Falsified Innocence

Queen Kaye gasped. "I think I know who lives there," she said in a whisper.

"Who is it dear," King Rukle urged.

The court waited anxiously for their queen's answer.

"It's Yelli!" she whispered. "But it's not possible; Yelli will not do such a thing," she uttered with tears pooling in her eyes.

The crowd gasped out loud. 'What, that's impossible?', 'do you think she was trying to harm the prince?', 'She has been with the queen for more than thirty-eight years now, it's impossible.' Their conversations barely audible in a whisper.

"Quiet!" king Rukle banged his table in front of him. "We can figure out who the culprit is after an investigation. Since it is a matter of emergency, this court will act as a witness for this. Guards go summon Yelli. We shall solve this issue right now," he said.

The guards rushed to follow his order.

Minutes later, Yelli was brought in without force. But she had a confused look on her face, gazing around at the court.

The court of ministers and subjected gazed at her in scrutiny. "I am telling you, she's innocent," one of them uttered.

"I don't think so, she is the closest to the king and queen she would know more secret than us," another minister whispered.

"Hmm, you might be right about that." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yelli gazed up at the King and queen and bowed low. "Your highness," she greeted.

Queen Kaye panicked and held her husband's hand. King Rukle held her hand and nodded in assurance. "Yelli, you have been accused of spreading our kingdom's secrets to someone, is that true?"

Yelli's eyes went wide. "Your highness, I…. I don't know what you mean. I haven't done such a thing," she stuttered. She gazed around the court with her innocent face.

Rukle frowned. "Prince Deric, at what time exactly did you intercept the falcon?" he inquired.

"By night eleven your highness," Deric replied. "I saw someone releasing falcons from your room yesterday," he said.

Yelli shook her head continuously. "I… I... I don't know anything about this, your highness," she uttered. Tears started rolling down her flushed cheeks.

The hostage prince saw the crowd showing signs of pity at her acting and sighed.

'What is this woman up to? She is definitely acting right now, but why can't anyone else figure it out?' he thought, clenching his fist. 'I should have figured it out when she stopped me yesterday. I was hasty. I didn't anticipated this,' he thought and bit his lips.

He had experience dealing with people like her, but people in Miriafa were too innocent.

'She is like a snake in the middle of an untouched rose field, I have to remove her soon or else she will spread her poison everywhere, and destroy this Eden,' he thought.

"Liar," Unknowingly he spoke his thoughts out loud.

"No…. I am not… I am not a liar," Yelli cried, clenching her skirt.

"Enough!" King Rukle shouted, glaring at Deric. "Yelli, what you were you doing last night at eleven?" he quested in a soft tone.

Yelli got up from the floor. "I was busy mending my torn blanket yesterday your highness, I was so busy I barely had any time to eat by dinner. I only drank tea to soothe my empty stomach."

"Is there anyone who can prove your alibi?" The King softly said.

The auburn-haired amid nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, my neighbour, a maid called Janise. I was with her that night having a chat and drinking tea."

"What If your alibi was fabricated?" Deric said.

The maid gazed at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please don't accuse me falsely; I am a loyal servant of the King. I would never lie in front of him," She shouted.

With his fist clenched, Deric thought. 'I should not reveal too much otherwise Fang and Kaden's identity will be at risk.'

"Summon Janise the maid," The King ordered.

The guard dragged a stout woman to the court. She was sweating and panting hard.

"Your highness," he bowed.

King waved her from curtseying. "Be at ease. Did you perhaps have tea with Ms. Yelli last night?"

She wiped her sweat and nodded her head. "Yes… yes, your highness as a matter-of-fact I did. We had dandelion tea since the weather was cold,"

"What was the time then?"

"It was… eleven your highness," Janise the maid uttered.

"Gasp, I told you so your highness, Yelli would never do such a thing," The queen whispered in relief.

King Rukle smirked and held his wife's hands. "Hmm, I know dear."

Deric bit his lips. "But your highness, the culprit is still at lose. so it is unwise to close….."

Rukle held his hand up, stopping him mid-sentence. "You are right? The investigations shall continue." He nodded towards the new maid. "Janice, have you seen anyone suspicious enter Ms. Yelli's room yesterday?"

After some hesitation, Janice whispered, "In fact I did see someone you highness, it was another maid called Julia,"

"Gasp, why didn't you tell me? And why did she enter my room so late?" Yelli whispered.

Janise held her hands and nodded her head. "I saw her sneaking in and out of your room. I didn't want to worry you Yelli, so I never told you."

Deris sighed and gazed at them. 'They are definitely acting out a play.'

The king frowned. "Bring maid Julia over."

The queen rushed over to Yelli and held her hands. "I never once doubted you," she said with a dazzling smile.

"I know your highness," Yelli said, wiping her tears away.

There was a loud commotion outside the courtroom.

"What is going on? Go check," the King ordered.

Kaden rushed out and came back. "Highness, the maid is resisting," he said.

King Rukle sighed and held his aching forehead. "Bring her over, don't… don't harm her." he said.

The guards dragged a short maid over; she kept crying and shouting in a high pitch. It was nerve racking to watch her struggle like that.

"ummm, mmmmm," she shouted.

"Silence!" the king shouted.

She quitted down, but her soft sobs made her shoulders tremble.

"Where were you last night by eleven?" he questioned.

"MMnnnhhnn," she mumbled.

"You are not making sense," Rukle sighed.

The guard holding her took pity on her. "Your majesty, I…I think something is wrong with her," he said.

"Check her mouth," Deric said.

The guard opened her clenched mouth to find her mouth bleeding and swollen.

"Gasp, I think her tongue is severed," he said in shock.

The maid named Julia sobbed and cried, bowing low onto the floor.

"Your highness, this maid's tongue has been severed maliciously," Deric said.

"This... Bring the maid a paper and pen," King Rukle ordered.

The other maid, Janise, gazed at her and softly scratched behind her ears. Seeing this, Julia started trembling even more.

Placing the paper onto the carpeted floor, she wrote a few crocked words onto it. Her swollen tears soaked into the parchment. With trembling hands, she handed the paper to the guard.

"I... was inside Yelli room," the guard read in hesitation.

"Good, did you send this scroll," the king said.

Janet scratched her index finger and glared at her.

She sobbed louder and nodded her head vigorously.