Chapter 66: Panic

Delia and Tina had retreated to Delia’s room after the ceremony, but Delia wasn’t sure how long they had before being brought in for questioning. Tina panted and wrung her hands as Delia tried to figure out where she would manage to hide the empty vial she’d been carrying all day. It might not be poison since Adolph seemed unaffected at the ceremony, but she wasn’t going to chance being caught with it if she could help it.
*Eden’s grey eyes glinted through the shadows as he followed Adolph and the priestess up the stairs and Delia rounded the corner trying to reach the stairs to her room.*
His expression had been neutral, but his eyes had been furious. She worried her lip. What if he decided to pull her from the mission? It wasn’t her fault! He would understand once she explained the situation.
She had no idea what was going on or how Adolph was completely fine! Maybe it hadn’t been poison, and she’d misunderstood what he meant by advance in which case none of this had anything to do with her.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened.
“How rude—“
“Lady Delia and Tina, we are on orders to take you to the lunar parlor to wait.”
“I’m the wife of the prince, surely I can wait in my room—”
“Anyone who resists will be taken to the dungeon for at least a month on the Royal Beta’s order,” the man said stiffly. “Come with us by choice, Miss Delia, or be taken to the dungeon by force.”
Delia ducked her head and followed though she didn’t do it quickly. Tina followed in complete silence until they reached the first floor. The guard opened the door to the lunar parlor and the first person Delia saw was Raven, holding her teacup without a care in the world. Her blue eyes shifted for just a moment and landed on Delia as they entered.
Delia flinched under her gaze before marching in and making sure to seem as annoyed with the situation as possible. She had to sell her indignation as thoroughly as possible.
“This is absolutely ridiculous! Wait until Basil hears about the way you’re treating me!”
The next person to enter was Basil.
“Ah,” Irene said, looking at him over her shoulder. “I can only hope you are here for your wife… or your nanny?”
Tina approached him, “Prince Basil, surely you can persuade them otherwise? I’ve been a loyal servant for so many years… I don’t deserve to be interrogated like some common criminal!”
Basil pat her shoulder, “You don’t need to worry. You’ll be excused.”
Irene watched Basil and wondered if Basil was truly an idiot or just too simple to think. She and Raven spoke often about what Gavin’s influence was doing to him in his youth, but to see him past his majority still without a clue was almost heartbreaking.
She would have to offer her formal condolences to Adolph when she got a chance for being such a great man, a great king, with such a deplorable heir.
Her uncle would be heartbroken if he was still alive to see what his grandson had become.
Still, it was interesting to watch the three of them together. Delia seemed nervous and hiding it. Tina was outright nervous, though whether that was because of the current state of her rapport with Adolph or something else, Irene couldn’t tell.
“Your thoughts?” Irene leaned over to speak in a whisper to Raven. “One wouldn’t typically mix crimson oleander with wolfsbane. It would be overkill…”
Raven nodded. Irene watched Raven take a glance of the room, hardly blinking the way she did when she was observing someone in particular. Then, a light of an idea passed through Raven’s eyes when the door opened again with a few more people. Lily and Sarah walked together into the room and rounded the room to stand near them, eyes downcast and solemn as Sarah sniffled.
Tina shifted closer to their sitting area, standing close enough to listen. Raven let her gaze drift over to Tina as she trembled, hunching into herself. Her eyes were bulging and she seemed to be fidgeting with anything she could. Her eyes jumped around the room though she was trying to move to somewhere inconspicuous.
Her mother told her when she was just a child that the servants were in the best position to spy as they often evaded critical observation while critically observing every master and guest that entered the house.
One of the most important lessons their mother and father taught them from a young age was the ability to observe everyone around you without drawing attention to yourself. It had saved her and Adolph’s lives many times as children.
Raven met Tina for the first time when Gavin brought Olivia to the palace during a celebration. She’d been Olivia’s handmaiden since she was a child, and Raven had hated her at their first meeting. There had always been something duplicitous about Tina. She saw the same thing in Gavin more often than not. She’d speculated once that Gavin and Tina were having an affair of some sort, but she dismissed that notion. Tina was greedy enough to try to start something illicit, but Gavin was smart enough to know that he needed to keep his image as clean as possible.
That didn’t mean that Gavin hadn’t taught his daughter his manipulation tactics and hadn’t employed them on either his daughter or her handmaiden. With Olivia dead, who was pulling Tina’s strings? Gavin? Delia?
She didn’t think Basil was aware enough to manage it. After finding out that Lily had succeeded Tina as the head maid, who had taken her position from Maria, she considered Gavin as the ultimate mastermind, but she placed no stock in it. Gavin had little to gain if Laurel was murdered and everything, including his life, to lose. Gavin dealt more in manipulation and control than outright murder.
Raven smiled, coming upon an idea. She needed to set Tina up to reveal whatever was making her so nervous, be that guilt or otherwise while informing Adolph about her suspicions. When they were children, she and Adolph would pass messages between their tutors and suspicious servants by planting ideas in their minds, usually plausible excuses that would lead them to out their duplicity.
In the case of suspected poisoning attempts, Maria was their most-used code due to petal jam being the only thing that was served with every meal.
“What happened to Maria?” Raven asked, just loud enough to be heard throughout the room.
Tina’s eyes stopped, a flash of an idea went through her eyes and Raven forced herself to remain still and continue with her plan. She wanted to run across the room and force Tina to confess. Irene lifted an eyebrow at her and her lips twitched into a small smile.
Lily spoke, “Maria is head of the kitchen now, Lady Raven. She was already called for interrogation.”
Tina’s fidgeting eased; she grew relaxed and a little smile appeared on her lips.
Raven smirked, “Ah, how could I forget the imperial jam at brunch? No one else has the recipe but Maria.”
Tina went still before letting out a little breath that made her shoulders drop. Raven sipped her tea and hoped her brother tore Tina to pieces for whatever part she had to play in the assassination attempt.
The door opened again.
“Prince Basil, Lady Delia, and Tina have been called next.”
Basil stepped between them, looking at the two knights.
“My wife and Tina don’t need to be questioned,” Basil said as Chasel came through the door, steel-eyed and stoic. “Neither do I. This is ridiculous.”
“You will come quietly to be questioned or spend the next month in the dungeons.” Chasel’s voice sliced through the air like a glinting blade.
Basil glared at him, “You can’t do that. I’m—“
“His Majesty has made it clear that everyone is to be questioned… In this matter, I act in His Majesty’s stead. Your place in line for the throne will not spare you.”
Chasel’s eyes narrowed and Basil flinched under his gaze. The cold fury in Chasel’s voice seemed to sharpen the edge of his voice. It wasn’t often that Chasel used such a tone with anyone, nor let his aura fill the air. It was nearly as bloody as his father’s.
“Choose wisely.”
Irene smiled and turned to see Chasel. He had grown up well, and Adolph could not have chosen finer beta for his kingdom. They’d known Chasel since they were young. He’d followed Adolph into war under her uncle’s banner and stayed at his side. They were as close as brothers.
If there were anyone in the castle anywhere near as furious as Adolph, it would be Chasel on Adolph’s behalf. She almost hoped the Basil forced Chasel to subdue him and incarcerate him, but it seemed her cousin had some manner of intelligence. He nodded stiffly, and they followed the guards out. Chasel turned to look at Irene and nodded.
The ice of his expression softened to something lukewarm and familiar.
“Thank you, ladies, for your patience. I will return shortly to speak with you.”
Irene lifted her cup in salute, “We look forward to it.”
Raven turned to smile at Sarah and Lily, “Come sit and have a bit of tea with us, dears.”