Chapter 28 - Deception

"Then why should we not. I plan to make Miriafa my ally, and this might help gain his trust," Deric said with a grin.

He darted out of the room. The guards guarding his room followed after him with Kaden in command.

"King ordered me not to let anyone in, Prince Deric, please come tomorrow," The maid standing outside the king's room said.

Deric frowned. 'I have to inform him as soon as possible,' he thought, clenching the little scroll in his palm. He waited and waited, but King Rukle did not come out of his room.

The maid kept gazing at his clenched fist. She walked closer to him. "Sorry prince, we don't mean to disrespect you but... You can't keep waiting here,"

Deric gazed at the maid. Her auburn hair shone in the night light and her serene face looked beautiful even in low lights. Even though she tried to look kind, Deric could feel the hostility flowing out of her gaze.

"Who might you be? Even if I'm a hostage prince, my position is higher than yours," he said with a sneer.

"I... I didn't mean it like that. I apologise," she said and bowed.

'She doesn't feel a least bit apologetic,' Deric thought with a sneer. He had met people like that in Lafta, all having kind smiles on the outside, but a poisonous snake on the inside.

"What is your name, maid?" Deric demanded.

"Your highness, this lowly maid's name is Yelli," she said with a small smile.

"Well, Yelli, I demand you to give way," he commanded.

"I Am King's servants little prince, I don't take commands from any other," she said with a grin.

Deric huffed. 'Why is this maid so against me meeting the king?' a weird suspicion rose in his heart.

"Your highness, it is getting late. You can meet the king tomorrow," Kaden said.

"Hump," he huffed and walked back. 'Something is fishy with her,' he thought.

Yelli watched them walk away. As soon as they were far, her smile melted away from her face.

'He has my scroll, how many did he intercept? I have to take preventive measures,' she thought and rushed back to her room.

She knocked onto her next-door neighbour.

A small stout maid walked out and yawned. Her eyes swollen and pink.

"Yelli, why are you here so late? Aren't you on standby for our King today?" she mumbled.

Yelli snickered, "why don't we talk inside?" she barged into her room.

"Um, okay, what do you want?" the stout maid whispered.

The auburn maid strode to the couch nearby and sat on it with poise. She picked up the nearby tea kettle and poured herself a drink. "I know about your son. I can help you save him from his death sentence," she said, sipping her cold tea.

"What! You can?" the stout woman exclaimed. She kneeled below her feet and begged, "please.. Please help him. My son... He is innocent," she cried.

Yelli snickered at her admission. 'Innocent? Your stupid son rape and killed three women and you still call him innocent,' she thought.

"I can, but I need you to help me with something," she said with a grin.

*

Morning came, bird chirped and sun shone brightly between the misty clods.

The officials all entered the morning meeting to welcome the new prince in their midst.

The hostage prince entered the court and bowed low. "Your highness, I have something important to give you," he said.

The king nodded for him to continue.

Deric stood up and walked closer. "This is what I wanted to give you," he said and handed over the scroll.

The King read its contents and frowned.

"We have a traitor in our midst," Deric said.

The morning court was in turmoil hearing the news.

"How could this be? A traitor is still hidden?" the Queen exclaimed in shock.

"Yes your highness, when I discovered the hawk even I was shocked," Deric said and bowed.

The entire court started to mummer at his admissions.

The King slammed his hand onto the chair. "Silence!" the court quieted down. "What you're saying is the truth?" he demanded.

"Yes, your highness, I intercepted the hawk myself," Deric assured.

"Where? Did you see who did it?"

"I didn't see who sent it clearly, my King, but I am sure it's a woman," he said in a confident voice.

The court broke out in a murmur again. 'What? A woman? Who do you think it would be,' 'maybe one of the servants?' 'What do you think is in that scroll? The king looked enraged looking at It.' The onlookers whispered between themselves.

"I saw her near the servants' quarters, she was on the third level second window," Deric said.

This threw the entire court in a heated discussion. "Go check who lives there?" the king ordered.

The queen gasped. "I think I know who lives there," she said in a whisper.

"Who is it dear?" the king urged.

"It's Yelli!"