Left alone in the meeting room, Wulfric paced for a minute or two. If it hadn’t been for father discovering the after-party affair, and bringing it to attention so soon…he would have likely urged the investigators to make haste compiling and inspecting evidence of Violet’s murder. Then again, he now knew for certain some shahzade and shezhadi had been roped into Callum and Anastasia’s unwise scheme. That was concerning enough to tend to sooner rather than later.
His thoughts were interrupted by a guard arriving – the one he’d ordered to come make a report on the night’s patrols. Wulfric got a brief overview of the guards’ movements south of the castle between nine and ten. As expected, until the body’s discovery by Dr. Williamson, nothing and no one of particular note had been seen. Wulfric dismissed the guard back to his duties, then informed select servants where he would be relocating, so as to ensure those who needed to would find him easily.
Arrangements made, he grabbed the map, his notes from the previous meeting, and Calbert’s sketch of the suspect, and promptly made his way to Auguste’s office. He knocked once against the wooden door, then let himself in.
“I apologize for the intrusion, Auguste, but we’ve urgent matters to discuss.” The
office was familiar; the two had visited each other in their studies on numerous occasions.
Auguste looked up from his documents as Wulfric entered his office, his tired eyes meeting his brother’s own. A smile met his brother all the same.
“Father has discovered the existence of the after party – via a missing carriage, of all things,” Wulfric’s tone revealed how ridiculously obvious he thought their younger siblings had been.
“According to him, the Sultan’s children and some others were led elsewhere by Callum. I offered to handle the matter, but he did mention he would have someone find them.” He gave his brother a small, lopsided smirk. Auguste and he were aware of the general area of the party, and had had Wystan follow there. With the king busy obtaining information they already possessed, the two of them could talk in peace.
Auguste sighed, taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose.
Callum. He thought wearily yet unsurprised.
“My, it seems like father has caught up with what we know so far.” He stretched his hand to shake off the stiffness. Wulfric had that look about him that he had more to discuss.
“... It appears you have more to say.” “Yes,” Wulfric sighed.
“Perhaps we should send backup for Wystan first,” he suggested.
“As for the other situation at hand…” the eldest brother faced his younger one with a grave expression.
“Violet Damien was murdered,” he announced, and let a moment pass for the information to set in.
“We can send for Harper and a knight to escort her.” The situation seemed dire if Wystan required backup. He looked at his brother’s grave countenance before continuing.
“... Perhaps it’s best I set off after this meeting?”Auguste’s eyes widened at Wulfric’s final words.
“Violet… murdered?” He sunk back into his seat to take in the words. A murder occurring under the Danroses’ vigil? Right after their event?
The Damien family... Although he may not personally like Count Damien, a loss of their family is a piteous occasion. A mix of pity and indignation swirled within the Auguste. Pity for the Damien family and indignation at the fact that someone would murder someone so close to the Royal castle and get away with it.
Auguste quickly recomposed himself. The tiredness in his eyes disappeared, instead replaced with focus and zeal.
When Auguste was ready to proceed, Wulfric motioned for him to clear the desk. Then, he set the items he’d brought with him on it. He tapped the sketch of the blonde woman which he’d placed on top.
“She is the one concrete lead we have, so please, whatever you know…” he cajoled, because he did expect Auguste to offer some resistance when it was an acquaintance of his who was indicated as a potential suspect.
Persephone, the young lady he danced with and offered food to. Although he was merely acquainted with her, she did not seem the type to murder in cold blood. Looks could certainly be deceiving, but he would trust his own gut… unless further evidence implicated her as the murderer.
“Persephone, yes… I danced with her.” He tapped his finger on the sketch,
“I do not know the young lady beyond that, however.”Wulfric looked up sharply.
“You know her name? That is helpful.”Auguste paused, hesitant to relay this piece of information. Another moment of silence passed before he spoke,
“I did indeed offer her access to the pantry for leftovers… although a servant was to accompany and watch her as she did so.” He tented his fingers.
“Surely that would lessen suspicion on her?”Wulfric finally took a seat across Auguste, nodding slowly. Not in agreement, but because he was restructuring the heretofore known information.
“Count Damien had seen her with what he believed was bread stolen from the ball, and then found a piece of it right next to the body…Doctor Williamson saw someone who could have been her leaving the scene, though he wasn’t certain. I imagine it is likely that she was the one there, however…” he crossed one leg over the other, leaning back into the seat as he thought. He wasn’t certain how helpful it would be to reveal to his brother his own doubts as to whether this woman was the murderer.
“I will be frank with you,” he declared his decision.
“There are some inconsistencies that leave much room for the murderer to be someone else. Yet, we must pursue her.” Wulfric considered it self-evident why; running away was indeed suspicious.
“Of course.” Auguste stole a glance at the sketch,
“That would be the most sensible course of action.”“You know…” Wulfric leaned on Auguste’s desk, a tight-lipped smile forming.
“Count Damien did mention this woman had overheard a conversation between him and someone else. If you question her first, with your friendly face and approach - she may reveal what it is that Calbert would prefer to hide. And if she is the murderer, I wouldn’t be surprised if the implied promise of your backing would be enough to entice her to a confession,” he concluded, and settled back into his chair. What Wulfric didn’t mention was that if Auguste didn’t extract any information from her, someone else
would, and on much less pleasant terms.
Auguste smiled at Wulfric's plan.
“A cunning proposition, brother. One that almost satisfies both of our worries. Truly a mind geared for politics,” Auguste complimented.
“You’re right. If anything, we’ve built a small rapport. There is a decent chance she confesses and if she does, best she does so whilst under our... direct supervision.”“The most pressing matter - figuring out what sort of ordeal our siblings had dived into and secure both them and our guests safely.” he said in a matter-of-fact manner as he fiddled with his quill,
“Actually, would you mind elaborating on why Wystan needed assistance?”“Not assistance per se. But it might be faster than waiting for him to return, and I’d prefer to know who exactly is at the party and what state they are in as soon as possible. Though if you’d already ordered him to be expedient, then there is no need for anyone else. I do worry who all father sent to search for them, and what their orders are…” it was a factor he had no oversight of, which was both worrying and irksome.
Auguste waited for Wulfric's explanation before continuing.
“Secondly, once we get in contact with Wystan again, we must use his… seedier connections to find Persephone.” Auguste said,
“If she is on the run, they have the best chance of finding her faster than whomever Count Damien sends. It is also best we clue in Harper into this.”“Ah, yes - but do not mention it was Violet who was murdered, or that this pertains to Calbert. There are only a few of us who are aware - father excluded.” Wulfric had just remembered that he’d not yet informed Auguste that the victim’s identity would not be announced.
“While he wishes to conceal this for Crystal’s sake, I do not want the populace to panic, which they surely would if it was known that such a high-profile target was killed.”Auguste nodded in acknowledgement.
“Yes, it is best we limit this knowledge to those within our circle of trust.” Calbert’s request was reasonable. Even if the Danroses had much to gain, he would block such a distasteful course of action; parading that a parent’s daughter had been murdered is much too much.
“I also believe we need to have a word with the servant who was to accompany her, they might’ve seen something… or perhaps they’re the spy-” he cut himself off,
“No, no it would be treading into baseless conspiracy to lay such accusations.”“Well, you can have that servant questioned,” Wulfric didn’t seem too concerned.
“However, the body was discovered an hour after the ball, so I wouldn’t expect much from that line of inquiry.” He reached a hand out, and set the sketch of Persephone aside, revealing the marked map of Sorian and his notes underneath.
“See?” he tapped at the documents.
“These were the patrol routes…when the doctor found the body here,” he pointed at the x on the map,
“the guards were around here,” he indicated another location fairly nearby.
“And if you read through that,” he nodded at the notes,
“you’ll notice we have scant facts.”“Hmm. Considering the time-frame, you may be right regarding the servant.” Although his suspicions lessened, it may be best he still ask some questions to the servant if they had seen anything out of the ordinary as a precautionary measure.
Auguste read the notes and scanned the map, trailing the patrol route around the site of murder. Could it have been planned or a simple happenstance?
Wulfric gave Auguste a moment to go through the information.
“Putting aside Persephone, what impression do you have of the murder? While I have ideas on the motive, I am unclear as to the method, whether the act was planned or not…or if we should take it as an indicator of greater underlying social unrest.”“I would like to hear your thoughts on the motive first, brother.” Auguste eyed Wulfric expectantly. From the years he’s known Wulfric, his modus operandi revolved around logic and reasoning. Wulfric's relative objectivity was one he valued greatly.
“Very well,” Wulfric agreed.
“The most obvious one to me is a deep grudge against Calbert Damien. I would wager he was the intended target of this attack rather than Violet.” With how reclusive she’d been, it was unlikely that she’d gained someone’s enmity to the point of them killing her for it.
“So, someone who resents and hates the count,” he concluded.
“While Count Damien himself noted Persephone might desire vengeance against him - for having ‘confronted’ her for the spying and theft…” he tapped his fingers against the armrest.
“It is unlikely, though not impossible, that she would come to harbour such animosity from a single meeting. I’d sooner say she ran because she was afraid,” Wulfric speculated.
“While I'm aware that Count Damien is not in the most stable emotional state given the circumstances, that is quite a reaching accusation.” Auguste sighed, brows creasing. Wulfric rolled a shoulder.
“To quote the count, he was ‘admittedly harsh with the girl’ during their initial meeting.”He closed his eyes,
“Now, where was I…” then opened them after a short moment.
“Ah, yes. If the murderer is not Persephone, it might be a person the count is unaware of. For one, I find it difficult to believe he would leave such an enemy lying around if he knew of them.” If it were him, Wulfric would prefer to remove such dangers, and suspected it was the same for Calbert.
“For another, he would name them as a suspect - of course, he is yet to relay a full list of potential culprits,” he allowed.
“But the others he did mention as suspicious were…Kazumin Nagasa, the storyteller, and Lord Roman Ravenwood,” his tone revealed he considered both dubious options.
“It seems more likely that this was happenstance than planned given how… haphazard this situation occurred.” Auguste replied. He raised a brow at the other two suspects.
“It appears we truly have scant details and evidence.”“If it is someone Calbert could not name, someone outside the sphere of his influence…someone confident that they would not be discovered…” Wulfric trailed off. Obviously, such a person would be hard for them to find as well.
“The second idea is a more speculative one, and likely giving the killer too much credit. However, it may be someone who detests nobility, and who wished to make a statement. If that is the case, we should be wary of the possibility of them acting again.”“Certainly a possibility, especially given the current civil unrest within our kingdom,” Auguste agreed.
“Though an odd and clumsy message to send to nobility.”There was a lull of silence as Auguste gathered his thoughts. He let a few moments pass in thought before speaking.
“I'm leaning more towards the likelihood of this being an extremely unfortunate happenstance.” He crossed his arms.
“As you've stated, Violet was likely not the target. A warning to Count Damien… perhaps? Or a botched assassination.”“A thing to consider, this would-be assassin's confidence to murder within vicinity of patrolling guards.” Auguste said,
“Though they may have simply been lucky, is there a possibility that they knew the route of the patrolling guards? Being able to dodge the patrols is no easy feat.” Especially given how Auguste had personally rigorously trained the patrols.
“Perhaps Violet was lured and murdered in a location the assassin knew no guards patrolled. Though… as you've said, this may be giving the assassin too much credit.”“It is precisely because of how well-guarded that area is, and there being such mystery as to how the murder was committed that I was thinking it could have been planned. But as you said, it is not conclusive,” Wulfric gave his input.
“Speculations aside, given the scant details, further investigation is necessary.” Auguste concluded. There was very little to go off of.
“Indeed. That will be commenced tomorrow,” Wulfric folded an arm across his lap.
“While we wait to receive word from Wystan…We can attain intelligence from sources closer at hand. I believe ascertaining the situation at the guest house is most critical. If any of those who’ve remained behind are already aware that something unusual is occurring…” he grimaced minutely.
“Sounds like a plan.” Auguste agreed as he rose from his seat.
“Shall we?”Wulfric tilted his head to the side, surprised.
“Hmm? No, if we head there personally, that would be much too conspicuous. Let’s send someone. “Ah, alright. We could do that.” Auguste said, scratching his cheek. It definitely was best to delegate the task to someone else. The duo were too conspicuous to be doing such tasks anyway.
After some time, the servant who had been sent had returned to the brothers. The dark-haired Bernadette stepped up to them, clearing her throat. There had been enough witnesses to get a decent report on what had occurred earlier tonight.
“Your Highnesses. I have the story, I believe. Princess Anastasia came in earlier tonight and asked many to meet her at the stable. Shehzadi Nahir Kadir, Shehzadi Mayet Kadir, Shahzade Munir Kadir, Lady Zarai Lesdeman, Lord Roman Ravenwood and Lord Leo Smithwood. Shehzadi Layla Kadir was also invited, but she chose not to go. The Princess returned here to collect Prince Callum, then they all met at the stable…The stable boy, Darryn, is now missing.”“She…she went into the guest house to invite them,” Wulfric put two fingers to his brow, and massaged his temple. It was as close to a facepalm as he would allow in a public setting. Did Anastasia not care at all if this expedition of hers was widely known?
“Right. Does anyone over there seem concerned over their absence at the moment?” “The servants. The Sultan is fast asleep and we are unsure where the Vizier is.” She replied curtly.
Auguste, once more, was found pinching the ridge of his nose.
Anastasia. He should have predicted that she would either coral or assist their guests to this party. Between Violet’s murder and this ‘party’, tomorrow will be a hell of a day.
“Other than Darryn, are any of the other servants unaccounted?”As the servant nodded her head horizontally, the sound of a sword slowly unsheathing filled the room. Someone dressed in armor was leaning in the doorway. The sword was resheathed once she felt she had their attention. Swiftly, she pulled off her helmet, a deadly look in the queen’s eyes as she set them on those before her. She lifted her chin and glared down at the servant.
“Leave.” Alibeth gave a slight head jerk and Bernadette hastily walked out past her.
“I will be taking some men,” Alibeth announced coolly. After a pause, she added,
“Your father told me everything.”“Your Majesty.” The formal address felt appropriate given his mother’s demeanor.
“We can arrange matters here for a smooth return,” Wulfric offered.
Auguste followed suit.
“Your Majesty.” The prince had scant seen his mother like this, but when he did, there was little he could do to mollify her fury. He wished a silent ‘good luck’ to his siblings.
“We will assist as required, mother.””Good. Have our medic chamber ready,” Alibeth told them.
“You’ll both remain here.” She set the helmet back on her head. Whatever was going on, she did not care. Her children were out in some warehouse and she wasn’t coming home until she found them and dragged them there. As for anyone in her way… Perhaps that’s what she needed the medic chamber for. She withdrew from her spot in the doorway and made her departure without another word.
“As you command, mother.” Auguste replied. He let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding as soon as she left his office. He looked to Wulfric,
“Shall we have the doctors notified?”On the other hand, a small, proud smile graced Wulfric’s lips as he watched the queen depart. Now
that was the kind of presence and decisiveness a leader should strive to. If only…He shook his head once, and turned to Auguste.
“Yes. I suggest we find whoever thought it was wise to remain silent on the Alidasht’s involvement. If the Sultan decides that this time, proper recompense is needed…” he trailed off darkly. He would gladly see however many other heads roll if it meant that Callum and Anastasia were to be spared.
“Yes, I agree. Thinking of the ramifications gives me a headache.” Auguste let off another tired sigh,
“Tomorrow will be a hell of a day.”
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