So far, all the bodies of the dead servants had been transported to the training field beside the Rohonda building. The guards had to use the biggest carts available to hasten that process.
Only the servants who were present in the family's dinner were left alive. It pained them so much to look at the scene, but they had no choice. Their masters were working hard on resolving the situation. It would be improper of them to grieve in the face of the Duke, Duchess, and heir-apparent.
While the guards and servants took over the clean up, the three members of the Gertrude Family were standing by the door to the Banquet Hall. They were reviewing the pieces of evidence that could possibly lead them to the perpetrator. Though they might be called evidence, they were hardly indicative of anything.
"Father, shall we inspect the wounds on the servants? We might get a clue on the weapons the murderers used, or perhaps the methods, if heaven may forgive." Horen said, his gaze lingering on the pool of blood on the ground.
Because of how much blood was spilt, the few servants tasked to wipe the marble floor were having a difficult time narrowing the pool down.
"Don't fret. I already ordered the head of the guards to do that. What we have to do is to find the suspects. With this number of casualties, I'm guessing that there are more than ten individuals responsible. If they haven't left the vicinity of the estate, then it's safe to say that they're still within the mansion."
The Duke and Horen immersed themselves with the technicalities of the case, leaving the Duchess in her own apprehension. For some reason, her heart felt heavy. As the Duchess, that moment of weakness was one she ought to ignore.
However, she simply couldn't. There was something that was preventing her from doing so.
'What is this?' She questioned herself as she leaned on one of the pillars. Sorsiana clutched her chest tighter than she could ever have. 'Am I grieving for those servants more than I thought? Should I grieve their deaths more so than I have grieved the death of my mother?'
It wasn't long before the Duke noticed how crestfallen the Duchess was. He quickly approached his wife and held her hand.
"What's wrong, my dear? Is there anything that you're burdening yourself with?"
With a weak smile, the Duchess looked at her husband and squeezed his hand. She figured that it wouldn't fare well to raise an insignificant matter such as emotions to the Duke.
Sorsiana heaved a small sigh and replied, "Certainly, this is all so peculiar. I just can't help but be curious of how the perpetrators were able to commit such a sin without us hearing. Though the main Dining Hall was quite far from the Banquet Hall, the guards, on the other hand, were only a few meters away. But after questioning them, they unanimously said that they didn't hear a commotion as to a whisper."
"Yes, I'm aware of that." The Duke then returned the Duchess' smile, "It might be better if you retire for the night, my dear. Let your husband and son take care of this matter."
"But I am f--"
"Please don't say that you're fine when your hand is quivering. This is all too much for you. Do you not have faith that we can solve this?"
The Duchess gazed at her husband's eyes, trying to see if there was the least of hesitation behind his words. Withal, by the warmth of his hand alone, Sorsiana knew that Brahm wanted her to be of sound mind. To that end, she yielded to her husband's plea.
"Alright, I'll stay for a few more minutes then go. You'll allow me that, right?"
The Duke nodded, letting go of his wife's hand a second later. Following that, he faced Horen who had averted his eyes from his parents. Their public display of affection wasn't something that the young man wished to see.
"Horen, leave the report to the castle for tomorrow. We have to sort this out among ourselves first. If rumour came out that we were oblivious of a massacre happening without our mansion, there's no doubt that we will be ridiculed. You're sentient of that, aren't you?"
That wasn't the sole speculation that would arise from any news regarding the incident. Both the Duke and Horen were closely cognizant of the fact that accusations would be thrown at them.
Foremost, there weren't any witnesses who could accurately describe the happenings. The Aristocratic Court had a way of determining the genuinity of one's statement. Hence, the Gertrude Family couldn't just pin the fault on someone else.
For a trial to be in the favour of a noble, the presence of a witness was a must. Otherwise, the noble would be deemed guilty on the grounds of the fabrication of evidence.
Second, it was downright impossible for the entire Gertrude Family to be free from blame. The incident happened within their mansion, and claiming ignorance would only result in greater scrutiny from the jury. The members of the jury weren't merciful enough to pardon a noble. If anything, all they had in mind was to persecute a noble.
Third and the most likely outcome, Duke Brahm Gertrude and Horen Gertrude would be named as the suspects of the incident. There were a handful of scenarios that would explain the mysteries veiling the massacre. All of them involved sorcerers.
In the Duchy, only the Duke, the Duchess, Horen, and select guards had the title of a sorcerer. By virtue of that, they could alter the outcome of the interrogation and portray themselves to be the beholders of the truth.
There were still more to uncover from the conspiracy, but those three were what the Duke feared the most. Why? It's because it would cost him his honour and his family.
Catching a sight from the corner of his eye, Horen turned his head towards the Banquet Hall. There, he saw a guard running to approach him, in his hands was a wooden box.
Stopping an arm's distance away from Horen, the guard held out the box, bowed, and spoke, "Young Master, one of the maids saw this box. She had no idea where it came from. She said that after blinking once, the box just appeared in front of her eyes."
"Where is that maid?"
"There, Young Master," The guard said as he pointed at the maid standing near the window.
Horen didn't respond to the guard anymore. He went on to inform his father and mother, and together, they made their way en route the maid.
Halfway into their short walk, the Duchess stopped as she felt a hand gripping her shoulder all of a sudden..
"This is all too much for you. Do you not have faith that we can solve this?"
Sorsiana had yet to turn her head to see who dared touch her.
No, that wasn't the actuality.
The Duchess was afraid to turn. She remembered her husband's words earlier which was similar to what had just been spoken. But this time, it was the icy, albeit feathery, voice of a young woman that mimicked the Duke's intonation.
"Who… who is this?" The Duchess muttered, her lips trembling from all sorts of fright.
If only she knew. It was her mortal enemy that descended upon her grace.