The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Music Recommendation: The Confession by Danny Bensi

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Theodore dragged the servant by one of his legs as the dead person was used to sweep the ground. Once he had brought the body in the forest, he left it near the den of wolves so that they could use him as their meal for the night. If there was no trace of the body to be found, there was no way to find the crime that had taken place.

'W-who said I am waiting for the magistrate?' the servant had nervously looked at him while standing up and his eyes darting left and right.

'Did you perhaps switch your work from serving the Queen to guarding the door of the magistrate until he returns?' asked Theodore, taking a step towards the man, and the servant was quick to start running towards the castle.

It was the servant's bad luck that he had decided to wait for the magistrate and at the same time when Theodore had decided to pay a visit to the town. Theodore, who was already well aware of the town's streets and alleys. It took less than two minutes to catch the servant and drag him into the alley so that no one would catch sight of them.

'You seem to be in quite a hurry there. Something that you need to tell me?' questioned Theodore.

The man shook his head, 'T-There is nothing I need to say to y-you. I only answer to the Queen! Let me go or I yell for help,' he threatened.

'Really now, I wonder how you would yell if you don't have a voice to scream,' came the low voice of Theodore. His hand was still around the man's neck, and using his other hand, he pulled his glasses and slipped it into his pocket. 'Now tell me why the Queen sent you here.'

When the man refused, Theodore started to squeeze his neck, and the man flailed his hands. He didn't give the person a chance to speak, and soon the man's body turned slack.

Leaving his body in the forest, Theodore made his way to the castle, and he met Calhoun.

"Did you find anything important from the woman?" questioned Calhoun.

"An important detail that might be of great use," replied Theodore with a smile, and Calhoun listened to what Theodore had found out from the woman who was in charge of handling the treasury.

After hearing the information that was relayed, Calhoun said, "I think you found the perfect way to have the King doubt her. But like the woman said, Laurence is still under Morganna's spell and to fix it, something big needs to be done. Frame her for the King's possible assasination."

Theodore raised his eyebrows, impressed with the plan, "But how are we going to do that?" he asked.

"Increase the existing rift between them and then keep adding oil to the fire until it would set everything ablaze. The High House is still taking time, and in its initial stage. It needs a push," explained Calhoun. "Morganna is bent on having you executed, it would be better to have her focus back on the King than on you. This way her attention will be divided and you won't be her top priority."

Theodore informed, "She wants to lead the magistrate to know about Madame Fraunces' death and our involvement in it. I might have silenced the matter for one or two days, but Morganna will pin it back at us again."

"Don't worry about that. What we are doing is trying to buy some time, and even if the magistrate finds out, we have taken proper precautions in covering our tracks," replied Calhoun. Morganna had gone all out when it came to setting traps for both him and Theodore while they were setting their own traps for her. "Are you sure we can trust Selena's information?"

"I will find out to make sure she wasn't making it up," said Theodore and Calhoun nodded his head.

Two days passed, and Morganna, who had been waiting for the magistrate to come along with the other guards to the castle to question Calhoun and Theodore, noticed how nothing like that didn't happen. She narrowed her eyes, sending another servant to tip the magistrate as the previous one had gone missing.

And finally, the next day, the magistrate arrived at the castle and made an appearance in the royal court room.

"Greetings to King Laurence and Queen Morganna," the magistrate bowed his head.

"What brings you here, Maki? Good news I believe?" said the King looking at the magistrate, who lifted his head after deeply bowing and standing straight.

"My apologies beforehand but there has been a murder of a woman in the town and the person who last visited her was Advisor Calhoun's bodyguard," informed the magistrate named Maki. "Theodore used to live there and there are people who believe they saw them together, while also informing that he had threatened the woman because he wanted the house in his name."

Theodore stood there along with Calhoun, listening to the lies that were being spouted now.

When King Laurence looked at Theodore with a look of suspicion, Calhoun spoke to the magistrate, "Can you tell who said that he was there at the person's house? Because if I am not wrong, Theodore has been with me all the time."

"Are you sure about it, Calhoun?" questioned Morganna, who looked at them from her seat. "What makes you so sure that he has nothing to do with it?"

Theodore bowed his head, "My King, I would never do something so uncouth. The woman they speak of, she was like my mother."

But King Laurence had no regard for a lowly servant like Theodore. "Take him to the town's dungeon and you can interrogate him there."

Calhoun frowned, "Without an investigation?" He had hoped the King would change his ways, but Laurence's eyes and ears were blinded by power.

"It is necessary that you stay safe, Calhoun. He might be innocent, or maybe not. But if he isn't, I wouldn't want him to harm you," stated King Laurence.

Morganna chimed in to say, "The King is right. I wouldn't want anything happening to my dear grandson," and she smiled.

The magistrate ordered his guards to get hold of Theodore.