*Capital Court*
The court drums pounded with immense force enough to the walls and floor. Inside the court was everyone including the suspects. The chief in charge of the case glanced around the room and fidgeted with his sleeve in anxiety. The court was quiet while the evidence was presented. "Is this all the evidence you have to present?" The Chief said.
"There is more," I replied. I rose with a deep bow and walked out of the court. I called for Misa to bring the maid in. A minute later Misa entered holding the maid.
"Please... spare me!" She cried and collapsed on her knees.
"Quiet!" Xiao'yuer yelled at her. He stood up and approached the maid in anger. "Do you think we are idiots? You are only making this harder for yourself." His demeanor was threatening her, if this continued it would be difficult for her to confess. I tapped Xiao'yuer's shoulder gently.
"Calm down, we are just getting started," I said. I turned to face the maid who hung her head low. "Tell us everything you know from the beginning." She waited for a while before she spoke.
"I was just... bringing the miss something to eat." She hesitated when she saw the look in my eyes. Her voice softened to whisper. "I wasn't supposed to open the door. But there was no one inside the rooms so I came. I opened it and then I saw... her lying down.. and I-," she broke off. "Oh, god…" She covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly.
"What were you doing up there?" I questioned her. The look to my question startled her.
"I just said... I was giving the Mistress-." I interrupted her. "I know that, but no one was allowed to go upstairs during the banquet, why we're you allowed access?"
"Well.. you went up there too and I saw how long you stayed up there!" The words exploded from her mouth without any regard for her actions. "I was worried about her because I thought maybe she wasn't feeling well again. I brought some soup. That's where I found her."
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Misa?" I waved my hand at her."Yes, my lady?" "Bring in the hairpin," I demanded. After a while, Misa returned with the hairpin. I threw the hairpin in front of the maid.
"This. you swapped it out with mines didn't you?" I asked. She stayed quiet for a while.
"If I were you it would be best to answer." The Chief said.
"I- ... Yes I did." She finally admitted. "But," she quickly added, "you can't send me to jail just because of that!" She pointed at the hairpin. "You killed the Mistress with that, everyone saw that day!"
"Insolence!" Dong Hua slammed his hand on the table. He glared at the maid. "How dare you accuse a princess of murder, who gave you this much confidence?". I could tell things were getting intense but there was still much more to say.
Xiao'yuer took out an ornate sword from behind his back. He stepped towards her with the blade extended. She screamed.
"Xiao'yuer don't kill her! I said hastily. He looked over at me with a confused look. I grabbed his wrist to stop him. "I want her to confess I will deal with her when we get to that point," I assured him. He lowered his sword.
"Misa." "Yes, my lady?" I hesitated before speaking again. "Bring him in." My hand was trembling slightly but I managed to calm myself down and wait.
She had returned accompanied by him. Based on the maid's reaction I knew I was on the right track. "Hua Yuan."
"You really must be out of your mind." He said. Xiao'yuer became angry. "Not only did you murder my fiancee but you also accuse the innocent."
"Innocent?" I held back my frustration to keep the situation under control. "It was you. wasn't it, you made her switch the hairpins." I accused.
"We have almost a dozen statements from the servants in the Wolf Clan. All of them repeatedly said you abused her." I stated.
He didn't seem fazed by my remark and instead laughed at me. Misa stood beside me and held my hand to reassure me.
"Maybe this will help you realize." I threw a piece of torn cloth at his feet. He reached down and gazed at it for a moment. "What is this?" He asked. I took his sleeve and showed it to everyone. An obvious piece of his clothing was ripped off similar in size and color to the piece of cloth.
"This.. was in the hands of Li Changru, " Xiao'yuer said. He glanced at Hua Yuan. The latter remained silent but a smirk grew on his face. The smile disappeared after seeing my expression. Hua Yuan pulled out a letter from the folds of his robes and handed it to me. "This letter was found in Li's possession."
"What game are you trying to play here?!" I yelled. "What? Are you getting frustrated because you can't frame me?" My eyes glistened angrily. "Li Changru has already died. You have nothing more to threaten me with. So what's your plan? Do you think you can kill me off so easily? It's not that easy!" My eyes narrowed.
"Report!" A servant entered the court. "What is it?" The Chief commanded. A servant ran in and kneeled in front of him.
"Announcement from the Wolf Clan, Touba Jun was found dead earlier today."
"What?!" I shouted. Everyone gasped except for Hua Yuan. He had a small smirk across his face. That's when I knew... this would be much more difficult to prove my innocence.