, not just the queen. We recentlylost our ruler and you are saying protecting our current one isexcessive?

“No, what is excessive is the amount of crimes your client committed and wasn’t punished for way before this. Refusing to leave the queen’s home after attempting to assault her. Threateningwarwith his family’s power. All of this is beyond excessive and cannot go unpunished or our nation could spiral into chaos.

“This is bigger than one entitled man who abused a lover, Counselor. It’s bigger than one father lying through his teeth that he understood that his son had done wrong and then bailing him out of jail and paying for you. I looked you up and your hourly billable is what the average citizen makes in aweek. How does all of that reflect on ourruler?

“How vulnerable can that make our nation later when the next person tries because this time was laughed off? And everyone here knows I’m right. Everyone here knows Kole Conley isn’t sorry and doesn’t realize the error of his ways or won’t pay any real consequences for what he has done unless someone else makes him.” She gestured to herself. “I am the person who will make him.”

“I understand your position, Your Honor, but you know we will appeal this decision,” he said firmly.

“You have no grounds to do so,” she said, not hiding her amusement. “You would need to find fault with anything I’ve said or some sort of conflict. I’ve never met any of the Conleys before, and I was assigned this case—woken from bed by the head magistrate last night when he was informed the former judge was retiring. I received several of his cases as did other judges.

“Your only other option is to take this to trial.” She sat back and snorted. “But go ahead and try to appeal it.” She nodded towards me. “There is the person who will decide to uphold myruling in the end or not.” She focused on Kole then. “I think you overplayed your hand on all of this and it’s time to come back to reality, Mr. Conley.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that, Your Honor?” his attorney hedged.

“She could still take his head, Counselor, and I would after learning that he had no intention of settling the lawsuit like was promised and was bragging he trained her—knew he abused her. And once she sees what the proposed plea agreement wasas she was supposed to—there is no world where I would let someone who threatened my life serve no prison time.”

“None?” I breathed, not able to keep that reaction to myself even with all my royal training. I leaned forward and forced the prosecutor to turn around and face me. “None?Are you mad? How—none?”

“The previous judge wouldn’t hear of it,” he told me. “Said prison for a text was insanity.”

“He’s lucky he’s retiring before I find him,” Maple seethed, steam about coming out of her ears.

Yeah, I felt the same.

“I’m sorry the legal system failed you as the victim, Your Majesty,” the judge said gently. “I promise you it won’t while this is my case. That being said, it is your right to withdraw your allowance for a plea agreement.”

“Don’t you dare, Sagan,” Kole hissed.

“Shut up, fool,” Vex snapped.

“May I have time to consider it, Your Honor? I wasn’t ready for any of this,” I said quietly, feeling shocky again.

“Of course. You are supposed to be allowed to change your mind at any time before the plea agreement is signed and it is to be shown to you before it is confirmed viable by the prosecution. I am disappointed it wasn’t this time.”

“I will take the reprimand for that, but it was solely the complications of her being the queen not—this isn’t a typical case, Your Honor,” he defended.

“It should be,” she snapped. “Everyone cannot have it whatever way for their narrative. Either she’s the ruler or she’s a woman or she’s the victim. She can wear many hats as we all do. Get it together because you’re the chief prosecutor of Nerthus, not some tiny town in a remote nation. I expect something to me by Monday that isreasonable.

“Something that shows this man can be reformed because I don’t see that as possible, and I think he should be locked up for good so he isn’t a danger to society.” She snorted when people couldn’t hide their shock. “He did this without remorse to thequeen. For years to the Heir of Thovudin. You all understand that, yes?”

“Thank you,” I whispered, flinching when I realized I’d spoken out of turn and stood. “I apologize, Your Honor, but you’re saying what I have been trying to get everyone to hear me on and no one would listen. It was that I was being petty or taking it too personally. That I should—what I was saying was never aboutme.”

She gave me an understanding look and nodded. “Well, here is your chance to speak, Your Majesty. Here is the proper forum, and it’s a shame you were denied the rights every other citizen has.”

I let out a slow breath and faced Kole. “If you would do this to me, the most powerful woman in Thovudin… What will you do toevery other womanwho cannot stop you or fight back? You show no remorse which means you will do itagain. And people will let you.” I gestured to his parents. “Enable you. Forgive you. Defend you. And that means my citizens aren’tsafe.”

“Well said, Your Majesty, and I could not agree more,” the judge said gently. Then she looked to Kole. “I could not agreemore, Mr. Conley. You are to be held to a higher standard when you have privilege, not abuse it. You were next in line to be Alpha, and that means the lives of millions would depend on you. That is something to appreciate and respect, not take advantage of.

“You were an Alpha’s heir trying to upgrade to the second most powerful position in Thovudin as the queen’s mate, and I thank the gods that she found out the truth and was not only freed of your abuse, but we citizens won’t suffer that since the ruler cannot divorce. Though I hope that law could be waived in the case of abuse.”

It hit me hard that she was pushing Kole’s buttons intentionally when he started chuffing and she kept going.

“Your uncle is a self-made man who just helped mend our relationship with a foreign nation and saved a tribe of undines. He’s a world-renowned professor and specialist in several fields while—”