9: The Prick of Envy

"Alina, did the horse get angry all of a sudden because that blond boy pricked it with a needle?" I asked and tilted my head, feigning childlike inquisitiveness.

"M-milady?" Alina stuttered as she stiffened.

The guests turned to look at me with wide eyes as they comprehended the allegation I had just made.

Everard turned to me with a look of horror on his face, the possibility that someone had seen him commit the crime must have filled him with crippling anxiety.

The blood drained from Eleanor's face in a second. The shock of my words gave her such a fright that she lost control of herself.

"Lies!" She snapped. "Filthy lies!" She hollered at me pointing her finger at my face. "What a vicious child… making up such ridiculous lies."

I stood up on my chair and crossed my arms over my chest and blew up my cheeks indignantly.

"I'm not lying. I don't lie!" I announced. It was rather fun playing a five year old. "When Cyprian was sitting on the big horse that mean boy stabbed the horse with a needle. Then the big horse got angry and started getting noisy and Cyprian fell off and got hurt."

The Duke's attention was fully on me now, his cold calculating eyes surveyed me. He heard my allegation clearly but was struggling to decide if there was any truth in them. He needed to decide whether he should dismiss me as a child who didn't know what she was talking about or someone who was worth hearing out.

Lady Eleanor was panicking. She stuttered nervously trying to think of a way to shut me up, while Everard was completely frozen on the spot. He probably thought that he would never get caught. Their extreme reaction made them more suspicious in the eyes of the guests and so the opinions of the nobles at the banquet were slowly turning against them.

"Duke!" Lady Eleanor sunk down to her knees on the grass and pleaded for the duke to intervene.

"My poor child, I can't bare to hear him slandered like this. All because he standing next to Cyprian when the horse went wild, people are already making up rumours that he tried to hurt Cyprian. He wouldn't dare! Please punish that girl for making up such a story."

She had quickly regained her cool and now her acting was rather convincing. The people were split for now, but if I didn't speak up they would eventually side with her. I was a child without any backing after all.

"I'm not lying. I'm not making up a story." I insisted loudly so that they could all hear me.

"The adults couldn't see because that mean boy had his back to the table when he was walking next to the horse, but I could saw what he did cause I'm all the way on this side."

Mine was the last seat at the very end of the banquet table. I had a perfect view of what Everard did with his back to the nobles.

The two chief gossipers at the table leaned forward out of the seats and scrutinised me.

"Indeed," The man in velvet said. "She definitely could have seen more than us from where she was seated…"

"Perhaps there's some truth to her words." The old monocled woman suggested as she peered at me through her looking glass.

Now that some credibility had been given to me, I needed to slowly nail in my win.

"He pulled out a thick needle from his pocket and stuck it in the big horse's tummy. He's so mean. Then the horse got mad and threw Cyprian off its back." I recounted the story just as I had seen it.

Awkward glances and soft murmuring spread across the tables as some people were beginning to Everard's heroic action in trying to save his brother. While others shook their heads at the nonsense being spotted out by a five year old child.

No one dared make a claim or say anything definitive though because responding to my allegation meant making an enemy out of Lady Eleanor.

My palms moistened as the silence stretched on. I had already said this much but they still didn't believe me.

The duke broke the silence. "Bring the horse back here now. We will examine it."

Eleanor's face dropped as she saw that the matter was far from being settled.

The banquet erupted into whispers and frantic voices as everyone tried to decipher the truth from the farce. The duke had given credibility to my claims by asking for further investigation. a small trial was about to take place on the lawn. The nameless little girl versus the wife of one of the duke's sons.

The duke abruptly stood up from his seat and everyone quietened down. His presence was that authoritative.

"Bring the child here." He ordered quietly.

Alina quickly took hold of my hand and walked me to the front of the banquet table to the Duke and next to Eleanor and her son. She squeezed my hand reassuringly and whispered in my ear to be brave.

The duke seemed as tall as a tree from my short height, and as imposing as a bear. I placed my right foot behind my left and curtseyed while pinching the ends of my skirt.

"Greetings, Duke Kantheus." I said demurely just as Alina had taught me to.

I hadn't seen the duke since he came to visit me on my sickbed but he was an easily recognisable man.

"Seraphine…" He said my name like it made him uncomfortable.

I could hear soft whispers from behind the duke as the guests inquired as to whose child I was.

"Lord Elio's daughter…?" The velvet man pondered out loud.

"With those eyes, she has to be." The monocled woman confirmed. "However, I heard no news of his marriage. You don't think…?"

The duke looked me straight in my eyes. "The punishment for lying to me is fifty whip lashes." He informed me sternly. "Do you understand?"

I nodded. "I understand."

Fifty whip lashed was enough to tear apart the toughest person's back. A five year old like me would definitely succumb to that.

"Then do you standby what you said just now?" He asked me.

"Yes. Everard poked Cyprian's horse with a needle." I made sure not to break eye contact with the duke.

Sweat collected in my palms as the duke stared me down. The disbelieving faces behind the duke scrutinised my every flaw and filled my anxious heart with dread. Even though I had spoken up, there was no guarantee that they would believe me.

Lady Verona's eyes were filled with worry, but I swore I saw a glimmer of hope in them too.

Deep gravelly laughter cut through the tension of the banquet. Everyone's attention was drawn to Lorcan Kantheus as he made his way up the lawn leading the horse alongside him.

"I told you she can talk, father." Lorcan smirked down at me as he came to a stop before the front table.

The duke glared at him. "You're late."

"Yes. But perhaps I'm just on time." Lorcan grinned mischievously.

He brought the horse to the front of the banquet table and had it stand the way it was when Cyprian was riding it.

Lorcan spoke up. "As you can see, the horse's coat is as black as coal. It would be near impossible for us to sift through its hair and find a needle prick-"

My face fell when I looked at the horse's shiny black body and glossy coat.

"Even if you did, you wouldn't find a mark in its flesh because my son is innocent." Eleanor said, wrapping her arms around Everard's shoulder protectively.

Lorcan scowled at her for interrupting him and then continued on with his explanation.

"But thankfully magic can aid us in our pursuit for the truth." He said.

Lorcan raised his right hand and beautiful warm magical light gathered around it like tens of tiny fireflies.

I smiled at the sight of it. Lorcan was skilled enough in magic to know that life magic was one of the biggest components of healing magic. If there was even a small injury, the particles of life magic would gather around that injury.

Lorcan leaned down to look at me. "Pray tell, Seraphine." I noticed how he used my name today instead of calling me 'it'.

"Where did you see the 'mean boy' stab the horse?" He asked.

Before I could answer he scooped me up into his arms and guided my around the horse.

"Here!" I pointed at the space behind the horse's shoulder.

Lorcan raised his magic covered hand to the spot. As predicted the light magic immediately flowed towards the small needle whole in the horses skin. Lorcan pressed his finger hard against the spot and then brought it forward for the duke to see. There was a clear spot of blood staining Lorcan's finger. It was the blood of the horse, further proving that the animal had been stabbed.

At this definitive evidence the guests burst into gasps of shock on horror. Everard truly had done what I had said.

Lady Verona turned to her older sister the hurt in her eyes was hard too look at. Her sister had betrayed her in a way that could have gotten her son killed.

"How could you?" Lady Verona asked.

"Everard did no such thing!" Lady Eleanor blurted out. "That little injury on the horse's side could have been easily caused by the stirrups. Everard loves his cousin, he would never do such a thing!"

She could still spew out lies so easily. Well then I would have to deliver the final blow.

Everard got into his knees beside his mother. "Although I don't live in the main mansion, Cyprian and I grew up together. He's like a younger brother to me. I would never do anything to hurt him." His eyes sparkled with emotion that seemed to convince a lot of guests that he was innocent, despite the evidence.

But I would be damned if I was going to let this guy get away with it. If he was pulling stunts like this now, I could only imagine what he would do later on.

"You big liar!" I blew out my cheeks angrily. "I saw you prick the horse with the needle and then I saw you put it back in your pocket again." I said and pointed to the top pocket where I had seen Everard hide the needle.

Before anyone could do anything Ahren was on the scene like a storm. With a vicious strike he backhanded Everard across the face sending the teenage boy plummeting to the floor with a yelp.

The guests gasped at the sudden outburst from Ahren.

Ahren pulled the limp boy off the ground by his collar and reached into his front pocket and retrieved the long thick silver needle that looked more like a nail at closer inspection.

Shocked gasps erupted from the banquet as the instrument of the crime was finally uncovered.

"I told you so." I said brightly. Everything had gone as planned, even better than I thought because Lorcan stepped up to help me prove my point. I looked down and that was when I remembered that I was still in Lorcan's arms.

"Alina!" I called out to my nanny stretching out my arms to reach for her.

"I'm here, milady." She rushed over to me. Lorcan relinquished his hold on me to Alina. She held me in a tight embrace and I could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

"Thank goodness, you're alright milady. Thank goodness." She whispered into my ear. "You gave me such a fright when you suddenly spoke up. I couldn't say anything…"

Alina definitely had her own goals in being my nanny but she was sincere in taking care of me. I found myself liking her more and more.

Aided by the doctor and the healing mage, Cyprian walked over to the front of the banquet. All his wounds had already been healed, but the shock of such an incident would keep a young boy like him out of the running for a while.

"You really did it, Everard?" He asked as he stared down at his older cousin. "You really plotted against me like this…"

After all, this entire affair was the hardest on Cyprian. He found out that two of his family members: his aunt and cousin, put his life in danger to try and raise their own status. Learning about the greed of others was a lesson that such a young boy shouldn't have to learn so early on in life.

Everard was still in Lord Ahren's clutches and he began to sob.

"I'm sorry." He cried. "Things weren't supposed to turn out like this." He was a teenager but he wailed like a baby.

"Mother said that if I got the horse agitated by the needle and then pretend to protect you that I could move into the mansion and also have my own naming ceremony." He said as snot and tears dribbled down his face.

"But that stupid little bastard opened her mouth and ruined everything." He said.

I scowled at him and mouthed curse words to him.

Lady Verona was enraged by the confession. "So you were the mastermind behind this Eleanor. You plotted against my son. Your own nephew…"

"I just wanted a little glory for Everard." Eleanor clung onto her older sister's skirt and begged like a child.

"Forgive me sister, please. I just wanted Everard to do well. I didn't mean for Cyprian to get seriously injured. I just wanted the horse to get a little upset and show the others that he wasn't ready for his own naming ceremony yet…"

Lady Verona finally lost her patience. "But he did get hurt! If he had landed at the wrong angle he could have died." She slapped Eleanor across the face.

It was a good slap. I loved it when nobles gave a dramatic well deserved slap to someone. Of course I never enjoyed it when I was the one who got slapped.

The duke stared at the treacherous mother and son pair. "To think I was going to reward you by letting you stay in the main mansion and receive an education here…"

He glared at Everard. "What a disappointment."

He turned to look at the pathetic red faced Eleanor. "And you!" He shouted furiously. "The son strayed from the path because of the mother's teachings. You ruined the boy!"

The duke was right. I had not said it aloud but it was the mother who gave the son the needle in the first place. She taught him to be a criminal…

Wouldn't anyone turn out badly if they had a parent who taught them like that.

"Leonis has been away on a business trip for many years. Send a letter to call him back here. I want him to see what his wife has turned his son into." The duke gritted his teeth.

I remembered the name Leonis from the gossip I overheard at the table earlier. Leonis was the Duke's son and Lady Eleanor's husband. The man she chose instead of Lord Ahren.

"Duke Please!" She begged. "Please don't tell my husband. I'll atone for everything I've done but please don't tell him."

"Silence." The duke growled irritated. "I will tell him everything. And while we wait for his arrival you two shall receive the punishment for what you have done."

Eleanor trembled in fear at the mention of punishment and I understood why. Thinking back to what happened to my old maids, I knew punishments in Kantheus were no joke.

"We will start with what I threatened Seraphine with. Both of you will either accept your fifty lashes or give up any right to the Kantheus name."

The duke was a cold man but he was fair. He gave them the same punishment he would have given me.

"Please be merciful, Duke. Neither of us could survive fifty lashes!" She pleaded.

"Do not fret. When your life is in danger the mages will heal you and then continue the punishment." The duke said indifferent to her tears and wails.

"Of course you could always give up the Kantheus name and inheritance and leave the family, but then you would fall under imperial law…"

I understood the judicial system of the Empire a little more now. Each noble house had the right to punish their people under their own rules and protocols, however very serious crimes or crimes committed by commoners fell under imperial law and would be punished by the terms set out by the Empire.

"For the crimes of sabotage and attempted murder you would both be hanged to death." He said darkly.

They really had no choice but to accept their whippings.

Lady Verona roughly snatched her skirt away from her sister and dashed over to her son. She cupped his face in her hands and planted a kiss on his forehead. It was such a motherly nurturing act that I found myself a little envious of Cyprian.

She smiled so brightly at him. "Little Seraphine spoke up for you today, Cyprian. Make sure to look after for her in the future."

Cyprian glanced at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yes mother." He said.

Not much more was said about the subject. The duke called for an end to the party and dismissed all the guests.

I waved goodbye to Roman as he was guided away by his mother. He flashed me a toothy grin as he rode away in their carriage.

If I knew anything about nobles it was that they loved to gossip. I could only imagine how many people would be talking about this incident. Hopefully I would gain some recognition for this incident as well.

I took a risk by speaking out, but ultimately I was only brave enough to do it because I had the evidence to back up my claims. Even then, Lorcan's assistance was vital for people to believe me.

I was lucky that Everard was stupid enough to put the incriminating evidence back into his pocket. If h e had the brain to Chuck it into some bushes, the day might have ended with everyone branding me a liar.

I still had a long way to go.