Jane cast Charles a brief, icy glance before turning her attention elsewhere. Without another word, she began the formal proceedings of judgment. Her red eyes settled on Sophie, sharp enough to cut through steel, yet beneath their coldness lingered an almost imperceptible restraint.
"Tell me," she asked evenly after a brief pause, "what reason did he give you for leaving?"
Sophie lowered her gaze, gathering her thoughts before answering hesitantly. "He told me... that as long as I was under someone's guardianship, I could legally leave Volturi territory. Aro... Aro didn't want me to remain there any longer..." Her voice grew quieter with every word, as though repeating the explanation only deepened her uncertainty, yet she still believed it with all her heart.
As Aro's personal guard, Jane recognized the deception instantly.
"That is another lie," she interrupted without hesitation. "Aro has never said such a thing. You have always remained under my supervision, and no one has relieved me of that responsibility."
Sophie bit her lip.
After a long silence, she forced herself to voice the truth she had been avoiding.
"No..." she murmured. "Sooner or later... Aro would have driven me away anyway. Because... because..."
Seeing her unable to continue, Charles smiled faintly and spoke in her place.
"Because Sophie is in love with me."
By now, he understood everything.
Jane was protecting Sophie.
Every question she had asked, every word she had spoken, had been carefully steering the blame toward him alone. It was obvious she had already decided to absolve Sophie of every possible crime. Once she gathered enough testimony, the only sentence waiting for Charles would be death.
Fortunately...
His lie still remained in effect.
At this point, he no longer hoped Jane would faithfully carry out justice, nor did he truly wish for Sophie to die. Instead, the overwhelmingly powerful newborn had become the very shield that might preserve his own life.
Sophie nodded without resistance.
"Yes." Her voice trembled, yet she offered no denial. "I fell in love with him. I broke the rules of the guard. Sooner or later Aro would never tolerate me... that's why I had to run away with him!"
"Have you completely lost your mind?!"
Jane's fist clenched so tightly that the broken necklace still trapped within her hand twisted into an even more grotesque shape.
Finally, she hurled the mangled strip of metal aside. A surge of fury that even her gift could not relieve exploded from within her as she strode forward and drove a savage kick into Charles's collapsed body.
Charles, still weakened by Jane's punishment, lacked even the strength to resist. He rolled helplessly across the stone floor, kicked back and forth like a ragged ball while Jane vented every ounce of her anger. Yet despite the blows raining down upon him, he suddenly grinned.
A broad...
Satisfied...
Victorious grin.
He believed the proud executioner had finally found something she feared.
Though he couldn't yet understand why, Charles was convinced he had discovered Jane's greatest weakness. She no longer dared unleash her pain illusion recklessly, nor could she simply kill him outright.
Once I escape Volterra... he swore silently, I'll never set foot in Italy again.
For all the terrifying power of her psychic gift, Jane had neglected physical combat training for centuries.
Her kicks were never particularly forceful.
Against someone as physically resilient as Charles, they landed with little real effect, almost soft in comparison to the overwhelming rage she wished to unleash. Much like her helplessness in the face of the false love Charles had forced upon Sophie, she simply lacked the means to strike where it truly mattered.
Eventually, Jane lowered her foot.
Meanwhile, Charles sensed the balance of the trial gradually shifting in his favor. As the agony inflicted by burning pain slowly receded, he braced one hand against the ground and staggered unsteadily back to his feet.
The tide has turned, he thought smugly.
He savored Jane's frustration with malicious delight.
"Sophie..." Jane said quietly after a pause, watching the girl behind her. "Are you hurting because of him?"
The girl standing silently behind her had knitted her brows so tightly they seemed unwilling to relax. Her right hand gripped the fabric over her chest with desperate force. Had the red cloak not been woven from exceptionally durable material, she likely would have torn it apart as well. Her left hand repeatedly opened and closed, as though she desperately wanted to stop something but could not bring herself to act.
"I merely kicked him a few times," Jane continued, her voice growing calmer despite the exhaustion weighing upon her. The anger had faded, but reason remained untouched. "There's no need to suffer over something so insignificant."
She knew exactly what had to be done.
Charles had to die.
Only his death would erase the effects of the supernatural gift known as Lie.
But...
Sophie also needed to witness everything with her own eyes. She needed to see, clearly and without illusion, the fate awaiting anyone who challenged the Volturi. Only then would she truly understand that the cruel reality of the vampire world had only just begun to reveal itself.
"Jane..." Sophie struggled to speak. "Actually... I..."
"Enough."
For perhaps the first time since they had met, Jane interrupted her.
"Don't speak."
Her voice remained calm, yet left no room for argument.
"You've been bewitched. None of the words you're saying are truly your own." She paused briefly before continuing in a quieter tone. "I'm going to kill him. Can you promise me... that you won't attack me, Sophie?" After a moment's thought, she added, "Alec told me your close-quarters combat is exceptional. If you force me to defend myself... I'll have no choice but to use pain on you."
Her expression softened ever so slightly.
"It hurts." Sophie's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Yet the agony inside her eyes only deepened.
Taking two slow steps forward, she reached out and gently grasped Jane's wrist.
Jane instinctively clasped her hand in return.
Lowering her voice until only the two of them could hear, she spoke with unexpected gentleness.
"I know this is difficult for you." She paused briefly, choosing her words with care. "But this man violated Volturi law. He challenged our authority... and he hurt you." Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around Sophie's hand before she finished in an unwavering voice. "I cannot let him live."
Then...
With quiet resolve...
Jane released her hand.
"No!"
Sophie suddenly stepped directly in front of Jane, placing herself firmly between her and Charles.
She shook her head.
"Jane... it shouldn't be you."
Jane drew a slow breath.
Determined to give her one final chance, she spoke firmly.
"Move aside." Her red eyes never wavered. "This man must be executed."
Behind Sophie, Charles laughed so hard that his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
He had won his gamble.
Through nothing more than a fabricated illusion of love, he had secured for himself the most loyal bodyguard imaginable.
One personally trained...
By the Volturi themselves.
Sophie's eyes brimmed with conflict.
She understood all too well that the only reason she had been able to delay everything until now was because Jane refused to use burning pain against her.
"Jane..." she whispered through the unbearable ache crushing her heart. "This all started because of me."
She slowly turned her back to Jane.
"It... shouldn't be your hands."
Before anyone could react...
Sophie reached forward and wrapped her fingers tightly around Charles's throat.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter