Chapter 8
They accompanied to the farthest tower of the Royal Palace. They forced to climb a long flight of stairs until we arrived to a small cell just under the roof. I was then made to sit with my hands tied behind .
The Captain stared at and began his interrogatory: “Answer honestly to what I’m going to ask you. If you lie, your fault will be even more serious.”
Suddenly, my status of “possible bride” turned to the one of “possible convicted”. I was sorry for my father. The reason of the cri, how I could have acquired so Rudy, the way I added it, why I changed idea just before the Prince drank the wine: those were just so of the many questions they asked , soti gently, soti nacingly.
“I could never have thought about murdering His Highness…. I usually cultivated Rudy in my garden, but it was always kept under strict surveillance. I didn’t put it into the wine. I didn’t change idea, I just grabbed the chalice to save his life. I didn’t plan anything…”
Not a single question, even the trickiest one, could ever make admit so kind of cri. I told them that they should have focused on Lady Cecille if they would have wanted to find the real culprit.
“Are you really accusing the other Lady?”, the Captain probably wasn’t believing , but he still sent a subordinate to investigate.
I feel a little relieved. He looked at puzzled, probably noticing that I appreciated that my request hadn’t been ignored.
Hours passed, and I lost track of ti.
Even if they didn’t lay a single finger on , my arms hurt and I’m all stiff by sitting so many hours. Even my voice was slowly becoming hoarse after all those questions… then, finally, they untied .
“You are really stubborn. You are not even trying to flatter or make feel sorry for you. You even thanked ..”.
While I was staring at the llowed Captain’s face, I suddenly rembered I already saw him sowhere: It was the knight at the garden. Just as the Royal Knights, the high rank nobles are chosen to serve His Highness. I was surprised about the vulgar language which he used, thinking that he was of an higher rank than , daughter of a Baron, however, I remained impassive to keep my good manners in this peaceful situation.
“You can’t accuse , because I have no fault. Sooner of later, you will understand that interrogating an innocent is a waste of ti.”
“Can you wait just one day?”
“As soon as you can, please. I can’t bear this situation any longer…”
He smirked and threw a small blanket from a corner of the cell.
“I must confess: I don’t think you are the culprit. Try to sleep now. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
“I thank you for the kind words.”
He answered ironically and left, closing the door with a rusty bolt.
There was only a small window with bars and the ground was seeming so far from . I imdiately discarded any chance of breaking through the sturdy door, so I just collapsed on the floor, on the small blanket. Oh Lord, my arms hurt so much, and the hard floor was not helping at all. I recovered a small bookmark that I hid in a fold of my dress near my breasts.
Since they had already found the Rudy in my pocket, the knights didn’t frisk any further. They didn’t find this, because they were looking for “weapons”.
“My room must be a ss right now…..”, I though.
I miss my beautiful hat, but at least I’m happy I have this.
Inside the bookmark I attached the Lirott flower which His Highness has gifted to . Since I didn’t want to lose it, I pressed it inside and let it dry, to preserve it. Its petals lost their color, but my hearth and my mory keep them blue. He didn’t see at the end… I can rember how his gaze didn’t et mine. I hugged the bookmark close to my sore breasts. I closed my eyes and felt relieved, like if it was transferring heat to my heart.
“—resa, Theresa, Ehy!!! THERESA!!!”
“…..No, I’m Anes…. Wait, is it really you, Peko?!?”
Still half asleep, I woke up, I raised my head and… then I saw the girl with black hair grabbing the bars of my window….. from outside!
I’m aware of the huge height of this tower. There’s no eaves to get a hold for the feet, and if you fall you are surely going to die. Peko was just standing there, like she was standing on sothing I couldn’t see and, grabbing the bars with a hand, she was looking inside with her face squeezed between the iron pipes… It was better not to tell her that her cheeks looked so weird that way!
“What are you doing here, Peko??!!! It’s dangerous!!!”
“Do not worry. I’m with a Protector. I’m here because I heard everything… I’m so sorry….”
Under her black eyes which were nursing with compassion I was almost going to burst into tears. I didn’t want to be a concern to a girl younger than …. “Do not be worried for ” I smiled at her, shaking my head.
“I don’t know what they told you, but I’m not guilty…”
“Of course you are not!!! I’m going to “kill” you if you think I might have so doubts about that!”
“You are a monster Peko. If I told you that I had so doubts it would be a bad ti for …”, I found so strenght to joke.
“I can judge people! If I couldn’t believe you, how could I pretend to be your friend???”
She’s so adorable when she gets angry. It was really hard for to not start crying.
“Do not get too much upset, Heroine, you could fall!”
“Stop playing with my neckline! Why can’t you behave?”, Peko scolded his Protector.
The beast next to her, with beautiful golden feathers, must have been his “Protector”. It was so reverent and timorous…
“I would have loved to have a calm conversation with you, but my friend here is too visible, I must hurry…. Can you summarize what happened? I’ll do an investigation too!”
“Will you do it? I already asked for it to the Captain…”
“Captain Jack, right? He told us the there is the need of a deeper investigation. The poison was too weak to kill soone, and the assassination attempt was too clumsy to make you look a heroine by saving the Prince. However, now you are the main suspect. The first reason you are here is that you had the Rudy powder in your dress. You also had to admit that you grew it in your holand. Clues are poor, but we cannot find any other traces. Can you tell sothing particular which you have noticed?”
I told her the exact words which I said to the Captain.
After so questions, she smiled at and stretched an arm through the bars: “All right, I think I know where to investigate next! Give your pinkie!”
“….. I-I can’t give you my pinkie…”
“…No, no! What did you understand? I just want to make a promise to you!”
We crossed our pinkies as she asked .
She pronounced so weird magic formulas, then she suddenly withdrawed her finger: “Cut! Now that I cut my pinkie I have to swallow a thousand needles if I break my promise! Don’t worry, Theresa. You will be out soon without a doubt. I’ll clear any suspect of murder from you, like blowing a light feather of Rionos!”
The eyes of Peko are black, but not too dark. They shine as if they were inhabited by the stars of rhinos which guides each dawn. She has such a strong gaze that she can vanquish the darkness….
“Than… thank you for believing …”, I didn’t notice my little voice was trembling… her affection made shudder.
Every ti that she or His Highness call “Theresa” my hearth breaks under this fake mask.
I’m Anessa. I ca to the Royal Palace only to replace my sister who ran away due to love. I’m just a woman who wouldn’t have ever had the rights to set foot in the Royal Palace, nor being one of the possible brides for sure.
It hurts wearing this mask… The hearth beneath that mask hurts even more, it’s ruined because It would like to tell the truth and return back ho.
“Wait for , I’ll return to pick you up as soon as possible!”
Peko waved his hand and her head slowly disappeared. Worried I tried to look outside the window. The sound of her Protector’s wings broke the silence of the night. A pure golden wind blew through the hole from below and then the Heroine and the sacred beast were already gone.
It was a long day imprisoned in this cell.
The Captain who questioned the day before just asked sothing else this morning as a greeting before keeping to read so books. It seems that he’s guarding my door alone, since I don’t see anyone else around.
“… No more questions for ..?”
“Yes. Did you do it?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Really? Everyone says it’s innocent. But everything will be clear soon. Knight Order is really good in finding proofs.”
Having noticed that I was looking at him not convinced – an exemplar knight wouldn’t read books while guarding – he told : “Baron Dalton has been arrested.”
“M-My father???”
“He had Rudy balm on him”
“It’s mine! I gave it to him!”
“I don’t care of who that balm is. It was an attempt of murdering His Highness. It’s more reasonable to find other clues and other accomplices than thinking a woman could have planned it all alone. We have not discovered anything yet, though.
They arrested my father. My House has never been involved in dumpy policy before, apart impersonating my sister. I can’t imagine how heavy could be the cri of posing as soone else. It was who accepted the proposal of my father. I just hope that he won’t get involved if they find guilty.
“They are searching in my room too.. right?”
“Of course, from the cotton inside the cushions to every page of every book.”
“…. I-I must ask you a favor. There’s a cream colored hat in my room. Can you just tell them not to ruin it?”
“Ah, that one”, He was smiling.
I didn’t get it.
“Does that hat have sothing do to with this situation?”
“No! I-it’s just sothing I care for. It makes rember a person…”
“All right, I’ll tell them.”
Even the next day has been the sa: they asked those usual formal questions then I borrowed a magazine which the Captain had already read. “Places where to find beautiful won?????”
“Do not tell to High Highness It was mine”
I promised him not to say anything, and he answered to with a smile: “Today it’s the second day: It seems that I’ve won the bet”.
He then told sothing I couldn’t quite understand… “It’s ok that you make earn money, but you must learn to read one man’s feelings”
“I don’t know anything about your bet, but how is he doing?”
“He’s fine. He is busy preparing his brides selection’s final phase. He would have had to participate in a group dance, but it has been postponed due to this situation. He will do all the stuff the last day.”
“Everything in a single day? But there won’t be enough ti to dance with all the ladies….”
“Well, that’s not a problem. He doesn’t want to dance with all of them.”
It’s true. Noone would like to dance with more than a hundred people.
I was still mulling about what he had told , when he pressed: “Did anyone ever told you you are slow on the uptake?”
“Noone in particular. Ah, just one ti it has been told to by His Highness in person”.
“Oh really? Well, let’s hope the young one’s passion will do the trick. Be smart with my Lady, you might be the one who will hear the sing of the birds every morning…”
I lowered my head, I didn’t get if this was an encouragent or not. I hear the birds singing every morning from here too…
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