Midnight Confession”
A fictional royal drama short story

Avemoor Palace. A cold autumn night blanketed the ancient stone walls in silence. The moonlight streamed gently through the silver curtains of the royal chamber, casting long shadows across the bed where King Edric lay resting. Beside him stood Duchess Clarissa, her hands trembling, her breath shallow.

“I can’t hold this secret any longer,” Clarissa whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. “It was me… I was the one who arranged for that driver.”

King Edric sat up sharply. “What driver?”

“The night Princess Alina had the accident…” Clarissa paused, swallowing hard. “I switched the driver at the last moment. I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I just wanted her gone from the city. She was getting too close… interfering with things she shouldn’t.”

The room fell into a heavy, dreadful silence.

“You… you’re telling me Alina’s death was your doing?” the King asked, his voice low, disbelieving.

Clarissa shook her head, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t kill her, Edric. I swear. But I set the pieces in motion… and I’ve lived with that guilt every single day since.”

The King stood, his expression torn between heartbreak and fury.

“You’ve hidden this from me for five years,” he said through clenched teeth. “She was the mother of my child, the only woman who ever stood by me when the Crown crumbled. And you let her die?”

Clarissa stepped forward, trying to reach him. “I loved you! I did it for us—so you could rule without her in the way!”

“No,” he said, voice rising. “You did it for power. And now you will face the consequences.”

Far beyond the palace walls, thunder rolled in the distance, as if the heavens themselves had heard the confession.