C10: Three Factions

Day 4 - Nighttime - Night

25th Second autumn, 1152

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Another night comes. The room of the two investigators is locked as always, one of them is working.

Hannah is sitting on the bed, tasting a small cake. It was part of a birthday cake she took in the palace's living room previously. Today is Selena's birthday. Despite facing difficulties in holding a small birthday, prince Koenig still managed to make it happen.

The girl is trying to feel every bite, nice and slow. She is a bit disappointed when she can't attend the birthday party due to her work. But still, she is happy when she can at least have a cake. Hannah wants to enjoy every moment she is going through, a rare moment for her.

Unlike Hannah, her mother Jeanne is not playing around. She is sitting at her wooden desk, reading the report sent by Braun Frieden. Somehow, the investigator finds the case she was investigating is becoming odd. Her eyes still focus on the report, she keeps reading.

"Hannah". - Jeanne calls her daughter.  "Hannah...". - Again, no one responds to her.  "Hannah...!". - She makes her voice a bit louder

"Yeah, mom?". - Hannah gets a bit surprised, she lowers the spoon

"Did you approach the 4th suspect?".

"No, mom. She stayed with the prince at that time, I couldn't ask her and she refused to answer".

"How's about you?".

"Same. Reila did not allow me to see her, but she scheduled a meeting with me tomorrow". - Jeanne then stays silent.  "When you would finish it, sweetie?".

"It won't take long". - Hannah replies, but she also stops eating.  "Would you like to have some, mom?".

Jeanne shakes her head.

Hannah feels disappointed as she heard her mom's answer. The girl looks at her mom who is sitting at the desk with her back before her. Just silence, now there's no mood, no fun for the girl to enjoy the birthday cake anymore.

"I'm coming". - Hannah puts the cake bowl on a small table, she then approaches her mother

"I want to let you know that I watched Selena quite many times in the meeting. Don't know what to say, she seemed to get mad easily when someone said bad about the prince, but she soon calmed down".

"That's quite the opposite of her. She was very calm and even meticulous when I was drinking with her". - Jeanne comments, she has stopped reading the report but still stays to read important parts.  "I understand her feelings. Just a girl who is at her growing age, always gets emotional if something happens to her love".

"I've watched Saeko as well. She seems very quiet, only talks when necessary, very very preserved".

"Hmmmm... did you see anything suspicious of her?".

"No. At least not... not this time". - Hannah replies.  "I saw Selena comforting the prince because he was crying after the discussion, the guy just later slept on her lap. Nothing about Saeko is suspicious, I didn't see any behaviors of her were... mean to harm".

Jeanne nods. She still stays silent.

"What are you reading, mom?".

"Just a report Braun wrote for us". - Jeanne later puts the report down and turns to her daughter.  "I have something to announce, sweetie".

"From now on, Saeko Ashura is no longer a suspect. We'll focus on the current three suspects, I'll add more if I see someone suspicious".

"Why? We haven't checked on her".

"Sometimes we have to push faster the investigation. The more time of a case, the more expectations people will put on us, that's when the case is not a fun thing to solve". - Jeanne explains, she scratches her messy blonde hair.  "We're here to stop another murder, not playing cat and mouse with the killer".

"At first, I put the alive concubines of His Highness to be the suspects because the victims were mostly his wives. But now when the clues are clearer, it's time to change". - Jeanne looks at a space.  "I think a lot, that's also my weakness".

"I've read some books about Ashura Kingdom in the library. Everything is odd. The Ashurians are said to be very quiet, careful in all the ways they behave to others from the outside to the inside". - Jeanne tries to remember the contents she read.  "The marriage between His Highness and Saeko is basically an arranged marriage. It's common with the nobles, especially the royals. No love at all, it's just a way to extend relationships to strengthen the country by getting more allies".

"Based on what I read and what you described about Saeko... she doesn't seem to have a goal". - Jeanne closes her eyes a bit, she feels a bit sleepy.  "With ambitious women, this marriage is a chance. The only wife alive will live with the prince, she will become a Queen when her time comes".

"So you're saying that's the cause of this entire case, mom?".

"It could just be one of many".

"But why Saeko doesn't have a goal? It doesn't make sense".

"Sweetie, she's a princess who comes from a kingdom we don't know about. It's said to be much more advanced than all kingdoms in this Continent, it's the real thing". - Jeanne sips some water.  "Why would she need something backward like this small country?".

"Hmmm... but I think we should check on her at least once".

"Hmmmm... let's hope that I'm wrong. But be careful, sweetie". - Jeanne sips some more water.  "Most of His Highness' wives are poor nobles or peasants, just some are powerful. All of them can have ambitions to live a Queen's life, but Saeko is out of that path".

The investigator keeps drinking water quietly. Hannah picks up a chair and moves towards her mother, she firmly sits next to her. This young investigator behaves as if she wants to say something.

"I have some new theories, m-".

All of a sudden, the front door has knocking sounds.

"Who's there?". - Jeanne asks

"It's me. Braun Frieden, madame".

"Why are you here this late?". - Hannah moved with her mother, both of them sneak at the door

"I have something to report".

Jeanne unlocks the door and slowly opens half of it. As the door is opened, a scrolled paper sheet is pointed to her, the investigator immediately grabs that report.

"Good job, I need you to keep working like this. No unusual behaviors, you just need to keep your conversations with Selena as normal as possible, write back everything you can remember". - Jeanne reminds Braun

"Understood. I'm leaving then". - Braun bows

"No, don't do that. Keep our conversations normal, just go". - Done saying, Jeanne closes the door and locks it up

Jeanne returns to her seat. She puts the scrolled paper down on the desk, she sighs three times.

"Please listen to me before you sleep, mom. I have a theory". - Hannah speaks up

"I'm listening". - Jeanne replies, she opens the paper and starts reading the new report

"Well. I have a new theory, about the burglars who killed the maids". - Hannah sits next to her mother.  "I'm thinking... maybe we're solving two separate cases. I mean, when I take this case seriously, I see the differences between the missing people and the murdered maids".

"In the beginning, people went missing constantly. Then three months later, every month there would be a group of burglars sneaking in the palace from the outside. They murdered the maids each time breaking in. Then got killed". - Hannah tries to explain.  "I've checked on the maids to see if they had something related to the prince, but I just found it empty. Before those murders, the security in the palace wasn't tight although there had been constant missings". - The girl tries to remember the details.  "Since a month ago, everything returned to normal. Maybe that's because the security has been increased so the killer can't keep killing people?".

"You see, mom. It looks like there are two sides working on this thing. This is something else".

"So my theory is... there are two killer sides in this case, makes it look like two separated cases". - Hannah explains.  "The first side kills in silence, very organized. While the second side seems careless, or that's their intention to work that way". - The young girl stays silent for a while.  "The second side knew the first side was killing people. But they knew people weren't aware so the second side killed some maids to increase the security in the palace, so the first side would see the disadvantage and leave".

"I also thought about that, sweetie". - Jeanne replies.  "But the more I think of it, the more headaches I get, I don't know the real motives".

"How do you explain this, mom?".

"My thoughts on this is that... in the beginning, there was only one group that murders people. However, the group later went into a conflict, they splitted sides and went against each other".

"I said to you that the Palace Killer doesn't work alone. So there's a high possibility that the maids who got murdered... maybe not random. They could be the killer's supporters, murdered to decrease the numbers of force".

"But what are their motives?". - Hannah wonders

"I'm not sure. But I can see that both sides want to eliminate each other until there's only one left". - Jeanne sips some water.  "The second side used the burglars because they don't want their members to clean hands, huh...? Hmmmm... I'm afraid that we have to extend the perimeter of our investigation, sweetie".

"It's too much for the two of us". - Hannah nods

"Neither both sides come to find us, it means they want to get rid of each other in silence. I don't know what their real motives are, but I think His Highness has something to do with this, he's the cause".

"Are you saying that he called us here to solve the mess he made?".

"No, I don't think he knows about this at all. Back to our job, do you remember if you want to get out of the backyard, you need a key?".

"Yeah. Only the royals keep the keys... wait, does that mean?".

"That's right". - Jeanne comments

"But who really keeps the key?".

"Right now, His Highness only has three wives left. Two of them come from the royal, one is a poor noble". - Jeanne explains.  "Selena definitely has no right to keep it. Only Reila and Saeko can".

"But aren't they come from two other countries? I don't think the outsiders even in the royal will have the right to own the key. What's about the Queen, mom?".

"That's what makes my head ache". - Jeanne replies.  "We're not allowed to present before any royals unless we have permission. We have no information about the Queen, so we can only use our imagination for this".

"Why don't we ask the prince?".

"I don't think he'll tell us". - Jeanne sips some water.  "This is interesting". - Jeanne comments as she was reading the report

Hannah doesn't speak up, she just sits and stays quiet. The girl turns behind to see the cake, she only hopes her mother can taste it.

"I'm still unsure about the motives of the killers. But I'm sure it's all only going around His Highness". - Jeanne speaks up.  "We have two killer groups, they kill each other. But now they stopped because of our presence. Both sides don't want to be found out, they will get rid of us before killing again".

"That sounds awful, mom".

"That's what really happened to the people before us. Maybe not because there are more guards so they stop the killings, they just want to get rid of us, the investigators". - Jeanne explains.  "Once both sides go against each other, one will lose and one will survive, it ends well. However, once we find out who they are, both sides lose. They see us as a more dangerous threat".

"It's just a theory, sweetie. All we can do right now is finding the clues, we have a good suspect". - Jeanne grazes her messy hair, she gives Hannah the report.  "Tomorrow, I'll meet Reila and keep tracking Selena. You should hurry with the luminol, we need it".

"Alright, mom". - Hannah replies.  "But I have something to say, we should not rule out Saeko yet".

"She doesn't appear to have any motives, so it seems to be a small possibility. I thought about her too. That girl could have joined either one of two sides to get protection".

"So... is she still a suspect?".

Jeanne nods.

"You just skipped the regulations and now you put everything back". - Hannah says

"So you still don't know the real motives of these killers?".

"I need more information, sweetie. The only thing I know is that the cause seems to be going around His Highness. Two killer groups, both sides are against each other. Both groups have a leader and none of them work alone".

Jeanne closes her eyes and lowers her face, the investigator tries to rest for a few seconds. Meanwhile, her daughter Hannah is reading the report, she seems very shocked. Hannah puts down the report not so long later. She doesn't know how to feel, so many puzzles have been collected but none of them give her a full picture.

"We have a good start with Selena". - Jeanne speaks up.  "She's interesting, we may track her to discover more mysteries".

"According to Braun's report, Selena came to the palace three years ago when she was 14. She was chosen to be a concubine, she first worked as a normal maid, later became a special maid of His Highness". - Jeanne briefs the content in the report, she wants to drink a bit but the cup is empty.  "She's said to be very friendly, she treats the maids well, a very nice-hearted woman. Maybe... if I place her as the killer, she has full potential for it".

"I think the same way, mom. She has full potential for the role". - Hannah agrees as she had just finished reading the new report.  "So it says this girl sometimes will come to the church. There's always a carriage on the palace's front yard, it belongs to her, in some occasions, she'll send food and medicine to the church using it".

"What's wrong?". - Hannah seems confused when she saw her mother breathing a bit heavy

"Nothing. I was just thinking about the past... it's nothing matters". - Jeanne grazes her hair.  "You see this woman's potential, sweetie?".

Hannah nods.

"That's right. She is possessive towards the prince, she loves him. She is loved by everyone, she treats the maids well and they can be her helpers in murders. She has a carriage, it can be used... for...". - Jeanne closes her eyes a bit, then she opens them up.  "Her family makes businesses in food and medicine, it's still unclear but I can see that she poisoned the tea". - The investigator closes her eyes a bit, she wants to think about the accuracy of her deduction 

"The only problem is that we don't know where the victim bodies are when they got killed. She can easily dump them by using the carriage when she is on her way to the church, but where in the palace could she hide the bodies without getting any trouble?".

"What's about the basement in the King's room, mom?".

"If she did that, it means she has the Queen's protection. But why would the Queen help her...?".

"If that was Reila then...". - Hannah gives her mother a suggestion

"It would be more reasonable if it was for Reila. If we say the Queen protects Reila by using Selena to be their butcher, so that Selena will be blamed when she's caught". - Jeanne replies

"Hmmm... what's about Braun and Saeko, mom?".

"Braun is Selena's best friend, she may help her in the murders too. However, I see Saeko has nothing to do with this. At least I see nothing ambitious in her... unless she is forced to join the murders".

"I heard people say sometimes the people who look nothing dangerous are the most dangerous". - Hannah speaks up

Jeanne doesn't respond. She later chuckles a bit and then stands up.

"I'll ask for a warrant to search Selena's carriage. If we find blood during the search, then we will have full authority to arrest her". - Jeanne comments, she closes and opens her eyes a few times while standing because she's exhausted

"I'll take care of the suspects, sweetie. Focus on crafting the luminol tomorrow, we have those mages, we can't waste them".

"Alright, mom".

The investigator then approaches the bed. She sits on the bed, then lies there, slowly closing her eyes. Her daughter comes to sit next to her, she sighs. Hannah looks at the leftover cake on the small table nearby, she keeps staring at it.

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