That was when we learned that Father had truly offended someone powerful—a man beyond our reach.
Perhaps word of our presence had spread because after we left the courthouse, soldiers surrounded us, armed with sketches of our faces. They accused us of stealing from the royal treasury and tried to arrest us.
We stood there in the middle of the crowded street, dressed in nothing but thin, ragged clothes, with no place to hide anything, yet the crowd simply watched, indifferent, some even criticizing our appearance.
The soldiers seized us, determined to drag us away, not even giving us a chance to explain ourselves.
It was then that the old servant appeared.
He declared Simon to be the Duke's heir and ordered the soldiers to release us.
The irony of it—it took just one word from a servant, a man of lower station than us, and they let us go.
After that, we were taken to the Duke of Avon's estate and given rooms in the finest part of the house, surrounded by servants. We now lived lives of luxury, all because of Simon's assumed identity.
"...I understand." Perhaps recalling everything we had been through, Simon's resolve faltered. Even the most righteous boy could bend under such weight. His gaze fell, voice quiet, "Eliza, what do we do now?"
I studied the boy sitting across from me. His spirit dampened. My fingers tightened slightly. "First, we find out who framed our father."
From the moment we were beaten, insulted, and falsely accused, I swore to myself:
Honor, integrity, justice—what good were these things if I couldn't protect my family? If I couldn't even protect myself?
In a world where life was as fleeting as a gust of wind, justice belonged to those in power. If I couldn't grasp it from below, I would climb until I could take it for myself.
"Let's go to the High Court of Justice," I said softly, glancing at the young man beside me.
In recent days, news of the Duke of Avon reclaiming his rightful heir had spread throughout London, and no one dared to look down on Simon and me anymore.
"Right!" Simon replied eagerly, dressed in a blue robe that wrapped around him like a cloak. He was tall and slender, following closely behind me, just as he used to do back home.