Meanwhile, in the east wing of the Maldura Royal Palace.
Queen Rianna, Lady Nelumbo, Lady Wina, and the rest of the knights were waiting for the King and the others.
Wina has put on her assassin's ring but hasn't used it to put on her assassin's garb yet.
"Your Majesty, Sir Douglas has requested all of the Servants loyal to Duke Alaric to arrive in the Burell room. There are refreshments for them, and they shouldn't suspect anything. Sir Douglas said he would be back soon with the rest of the traitors."
"Very well. I'll send my maid to let the maids and butlers know," The Queen said as she waved over one of her maids.
Then Lady Nelumbo look at Wina.
"I hope you're right about them outing themselves, Lady Wina. If they don't then the King is going to be stubborn. And he'll demand you tell him who hired you," Lady Nelumbo whispered.
"Don't worry... I know what type of man, Duke Alaric is. And the type of people he employs. He has too many who wish to take the initiative and make a name for themselves. I have a hunch one of them will slip up. Then King Cyndre will have to face the facts that his brother ordered and planned for his son's death," Wina whispered.
Lady Nelumbo looked like she was about to say something when General Kane came in with five more knights as well as the King, the Earl, and two of his council members.
Queen Rianna, Lady Nelumbo, and Wina bowed.
"Your Majesty," The Queen said.
"My dear... Where's my son?" The King asked.
"He's sleeping in the bedroom. He's had a long day and he needs his rest," The Queen replied.
The Queen was dressed in her finest red silk dress. Its design was that of the current fashion of the capital. And her hair was still curled and her makeup was still intact from the party. She was dressed for her battle and it seemed to bring out the strength in her eyes.
"So, this is the assassin?" The King asked.
Queen Rianna nodded.
"She has done well for us, my husband. But I can still see doubt in your eyes," Queen Rianna said.
"Yes, it's not hard to figure that out," The King said.
"My apologies, My King. I was ordered to infiltrate the palace and kill your son. I just wish I could have saved more lives," Wina said as she bowed.
"I don't doubt that you're an assassin, Miss—"
"Lady Wina, my husband," Queen Rianna corrected her husband.
"Lady Wina, what I do doubt is that my brother would go as far as ordering the death of my son. He loves this Kingdom with all his being," King Cyndre said.
"Well, I have to agree with you, Your Majesty. Duke Alaric loves this Kingdom so much. It's almost sickening how he's willing to do anything to get what he wants. And your son is an obstacle to his goals," Wina said.
King Cyndre glared at Wina.
Queen Rianna and the others remained silent as they looked at each other.
"Watch your words, Assassin," King Cyndre warned her.
"I've always been told that I'm too blunt sometimes. And some people can't handle that," Wina said.
Queen Rina put her hand on Wina's shoulder.
"Calm down, Wina... I think you made your point," The Queen smiled.
"Yes, your Majesty," Wina nodded and bowed.
The General leaned over to Lord Brice and whispered, "I kinda like this woman."
"Shh," Lord Brice hushed him.
The Earl was watching from the side.
The Queen cleared her throat, "Ahem!... So the plan is to have you watch the suspected moles from the knights' room... It has that nice new artifact that projects the image and lets you hear everything that's going on without them knowing that they're being watched. So, I want you, Nathaniel, Brice, and Gawain to sit there and watch. I'm sure we are going to have a show."
"Fine... But once this charade is over and we find out that my brother wasn't the one who ordered the hit. Then I need you to tell me who your true employer is. No more lying. And I will give you the proper punishment for trying to kill my son," King Cyndre said as he left the room and the General took him to the knight's security room.
Queen Rianna took a deep breath.
"This isn't going to end well. Is it?" Lady Nelumbo said.
"You mean that my husband is going to be heartbroken about the betrayal of his brother. Then I will have to agree with you... It's not easy to have someone you hold so dear to you. Only to betray you in such a way. But we'll have to deal with that later... For now, we have to show my husband the truth about his brother," Queen Rina said.
After waiting for a moment. They heard some more footsteps echoing in the hallway until they saw Sir Douglas and Miss Rose.
"My Queen... We are ready for you," Sir Douglas bowed.
"Excellent," Queen Rianna walked forward as Lady Nelumbo, Miss Rose, and Wina followed behind her.
***
The Burell Room was named after the late great King Burell Meredydd who was the last King to expand the Fiafyr Kingdom's territory to what it is today. And with all the purple slag used as fertilizer and the introduction of the new breed of sheep. They were able to increase the yield of food and helped to stabilize the Kingdom's economy.
The room had a beautiful wooden floor, a marble fireplace, a beautiful golden chandelier, and a few paintings of the Kings and Queens before King Cyndre. And could comfortably seat thirty.
And one by one the servants started coming into the room.
"Huh? Gram? I didn't know you were invited to the appreciation party," A young woman who was probably in her twenties and wore the black and red servant outfit of the East Wing. She had short curly red hair and blue eyes.
Gram was a thirty-year-old footman of the Royal Palace. And is the most eager of all of Duke Alaric Revelia's lackeys.
"I was, I thought there would be more important people than you, but I guess not. Hehe." Gram said with a smartass smirk.
"What does that mean?" The young woman asked with an annoyed look.
"Please... Like I didn't see you try and take all of my credit for those stolen documents. I was the one who snuck into Lord Gawain's study. And I bet the Duke was going to reward me first. But don't worry, I won't let that happen again," Gram said.
"Oh, I get it... You're jealous. Because the Duke is taking more interest in me," the young woman smirked.
"I'm not jealous... I'm not."
"It's about the results, Gram. And it doesn't matter if you did most of the work, if the job doesn't get done, then you're going to have to take a backseat," The young woman said.
Gram scoffed and turned his nose away from her.
Then the two Servants were greeted by Sebastian. Another footman who is loyal to the Duke.
"Gram... It's been a while," Sebastian nodded.
"Yeah, it has. And we're not supposed to be seen together. What are you doing here?" Gram said.
"I was summoned here... By Sir Douglas... He said there was going to be a staff meeting for the party and he asked me to bring some drinks and snacks for everyone. It's not the first time. The Queen has a habit of doing things like this and rewarding the loyal servants... I might be getting promoted to a butler's assistant."
"You really want to be the butler's assistant even though the prince hasn't even been taken care of?... That woman, his lordship hired has been nothing but a failure... She is right next to him every day and yet he still breathes," Gram whispered with disgust.
"Yeah... I'm starting to think that she isn't up for the task... How long has it been since she became the Royal Wet Nurse?" the young woman asked.
"Almost Five months... I'm starting to agree with you, Miss Ava. Maybe it's time for someone else to take her place," Sebastian said.
"It's about time you two came around to my way of thinking," Gram said.
Miss Ava, Gram, and Sebastian continued talking as more servants started to arrive.
And it was Ava who noticed something was off when the next five servants that entered the room were their comrades, who were secretly loyal to the Duke.
'Miss Jolie, Miss Sera, Mister Eckhart, Mister Mullins, and Mister Jeeves... what's going on?... Why are they all here?'
"Sebastian, I need to talk to you outside," Ava said in a hushed tone.
"And lose my chance at getting promoted? It's not going to happen, Miss Ava," Sebastian shook his head.
"Please, Sebastian... It's really important," Ava whispered.
"Fine," Sebastian agreed.
And just before they could leave the room. Ava saw the last two servants who were loyal to the Duke come walking through the door. Followed by Sir Douglas and a female servant, who was an upper-class servant named Miss Maris.
"What's going on?"
"We are here to celebrate the fine job you all have done. Even the Queen wishes to give you all your praises for being the finest examples of loyal servants," Sir Douglas said as he closed the door behind him.
Ava's alert flags were going off in her head but Sebastian seemed to buy the Knight's words.
"That's a fine compliment coming from the Queen herself. We have truly done a great job. Have you heard any word from her about getting my promotion, Sir Douglas," Sebastian asked.
"Her Majesty never tells me anything about who gets promoted in the servants' ranks... But I can guarantee you that your loyalty will not go unrewarded," Sir Douglas said as he smiled at the group.
Ava looked around and noticed everyone had bought into Sir Douglas's words.
'No... Something isn't right... Did they find out that we were the Duke's men? Are they going to torture us for information or are they going to kill us? No... the King would never allow such a thing. This must be a trick. There has to be a reason why they've gathered us here. But my intuition is telling me to run. But how can I run away? There's knights standing in front of all the doors.'
"Miss Ava, are you alright? You've gotten awfully pale." Miss Maris asked as she offered her a glass of wine.
"Um... I... Y-Yes, I'm not feeling so well right now and I was hoping to go to the restroom for a moment," Ava said.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"You shouldn't feel nervous, Miss Ava. I know the Queen can be intimidating, but you've done a fine job as a maid. Plus, she should be here at any moment," Miss Maris said with a smile.
'Oh, Goddess! They know!' Ava's eyes widened.
"I think I might just step outside for a minute... Get some fresh air," Ava said as she stepped back.
But before Ava could make a move. The two main doors opened up to the Queen, the head maid Miss Rose, Lady Nelumbo, and four more knights.
"Good evening," The Queen greeted the nine servants and the fifteen knights.
The group of servants bowed to the Queen while the upper-class servants left the room through the double doors.
"Your Majesty," They all said.
"I've called you all here because there is something that I need to discuss with you all," The Queen said
'It's too late!' Ava tried to keep her cool and was hoping she was wrong about her intuition. But self-preservation was starting to kick in and she wanted to leave the room and run as far away as she could.
"I hope you all have enjoyed your refreshments. I had them brought in for all of you. But I'm afraid that's not the only thing I have for you all. Right now I need you all to make a decision. A decision that will either let you walk out of here alive if you choose to confess the truth. Or you will have to face a severe punishment if you lie," Rianna said as she looked at the group.
"I don't understand what you mean, your Majesty. I hope we haven't caused any trouble," Sebastian asked.
"I'm sorry... I guess I wasn't making myself clear... You see, there was a assassination attempt on my son's life tonight. And luckily it failed. But we were able to find out that she had help... Help from inside Maldura Palace. Now, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but the evidence points at each and every one of you," The Queen said.
Sebastian looked around and noticed what Miss Ava noticed. Everyone that was in the Burell Room was either a loyalist to the Duke or a Royal Knight armed with a sword and shield.
"But your majesty... Surely, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding... We have worked hard for you. There has to be a reason," Sebastian said.
"I'm afraid that you are wrong, Sebastian. There is no mistake. And the reason is that you are loyal to Duke Alaric. And you've been spying on me, my husband, and the Knights," Queen Rianna said.
All the loyalists started to show signs of panic except for Gram.
"If you say that we were traitors. Then why aren't we in the palace's hold!... You throw nothing but words and no actions. All because one assassin snuck through the Royal Guards defenses, Your Majesty," Gram said.
'Oh? So, it seems they didn't know about the three vampire assassins... Looks like Wina was correct about them being hired by someone outside of the Kingdom... But this one let it slip about only one assassin... I wonder how he's going to react when I call him out on this.'
The Queen looked at Gram with a raised brow, "How did you know it was only one assassin that infiltrated the Palace."
Gram panicked about speaking too soon.
"You've already made your case, Gram... You knew the assassin was alone... I'm curious to know how you got that information," Miss Rose said.
"I..."
"Tell the truth. We know that you are a spy. And if you don't want to talk then maybe you can be persuaded," The Queen said as she looked at the knights.
The knight put their hands to their swords and unsheathed them.
"I-I only assumed that it was a lone assassin. It was the only logical conclusion, Your Majesty," Gram lied.
'Oh, is that what you're going to stick with? Alright, let's see if you can lie your way out of this.'
"Well, I must admit I haven't been truly forthcoming. You see. It wasn't only one assassin, but there were four of them... You at least have confirmed that your Duke didn't hire the other three. Thank you, Gram," Queen Rianna said with a smile.
Everyone in the room was shocked to hear the Queen say such a thing.
Sebastian's stone face expression was now one of shock and confusion.
While Miss Ava and the rest of the Duke's servants were starting to get nervous.
Gram gritted his teeth and cursed himself, "Damn, this Corialis woman! She thinks she is so clever!"
"We did no such thing!" Sebastian yelled.
"So, you are denying your involvement with the plot to kill the Prince?" Miss Rose asked.
"Of course I am! All you are saying is hearsay and if you had any real evidence we would be thrown in jail already," Sebastian said.
"So you're not working for Duke Revelia?" Miss Rose asked.
"I would never work for the Duke. That man is a traitor and a coward who can't do the dirty work himself. Plus, I'm glad you rid all of those assassins," Sebastian said.
"Yeah! You don't have anything on us, Queen Rianna!" Gram yelled.
"I agree. I will not take the blame for this attack. You can't prove I'm responsible for the assassination," Miss Ava said.
The Queen just gave them all a polite smile before opening her fan.
"Well, the funny thing is only three of the assassins are dead..." Queen Rianna said with a smirk.
"W-What? How is that possible?" Gram questioned the Queen.
"You see. We had a little bit of help. And it seems that the assassin you were working for. She has decided to show her true loyalty to me and my family. And she was the one who killed two out of three of the assassins who dared to attack my son... It was quite the spectacle. Would you like to see her?" Queen Rianna asked.
"You've got to be kidding me. You're bluffing!" Gram yelled.
The Queen clapped her hands.
Then the secret door opened and a hooded figure appeared with two more knights behind her.
Wina had her black obsidian ring with the white line going through it on her right pointer finger and activated it with her mana. Which covered her in black fog and when it settled she appeared in her assassin's outfit which consisted of a black catsuit and a hood to cover her head and face.
The nine servants gasped in surprise.
"Hello everyone," Wina said with a smile.
Sebastian gritted his teeth and balled his fists, "I don't know what tricks you're pulling, Queen Rianna, but this assassin is obviously working with you."
Wina pulled out a letter with Gram's handwriting on it saying that she would be paid an additional 15,000 gold if she killed the prince before he turned five months old.
Gram's face turned pale as he was shown the note.
"I-If you're going to take me down then I'll take you with me you damn Corialis witch!" Gram Yelled as he charged the Queen with a dagger hidden up his sleeve.
"Stop him! He's got a knife!" Sir Douglas yelled.
Lady Nelumbo and the Queen reacted hastily as Gram came closing in fast as no other knight could get in there to stop him.
"I'll kill you, witch!" Gram shouted.
'He's too slow... And too stupid to be an assassin.' Wina thought as she was prepared for someone to attack the Queen.
Before Gram could reach Lady Nelumbo, Wina used one of her favorite weapons to make an example out of Gram.
She grabbed a spindle of translucent string that was the thickness of a spider's web and tossed it out with her shadow magic at this wannabe assassin.
The string wrapped itself around the Gram's neck, legs, arms, and body then appeared behind him in a blink of an eye.
Gram didn't know what hit him as he felt a sharp pain in his neck, arms, and legs.
He tried to move but couldn't.
'W-What the? Why can't I move? W-What is this?'
Wina smiled and pulled down on the thread which lifted him three feet off the ground as her arms and legs contorted with her threads.
"I warned you lap dog... Being an assassin is not as easy as it sounds. There's a lot more to it than just slitting someone's throat," Wina said.
"I-Is that supposed to be some kind of threat!" Gram yelled with a bit of pain coming out of his voice.
"You don't have a clue what this thread is. Do you?" Wina said with a smile.
Gram was still trying to break free.
"This thread is from an Arachne and I'm going to slowly pull it until I've cut through all of your nerves, muscles, and bones," Wina said as she continued to pull the thread tighter and tighter around his body.
Gram's face became even more pale as he felt his bones starting to break and his muscles starting to tear.
"Agh!"
"My Queen it's going to get ugly soon. I suggest you look away," Wina said.
The Queen was watching as the thread cut through his arm like butter.
"I-Is that thread really made from the silk of the Arachne spider?" Lady Nelumbo asked as she watched Gram's arm get cut clean off.
"Yes," Wina answered.
Lady Nelumbo closed her eyes.
"Please forgive me for showing such a gruesome sight, your Majesty," Wina said as she yanked the thread, which sliced off Gram's right leg from his body.
"AARRRHHH! NO! NO! THE DUKE WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS TREACHERY! NOOOO!" Gram yelled as the Arachne string sliced through his leg.
"That's rich coming from a lap dog like you. Don't worry, Gram. It will all be over soon. And you'll finally learn how to listen," Wina said as her fingers snapped together which cut off the lower half of his body.
"NOOOO!" Gram yelled.
Wina's threads sliced him into several pieces as he bled out on the floor.
"That was a bit excessive, wouldn't you agree," Lady Nelumbo whispered to the Queen.
The Queen shook her head.
"No... They wished for the death of my son. And this one thought about taking my life as well. It could've been a lot worse... But I have a feeling that she's not done with the Duke's men yet. So, I would suggest you step away for a moment if you don't want to watch Lady Nelumbo," Queen Rianna said as she stepped forward until she was next to Wina.
Nelumbo swallowed her fear as she stood by the Queen with her sword at the ready.
Rianna looked at the last 8 servants and spoke in a commanding voice.
"Now, it's time for you all to make a choice. You can either confess everything you know about the Duke's plans, his whereabouts, and the location of the people that are aiding him. Or you can talk to my most loyal assassin. And believe me when I say she is merciless. Your Duke hired her for a reason... So, what will it be?" The Queen said as she opened her fan and covered her mouth with it.
'I'm curious to see if any of them are willing to talk.'
All but one of the loyalists were scared and confused about the turn of events. Ava was looking at her comrades and pondered.
While Sebastian was angry and gritting his teeth.
"You can't get away with this, Queen Rianna," Sebastian said.
'This guy... He is stubborn. I'm surprised. Most would've given up by now. Maybe I'll let Wina have a bit more fun with them.'
Just as Rianna was about to order Wina to do whatever she wanted. Ava stepped forward and spoke, "Your Majesty. If you promise me that I can leave the kingdom alive. I will tell you all I know about the Duke's involvement with the assassin. I just want to be left alone."
Sebastian looked at Ava with wide eyes, "Ava! How could you betray us? After all the Duke did for you!"
"No... The Duke didn't do anything for me. I've been stuck in the lower levels for a long time and have done many things. And I'm not going to die for his cause," Ava said as she stared at Wina.
And before Ava could respond three of the other footmen came after Ava with hidden knives.
"Die, traitor!"
"After her!"
"We can't let her tell the Queen about the Duke's plan!"
Queen Rianna, Lady Nelumbo, and the other guards watched as the three footmen ran towards Ava with their knives ready.
Ava's face showed panic as she thought her life was going to end.
"I won't allow that!" Wina said as she used the spindle of Arachne thread and flung it at the three men.
The threads cut through the men's necks and legs.
"Agh!"
"AHHH!"
"Gahhh!"
The cries of the servants lasted only for a moment until Wina pulled the strands. Which caused their bodies to rip apart.
Wina looked at Ava, "You better be true to your word, lady."
"I am, Lady Assassin," Ava said.
There was only four of the Loyalist left and they were sweating and trembling in their boots.
"Now. What will it be?" Queen Rianna said as she folded her arms under her breasts.
The two women looked at each other and nodded their heads.
"Fine! We'll tell you everything! Just keep the assassin away from us, please!" One of the female servants pleaded.
Mister Jeeves chimed in as well, "I'll tell you everything if I can keep my life, Your Majesty!"
"Good! I'm glad we've come to an agreement. What will you do Sebastian," Queen Rianna said.
Sebastian was standing there feeling numb.
'What are we going to do now? With the evidence the Queen has, the Duke's plan will unravel, and putting Marcus on the throne will fail. Damn, this is all the fault of that damned Corialis Witch of a Queen!' Sebastian thought.
Queen Rianna walked over and stood in front of the Duke's servant.
"You failed Sebastian... Now, if you tell me what I want to know, you will be rewarded with a painless death," Queen Rianna said with a stoic face.
"Do your worst. I'm not talking," Sebastian said.
"So, that's your decision. Ladies and gentlemen. Let's talk about this in another room, shall we? It is a little unpleasant in the Burell room," Queen Rianna said as she closed her fan and started walking out towards the double doors.
Sebastian glared at the Queen and yelled, "Long live the true King! Alaric Revelia will bring down the house of Meredydd and take back the throne!"
Queen Rianna didn't give him a response and continued to walk out. While six of the Royal Knights escorted Ava, Jeeves, and the two women out of the room.
Sir Douglas stayed behind and stared at Sebastian.
"You're a brave one, Mister Sebastian. I'll give you that," Sir Douglas said.
Sebastian stared him in the eye and then looked at Wina.
"If you think you will get away from the Assassin's Society that easily, then you are a fool, Wina. The Duke will make you pay, you traitor," Sebastian said.
Wina just shook her head, "I have something to live for. You are as blind as they come, Sebastian... All this time you think that the Duke sees you as a person, but all you are is a tool to be used until your usefulness is over and then tossed aside."
Sebastian sneered and scoffed, "And what are you to the Queen? A dog on a leash?"
Wina just chuckled and took the thread off the floor then started wrapping it around her left hand.
"She didn't tell me what to do, you tool... I chose to kill your comrades because I'm a free being. I could kill you right now, but I don't want to," Wina said as she turned on her heels.
"Well, I can't wait to see the look on your face when the Duke comes and makes you pay for betraying him. He always returns the favor," Sebastian said, mocking Wina.
"If the Duke comes and tries to kill me, then I will gladly rip his body apart," Wina said.
"He doesn't try. He does. And you'll find out the hard way, you cunt," Sebastian said.
'I've heard that line too many times little man."
Wina left the room to Sir Douglas and the rest of the Knights who were ready to escort him to the dungeon.
"Don't worry about me, boys. I won't escape. I know what will happen to me if I try. Plus, I'm too tired to put up much of a fight after losing my friends," Sebastian said as he looked down to the ground as the knights came closing in.