The room was quickly enveloped with silence after Daphne’s question was laid bare in front of them. Even a pin drop could be heard as the three people shared glances, everyone deep in thought.
"Perhaps she just connected the dots," Cordelia slowly said. "We were pressing her about Princess Eiko beforehand. It’s only natural to assu that it’s her we’re talking about."
That was simply the way the human mind worked, and Cordelia couldn’t fault the woman for being so panicked in the presence of quite possibly the three strongest people she knew of― Cordelia was effectively their soon-to-be queen, while Atticus and Daphne had the power to destroy the world, much more them.
"She would’ve never had to clarify if she never had the thought. Why is she so eager to defend soone who was never labeled guilty?" Daphne insisted with a shake of her head. "Besides, haven’t you thought about the hole in the story?"
Cordelia’s eyebrows raised to the top of her forehead, but she remained silent as Daphne continued to explain. Atticus, too, listened carefully.
"Her reason that Princess Eiko would never give the dagger out is that the king can monitor each ruby’s owner through the master ruby that he holds. However, both Arne and Phari also confird — and we know this for a fact as well due to the ongoing civil war — that the king’s health has been on a downward spiral, so much so that his sons are now waging a civil war across Santok in a bid for the throne," Daphne said.
She continued, "Would he have the health and attention to even track down his sons now? Much less his daughters?"
"His attention should be on his sons if he was well," Atticus said, nodding. "Especially when they have the capacity to take his life. The old king isn’t a very loving father, or so the rumors say."
"I don’t know," Cordelia said, frowning. "These aren’t things that can warrant Nikun’s innocence just like that. We need to find the actual killer for him to be set free from the prisons."
"Then at least don’t announce his arrest for now," Daphne pleaded.
"Daphne..." Cordelia said with a frown. The skin between her eyebrows was pulled together as she slowly shook her head. "I understand that you wish to see the best in people, but rember Jean Nott? Rember your sister?"
"On the contrary, I would like to argue that I have seen enough psychopathic murderers in my life to know one when I see one," she said, looking pointedly at Atticus, who rely raised an eyebrow.
He wasn’t psychopathic. A murderer, yes, but they were all killed with reason! Many of them had challenged his authority, or worse, made an attempt for his life or those whom he cared for. He was a king! There were laws to obey, and these people were rely served their just desserts!
However, Daphne had no care for Atticus’s inner turmoil at her implication that he was a cold-blooded killer. After all, she of all people knew he had his reasons― albeit so of those reasons she didn’t quite agree with.
She turned back to Cordelia and said, "Give so ti. I will find the truth behind Yael’s death. If the person who murdered Yael truly isn’t Nikun, then that ans that the murderer is still at large!"
Cordelia sighed.
"Very well," she said. "But you need to find the murderer before the competition ends. By then, the contestants would’ve spread far and wide. It will be much more difficult for you to track down the culprit, with magic or not."
Daphne pursed her lips, determination glinting brightly in her eyes as she nodded.
"Deal."
***
Unfortunately, news of Nikun’s arrest spread far and wide. It wasn’t long before rumors began to spread. It started small, with a couple of people suspecting Nikun of theft. After all, Nedour’s royal palace was still filled with plenty of wondrous treasures that the average man could only ever dream of.
Nikun might be royalty, but it was only by blood― he wasn’t truly recognized as one, and as such, riches like those in Nedour’s royal treasury weren’t sothing he could gain access to without so underhanded tactics.
By the late afternoon of the second day, soone had already spread the word that Nikun was arrested for Yael’s murder. Whispers quickly spread among the contestants, and Jonah and Cordelia watched from a raised balcony.
"Do you really believe that Nikun is the one who killed Yael?" Jonah asked from where he stood slightly behind Cordelia.
He waited patiently for her reply, and true enough, she eventually stepped away from the balcony. Her long flowing skirts trailed in the sea breeze behind her, the small gemstones that hung on her clothing jingling lodiously with each step she took. When she walked past Jonah, she turned to face him.
"He is the biggest suspect," Cordelia stated. "And Daphne doesn’t have the best track record at seeing people for who they are."
"She was right about you," Jonah stated. "She saw your kindness and compassion and stuck to you since."
"Yes," Cordelia said with a wistful smile. "But she hated at first. I did too. We weren’t always friends, Jonah, and that further proves my point."
She turned away and continued walking to the other side, her feet gliding across the cold stone. The late afternoon sun cast a golden-red glow across the surface of the sea in preparation for sunset. It was beautiful to watch the hues of yellow mix in with the blue of the water, and the sight had always worked wonders to calm Cordelia down.
But not today.
The contestants were already starting to band together, demanding Nikun’s execution so as to bring justice to the deceased Yael. As Cordelia feared, Daphne might not have much ti left. Extre tis called for extre asures. She could only thank Jonah’s resourcefulness for finding sothing that had slowly beco extinct ever since King Atticus ripped magic away from the rest of the world.
"Co," Cordelia said. She looked at the small box Jonah was holding, knowing fully well what the blue stone inside was capable of. "We have sowhere to be."
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