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“M-my guilt had been overpowering me the last months, Your Majesty. T-the dart that killed the king -,” he stammered. Then, he looked at my increasingly furious face.
“Go ahead,” I gritted out.
“I heard some people plotting what to do with it right there in the kitchen.”
“And?”
“Well, the dart was supposed to be aimed at the then-prince, not at his father.”
My blood ran cold. Hearing it from someone who had seen and heard the enemies plotting against my husband and my family almost took away the breath from me.
“A young girl was there for a little while. I thought she was the princess because they looked so much alike. She told one of the kitchen helpers that she would be placing the dart in the Great Hall. She said she paid one of the cleaners to ensure the dart did not get swept.”
Huh? Was this the Rowan they had been talking about? I thought she was a victim here.
“But how did the meal get swapped?”
“The meal got swapped because a young royal man was arguing with one of the kitchen helpers.”
“A young royal man?”
“About your age perhaps, Your Majesty. Tall. The ladies like him.”
Was he talking about Ari?
“I found it curious because he made sure that the kitchen helper could not see that he swapped the meals. It was swift. I knew that the kitchen helper was part of it. I heard she was talking to the young lady who looked like the princess.”
“I am confused here. You are telling me that three people have been plotting in the kitchen, and only you noticed?”
“Well, the young man is a royal. Helpers are not supposed to stare at royals nor question them. The food testers were not there yet at the time, either, and the cooks were still occupied.”
“And the young woman?”
“She was dressed like the princess. She was small enough to navigate the palace without getting noticed. People would think that it was the princess playing in the kitchen.”
“Mm. And the kitchen helper? How long has she worked here? I know you are new to Prozeus yourself, but do you know?”
“I am not sure, Your Majesty. I believe she has been here for years. She is a woman in her fifties. She speaks like someone who came from Mogochislenia.”
Mogochislenia?
We had three traitors in the palace. One, Ari – but he swapped the meals, knowingly. Was he protecting Metheus, or did he want King Doro dead instead? Two, Rowan, who did not seem as helpless as I was made to believe from the stories I heard. Three, a Mogochislenian woman who was in her fifties?
But what about this man on the ground? How much could I trust him?
‘I will reward you for the information that you have just told me. But I want you to continue working for me.”
“H-how? Why would you do that, Your Majesty? I now know I was in the wrong for heckling you in the market.”
“Let him rise,” I told the guard. So, he did. Reluctantly.
Cesar rose with some fear in his eyes. After all, he could not possibly be sure that I would reward him nicely. The reward might be a comeuppance. When he was on his feet, I touched his arm and closed my eyes. I had only been in touch with this part of my power. It had always been there, just like my power to shift into a fiery bird. I could feel his arm tighten as he felt a little pain from the heat that I applied. Heat to heal, and not to burn.
The man looked at his arm and gasped.
“You have healed me, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, I discovered this part of me a little too late. My mother’s powers were too depleted when you were hurt, and, of course, you were gone. Do not worry. I will give you coin for every time you spy for me.”
