C09: Bystander

Day 4 - Daytime - Morning

25th Second autumn, 1152

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Jeanne and Hannah are walking together in a hallway. Both of them have done with the interrogation. It's about to get noon. These two investigators are thinking about what they should do next.

Hannah is going along with her mother like usual. But the girl seems to be frustrated, she doesn't feel comfortable with the outcome. At the end of the interrogation, Braun had decided to follow Jeanne and Hannah. From now on, these two will have a new ally.

It is an advantage to Jeanne, but not her daughter...

"Mom". - Hannah speaks up with an annoyed tone

"What is it, sweetie?".

"Is that a right decision? You just let her join us without considering".

"I did, you just didn't see it".

"What if she did something to us?".

Jeanne doesn't respond. She looks around to find prince Koenig's room, she wants to check on him. However, she notices the prince's room doesn't have a guard. It means Koenig isn't in the room.

"Hey, where's the prince?". - Hannah suddenly asks a maid who was sweeping the floor in a corner of the hallway

"His Highness is now joining a meeting, miss. He's over there". - That maid points to the right, a room at the end of a hallway

Jeanne nods to thank and she moves forward. Hannah waves at the maid to say goodbye and leaves, both of them are curious.

"You haven't answered my question, mom".

"Braun seems to be an honest woman, her behaviors during the interrogation were pure anxiety. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think even if she thought about harming us, it would take her a long time". - Jeanne explains, she walks a bit faster.  "The Palace Killer does not work alone, sweetie. Their activities are organized so it takes time".

"So you're saying she's not guilty and the person I faced in that room was someone else?".

"I don't say that. We just don't have enough proof to say she is the killer, she just... has potential".

"We found those bloody things in her room, mom".

"That's still not enough. I mean we haven't verified that information, maybe she was telling the truth. Even if the truth was real, we have no evidence to say she is the killer and the missing victims were murdered by those weapons".

"I'm more interested in the maids, you know". - Jeanne reveals.  "Think... I found so many coincidences in the night you faced that mysterious figure. You ate a cake they gave you first before you came to Braun's room and drank her tea, it could be a slow pill". - Jeanne tries to share her thoughts with her daughter.  "That female then asked a maid to take care of you, you woke up after sleeping and you faced that dark figure. Then what? That person ran away and the guards chased them". - Jeanne sees that the way to the room is near, she wants to end fast.  "Two maids you met on your way said they ran to the backyard".

"You see? Maids maids and maids".

"Hmmm... so you said it was all a set up?".

"Not really. I feel like it was an act of opportunistic, just a warning. Maybe they tried to drug you but failed, then they saw the opportunity from Braun's trust".

"You reminded me this, mom. Daggers are small, they can be concealed easily". - Hannah says.  "No surprise if that one hid the knife and ran out with someone from her side to join as witnesses. The maid uniforms are black too".

"So that's why you ordered Braun to spy on Selena?".

"Yeah. They're best friends anyway. Since Selena is a maid, I'm not surprised if she is the killer who has companions who are her co-workers". - Jeanne explains.  "The only thing that aches my mind is... where can they hide the bodies just by in this palace?".

"You're not afraid? Everything can be exposed".

"I just asked Braun to...". - Jeanne notices she and her daughter have reached the room, she walks to a knight statue and stands there.  "Listen, I just asked her to give reports of her conversations with her friends. No stalking, no sneaking, she just needs to write about what she knows so far about Selena, everything else is normal".

"That sucks". - Hannah comments.  "Why need so limited information?".

"I only extend what I need when I have a need. We can't depend too much on our providers, sweetie. Our deductions, our minds are the most precious things".

"I have a theory Braun is a killer". - Hannah continues

"Of course I don't phase her out. She can be a helper, that's why I listed the alive wives of His Highness as the suspects".

"How much do you trust her, mom?". - Hannah looks at her mother straight in the eyes

Jeanne only smiles.

"Well, there's a story. A husband and a wife live apart, they can't even letter each other so they can dream about each other, that's it". - Jeanne doesn't want to waste her time, but she really enjoys chatting with her daughter.  "How could both of them trust and make sure their spouse is only faithful to them? That's impossible. We can only keep that hope in our hearts".

"Great, a woman who never married tells me about trust". - Hannah says

"Meanwhile there's is a kid who never had a boyfriend corrects me about marriage". - Jeanne replies

The mother and her daughter stare at each other. One of them smirks.

"Enough joking, let's go back to work". - Jeanne taps on Hannah's left shoulder, both of them soon go out together

Two investigators come to the door, thinking about going inside.

"Halt. You're not allowed to get in". - However, a guard orders them to stop as they came close

All of a sudden, a guard who stands next to that man whispers something into his ears.

"I'm very sorry for my disrespect. Please forgive me. This way". - Finally, for some reason, both of those guards open the door

Hannah steps inside with a smirk while her mother is a bit confused.

"What was that?".

"Mom, relax. Well, one time I followed the prince here and a guard stopped me, he said I wasn't allowed and the prince came". - Hannah sits down on a couch placed at the end of the wall.  "That's how it went. I'm his friend, now I can go wherever I want".

"I didn't teach you to use your intelligence for this". - Jeanne takes a seat next to her daughter

Hannah doesn't seem to listen to her mother's words. Instead, she picks up a cup from a tray placed on a small table next to her seat. She fills up the tea, then slowly enjoys the taste along with the cookies she grabbed from the tray.

Jeanne sighs. She decides to let her daughter have some free time. The investigator starts looking for prince Koenig. She immediately looks in the direction where there are a lot of voices coming out.

That appears to be a discussion scene before Jeanne. Now she notices herself and her daughter standing out of the discussion by taking the most distant seats. That's an obvious thing because their presence here is to solve a missing-murder case. Meanwhile, the people who sit over there are discussing the country's affairs.

Jeanne sees prince Koenig sitting among those people. The prince's bodyguard - Dunkel can be seen standing guard behind his seat. Meanwhile, Selena is seen standing in a dark corner. She stands beside two other maids, seems to be in the waiting position.

Jeanne looks closely at the prince due to curiosity. She sees two women sitting with him, Koenig is sitting between those women. They're the suspects the investigator hasn't talked to. Jeanne knows that based on the description of the suspects' appearance in her report.

The two suspects who sit with the prince are two royal people, both are princesses.

The girl on the left is Reila Foss - the Crown Princess of Attenta Kingdom. She is a concubine.

Reila seems different. Unlike other women, she looks quite muscular, her hand muscles exposed. Meanwhile, this girl's red dress may have covered up the rest of her muscular parts. Her short red hair is dense, her blue eyes are sharp, it makes her look like a human-lion.

The girl on the right is Saeko Ashura - a princess of Ashura Kingdom, somewhere Jeanne doesn't know. As said in the report, Ashura Kingdom is located in the far northeast, out of the Continent. The girl herself is also a concubine of the prince. The girl appears to be very timid, she just sits near the prince and mostly closes her eyes, she opens them sometimes.

Saeko is completely different from all women here. She has dark hair, long dark hair, her eyes are black. The girl seems quiet. She wears an odd white long dress, which is called "kimono" in her kingdom. This girl's sitting pose is also strange as well. She closes her eyes while making a sitting pose called "seiza" in her country.

"Hannah".

"?". - Hannah perks her ears as she heard her mom calling her

"From now on, I'll investigate Selena and Reila. You do the same thing with Braun and Saeko, the girl on the right side, see it?". - Jeanne points her hand to Saeko's seat

"Alright, mom". - Hannah returns to bite some cookies

Both investigators stay quiet and sit firmly, trying not to disturb the room's atmosphere. Jeanne is not interested in politics, but this investigator is interested in hearing people talk, she wants to listen. Meanwhile, Hannah only sees the discussion before her as something to entertain. This girl wants to have more time to relax.

"Hmmm... who's the king, mom?". - Hannah sips some tea

"The person with a crown on his head...". - Now Jeanne remembers.  "I mean... that golden thing on his head, he's the King".

"I know. I see his bodyguard". - Hannah looks at the bodyguard.  "Braun surely has a handsome man, he's so big". - A while later, she finally looks at the king

"You said that's the king, mom...? He looks old. I bet he can't even stand, look at his trembling hands". - Hannah grabs a cookie.  "Unlike the bearded man right next to him... their ages don't look so different but the crown guy is too old".

"Can you shut up?". - Jeanne grunts a little

Hannah stays silent. She sips some more tea, she keeps her back laid comfortably while sitting.

Everything now shifts from the couple investigators to Prince Koenig's position. He is sitting between two of his wives, he seems anxious for some reason. Opposes to the prince's seat is his father - the King, and the Prime minister, discussing with him about the national affairs.

"Father", - Koenig speaks up, his voice seems a little preserved.  "have you read the suggestions I sent to you last week?".

The King nods weakly. He doesn't seem to have enough strength to reply, he keeps sitting on his couch. The person in a wide brown tunic who has brown hair, sits next to the King, pulls out a fur document from a box placed on the table.

"It's right here, Your Highness". - The Prime Minister shows the document by raising it above.  "Your Highness, you shouldn't disturb your old father. To be honest, it's a new idea that no one has thought of before, you made the first step for this new change". - The Prime Minister immediately drops the document.  "However... you need to be wiser, this idea is interesting but... it's just futile".

"I spent two years writing this thing and you just dropped it without a second thought?!". - Koenig seems very mad, he manages to sit tight on his couch because his women are holding him back

"I did take your idea seriously but it's impossible to make. Doing that is risky, it's about life and death". - Prime Minister sits firmly on his couch.  "I know better than you do. Our kingdom faces misfortunes, we have small territories and very few lands suitable for agriculture. That's why we have to depend on food imports, Attenta and its vassal states are our only sources".

"You're saying we have to stay under them. Those misfortunes are your faults! Ten years ago weren't like this, your presence changed everything! They just keep coming over and over! They never stop!".

"I'm afraid you're having some issues, Your Highness. The old always know what they're doing". - Prime Minister sips some tea.  "Everything has its time, we can't change the fact that Warsaw is ruined apart. That's not my fault. Our lords turned against us, our people turned against us, all of them voluntarily followed Attenta".

"And it only happened when you got to this position". - Koenig replies.  "We need to take back the lands that used to be ours. To do that, we need a new plant that can survive even in intense environments. Otherwise, we'll deal with a famine if Attenta and its allies cut off our food support".

"May you give me permission to speak my thoughts, Toten - dono?". - All of a sudden, Saeko - one of the prince's concubines, raises her hand

"Go on". - Prime Minister allows

"I'm honestly not saying who is brighter than who. But His Highness really has a good idea. We're talking about potato, a plant comes from the land of the elves". - Saeko sits tight, she speaks every word firmly.  "It grows fast, it adapts to the environment it lives. My homeland Ashura is just an island on the sea, the north side is covered in snow most of the time. But we face no starvations, because we have that plant, it keeps us to this day".

"Yet, the elves don't demand much. They only ask us to withdraw soldiers and lumbermen from their lands, that's the only condition they will consider to trade with us".

"You don't understand, Lady Saeko. It's rare to see a human kingdom trading with the elves... we also don't know about their true nature". - All of a sudden, the wife on the left, Reila, speaks up.  "Once they get us to satisfy them, they demand more in the next time, that's a more dangerous thing".

"You're literally saying what your homeland is doing to other kingdoms, Reila - dono".

"We keep them under control. That's how a country should work, everything needs to be unified under one monarch". - Reia riles up.  "What do we give to those kingdoms? Protection, unification, power sharing, many things else. Only the ignorants refuse, they don't precious their opportunity".

"Who needs those opportunities when they don't get treated like the real citizens? Who needs that when their cultures, their history, their traditions get crushed and replaced by what their new ruler wants?". - Saeko replies

"Shut the fuck up!!! You two shut the fuck up!!!". - Koenig howls, he holds his ears and stands up.  "Minister Alt, I don't care about what you think! I've done my best to change my homeland, I'm your ruler so you have to listen to me!!!". - He points his index finger at the Prime Minister, cursing him

"Your Highness... the one who we need to listen here is His Majesty". - The Prime Minister later turns to face the King.  "What are your thoughts on this, Your Majesty?".

"I... I believe in you... I gave you... all the rights... Alt...". - The King speaks up weakly

"Did you hear that, Your Highness? This is what I know better. You have the potential to become a ruler but you have a weak mind". - Prime Minister stands up, he approaches Koenig.  "It's not because I don't agree with you. Look around you, imagine if you made that change... you never thought about consequences?". - He puts his face closer to the prince's

"I'll be the new King, everyone will listen to me". - Koenig replies

"A King is worthless without his followers... you will understand when no one stands for you. People will hate you, people will feel disgusted, all of them are worried about what is beyond the Continent. Even just a single plant".

The prince lowers his face, he doesn't want to look up. His tears are flooding his eyes, but he holds back, he wants to cry when he is alone, when no one laughs at him.

"Just do what you have to do...". - Koenig utters with his cracked voice, he wants to cry, he wants to drown himself in something warm and comfortable

"I'm glad when you understand, Your Highness. Don't be like your brother, he never cares about his homeland, he is good at running away, that's how a loser is".

The prince nods.

Jeanne and Hannah are still sitting from the distance, they're still watching the scene. The female investigator looks at something else, she observes maid Selena. The maid doesn't seem to have any strange behaviors, she still stands like her co-workers. However, her face appears to be a bit angry.

"Did you see things like this often, mom? I mean, back in Leafspear". - Hannah suddenly asks Jeanne

"No...". - Jeanne sips some tea.  "Everything I know is just about a princess, you know that women can't become heirs. Her parents scheduled an arranged marriage, for a person she didn't love, that was her situation".

"How did she end up?".

"She stole my boyfriend". - Jeanne replies, she puts the cup down

"So my father did that to you. Hmmm... who did he end up with?".

"Well, as you're seeing". - Jeanne pats her daughter's head

"Where is she?". - Jeanne looks at the area people are discussing

"Who?".

"Reila Foss".

"I saw her leaving. What's wrong?".

Jeanne doesn't respond. The investigator doesn't want to leave out any suspects, even if that suspect appears to be innocent. She wants to make sure all suspects she listed have to see her and talk to her. She wants to see suspect Reila as soon as possible.

However, Jeanne is very worried about her daughter if she leaves her alone. She cares about her daughter's safety like every mother. Jeanne wants to make sure Hannah won't face trouble, so that she can comfortably step into her job with full force concentration.

"Hannah, remember to stay with His Highness. It's about to get noon, eat with him, stay with him, you just need to rest all day now".

"Are you going somewhere, mom?". - Hannah wonders

"Maybe a few minutes later. Just remember what I told you earlier".

Jeanne stays quiet. She holds her daughter's hand, pretending to continue to watch the discussion.