Selce Numenn hurried up the stairs of the palace. She lifted the ruffles of her olive green dress and tried to speed up her pace. She had just arrived from Mandell and was completely exhausted. It had been two weeks ago, only, that Mayor De Chepen had fallen right into her arms and now the private council wanted a full report. She scurried round the corners without thought, her walking stick slowing her slightly. After a deep breath and a fluff of her dress she entered the king’s private study. Selce was met by three questioning pairs of eyes.
“Good Evening, Majesty,” She said bowing slightly, steadied from tripping by her stick.
King Mallei’s brown eyes looked her up and down then answered. “You look famished Miss Numenn, take a seat.” He said in response while motioning to an empty chair at the right of his desk.
Selce settled into the chair, crossed her legs, placed her walking stick on her lap and focused on the other two men. Both watched her intently.
In front of her and behind the king, stood Captain Mosae. His icy eyes were full of irritation. His rigid form was a complete contrast to the cushion wall that he leaned on. He gave Selce a small nod. The other man lounged calmly in his seat.
“Good evening gentlemen.” She gave them a polite nod.
The king didn’t allow the others to respond. “Captain Mosae doesn’t believe that Mayor De Chepen is dead.” He pointed over his shoulder to the man behind him.
“Of course I don’t believe it. Everyone liked him. It makes no sense that someone would want him dead.” Mosae stated. He placed his hand on the sword at his side.
“That being true he was also a very reserved man. People didn’t know much of his private life. He may have had enemies for that.” The man beside Selce spoke. Cardinal Uner, his silky voice was a stark contrast to the Captain’s rashness. “What happened there might have been revenge or payment.”
“True, but mayors are not permitted to join organisations without notifying the crown or crest. So unless you or I were told of such that could not be the case,” the king said. It was true; secretly belonging to an organisation religious or domestic was a dangerous business for people of high political power.
“It also could be that he was speaking of Solta.” Selce stated.
At that all three sets of eyes were back on her. The king looked shocked, the captain confused and the Cardinal seemed mostly irritated. None of them had a thing to say at that.
Selce looked around the room and realised that someone was missing.
“Where is the Duchess?” A distant cousin to the Cardinal, she was an integral part of the council, and currently an absent one.
“She had Caught On again. The Cardinal went to visit her again. It was after her trip to Salgo Town, she arrived back in a hurry with it again. She said you could relay everything to her once you arrived home.” The king answered. Then he continued; “what was De Chepen saying about Solta? He didn’t tell anyone, did he?”
“He did, actually I’m sure several people knew before we arrived in Mandell.” Selce noticed the Cardinal and captain stiffen.
“How could he revel private national matters to anyone he wanted to? How many know.” The Cardinal asked. Sitting forward in his chair
“Excluding everyone important to him, just about the whole city.” Selce stated. She knew that to them her sense of calm was astonishing but unsurprising. She watched them all slump down. The captain took a few steps toward the table as though to steady himself.
Captain Mosae’s eyes were glazed by worry and shock as he finally braved the question on all the men’s minds, “what did happen Selce?”
“Nothing all too much, it all seemed planned and expected.” Selce knew that every word of this was of terrible importance and anything omitted could change the whole story. “When we arrived in Mandell, we were welcomed and refreshed in his home. He then informed us that there was going to be a welcoming parade. His wife said he there was one nearly all the time. Apparently the city folk love large events. We were paraded in an open carriage along the streets in a circle back to his home. It looked like the whole city had come out to see him. Then we went to the People’s balcony. All the people on the ground seemed to love him, especially the women.”
“Wait, the People’s Balcony in Mandell is opposite its Watch.” Captain Mosae interrupted, “I remember from when the King visited the place a few years ago.” The Captain straightened up recovering from the shock.
The king nodded. “Yes, it had to be secured from any people that were there. Could people have been up there while the mayor was on the balcony?”
“No, that couldn’t have happened. The Mayoral Guard said they guarded the entrance to the Watch all day. No-one could have entered without them knowing it.”
“That makes no sense. The arrow couldn’t have come from below; it would have been too high.” Cardinal Uner said in a low voice. “And during the day an archer could easily have been spotted from the crowd. Someone had to have been seen.”
“So it had to have been the watch.” The king concluded, “and you were not done speaking Selce.”
“Yes, I wasn’t. I’m assuming you want to know exactly what the announcer said.” All three men nodded fervently. “Well he told the people that Mayor De Chepen was returned from Fachua City and that it was there that he signed the Treaty. According to him, and I quote, ‘it was in the interest of all people from our great city. Because of it we gain much recognition and wealth from the capital.’ That was all he said. Then the crowd below begins cheering again, De Chepen steps forward and before he can say anything he is silenced forever.”
The captain looked like the most outraged man in the room. Selce had a small resolve that the reactions could have been worse. The resolve didn’t stop her heart from thundering, only to be caged by her corset.
“What about during the parade, did anyone seem to be following it with a sinister look or manner?” Mosae asked. This would be his little interrogation.
“No.” Selce said.
“Were there any haters in the crowd? Any people who tried to get too close?” Mosae took a step closer.
“None Mosae, none that I saw. And, for goodness sake, it was a parade; obviously people would want to get close.” Selce hated this one part of all reports, especially when bad things had happened. Hopefully one day Mosae would be the one being questioned.
“What about the others, who were also on the balcony, they must have seen something. And the guards at the Watch, did they search it afterwards?” Mosae took more steps closer. Silent intimidation, Selce knew it was his favourite trick but it was growing old on her.
“They all said that he had no known enemies who might have wanted to kill him. He had foes but none too serious or capable of murder. And everyone on the balcony said they were too consumed with the crowd to look at the Watch. Apparently they had not had a parade in a long time and the outcome of people was more than any had anticipated.”
The king shuffled in his seat. Everyone looked at him. “What about during the funeral, memorial or immediately after the death?” His eyes were pressing, desperation more than anything.
“As far as I could see everyone’s reactions, actions and mannerisms were as one would expect when someone has just died in front of you.” Selce saw Mosae open his mouth, “And I know all this because I know people.” She continued, giving Mosae a pointed look.
“Selce, could you please repeat the announcement, I mean all the words he said on the balcony.” The Cardinal had a thoughtful look on his face and was looking into space. When he turned towards Selce, he was met by the Captain’s irritated eyes. “Please, my dear.”
“Starting when he was talking to the people, his exact words were ‘As you all know Monsieur De Chepen has returned from Fachua City, from whence he signed the treaty of Solta. This was in…’”
“Did he say what the treaty entails… or what it needed from the city?” The Cardinal’s look had changed from thoughtful to relief.
Selce didn’t understand why but still gave the answer, “No.”
The cardinal sagged back into his seat and announced, “Well, Mosae, this seems to be your baby entirely. If De Chepen didn’t divulge the intricate and precious details of Solta then we don’t truly have much to worry about. Whatever he didn’t say died along with him.”
“What do you mean; it’s all my baby, Cardinal.” Mosae did not like the Cardinal, and this was not something that would help that relationship. He pinned the Cardinal with his eyes.
“He means that, because there are chances that De Chepen didn’t actually tell people what the treaty entailed. He might have just told people that there is something called Treaty of Solta. Its name is out there but what it is nothing to anyone outside this room.” The king explained, “That would also mean that it could have been a simple rouge attack. Solta may have just been told to everyone the day he arrived back.”
“And if anyone asks about such a thing, we can pass it off as something random and imaginary.” Selce volunteered. It was one thing that she had not thought of.
“With that refreshing revelation I believe that I am no longer needed and that you, Captain Mosae, have plenty of work to do and maybe even some traveling.”
The captain gaped at Cardinal Uner. But it was true, there were high chances that no-one knew a thing and people might be more worried about the mayor’s death, than the details of his last venture to the capital.
The cardinal stood up, “I am going to dismiss myself from this. I don’t think you’ll need me to help you.”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t think this meeting is needed anymore. Selce already has so much to relay to the Duchess and the sun will soon take her leave.” The king said, also standing up. He reached to a book in the case walked round the table and stood beside the cardinal.
“Selce, I believe that you want to have dinner at your home?” Selce replied with a simple nod.
“Very well then, but if we find that De Chepen did tell someone about Solta’s details it will be your problem to fix. And I mean both of you.” Captain Mosae stated pointing at the men opposite him. The king simply rolled his eyes and turned to the cardinal.
Selce looked up at Captain Mosae as he asked her, “so do you want to finish this my office?” Selce scoffed at this.
“I just want to go home.” When he opened his mouth to object she spoke up, “I have just come from three days of non-stop traveling.”
“I know but this is when your memory is freshest Selce.”
Selce brought her walking stick up and poked Mosae on his chest with it. “What I remember will be the same today, tomorrow and any other day. And besides the testimonies of everyone suspected was written down and you will have them tomorrow.”
“Fine, and greet Duchess for me.” Mosae conceded as Selce set the stick down and rose from her seat.
The Cardinal walked over to Selce, he hooked a hand into one of Selce’s own, partially steading her.
***
He walked with her out of the study and through the antechamber. As they began their decent of the stairs the Cardinal broke their silence.
“I have to ask you Selce, did De Chepen truly fall into your arms?” Selce looked up at him. “What, it is the wrong way around. The woman falls into the man’s arms, and there she sings of her woes. Or did I perceive the plays wrongly.”
“No, goodness, Jager,” Selce sighed. “The man had an arrow in his heart; I think his distress was worse than anything playwrites could conjure.
True, true. Oh, I have another question for you.” Jager was curious as they walked down a wide hallway and stopped at a balcony looking out at the entrance of the palace gardens.
“What now?” Selce released from Jager’s hook and turned to look at him
“Well, I might have caught wind that there was more to your Mandell trip than diplomacy.”
“Really, I wonder what else it could have been about.” A small smile tugged on her lips.
“Yes Miss Numenn, I heard there is a certain someone who you are interested in whose residence is in our city in question.” Cardinal Uner raised his eyebrows.
Selce knew she couldn’t avoid this questioning; she simply smiled and looked at carriage that was now hobbling down the path. It was the same one she had used on the trip, the only difference was the horses. They were beautiful stallions, not the basic travel horses that were chosen for muscle rather than beauty.
“Selce, don’t ignore me on this.” Jager was not going to let her go without an answer.
“Alright, I will tell you that I stayed at his home rather than De Chepen’s. I have known him for a while, and he has a secondary residence here.” Selce turned and descended the few stairs to the ground and went to the carriage. Jager remained on the balcony.
As Selce was helped into the carriage Jager shouted one last question, “May I know the name!”
Selce laughed to herself and before the door of carriage was shut, she ensured that the Cardinal saw her shake her head.
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